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The abnormally loud noises of the animal shelter caught Remus off guard. The other times he’d visited he’d been the only one here—mostly coming over under the pretence of dropping off items to donate, too afraid to actually go any further and take a look at the animals—but now there were several people walking around, in and out, most leaving with pets Remus knew they hadn’t arrived with. Through the large window overlooking the shelter’s yard, he caught a glimpse of few dogs were running around, chased by gleeful children.
That man was working the front desk again. The handsome one who had been here each time Remus had come in. The one with the gorgeous hair and perfect smile and sparkling eyes. The one who’d told Remus they were “drowning in animals” and hinted about this adoption event the last time he’d been here. The one Remus had been wanting to ask out since the first time they’d met, but hadn’t even gotten the courage to ask for his name.
“Are you here for the adoption event?” the cute worker asked before Remus could talk himself into escaping back outside. He smiled at Remus, whose stomach filled with butterflies immediately. “Oh, wait. You’ve been here a few times, haven’t you? Remus.” The way his name fell off those lips… Remus wanted to hear it every day for the rest of his life, in every setting. “I remember you.”
“Yes! I… remember you, too. I mean— You’ve been here every time I— Every time I’ve come here to… not adopt.” They’d exchanged pleasantries each time, but Remus had chickened out before the conversation could get any further, even on the topic of adopting a pet, let alone finding out if this man was possibly interested in Remus or even available.
The man’s smile didn’t fade. “I remembered that, too.”
“Er… Yes. I… haven’t been able to commit to it before.”
“But today is the day?” The man’s smile was dazzling Remus and all he could do was nod. “Are you looking for anything particular?”
“A cat.” He couldn’t take care of a dog in his condition, surely. “At least, I think that would be for the best. I have…” He simply lifted his cane in explanation.
The man’s eyes flicked to the cane, then back to Remus’ and there was something… gleaming in them. “Are you open to considering a dog?”
“I’m not against it, I just… can’t keep up with them.” Remus nodded towards the window to the yard, where a huge black dog had just collided with a small child and they both rolled on the ground. Remus was a lot bigger than a toddler, but that would definitely be in his future with a dog like that.
The worker nodded slowly and was about to say something, but was interrupted by the door to the yard opening. A family of three came in along with a medium-sized dog with beautiful golden fur. An awkward silence fell upon them when they noticed Remus standing by the desk.
“Oh, not a good fit?” the worked said, voice cheerful but deliberately soft, typical of someone who was used to working with skittish animals all day.
“She’s just a little too…” said one of the parents, gesturing vaguely, looking for the right word when Remus noticed the dog was missing one of its back legs. He instantly knew what the problem was, and it seemed this was nothing new to the worker either, as he’d already reached for the dog’s leash.
“That’s fine. You can follow Lily again, she’ll show you the rest of our dogs,” he said, clutching the leash in his fist so tight his knuckles turned white.
They watched the family disappear through another door Remus assumed must lead where the dogs were kept.
“She’s a bit different, but that hasn’t ever slowed her down,” the worker said quietly, a defensive note to his tone as he looked at the dog fondly. “Or… It does slow her down, she literally walks slower than the other dogs here sometimes, but she can walk and run, and she can do everything any other dog can.”
Remus got the distinct impression he’d had to explain that to a lot of people. And it never worked.
The dog had sat right in front of Remus, gazing up at him with huge brown eyes, almost pleading. He wanted to crouch down to pet her properly, but had to resign to just extending a hand towards her. She pushed her whole head against his palm, not unlike a cat, and Remus’ heart melted instantly.
“She’s so beautiful,” he said.
“We think she might have some golden retriever in her, the rest we’re not sure about. She loves to fetch, do you want to see? The yard is empty now, I don’t want to overwhelm her too much for one day.”
Remus found himself nodding, then getting herded toward the door to the yard, by the worker and the dog alike.
“James! Man the desk for a while.”
Remus glanced back just in time to see a man with glasses looking over at them in confusion, which quickly turned to understanding when Sirius pointed to the dog, then Remus. It got the point across, evidently, since the other man—James, apparently—gave them a thumbs up and leapt to sit up on the desk.
Once outside, the worker wasted no time unclasping the dog’s leash and reaching into a crate for a ball. He threw it across the yard, the dog shooting after it with speed Remus was sure matched any four-legged dog.
“I’m Sirius, by the way.”
Sirius. Like the star, undoubtedly. A fitting name for such a beautiful man. “Remus. But you already knew that.”
“It’s always better to hear from your beautiful lips.”
Remus glanced at Sirius in surprise, and was met with a wink. “I suppose so. Sirius,” he said emphatically, remembering what it had felt like to hear his name spoken by Sirius. He wondered if this had the same effect on Sirius. Sirius’ eyes didn’t stray from Remus’—light blue, or possibly even grey, gaze intense yet soft—until the dog came back with the ball.
“And this is Stella,” Sirius told him, giving her a few scritches before throwing the ball again. “She’s been here the longest by far. For obvious reasons.”
“That’s… sad,” Remus said, not able to come up with anything better to say. His heart was already breaking for this dog he’d known for all of five minutes. “She seems to be doing fine, all things considered.”
“Dogs are very resilient. But people see something broken and don’t want to deal with it. That family there was the only one who’d even considered her in months.” Sirius’ voice broke at the end and he wiped at his eyes furiously.
“I…” Remus tried to focus on Stella—now chasing her own tail, the ball still in her mouth—and looking like he hadn’t heard the tears in Sirius’ voice.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound so… She just makes me… feel everything. I’d take her, but I already have a dog and my lease only allows one pet. I’ve been brainstorming ideas to sneak her in anyway.”
“That sounds noble,” Remus offered, glancing over at Sirius to see if he was feeling better now.
Sirius grinned at him. “So far my best idea is to take her there anyway and gaslight the shit out of anyone who tells me there are two dogs in the house.”
Stella came back and this time waited in front of Remus until he held a hand out. A slimy ball was dropped into it and then the dog was already a few paces away, eagerly waiting for Remus to throw it.
“You’re very dedicated,” Remus said quietly. Was Sirius regretting introducing Remus to the dog? Remus was already getting attached, then again, offering to see Stella could be an excellent excuse to ask Sirius to meet Remus outside the shelter.
“I just want her to find a good and loving home,” Sirius interrupted Remus’ train of thought. “I want that for all of them, of course, but Stella is… my baby.”
“Is this an interview then? To see if I’m good enough for her.” Remus smiled back at Sirius, but couldn’t stop the thought nagging at him at the back of his mind. “But I don’t know how to care for dogs. They need exercise and you already know I can’t—”
“Well, this was just for you to get to know each other, but if it were an interview, you definitely passed with flying colours. I can already tell she adores you. You obviously don’t have to take her if you don’t feel like you’re up to it, but I think you are.”
Sirius seemed so earnest Remus was inclined to believe him instantly.
“But,” Sirius continued, his smile turning mischievous, “since she’s very important to me, she comes with a bit of a catch.”
“Oh?”
“A date. With me.”
“A date?” With Sirius? Surely he’d misheard and Sirius had meant… a date to… eat, which made… no sense at all.
“Only if you want to.” When Remus couldn’t get a word out, Sirius started backtracking, “Actually, I don’t know why I said that, it was really stupid—”
“Yes,” Remus blurted before he could make this any worse. “I’d love to go on a date with you.”
“Oh.” Sirius looked immensely relieved, an adorable flush rising to his cheeks, the colour making his pale eyes pop. “Good. Great, even. I was really afraid I messed up.”
“Not at all.”
“Are you free… now? There’s a dog park really close and Stella loves it there.”
Sirius sudden question about a date was still bouncing through Remus’ mind and making him feel all kinds of warm feelings, so it took him a moment to realise Sirius meant to go on that date right now. “Yes! Though… Are you free now? Aren’t you working?”
“They’ll be fine,” Sirius said flippantly. The casual way he said it made Remus almost giddy; Sirius seemed to really want to do this with Remus as soon as possible and it didn’t even matter he was on the clock. Remus glanced at James working the front desk, both feet firmly on the ground now, looking cheerful yet serious in a professional way. The same family from earlier was with him, as well as a small and energetic dog currently running around in circles with their child.
“Yes, now’s perfect,” Remus said, when he realised Sirius was staring at him expectantly. Remus would definitely never tire of seeing Sirius’ smile, especially when it was aimed at him.
He followed Sirius and Stella—now securely in the leash again—back inside and out the front door. Sirius waved to James, who seemed to not care at all that Sirius was about to disappear with one of the dogs and a… what was Remus? Prospective pet-owner? Sirius’ date, which James definitely shouldn’t know anything about so why was he giving Remus a smirk and an exaggerated thumbs up?
Remus faltered and almost tripped over his cane as Sirius held the door open for him. What made a friendly walk to the park different from a date? The intent? All the dates Remus had been on had been thoroughly planned, and though he’d definitely been wanting to ask Sirius out, he’d pictured coffee or maybe a film. But Sirius had definitely called this a date, so that’s what it was.
Sirius didn’t seem to notice James or Remus’ sudden hesitation at all, just made Remus’ insides melt with his smile.
“Here, you hold the leash,” he offered.
Remus took it hesitantly. He supposed if he meant to adopt a dog he should know if he could actually walk and hold the leash at the same time, otherwise this was all for nothing. He hesitantly deposited Stella in his free hand and waited for disaster to strike. Stella simply stood by his side, looking at him expectantly before Remus took a few steps, and then walked beside him at his pace. Or perhaps their pace just matched perfectly.
“She’s very well trained,” Sirius said before Remus could point out the same. “She won’t pull at all.”
Sirius took the lead as Remus had no idea where they were going. He kept accidentally walking ahead of them, but slowed down every time he noticed, all the while chattering away about Stella and telling Remus seemingly everything there was to know about her. Remus had a hard time focusing on walking with a dog by his side—Sirius’ voice definitely was distracting him and making his knees even wobblier than usual. Remus learned how Sirius believed Stella to be around eight years old, and that her favourite snacks were something only one pet store in the area sold but Sirius apparently had an abundant supply of. Maybe Remus could ask to visit Sirius under the guise of having him share treats.
Stella started to perk up as she recognised where they were heading, but still didn’t pull on the leash. She kept glancing at Remus, tail wagging each time he looked back, and it made Remus feel feelings he hadn’t known existed. This small creature was happy when he was around and they’d only just met. Dogs were amazing creatures.
Sirius let them in the park and Remus watched, amused, as Stella immediately took off when she was let off the leash, running around the enclosed space in a way that made it clear she’d been here many times before.
Though the walk hadn’t been that long, the stress from the day was catching up to Remus and combined with all the physical activity he’d done today, he found he was in a bit more pain than usual. He tried to discretely roll his hips to get rid of the discomfort, but of course Sirius noticed.
“Everything alright?”
“I need to sit down,” Remus confessed. He looked around the park, noting several items meant for training dogs, probably, but no benches. Was it normal for a dog park to have no places for people to sit?
Sirius grimaced, also noticing the lack of seats. “There used to be a bench right there”—he pointed at a spot under a tree—“but it broke, or was broken by someone on purpose, probably, the first week it was installed. The city finally removed the remnants last month, after three years. Are you able to sit on the ground?”
The ground wasn’t exactly Remus’ preferred place to sit, but since he had Sirius with him… “If you help me up and down.”
Sirius didn’t even hesitate, took off his jacket and laid it on a spot of grass, then offered Remus his hand so he could sit down. The secure way Sirius held onto him made Remus’ head spin and he instantly wanted to feel everything those hands could do.
“Oh, such a gentleman,” Remus breathed out to distract himself from his thoughts.
Sirius laughed, the sound of it something Remus knew he’d treasure forever. Sirius promptly sat down next to Remus, the two of them pressed together due to the rather limited space on Sirius’ jacket. The air was pleasantly warm, but Remus still shivered as they sat there, a little worried about Sirius who was now without a jacket. Though the chills running down his spine had probably more to do with Sirius’ closeness than the spring weather.
“Are you feeling alright?”
For a moment Remus feared Sirius was asking about his flushed appearance, but remembered he’d been complaining about his pain, which had lead them into this situation in the first place. “Much better, yes. Thank you.”
“'I’m sorry I forgot there aren’t any—”
“It’s fine. It’s difficult to keep track about something like that until it’s needed.”
Sirius nodded slowly, but was still frowning, which made his handsome features turn unnecessarily cold and hard. Remus immediately disliked that.
“Besides,” Remus continued, “this is far more… intimate. I prefer that.” Remus didn’t know what possessed him to say that, but Sirius’ smile came back instantly, and he nudged Remus lightly with his shoulder.
Remus couldn’t believe his luck. He had been mildly obsessed with this man from the shelter for months now, and how his day had gone so far was definitely a little overwhelming and a bit unbelievable. Would it be too early to ask for a kiss?
Scared by his own uncontrollable thoughts, Remus focused on what his dog was doing. Stella was currently chasing a bee, carefully sneaking behind it so close her nose was almost touching it.
“That’s a bad idea,” Remus pointed out. Sirius turned to look, seemingly having to tear his gaze from Remus. Remus hadn’t even realised Sirius been staring at him the whole time he’d been looking away. The heat on his face intensified.
“Oh. She knows to be careful with bees,” Sirius laughed. “She actually ate one just last week. Her whole face was so swollen.”
“Did you also tell her bees don’t like being followed by a giant?”
“Absolutely, but you know how dogs are. They never listen.”
Remus plucked a tiny wildflower off the ground and before he could stop himself, tucked a strand of Sirius’ hair behind his ear and placed the flower there. The violet blossom popped against Sirius’ inky black hair.
There was a noticeable blush on Sirius’ cheeks when he looked at Remus now, eyes shining and mouth slightly open before his lips curled up into a smile. “Are you trying to save her by making the bees interested in me instead?”
Remus chuckled, letting his hand fall and land on Sirius’, lightly squeezing the warm hand now under his. “You got me.”
Sirius didn’t break eye-contact when he flipped his hand over, linking their fingers together. Remus squeezed Sirius’ hand lightly to hopefully show how much he wanted this. “It’s a good thing I’m not allergic then. I’ll happily be a sacrifice for your dog.”
Your dog. Remus liked the sound of that more than he’d thought. He’d walked into the shelter with the intention of going to see their cats—if he even managed to get farther than the front room—but he was pretty sure he was walking home with a dog instead. And… perhaps something else as well?
“What’s your dog’s name?” Remus asked quickly before his thoughts ran away from him.
“Barkimedes.”
Remus couldn’t help the sudden loud, honestly bark of a laugh he let out.
“I didn’t name him, but I thought it was hilarious so I kept,” Sirius told him, also laughing. “He’s also a rescue, I got him the day I started working at the shelter three years ago. I’ve since had to resist the urge to take them all home.”
Stella, clearly tired from running around and chasing bees, trotted over to them again—thankfully without any visible bee stings—and promptly curled up into a ball next to Remus, placing her head on his thigh.
“Are you adopting her?” Sirius asked.
“As if saying no is even an option at this point,” Remus said, petting the dogs soft head. He almost squealed with happiness when she nuzzled into him and let out a huge sigh. “Would you have asked someone else on this… date, if they’d been interested in Stella?”
“No,” Sirius admitted easily. “It was a stupid excuse for me to get to spend more time with you.”
“I didn’t think it was stupid. In fact, I’ve been trying to get myself to ask you out every time I came to the shelter.”
“Oh. Good.” Sirius let out an oddly nervous sounding laugh. “I always wanted to talk to you more but we never got the chance.”
Remus tensed and he anticipated the question even before it fell from Sirius’ lips. He had been the reason there hadn’t been any chances to talk, after all.
“Can I ask you…?” Sirius began, frowning a little but seeming encouraged when Remus gave him a small nod. “Why didn’t you come see any of the cats before today? That’s what you wanted, a cat, right?”
“Yeah, initially. I just… This is going to sound silly.” When Remus didn’t continue, Sirius simply squeezed his hand and smiled at him. “I was afraid none of them would like me.”
Sirius’ face scrunched up minutely before he schooled it back to a neutral expression.
“You can laugh,” Remus assured him. “I told you it was silly. I wanted company. I work from home and I… just wanted someone to be there with me.”
“What do you do?”
“I’m a literary editor. It can be lonely work but I can do it from home and I figured a cat would be perfect. And then I got it in my head that they’d all somehow sense I’m secretly a bad person and I’d leave disappointed.”
Sirius was quiet for a moment before reaching out to pet Stella with his free hand, still squeezing Remus’ hand with his other. “I hope this encounter convinced you otherwise.” He rested his hand on Remus’ thigh, its warmth seeping through Remus’ trousers and making his stomach flip. “I’m sure any of our cats would have loved you too.”
“I mean, I did fantasise about getting chosen, and it came true.” As if she’d understood, Stella lifted her head to give Remus’ hand a lick, before resuming her nap.
In a fit of courage, Remus slid his hand up Sirius’ arm, revelling in the visible shiver running through Sirius. Sirius’ eyes were locked on his and they were so close Remus could have counted the individual lashes surrounding those gorgeous eyes Remus could now definitively tell were grey.
“Do you believe that kissing shouldn’t be a first date activity?” Sirius asked, voice low and a little breathy.
“Huh?” Remus blinked in surprise. Of all the questions to ask, that hadn’t been one he’d anticipated Sirius asking. “No?”
“Neither do I. And I’d really like to kiss you now.”
Surprising himself—and clearly Sirius too—and instead of admitting he’d also very much like to kiss Sirius too, Remus simply leaned forward and did it, closing the very short distance and pressing his lips against Sirius’. He let out a sigh of relief when Sirius kissed him back, slowly moving against him.
In the short amount of time Remus had known Sirius—without ever even knowing his name—he’d managed to come up with a dozen different scenarios for their first kiss. Every single one of them paled in comparison to the real thing. Sirius’ lips were softer than he’d imagined, his movements deliberate and firm. Remus was quickly getting light-headed but he couldn’t bring himself to pull back for a deeper breath of air for fear of ending this too soon. It seemed Sirius was in no rush to end their kiss either, moving his hand up Remus’ side to pull him a little closer. Remus found himself wanting more, wanting to feel Sirius’ hands touching his bare skin, all over.
They were finally interrupted by Stella abruptly standing up and running over to the park entrance where Remus could see someone approaching with their dog. He was glad they’d been sitting off to the side and not immediately visible from the gate, because he for one had been quickly about to forget they were in public.
True to his word, Sirius helped him up with as much ease as before, but now he pulled Remus towards him for another kiss.
“Let’s head back and take care of everything you need so you can take her home?” Sirius suggested, speaking the words against Remus’ lips.
Reluctantly pulling back, Remus already knew he was unhealthily gone for this man. “Do you want to come over to my place after your shift ends? To see your baby, naturally.”
“Are you suggesting I had ulterior motives in getting you to adopt her?” Sirius grinned, smoothing his hands down Remus’ sides before swooping down to get his jacket.
“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying.”
“Well. You’d be correct. I would have demanded visits, but since you offered… Let’s make it a second date.”
And hopefully many more, but Remus didn’t say that out loud. Judging from the look in Sirius’ eyes, he didn’t need to.