Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

[LiOnS!]

potty: all in favor of pick-up basketball games to prepare for preseason, say i.

tremzy: I!!

HARZY: i

captain padfoot: um, what?

potty: say i, cap.

captain padfoot: i?

dumo: are you all unaware of what off-season rest means? it means off-season rest.

bliz: is this you saying you don’t want to play pick-up basketball?

tremzy: he couldn’t keep up. grandpa dumo.

dumo: damn both of you. im in.

knutty: i

knutty: finn stole my phone to type that, but i would like to make it known that i am still in.

talkie: i!

potty: kase?

bliz: yes. IIIIIII

potty: that’s 8. we need two more.

captain padfoot: KUNY

kuny: i do not play basketball in my free time.

nado: i

potty:…

potty: oh no. are we… are we really going to go out like this? nine of us?

dumo: four on four, one sub. also space for others to join. i’ll reserve us a gym.

tremzy: thanks grandpa.

dumo: keep that shit up and my wife is never making you stew again.

tremzy: i seem to have forgotten the last ten minutes.

HARZY: wise decision.

Sirius Black, captain of the Gryffindor Lions, one time NHL Stanley Cup Champion, looking into his fourth season and (knock on wood) second Stanley Cup run, was lacing up his basketball shoes.

James had been demonic when convincing them to join him on the court.

“What do they expect us to do for two months?” James was complaining at dinner with most of the team. “Sit on our asses? We’re athletes, gents. Let’s, I dunno, do something.”

“Post-season and off-season rest,” Pascal Dumias had stressed.

Dumo, of course, had caved. All the guys had to do what bat their eyes at him, and the eldest member of their team would do anything they wished.

So, he’d booked them a private basketball gym, unlimited access Thursdays and 8am through Mondays at 5pm. They registered nine users.

“There’s another reservation at the same time,” Dumo was telling them as they all walked in. “Apparently, he’s registered eight but told the desk that it would usually just be one.”

“Well, that’s perfect!” James cheered. “We need one more man!”

“Do we really want to… I don’t know, ask some random person to play with us?” Sirius asked, that familiar oh shit I don’t know how to deal with fans feeling settling in his stomach.

As an NHL player and captain, he was in the media continuously. He was tagged in Twitter posts every twenty minutes, he swears. Fans approached him in public all over Gryffindor. They were like the city’s golden boys.

In Gryffindor, they were famous. Outside of the smaller city in Minnesota, they were just NHL players. On trips, they could generally avoid being recognized. But in Gryffindor… they booked reserved gyms. They called ahead to restaurants. They booked tables at bars.

Anything to avoid their nights out or alone time being bombarded with press and questions.

“Who could say no to this face?” Leo asked, squishing Logan’s cheeks together.

“I certainly can’t,” Finn mused, kissing the top of Logan’s head.

Logan swatted them both away. “I can’t stand either of you.”

“He loves us,” Finn translated.

The rest of the guys laughed. Sirius grinned at them. Finn, Leo, and Logan were together. The three of them against the world. And they worked. Sirius wasn’t sure he could do it- he wasn’t into sharing. But Knut, O’Hara, and Tremblay… he’d never seen three people more in love.

Except maybe Pascal Dumias and his wife, Celeste. Kasey Winter and his girlfriend, Natalie. Honestly, he was surrounded by happy couples these days. It was strange, sometimes- to look at giddily in-love people and not be shocked.

Sirius’ parents had not been in love. Not in the kind of love that translated to care. They hadn’t loved their children, either. Sometimes, Sirius thinks he’s caught whatever his parents had- the inability to form that kind of attachment. He’d never been in love. He’d dated, sure. But he’d never been able to give them everything. And the only people Sirius had been able to love with no conditions was his team. The Lions.

And one other person.

In their family’s twisted way of loving, Sirius hadn’t even been able to hold onto his little brother. Reggie had practically pushed Sirius out the door. It had been a hard night in the Black house, back in Quebec, that night. Sirius had been bruised and bloodied and holding a one-way ticket to Minnesota. Regulus had handed it to him, then a pre-packed bag, and pushed him out the back door.

“Come with me,” Sirius had pleaded. They had been doing good. Regulus was finally talking to him again. Four years of silence, four years of pleading… they were doing better.

“Are you stupid?” Regulus had asked in that backhanded way he always had. “We can’t both disappear. You’re eighteen. Go.”

Sirius had gone. He hadn’t looked back. He had gotten a new phone and a new number and a new life. He’d walked onto the University of Minnesota’s men’s hockey team and a year later was drafted to the NHL. He met his team. His family. It had been four years now.

Sirius was twenty-three, and he hadn’t heard from or spoken with any member of his family in five years.

He knew, of course, of Regulus Black’s own rise to fame. One couldn’t turn on the radio without hearing his voice. Sirius hadn’t even known Regulus was interested in singing. He’d been on the same track as Sirius when he’d left- hockey. There wasn’t a bone in Sirius’ body that thought Walburga and Orion Black would be fine with their baby boy leaving that dream. But they must have been, because there Regulus was, on every radio station.

Sirius had been blocked from all of Regulus’ socials. He’d only checked once. He’d only listened to Regulus’ first album- something he’d released at age nineteen, full of angst and family and heartbreak. Sirius hadn’t been able to listen to anything else. Not if he could hear all of his own failures echoing back to him in his brother’s breathy voice.

He avoided music in general, really. It had become something that made him remember. Sirius hated remembering.

But even five years later, Sirius Black still wishes he’d turned around. Still wishes he’d looked back for his little brother.

“Oi, Potty!” Kasey passed James a basketball. James popped off a three easily.

“Well, fuck,” Dumo muttered next to Sirius. Sirius laughed.

“Gonna be able to keep up, Dumo?”

“Don’t you start with that, too.” Pascal wagged a finger at him. “I’m not that old.”

“Oldest in the league,” Sirius teased.

Dumo held a finger to his lips and stood up to join the other guys already on the court, shooting around.

A figure walked in through the side door, stopped for a moment, and then continued onto the other bench, where the guys hadn’t spread out. He had his head down, a long sleeve shirt on, basketball shorts, and tattoos decorating his thighs. He had a basketball tucked under one arm and a gym back over his shoulder, headphones in as he dropped the bag, kicked off his Birkenstocks, and unzipped his bag.

“Hey!” James called, waving. The guy didn’t even look up.

“Headphones, Pots,” Sirius explained.

“Ah.” James didn’t seem deterred. He bounded over and tapped the guy’s shoulders. He looked up.

Oh.

Oh.

Well, fuck. The man was stunning. He had amber eyes and a long scar running across his nose. He had tawny waves tumbling over his eyes, trimmed neat. For a moment, all Sirius could think was freckles, eyes, lips, freckles, eyes, lips.

He quirked one eyebrow at James, unamused, and pulled out his headphones. “Can I help you?”

“Hey! We need one more for a pickup game. Wanna join?” James grinned at him.

The man eyed him. His eyes wandered James’ face for a moment before he suddenly looked slightly amused, his lips quirking up in a fashion that strangely reminded Sirius of Regulus looking at him from across the dinner table. He regarded the rest of the guys.

“Wait- me guess,” the guy started. He held up a hand, gesturing to all of them. “Off-season team.”

James blinked. “Um, yeah?”

“What sport?” The guy asked, turning and continuing to lace up his shoes.

For a moment, James looked dumbfounded. It was strange for someone in Gryffindor to not recognize them on sight. To not even know what sport they played…well, that was strange.

They weren’t so high in their instep to expect recognition. It was just uncommon for the community to question who they were.

“Hockey,” Leo called from the three-point line. “Gryffindor Lions.”

“Ah. That’s the NHL team, right? You’re all on the team?”

The rest of the guys were listening now. “Um, yeah,” Finn told him. “All of us.”

He dragged his eyes across each of them. When he got to Sirius, he stilled for one moment. Sirius hoped that meant he thought Sirius was as beautiful as Sirius found him. But there was something more… assessing in his eyes.

The guy tied the long strands of his hair up in a half-up bun, nodding. “Alright. You said pick-up?”

“Yeah!” James cheered.

The guy joined them in the middle of the court, where everyone had gathered to pick teams. Dumo and Sirius as captains, as it always went for their pick-up games on the ice.

“Dumo’s first pick,” Jackson Nadeau decided.

“Says who?” Sirius complained.

“Says me,” Nado said cheekily.

“What’s your name?” Dumo asked the new man.

He raised his eyebrows at them. “Um, call me Moony.”

“Moony,” Logan deadpanned. “That a nickname?”

The man, Moony, grinned slyly at him. “You could call it that.”

“Oi.” Finn tossed an arm around Logan’s shoulders. “This one’s taken. So is that one.” He pointed across the circle at Leo, who rolled his eyes at his boyfriends’ antics.

Moony laughed. “Good to know. But I don’t date hockey players.”

“Why not?” James asked, looking more confused than put out. “What’s wrong with us?”

Moony snorted. “Nothing. But I’ve got solidarity for my best mate. And, be honest, most hockey players are bastards.”

“That’s an exaggerated stereotype,” Kasey complained.

Moony raised his brows. Dumo snapped his fingers. “I want him.”

“Dumo, you are a married man,” Leo deadpanned. The guys laughed. Moony moved to stand next to Dumo.

Sirius picked James. Dumo picked Finn. Sirius picked Logan. Dumo picked Nado. Sirius picked Leo. Dumo picked Kasey. Sirius picked Thomas Walker.

“Nice tattoos,” Sirius heard Kasey telling Moony as they took their places for the tip off.

“Thanks,” Moony thanked him. “Nice face.”

“That one’s taken too!” Finn yelped from the other side of the court.

Moony flashed him a Cheshire cat grin.

“James,” Sirius whispered as he passed his best mate. “I’m… fuck. He’s beautiful.”

“Moony?”

“No. Thomas. Yes, Moony.”

“He doesn’t date hockey players.”

“I don’t date.”

“Ah.” James nodded. “You’re going to sleep with him.”

“I’m going to sleep with him,” Sirius agreed.

Leo and Kasey stepped up for the tip off, tossed by Logan, who would join the game as soon as he released the ball. The ball went up. Leo won it. He tipped it to Sirius, who was inches from catching the pass when a blur of tawny hair intercepted it and broke fast for a layup. It went in.

Sirius blinked.

“Fuck yes!” Dumo cheered.

“What did we get ourselves into?” Thomas muttered. “You’re like, good. Are you in the NBA? Should we know that?”

Moony chuckled and nodded for his team to head to the other side of the court for defense. “Nah. No NBA.”

[skittles]

romulus: reggie, darling?

baby black: what did you do.

barted: he sucked my dick.

strange: he’s in minnesota???

barted: distance never stopped us.

romulus: i met the infamous sirius black today.

baby black: lord help us all.

strange: you’re an atheist????

tulip: is black senior as pretty as baby black?

evan(s): have you seen his twitter profile? yes, yes he is.

romulus: is it a surprise that he’s prettier in person? he’s a broader, taller reggie. longer hair.

dork: oh lord help us all indeed.

mclovin: you’re a lesbian??

mclovin: we’re married??

mclovin: remember that??

dork: id divorce you for a broader reg.

baby black: im blocking all of you.

evan(s): no, you’re not.

tulip: we all have keys to your house, bitch.

barted: you can run but you can’t hide.

Remus Lupin, one time winner of the American Music Awards Artist of the Year award, two time winner of Song of the Year, and rock artist, needed a break from Los Angeles. He had, in the grand scheme of things, a love and hate relationship with LA.

The love: his friends. The city. The lights. The accessibility to his life.

The hate: Remus missed the easy, coffeeshop, acoustic version of his life he was before fame. He missed fall leaves and slow cars.

Remus had grown up in Wales. A tiny harbor town, Tenby, that he had run from as soon as he turned eighteen. His father wasn’t in the picture, his mother was dead (fuck cancer, right?), and Remus didn’t owe that town anything.

But every now and then, he missed the seaside chatter. He missed the slow life of an ocean town.

And sure, Gryffindor, Minnesota wasn’t an ocean town. It didn’t even have a beach. But it was smaller than LA (most places were), quiet, and remote. There were hardly any people spending their summers in Gryffindor.

It was also, according to his manager, a place where he wouldn’t be readily recognized. According to a census, Gryffindor and surrounding communities were the four lowest cities on his listener’s charts. No one here cared about a twenty-three-year-old rock musician.

So, Remus rented a home twenty minutes out of Gryffindor. July through September. His friends promised to visit. Remus promised to keep in touch. And Remus Lupin, one time winner of the American Music Awards Artist of the Year award, two-time winner of Song of the Year, and rock artist, caught a flight.

Remus would work on his fifth album. He would take time for himself. He would sit in coffeeshops and not be tagged in a Tweet by a fan, covert photo of him taken over a mug, within five minutes. He would walk down the street and not be hounded by paparazzi. Just for three months.

Remus Lupin would also, as life would see it, make a reservation for a private basketball court. He would also, as life would see it, end up on the same reserved court as the Gryffindor Lions of the National Hockey League.

Remus Lupin, being best mates with Regulus Black for the last five years, obviously knew about Sirius Black, captain of the Gryffindor Lions. He knew about Sirius’ leaving Regulus in their family home when Regulus was seventeen. He knew about Regulus having packed Sirius a bag and gotten him a ticket weeks before he’d actually forced his brother to leave. He knew about Regulus blocking Sirius on all accounts but following Sirius and all of his teammates on a burner. He knew about Regulus quitting hockey as soon as he left the Black family himself, pursuing his career in music… but still watching every single Lions game that he could. He knew about Regulus keeping a photo album of childhood pictures of the brothers, having stolen the photos from a Black family storage unit before he left.

He also knew about Orion Black falling ill last year. He knew about his death. He knew about Walburga Black’s insistence that Regulus return home to nurse her at her own bedside.

He knew about Regulus’ refusal.

So, when Remus Lupin walked into that gym and found himself face to face with Sirius Black, the brother that left first, at first all he had been able to do was stare.

And then Pascal Dumias had asked Remus who he was. And Remus, being who he was… had adored not being recognized.

Moony had been his mother’s nickname for him. It had been years since Remus had uttered that name. But it had fallen from his lips easily, as if he’d been compelled.

Now, Remus didn’t consider himself an athlete. He was athletic, of course, but he was also a chain-smoker. So yes, he could keep up with NHL players on the basketball court. But not for long.

He was breathing hard at the end of the pickup game, thirty minutes of straight running and watching James Potter try to dunk, even though hockey players apparently did not have hops. Or at least, none of the ones he was playing with.

Remus took a swig of his water and untied his hair, letting the sweaty (ew) strands fall into his face. He shook his head out and looked down at his long-sleeve t-shirt, wishing he’d had the mind to wear a tank top. He was used to love sleeves when he was trying to be unrecognizable- his tattoos were memorable to fans. The matching snake curling up his left arm, a tattoo he’d gotten with Reg, Barty, and Evan three years ago, was deemed the “Skittles Tattoo”, based on the group chat name that was leaked when Barty once posted a screenshot of their conversation on Twitter.

He’d been trying to expose Evan and Regulus as bastards, but all he’d accomplished was earning the eight of them- Regulus Black, Barty Crouch, Evan Rosier, Lily Evans, Pandora Lestrange, Dorcas Meadowes, Marlene McKinnon, and Remus Lupin- a fan name.

The eight of them had met in college. They had never imagined what they would become:

Remus, the pop rock singer/songwriter star, famed for his spattering of tattoos, prose, and stage personality. He was signed to a label by nineteen.

Regulus, the R&B singer/songwriter star, famed for his own spattering of tattoos, good looks (though he would argue this was part of Remus’ charm as well), prose, and story. Regulus had been signed to Remus’ same label almost exactly one year later, following the self-release of his first album.

Lily, the red-haired, stunning actress that played villains in recent movies. She’d been studying film in school, and acted in a low-level movie when she was eighteen. She took off. Last year, she’d taken home Supporting Role of the Year.

Pandora, the bestselling author and poet that sometimes wrote screen writes. She’d written the movie Lily had been cast in and won Supporting Role of the Year in. But she also had four published YA books by twenty, and now that she was twenty-two, she had three poetry books out, as well as a duology about life, love, and everything in between.

Barty, the man that took home Year’s Best Actor last year. He, like Remus and Regulus, was known for his tattoos and good looks. He was known for his ability to adapt to any role handed to him like a chameleon.

Dorcas, the artist that sold her first multi-thousand painting at age nineteen. She painted landscapes and portraits, sometimes scenes that her friends reminded her of. She was a potter and a sculptor as well. She sold to the highest bidder and made a name for herself in the artist community.

Marlene, the pop and R&B singer/songwriter that had taken Artist of the Year the year before Remus had. She was known for her prose, her inability to deal with paparazzi, and her unmatchable bridges.

Evan, the model and photographer that was the genius behind Regulus, Marlene, and Remus’ music videos. He modeled for Dior, Louis Vuitton, and Versace. He’d been on the cover of Vouge so many times, they had lost count.

But, away from all of that, they were just them:

Remus, the one that had once snorted a fireball shot out his nose and needed to go to the ER. Remus, the one that modeled for Dorcas when she was losing her mind. Remus, the one that played hockey with Regulus when Reg was losing his mind. Remus, the one that moved from Wales and did everything he could do eliminate his accent.

Regulus, the one that once set his guitar on fire because Barty dared him to. Regulus, the one with a pet snake names Salazar. Regulus, the one that left his family behind- just like his brother had- but had yet to have the nerve to reach out to Sirius. Regulus, the one that moved from Quebec but owned his French Canadian heritage with pride.

Lily, the badass that kept them in line. Lily, the one that helped Pandora plan their joint trips and kept them all on schedule. Lily, the one that all of them could call for a slap in the face when they needed it. Lily, the one that once walked off a set and movie because a costar called her easy.

Pandora, the one that helped Lily plan their trips because she was the only one with a calm voice when she was put on hold for hours. Pandora, the one that they went to for sound advice and a soft voice. Pandora, the one that wrote each of them into her stories. Pandora, the one that had once gotten stuck in a dress and needed Remus to come over to help her out of it. Pandora, the one that thought up their joint Twitter handles back when they were young and stupid.

Barty, the one that flipped off a reporter when they asked about his family. Barty, the one that was a menace on Twitter, but also would do anything for his friends. Barty, the one that once told Regulus to contact Sirius before Barty did it himself, and Barty, the one that kissed Evan when Evan seemed to hold himself back from doing so himself (also the one that Tweeted about being the only person allowed to suck Evan Rosier’s cock).

Dorcas, the one that braided their hair back when she was bored. Dorcas, the one that asked them if she could sketch them. Dorcas, the one that locked herself out of her college apartment for three weeks and camped on the floor of Remus and Regulus’ living room. Dorcas, the one that kept them sane with her steady support. Dorcas, the one that proposed to Marlene after four years of dating.

Marlene, the one that wrote a song about each of them in her second album. Marlene, the one that once cut all of her hair off when she got a text from her mother. Marlene, the one that visited Nashville once and got them each a pair of boots. Marlene, the one that they could count on when they needed to do something stupid. Marlene, the one that said yes when Dorcas proposed.

Evan, the one that texted each of them separately every Monday for wellness checks. Evan, the one that pined after Barty for two years before finally kissing him back. Evan, the one that once offered to make out with Remus to get rid of the marriage proposals happening at every show. Evan, the one that booked them all a surprise trip to Greece.

So, yeah, of course Remus knew all about Sirius Black. Who was, surprisingly, coming over.

“You play good,” he said, then looked a little put-out at his own words.

Remus laughed. “My friends and I play in our downtime.”

“Can you dunk?” James Potter careened over, knocking into Sirius, who shot his friend an annoyed look.

Remus shook his head, smiling. “No.”

“You should come to the ice with us sometime,” Sirius offered. James snorted.

“I’m sure I couldn’t keep up with you all on the ice,” Remus dodged. He only played with Reg, Barty, and Evan. Of course, Reg was good. Better than good. But Remus had his limits to embarrassment, and trying to keep up with an NHL team was one of them.

“You’ll be in and out on the court though, right? We’ve booked it Thursdays through Mondays. You?”

Remus quirked an eyebrow. “Same.” He shoved up his sleeves, trying to let in some cool air.

Sirius’ eyes snagged on his arms- tattooed, freckled, scarred. Sirius took a moment to find his voice. “Um, yeah. Cool. So, um, we should add you to our groupchat…”

“Your team groupchat?” Remus asked, amused. James snorted at Sirius again shoved his friend’s head away.

“He means our smaller groupchat- just the guys that come to play pickup. We should add you. So, you know, we always know when everyone’s coming to play, or just when people are going to be around the gym.”

Remus nodded. “Hmm. Okay.”

“Yes?” Sirius asked, grinning. He held out his phone for Remus to take. Remus took it, nodding.

He added the contact- Moony. Because that was easier than his name, which would eventually lead to them figuring out who he was.

“Do you always come around here?” Sirius was asking.

“I’m not from Gryffindor,” Remus explained, handing the phone back. “I’m from LA. I’m just visiting for the summer.”

Both men blinked at him. “Oh,” James said eventually. “Well, that explains-“

“What? Me not knowing who Gryffindor’s golden boys were?” Remus’ lips quirked up.

“I, well, yeah.” James shrugged. “Not to sound conceited, but…”

“No, I get it.” Remus laughed. He got it a lot better than they knew. “Well, I’m heading out. Add me to the chat. I’ll see you around.”

“Bye!” Sirius and James chorused from behind him as he left.

Twenty minutes later, Remus received a notification from unknown numbers.

[lions ballers]

cap has added “moony” to the chat.

potty has changed the group name to [moony’s bitches]

unknown number: fuck yeah.

unknown number: love it

moony: i have no idea who any of you are.

unknown number: hold on.

Everyone named themselves. Remus took the moment to sit in his car outside of his rented home, adding each contact and looking back through the chat. He didn’t take the liberty of using the nicknames the team seemed intent on maintaining. He settled for names.

Thomas Walker: i’d be one of moony’s bitches anyday.

Kasey Winter: we have a team now!! nat said she would bring us cupcakes if we play tomorrow.

James Potter: fucking love me a nat cupcake. we’re playing tomorrow.

Pascal Dumias: we are?

Finn O’Hara: if nat brings cupcakes can knutty bring those cocktails for after-game funsies?

Leo Knut: absofuckinglutely.

Logan Tremblay: that’s my baby.

Sirius Black: stop fucking in the group chat.

Moony: no, i enjoy the show.

Thomas Walker: eeeeyyyyy!

Finn O’Hara: TAKEN. THEY ARE TAKEN MEN. MOONY. HOW MANY TIMES.

Moony: taken never stopped me.

Jackson Nadaeu: why do i feel like he’s telling the truth?

Kasey Winter: eeeeyyyy!

Thomas Walker: eeeeeyyyyyy!

James Potter: harzy’s fighting for his life in the groupchat rn.

Finn O’Hara: moony.

Moony: don’t worry, O’Hara. i’d fuck you, too.

Logan Tremblay: ahem.

Leo Knut: no. he’s a sucker for tattoos, moony. don’t flirt with him.

Jackson Nadeau: flirt with him, moony.

Pascal Dumias: I can’t leave you lot alone for more than two minutes, can i?

Moony: don’t worry Pascal, i never minded a little bit of an audience.

Thomas Walker: this is going to be so much fun.

James Potter: this is gold. cap is just staring at his phone and blushing. i think you broke him, moony.

Sirius Black: don’t TELL HIM THAT.

Kasey Winter: eeyyy CAP!

Moony: he was blushing the entire game, James. don’t think i didn’t notice.

Leo Knut:…..

Jackson Nadeau: …..

Thomas Walker: ….

Finn O’Hara: im suddenly liking this group chat a whole lot more.

Sirius Black: shut the fuck up, harz.

Pascal Dumias: link: www.howtoavoidbeingobviousaboutcrushes.com

James Potter: is that a legit site?

Moony: yes. i wrote it.

Logan Tremblay: your real name is Veronica Frost?

James Potter: shit, it is a real site. CAP. click on it.

Moony: im going to have to put this chat on silent, aren’t i?

James Potter: don’t you dare.

Remus chuckled and silenced his phone, heading inside to shower and change up for early rest.

***

[skittles]

barted: hoe many times do you guys think Evan can tell me he loves me before i believe him

barted: how**

tulip: don’t indulge him.

evan(s): at this point, im pretty sure barty’s autocorrect just knows he’s trying to say hoe.

strange: barty has trust issues. i’d say about every five minutes, he’d still question it.

barted: i did not need a psyche dive right now pandora. and fuck you, lily.

strange: i’m not sorry.

baby black: shouldn’t you all be working right now?

tulip: no.

barted: my baby is a moDEL, reg. don’t tell him when he should be working. he works with his FACE. he’s built different.

dork: i cannot keep waking up to these conversations.

mc lovin: she’s smiling at her phone. don’t believe her.

dork: MARLS.

mc lovin: if you don’t want them to know the truth, don’t text when you’re laying in bed next to me. it’s that simple.

barted: oop.

tulip: oop.

le strange: oop.

baby black: i despise all of you.

evan(s): i think you should say i love you one more time, ev.

barted: thank you, evans.

tulip: you’ve used up your daily quota.

romulus: it’s 10 am???

evan(s): REMUS! YOU LIVE!

strange: long time no see, Re.

romulus: you saw me a week ago???? we facetimed last night???

baby black: get back to your vacation, lupin.

mc lovin: yeah, remus. get back to sucking the gryff lions’ dicks. reg would hate for his brother to be disregarded.

baby black: oh, is sirius on that team? i had no idea.

strange: ah. sarcasm. classic.

tulip: i think reg would rather re broke sirius’ ankles than sucked his dick.

baby black: fuck all of you.

barted: i’m about to take this to twitter.

tulip: ??

strange: ??

evan(s): ??

romulus: ??

baby black: oh, christ.

Remus looked up from his morning coffee on his porch and rolled his eyes as the notification of a tagged Tweet came in.

Barty Crouch @fuckroses

I’d let Remus Lupin (@fuckthemoon) sit on my face.

Replies:              .

Jonas Howard @skittleslover

Wouldn’t we all???

Evan Rosier @fuckcrouching

What does this have to do with our conversation at all?

Pandora Lestrange @fucklilyevanswithlove

I am confusion.

Dorcas Meadowes @fuckmclovin

Barty what

Kim Schroder @aslutforbartycrouch

Oh? What happened to @fuckcrouching?

____ Reply:

         Evan Rosier @fuckcrouching: yeah, what happened to me?

         Barty Crouch @fuckroses: you refuse to say you love me after 10 am.

         Evan Rosier @fuckcrouching: that is not at all how that conversation went?

Remus Lupin @fuckthemoon

Come over any time, bb.

_____ Reply:

         Barty Crouch @fuckroses: fuck YES. Lupin and I are going to the AMAs together this year. Suck my dick, @fuckcrouching.

         Remus Lupin @fuckthemoon: im all yours, baby.

         Evan Rosier @fuckcrouching: I sucked your dick an hour ago???

         Lily Evans @fuckflowers: I was on facetime with Barty an hour ago…

         Barty Crouch @fuckroses: yeah, don’t think too hard about that.

Regulus Black @fuckhockeyplayers

I cannot stand any of you.

Remus chuckled and got up, going back inside his little home. He’d been in Gryffindor two weeks now, played pickup basketball with the Lions seven times now, and was now being chatted up by the entire team for a night out with them.

As in, tonight.

Remus was leaning toward going- he enjoyed the guys. They were hilarious, different from his best friends, but in a cleaner, more reserved way. At least, until he saw them drunk. Maybe then, they’d change.

Sirius had owned up to thinking Remus was beautiful. The guys had given him shit for it, but Remus had winked and told Sirius: you’re a looker yourself, Black.

It was also, coincidentally, the day he, Marlene, and Reg would announce a pre-recorded single they’d collaborated on together before Remus had left. The idea was to keep people from wondering where he’d disappeared to. They would announce it today, wait about two more weeks, and then release it. The corresponding music video would come out another two weeks later, already recorded and edited by Evan.

[moony’s bitches]

James Potter: petition to get moony out for drinks with us tonight. everyone in favor, say i.

Sirius Black: i

Logan Tremblay: i

Pascal Dumias: i

James Potter: dumo, you’re not even coming??

Pascal Dumias: doesn’t mean i don’t want our moony to miss out on drunk cap.

Sirius Black: honestly, fuck you.

Moony: i definitely want to see drunk sirius black.

Finn O’Hara: iiiiiii!!!!!!!!

James Potter: cap is grinning at his phone. you broke him again, moons.

Moony: good.

Leo Knut: are we still voting? IIIIIIII

Kasey Winter: i

Kasey Winter: also, can we all just acknowledge that cap would rather moony broke his back?

Sirius Black: bliz i am subscribing you to a porn newsletter.

Pascal Dumias: do it.

Thomas Walker: do it.

Thomas Walker: also, I!

James Potter: um, moony?

Moony: yes, James?

James Potter: please put him out of his misery.

Sirius Black: i am locking you out of the house.

Thomas Walker: yeah, because moony’s gonna be in your bed.

Finn O’Hara: lo is actually cackling. like, le is just sitting here staring at him and i’m trying to figure out if he needs cpr.

Moony: choking fetish alert.

Sirius Black: didn’t know you had that hang up, harz.

Finn O’Hara: i have a logan tremblay hang up.

Leo Knut: oh, i know.

Thomas Walker: is this flirting? i think it’s flirting.

Jackson Nadeau: it’s definitely flirting. also, i.

James Potter: the team has spoken, moony. you are coming out with us tonight whether you like it or not.

Moony: pick me up at 9. It’s a date, Potter.

Sirius Black: excuse me.

Moony: don’t worry, Black. you’re invited.

Pascal Dumias: is THIS flirting? i can’t tell.

Moony:….

Moony: it’s flirting.

James Potter: he just threw his phone.

Sirius Black: JAMES.

Logan Tremblay: this is actual gold.

Kasey Winter: he actUALLY SUBSCRIBED ME. I’VE BEEN SPAMMED WITH PORN SITES. HELP.

Sirius Black: don’t fuck with me, kase.

Moony: noted.

Sirius Black: not you.

Moony: also noted.

Finn O’Hara: definitely flirting.

James Potter: i thought you didn’t date hockey players?

Moony: i don’t.

Jackson Nadeau: also, cap doesn’t date.

Moony: good.

Kasey Winter: HELP????

Pascal Dumias: you dug that grave yourself.

James Potter: ill come over, bliz. i’ve had to unhack cap’s porn spam before.

Leo Knut: noted.

Thomas Walker: logan, your sister says hi.

Logan Tremblay: ?????

Finn O’Hara: what.

Leo Knut: which one?

Thomas Walker: noelle.

Finn O’Hara: why the fuck are you talking to noelle?

Kasey Winter: oh, harz, alex says hi.

Finn O’Hara: WHY ARE YOU TALKING TO ALEX???

Thomas Walker: ask me no questions and i will tell you no lies.

Kasey Winter: ^^^

Pascal Dumias: this is like one of those sitcoms.

Moony: tell me about it.

Remus shot off his address to Sirius’ mobile. They’d shared a few back and forth solo chats.

[lily’s angels]

loopy: im going to fuck your brother.

crouching: i don’t have a brother??

rosy: pretty sure he’s talking to reg.

white: excuse me.

loopy: it’s inevitable.

white: do not.

loopy: ill prob do it tonight.

rosy: fuck yeah. get some, re!

crouching: i support.

white: i do NOT.

loopy: he’s very pretty, reg.

loopy: also, he called me beautiful. it’s inevitable.

white: keep it in your pants, lupin.

loopy: absolutely not.

white: what the fuck happened to solidarity?

loopy: you didn’t tell me he was PRETTY.

white: i underestimated your sex drive.

crouching: damn right you did.

loopy: you don’t even hate him???

white: fine. but i do NOT want to hear about what he does with his tongue.

white: also, tell me if he ever says anything about me.

rosy: awh, he does care.

Marlene McKinnon @fuckdorks

Feels like that time of year. Can you smell it? Smells a bit like it’s time to do a duet with my baby Remus Lupin (@fuckthemoon).

34k replies - 15k retweets

Replies:              .

Barty Crouch @fuckroses

What? It smells like shit today. Is that a sign?

Regulus Black @fuckhockeyplayers

Wait. I thought I was the one doing a duet with Re. @fuckthemoon, got anything to say for yourself?

____reply:

         Remus Lupin @fuckthemoon: wait. wait. wait. I think the winds are changing. Do you smell that, Reg? Marls?

         Marlene McKinnon @fuckdorks: wait. yes. I smell it.

         Regulus Black @fuckhockeyplayers: smells like… is that? Is that… the scent of a threesome?

         Dorcas Meadowes @fuckmclovin: fucking love me a threesome.

Regulus Black @fuckhockeyplayers:

Are you ready? Marlene, Remus, & Regulus. Coming soon.

35k replies – 16k retweets

Replies:              .

Remus Lupin @fuckthemoon

That’s it. We’re getting married.

Lily Evans @fuckflowers

That’s it. Barty, Pandora. Get over here. We’re doing a movie. Evan is shooting.

____reply:

         Dorcas Meadowes @fuckmclovin: One: I will be standing as Reg’s best man. Two: what the fuck am I, chopped liver?

         Barty Crouch @fuckroses: all the love, Dorky <3.

         Marlene McKinnon @fuckdorks: my lovely, lovely wife. Fuck off. Said with love.

Remus opened his own account, heading to post a new tweet.

Remus Lupin @fuckthemoon

Regulus, darling? @fuckhockeyplayers

Replies:              .

Regulus Black @fuckhockeyplayers

What the fuck did you do.

____reply:

         Evan Rosier @fuckcrouching: he sucked my dick

         Barty Crouch @fuckroses: say what.

         Lily Evans @fuckflowers: fucking finally. We’ve all been waiting for this moment.

         Dorcas Meadowes @fuckmclovin: is this a good time to say i told you so?

         Barty Crouch @fuckroses: no???

         Evan Rosier @fuckcrouching: is this all holdover because I don’t tell Barty I love him after 10 am?

         Pandora Lestrange @fucklilyevanswithlove: no, this is holdover from when Barty’s phone kept correcting “how” to “hoe”

         Barty Crouch @fuckroses: that was one time.

         Barty Crouch @fuckroses: also, if I had just sucked Evan Rosier’s dick, I would tweet Regulus about it too.

         Marlene McKinnon @fuckdorks: oh god. no. I know we all know what’s coming next.

         Barty Crouch @fuckroses: REGULUS, DARLING, GUESS WHAT I JUST DID?

         Regulus Black @fuckhockeyplayers: I’m so proud of you, son.

         Evan Rosier @fuckcrouching: I’m fucking proud of him, too. We’re in a restaurant.

         Remus Lupin @fuckthemoon: …. I just wanted Reg to do a duet with me????

         Remus Lupin @fuckthemoon: Does Barty sucking Evan off in a restaurant beat that time he sucked him off while he was on facetime with lily?

         Lily Evans @fuckflowers: we agreed never to speak of that again.

         Barty Crouch @fuckroses: really? ev and i talk about it all the time.

         Evan Rosier @fuckcrouching: that was a pinnacle of success.

         Regulus Black @fuckhockeyplayers: I’m blocking all of you.

         Remus Lupin @fuckthemoon: we all have keys to your house???

         Regulus Black @fuckhockeyplayers: then bring ME a coffee, asshole.

         Remus Lupin @fuckthemoon: :) no :)

         Dorcas Meadowes @fuckmclovin: im in your kitchen, Reg.

         Regulus Black @fuckhockeyplayers: ?? when did you get here??

         Pandora Lestrange @fucklilyevanswithlove: Correction: WE are in your kitchen. [photo]

         Evan Rosier @fuckcrouching: surprise, bitch.

         Remus Lupin @fuckthemoon: …. i still want a duet.

         Marlene McKinnon @fuckdorks: on board for a threesome?

         Remus Lupin @fuckthemoon: you are my favorite fucking soul. yes.

Barty Crouch @fuckroses

degrade me.

Replies:              .

Evan Rosier @fuckcrouching

baby, what the fuck?

Pandora Lestrange @fucklilyevanswithlove

barty, honey, i think it’s time we have a conversation.

Regulus Black @fuckhockeyplayers

you’re a piece of shit, baby girl.

____reply:

         Barty Crouch @fuckroses: reg understood the assignment.

Remus Lupin @fuckthemoon

i have so many questions.

Lily Evans @fuckflowers

your boyfriend is better in bed.

____reply:

         Barty Crouch @fuckroses: damn right he is.

         Evan Rosier @fuckcrouching:

Dorcas Meadowes @fuckmclovin

you’re not a real man.

Marlene McKinnon @fuckdorks

this was really fun.

____reply:

         Remus Lupin @fuckthemoon: oh that’s the worst one.

         Barty Crouch @fuckroses: i don’t understand.

         Marlene McKinnon @fuckdorks: of course you don’t.

         Regulus Black @fuckhockeyplayers: oh fuck just slit his throat next time it’ll be less painful.

         Remus Lupin @fuckthemoon: i felt that one to my core.

         Dorcas Meadowes @fuckmclovin: heard that one before?

         Remus Lupin @fuckthemoon: used it before. you never forget the look in their eyes.

         Evan Rosier @fuckcrouching: pure heartbreak.

         Barty Crouch @fuckroses: baby????

         Evan Rosier @fuckcrouching: come to bed, love.

         Pandora Lestrange @fucklilyevanswithlove: its 3pm on a tuesday.

         Regulus Black @fuckhockeyplayers: i cannot with this app.

         Lily Evans @fuckflowers: you would have killed yourself years ago without us.

         Regulus Black @fuckhockeyplayers: damn straight.

Evan Rosier @fuckcrouching

remus (@fuckthemoon) thinks he can go out tonight without us. anarchy.

Replies:              .

Remus Lupin @fuckthemoon

that is not at all how that conversation went.

Regulus Black @fuckhockeyplayers

getting a little too close to home, re.

Dorcas Meadowes @fuckmclovin

EXCUSE ME WHAT

____reply:

         Barty Crouch @fuckroses: CHECK THE GROUP CHAT.

Lily Evans @fuckflowers

taking reg’s username a bit too literally, re.

____reply:

         Jonas Howard @skittleslover: oh??? tea??

         Diana Franklin @diana101: REMUS LUPIN IS SLEEPING WITH A HOCKEY PLAYER??

         Remus Lupin @fuckthemoon: lils, i despise you.

         Lily Evans @fuckflowers: all in a days Twitter work, love.

Sirius Black and James Potter showed up to pick Remus up at 9:20.

“You’re late,” Remus said as he slid into the backseat.

Sirius met his eyes in the rearview mirror as he drove away. “Sorry, love. We got caught up.”

Ever since Remus called him pretty, he’d been much bolder in his flirtation. Of course, Sirius would still turn red when Remus flirted with the others on the team. But when Remus zeroed in on Sirius… he gave as good as he got.

Remus winked at him. “As long as you show me a good time, Black, I don’t really care.”

“We reserved some back tables at the Three Broomsticks,” James explained. “The team does this all the time. The owner, Rosemerta, is really good about keeping people away from us. There’s a little area where we can dance and shit, too.”

Remus nodded. He hadn’t been worried, exactly, about being recognized. But he’d thought about it.

James seemed to be wearing an old band t-shirt (ABBA), black jeans, and has his hair pushed back with a pair of sunglasses. Easily put together. James Potter had that style, Remus was coming to realize. His hair was easily the messiest thing Remus had ever seen, though.

Sirius looked a bit less casual. He was in a button up white shirt, most of the top buttons undone. Remus would be lying if he said he didn’t stare for a moment (hey, if Sirius was going to unbutton, Remus was going to appreciate). He had on black pants as well, but where James’ were jeans, Sirius’ were more like slacks. Messy white kicks on his feet to casualize the outfit.

Remus hadn’t been sure what the dress code was, so he’d gone for causal as well. In LA, they went to the nines. Remus would get Dorcas to do his eyeliner, he’d style his hair, they’d wear sequins and boas and patterned prints. But Remus knew that wasn’t how Gryffindor rolled. So he’d gone with a band t-shirt as well- a 70s style version of Marlene’s second album that Dorcas had made for them- and red boyfriend jeans cuffed at the bottom, white kicks. He had his hair back in a half-up and a light dusting of mascara on his eyes. All in all, it was the least effort he’d put into a night-out outfit in years.

Remus looked around Sirius’ car. He kept it surprisingly clean- Remus wasn’t sure if it was always like this, or if he’d tidied it to pick him up. There was a flannel tossed over the back of the passenger seat. There was a necklace hanging off the rearview mirror. Remus squinted at it- a constellation pendant.

Remus had seen that constellation before. He’d… he knew the man named after those stars.

“What is that?” Remus breathed, unable to take his eyes off the Leo constellation hanging from Sirius Black’s rearview mirror.

Sirius glanced back at him for a moment, and then at the necklace, confused. “Oh. Um, the Leo constellation is my favorite.”

“But your name is Sirius,” was all Remus thought to say.

Sirius chuckled, but it was a little stilted, like they were steering into a territory he didn’t like. Remus sat back in his seat.

“Yeah, my name is Sirius. But my little brother is named for the Leo constellation.”

“Stars,” James muttered, shaking his head. “The Black family is crazy.” He was also eyeing Sirius with worried glances. Remus figured Sirius didn’t readily talk about Regulus often.

“You have a brother?” Remus asked, despite having known Regulus far longer than he knew Sirius.

Sirius looked out the driver’s window for a moment, then turned back to the road. “Yeah. He’s twenty-two.”

“Hm.” Remus nodded, deciding to lighten the mood a bit. “Lucky. I’m an only child.”

“Me too!” James groaned. “Yo, Moony, be my brother. We can be twins.”

Remus laughed. “Sure, James. When’s your birthday?”

“March 27.”

“No fucking way.”

James whipped around in his seat, staring at him. “Tell me yours is March 27. I would… wow. That would be-“

Remus laughed. “March 10. But still…”

“That counts!” James cheered. “Sirius, this is my twin brother, Moony.”

Sirius laughed, looking at Remus with surprisingly thankful eyes. “That’s not really your name.” Not a question, a statement.

“Nope,” Remus agreed. He pulled out his phone and shot a quick text to Regulus.

[star & moon]

moon: he has a necklace with the leo constellation on his rearview mirror.

moon: asked him ab it. said his little brother was named for the leo.

moon: do with that what you will.

star:…

star: i need a drink.

“Are we ever gonna get your real name?” James asked, looking back at Remus again.

“Probably not,” Remus deadpanned.

“Oh come on!” James complained. “Now this is my mission. I will find out.”

Remus quirked a brow at James. “You know what I think is funny?”

“What?”

“You guys never told me your names.” Remus laughed when James blinked at it. “I already knew them.”

“But you said…” Sirius trailed off, shaking his head. “You already knew who we were.”

“What can I say?” Remus propped a foot up on the middle compartment. “My best mate is a Lions fan. Watches every game. I didn’t know who you were at first, but when you said you were the Lions, I used deductive reasoning for who each of you was by your nicknames.”

“Wait, I thought your best mate was the one that hates hockey players,” James pointed out.

“Oh, he is,” Remus agreed, grinning.

“This just makes me more convinced I need to figure out your name,” James told him.

Remus shrugged. “It really shouldn’t be too hard.”

“All we’ve got is a nickname, good looks, and a phone number,” Sirius argued. “Give us something else!”

“He lives in LA,” James pointed out.

“There’s your something else,” Remus said.

“Wait, no. We already knew that. Something something else.”

Remus thought long and hard. Then, he held out his hand. James blinked at it for a moment. Then, he seemed to realize what Remus was asking for and place his unlocked phone in Remus’ palm.

Remus pulled up his burner Twitter account.

Loops? @romulusloops

He hit request follow and handed the phone back to James, who stared at the Twitter page. He showed it to Sirius. Remus pulled out his own phone, hit his second account, and accepted the request. He watched the reload on James’ phone in real time from the backseat.

Then, he texted his friends.

[skittles]

romulus: james potter and sirius black now follow my twitter burner. do with that what you will.

barted: but that’s like our secret twitter groupchat! our burner accounts are sacred.

baby black: none of our real names are on there…

romulus: exactly. do with that what you will, reg.

baby black: i follow sirius on my burner. i follow the whole damn team.

strange: oh! he’s giving you a way to talk to sirius without him knowing it’s you! clever, re.

romulus: thank you, dora.

tulip: wait, this is going to be so much fun.

James started reading Remus’ burner posts aloud for Sirius. As a precaution, they really only followed each other’s burner accounts. Reg followed the Lions, and Remus followed the city account for his old hometown in Wales. Remus knew that Barty followed his cousin as well, and Evan his little sister that he never spoke to anymore. They all had small skeletons in the closet on their burners. But not enough for Sirius or James to put pieces together. Just enough to give them something.

“Romulus?” Sirius asked when James read his username. “Like, the Roman myth?”

Remus nodded. “Founders of Rome.”

“That’s your name? Romulus? Or Roman?”

Remus smiled. So close yet so far. “No.”

Sirius threw his free hand up in defeat.

“Loops. Last name?”

Yet again, so close yet so far. “No.”

“This is a gag account, isn’t it?” James said defeatedly.

“My best mates and I are all on it,” Remus explained. “Do with that what you will.”

They were getting close to the bar now. James was reading some of Remus’ posts aloud.

“TULIP I NEED COFFEE,” he read. “Who’s Tulip?”

“There aren’t really any real names on there… they’re all kind of gag accounts,” Remus explained.

“Oh, fuck this,” Sirius grumbled.

James was undeterred. “Wales is a piece of shit,” he read this time.

Remus snorted.

“Did you visit?” Sirius asked.

“I’m Welsh. Like, from Wales,” Remus deadpanned. “I moved to LA when I was eighteen.”

James looked back at him. He squinted. “Not to be rude, but you don’t sound Welsh.”

“Ydw i'n swnio'n gymraeg nawr?” Remus mused, smirking at them.

Sirius swallowed. “That was hot.”

“Sirius, stop simping in the car,” James complained.

“Sorry.”

“No, he’s not,” Remus muttered. Sirius winked at him.

“You don’t even almost have an accent, though,” James pointed out.

“Yeah, well, maybe I worked hard to get rid of it,” Remus said. Then, “no more questions about Wales.”

James nodded. “Um, yeah. Alright.” He read the next tweet. “Every time I facetime tulip or barted, i am so scared.”

Remus laughed. “Read the replies.”

James did. “Um, Barted said sucks to suck. Strange said literally. Mclovin said no but actually, they are menaces. Evan(s) said YOU’RE scared? I’M scared. And Artie said I was on facetime with tulip twenty minutes ago and he got all breathy. Another one bites the dust.”

“I don’t even want to know,” Sirius said, waving his hand. Remus laughed louder.

They pulled in and parked, meeting Finn, Leo, and Logan at the front. People were starting to point, but the guys ignored them and walked inside.

“Looking spiffy, Moony,” Logan said, grinning at him.

Finn reached out and pulled both Logan and Leo into his chest without even blinking. “Nope. No.”

Leo laughed. “Baby-“

“No.”

James poked Finn’s cheeks. “You’re a little protective, Harz.”

“Shut the fuck up, Potty.”

Logan rolled his eyes and grinned at Remus again. Remus smiled back.

“We got Moony’s Twitter account!” James announced when they got to the back table, already occupied by Jackson, Thomas, Kasey, and another guy Remus didn’t know.

“Ah. The infamous Moony.” The guy nodded to him. “I’m Olli.”

Remus shook his head. “Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise. The team groupchat has been bursting about you. Apparently Cap makes a fool of himself every time-“

“That’s enough, Halla,” Sirius muttered.

Remus smiled cheekily at Sirius. “Nah. Actually, I think-“

Sirius covered Remus’ mouth with his hand. And… well, oh. That definitely didn’t turn Remus on at all.

Sirius held a finger to his lips, shooting Remus a glare. “No. That’s enough.”

Olli laughed. Thomas knocked their shoulders together. Remus shoved Sirius’ hand away.

[star & moon]

moon: reggie, your brother is actually so hot.

star: i actually cannot be friends with you anymore.

moon: no, reggie. i don’t think you understand. his PERSONALITY is attractive. what the fuck am i supposed to do with that?

star: fuck it.

moon: im TRYING.

star: no, i mean

star: im gonna get back in contact. fuck it. if he passes your ridiculous tests, it’ll be alright, right???

moon: …

moon: you’re making me want to cry in this bar.

moon: YES reg, it would be FINE. i think… i think he misses you, too.

star: i don’t miss him.

moon: sure baby.

star: don’t cry in the club. also, don’t break my brother’s heart. also, im calling pandora. i need a soft, gentle soul to tell me how to do this.

[lils & lupin]

re: reg is about to call pandora and invite her over to his place. YOU NEED TO GO AS WELL.

lil: why, hello, remus. thank you so much for saying hi! how are you? im doing well. how can i help you?

re: hi, lily, my absolute love. i need you to go to reg’s with pandora.

lil: does he want a soft hand to guide him?

re: yes.

lil: fuckin love messing up his plans. omw.

[star & moon]

star: i hate you.

moon: did she bring ice cream

star: i hate you a little less.

moon: xxxxxxxxx

“Moony!” Logan and James threw their arms around Remus, grinning like maniacs. Everyone was at least six shots into the night, but Logan and James seemed to be taking their intake a bit harder than the others.

Remus, being a rockstar and having lived in LA for five years, knew how to pace himself and handle his alcohol. He held his tequila glass gingerly and looked to his left, nose to nose with James Potter.

“Come dance with us!” James cheered.

Remus chuckled. The song playing was If Mona Lisa Was Real by Peter Pettigrew, someone he knew personally and had once gone cliff jumping in Greece with.

Really, he couldn’t go anywhere without bumping into his real life.

“Alright, alright!” Remus said when they started pulling on him. He extricated himself from their grips and held his drink up, following them through Kasey and Olli talking by the table. Leo and Sirius were jumping up and down and screaming, but they clearly didn’t know the words. Finn was recording them with a huge grin on his face. Thomas was leaning on him.

“Moony!” Leo yelled, yanking Remus into the circle. “Sing and dance with us!”

“You don’t even know the words,” Remus mused, falling back out of the middle of the circle and sipping his drink idly as Sirius beamed at him.

“Do you?” Logan asked, looking amazed.

“Of course I know the words,” Remus scoffed. “I’m from LA.”

“What does this have to do with LA?” Sirius asked, scratching his head.

Remus grinned. “Dance!” He told them all, shooing them away.

James grabbed Finn, making Thomas stumble into the wall, and pulled him into the circle with them. Remus started singing along to the words.

“Cause baby if the Mona Lisa was real,

I don’t think she’d be a fun girl.

Ain’t nobody that loves a still life,

And has a fun life.

Baby, I’m so glad you ain’t the Mona Lisa.

Baby, you’re real life.”

Sirius continued beaming at Remus. Remus flushed and kept screaming along, letting James and Finn tug him around and spill his drink.

Later, Remus was leaning against the wall alone as the rest of the guys kept dancing. He was nursing another tequila and lime.

Sirius stumbled over. “You’re alone,” he pointed out.

“I know.” Remus grinned at him. “That was purposeful.”

Sirius leaned against the wall next to him. “You’re a good singer.”

Remus laughed. Oh, the irony. “Thank you, Sirius.”

“My brother…” Sirius trailed off, scrunching his eyebrows up like he wasn’t sure what he was saying. Remus held his breath. “My brother sings. Regulus Black. He’s, um, he does like Soul and R&B, singer/songwriter stuff. He did a tour in the UK last year, I believe.”

Remus nodded. “Yeah. Regulus Black. I know the name.”

“I think he lives in LA,” Sirius muttered.

“Yeah, he does,” Remus admitted. “I see him at my usual coffeeshop sometimes.”

Which, really, wasn’t a lie.

Sirius’ eyes snapped up. “He’s, um… do you know him?”

Remus wasn’t going to tell Sirius the truth, but he also wasn’t going to lie. He wasn’t sure lying would get them anywhere. He was just silent.

“No, of course not,” Sirius continued. “Sorry. I, um, haven’t spoken to him in a while.”

“You listen to his music?” Remus asked.

Sirius shook his head. “I tried listening to the first album. It, um, was about our home. You know, our family. I couldn’t do it. I think he blocked me on socials, too. I just kind of go off what I see on the news. And I listen when he comes on the radio. But I can’t make myself, like, I dunno… search for him.”

Sirius shook his head again and laughed pitifully. Remus wanted to hug him. “Sorry. You didn’t ask for that trauma dump. What do you do in LA?”

“I’m a musician,” Remus said eventually, letting Regulus drop into the background.

Sirius raised his brows. “Oh. Well, no wonder you sing well.”

Remus laughed. “I suppose I’d have to.”

“Is that why you left Wales? For music? LA is a good place to get your foot in the door, right?”

“I left Wales because my mother died,” Remus said truthfully. Sirius had told him a bit about Reg. Remus was all for an eye-for-an-eye. “Cancer. My dad up and left back when I was, what… three? I needed a change.”

“Oh.” Sirius nodded. “That makes sense.”

He didn’t say sorry like most people did. Oh, that’s awful. I’m so sorry you had to go through that.

He just said makes sense and moved on. Remus could have kissed him for that.

“So, you’re a musician. What do you play?”

Remus laughed. “Guitar.” Sirius raised a brow. “Drums,” Remus went on. “Piano, violin. I can manage on the trumpet. Ukulele. I tried the flute once. Didn’t go well.”

Sirius laughed. “I would have guessed drummer. But, hey. Piano, violin, ukulele. Much… softer than I imagined.”

“I play rock,” Remus offered.

Sirius smiled. “That’s more like it. Do you sing, too? Or just play?”

Remus shrugged. Sirius rolled his eyes. “Ah. That’s one of those things we’re not allowed to know, right?”

Remus grinned and knocked their hips together.

“We can’t know your names, we can’t know your job, we can’t know your history…” Sirius sighed good-naturedly. “What are you? A serial killer?”

Remus laughed. “Maybe.”

“Good to know. I only take dangerous men home.”

Remus looked at Sirius in time to see his broad smirk.

“Hm. Well, I only take baseball players home,” Remus joked. “You’re out of luck.”

“Don’t make me try out for the baseball team, Moony. I’ll do it.”

Remus snorted. “I’d pay to see that.”

“I’m sure you would.”

Remus leaned closer to Sirius on the wall, smirking as he did so. “Alright. I only take men home after they buy me dinner.”

“Rosemerta makes a mean PB&J.”

“You’ll do anything, won’t you?”

Sirius grinned a dopey, drunk smile. “You’re beautiful.”

“You’re drunk.”

He raised an eyebrow at Remus. “Are you not?”

Remus smiled. “Not drunk enough.”

Sirius frowned. He looped a finger through Remus’ belt loop and tugged him slightly closer.

“Not drunk enough for what, Moons?”

Remus let his smirk melt into a dopey smile of his own. He tilted his head to the side.

A familiar beat filled the bar. Logan and Thomas whooped. It was one of Remus’ own songs, and he stilled for a moment, dragging his eyes away from Sirius to watch Logan yell at Finn that he loved this song.

It was Runaway. Not one of his more popular tunes, but something that Remus would allow Marlene to turn on for road trips. One of the few that wasn’t drastically overplayed by the media or his tour sets.

He looked back at Sirius, whose eyes seemed to have never left his. Sirius was still smiling.

“I don’t even know anymore,” Remus said, really unsure of what they’d been talking about.

Sirius chuckled. Remus pushed off the wall slightly and let Sirius’ other hand find his belt loop. He let Sirius tug him close, until they were flush together. Remus held his glass away from their bodies slightly, letting his other hand find Sirius’ back.

Sirius leaned down. Their noses brushed together. They were both grinning. Remus really wasn’t sure when the last time he’d kissed someone and smiled about it was.

Remus’ eyes slipped closed as their lips connected. It was a firm kiss. Lips pressed hard together and smiles still ghosting their faces. Sirius’ thumbs pressed into Remus’ hips.

“Eeeyy!” Remus wasn’t sure which of their friends had seen them first, but suddenly every single Gryffindor Lion in the vicinity was cheering and screaming. Remus pulled back, not far enough for Sirius’ hands to fall away from his waist, but far enough to look over at the guys. Sirius chuckled and let his face fall into Remus’ shoulder.

Remus shot the guys a deadpan look. “You’re all children.”

James whooped and then yelped when Olli smacked him. Then, to Sirius and Remus, Thomas called, “Get a room!”

“’m not opposed,” Sirius grumbled.

Remus shoved him back, struggling to hide his grin. “What’s a guy gotta do for some dinner first, Black?”

Sirius grinned and leaned back against the wall. “Not much. Just call me pretty again, Moons.”

Remus turned and walked back to the table, shooting, “You already know that you’re pretty,” over his shoulder.

He heard Sirius’ laugh over the music.

A few hours later, Sirius deemed himself sober enough to drive James and Moony back to his and James’ house. He hadn’t had a drink since Moony had kissed him. He hadn’t needed a drink to feel breezy after that. Still, Moony made him do a field sobriety test. He’d passed, obviously. And then kissed Moony’s cheek as he walked past. Moony had flipped him off.

James was drunk and giggling in the back seat. He was laid out, unbuckled, and waving his hands in the air. He was humming and half-singing the words to a song that had come on as they were leaving, but Sirius hadn’t recognized it.

Moony was in the passenger seat, legs propped up on the dash like he owned the place. He was singing along with James, but he seemed to know all the words.

“What song is that?” Sirius asked quietly.

“I dunno,” James mused from the backseat. Sirius hadn’t been asking him.

“the heir of nothing in particular,” Moony answered. He looked over at Sirius, eyes a bit guarded. He held his liquor a lot better than any of them. He hadn’t lost his head once that night. But he looked tired. “It’s by Regulus Black.”

“-and now I’m the heir of nothing in particular, nothing in particular,” James sang from the backseat. “hmmm mmmh hmmm you only leave it if you love it, hmmm something like that.”

Moony laughed and turned to James, shaking his head. “Potter, the words are leaving only counts if there was ever love at all, but now I’m the heir of nothing in particular.”

Sirius considered those words. He didn’t think it had been part of Reggie’s first album.

“You know the song well,” Sirius said, turning to Moony for a moment before focusing back on the road. They were pulling up to the house now.

“Well, yeah.” Moony looked out his own window, away from Sirius. “It’s all about losing your parents. I can relate.”

“Losing your…” Sirius trailed off.

Remus turned sad eyes on him. “You said you haven’t spoken to your brother in five years?”

“Yeah,” Sirius said, studying the steering wheel. He hadn’t considered his parents in five years, either. But if Regulus was singing songs about the loss of one’s parents…

Were Walburga and Orion Black… dead? Surely, Sirius would have heard. He would have been alerted, or something.

Wouldn’t he?

Moony just nodded. Sirius could tell he wanted to say something else. Sirius also knew that if Moony tried to tell him to reach out to Regulus Black, top of the charts singer/songwriter, Sirius would probably shut him out completely. Sirius tended to do that when people told him to do things.

They arrived at the house. Sirius pulled into the driveway and turned off the truck.

Moony blinked at him. “You’re not taking me home?”

Sirius flushed. “I, um- no. I’m not, I mean… I just figured you didn’t-“

Moony waved him off. “Dibs on the bed.”

“Right.”

They both turned and looked at James, who was still humming and waving his hands through the air.

“Also, dibs on not putting him in bed,” Moony said, and then he hopped out of the car.

Sirius scrambled to pull James out of the backseat, prop him up under his arm, and meet Moony at the front door. Moony fished in Sirius’ pocket for the keys without saying anything, unlocked the door, and pushed inside.

He looked around for a moment before turning to Sirius and James. James was grinning at him.

“Sleeping in Sirius’ bed tonight, are ya, Moons?” James blurted.

Sirius pinched him. James yelped.

“Oh, I definitely am,” Moony agreed, and then he waltzed up the stairs.

“How are you going to-“ Sirius began, watching him go.

“Oh, I’m just climbing into whoever’s bed I find first,” Moony cut him off, disappearing behind the wall. “I do that a lot,” came his teasing voice.

Sirius grumbled and looked over at James, who was grinning lovingly after Moony. “He’s so nice,” James told Sirius.

“Alright, Pots,” Sirius groaned and pulled James up the stairs after Moony. “Let’s get you to bed.”

Sirius and James fell into James’ room, the door open like Moony had checked it and then decided against that room (so, not sleeping in the first bed he found, apparently). Sirius threw pajamas at James, made sure he brushed his teeth, and then tucked him in like a child. James was still humming Regulus’ song.

“That’s your brother's song, yeah?” James asked sleepily.

“Yeah,” Sirius sighed.

“I know you don’t like talking about your brother,” James breathed, “but he’s damn talented. He’s also pretty.”

“Yeah, he is.” Sirius blinked at his best mate, ignoring the pretty part. When had James made that assessment?

Sirius turned out the lights and crossed the hall to his own room, where the lights were already on. He opened the door to find Moony’s clothes shucked off on the floor, the man himself curled up on one side of Sirius’ bed, wearing a Bowie t-shirt that Sirius had from that one packed bag that Regulus had shoved into his arms. One of the few things Sirius kept around from the House of Black; a reminder of his brother.

Moony was also wearing what looked like a pair of Sirius’ boxer shorts. They revealed more of his tattoos than Sirius had seen before. Sirius flushed slightly before gathering some pajamas of his own- another band t-shirt (Led Zeppelin, but not from his brother’s bag) and sweatpants. He disappeared into his connected bathroom to change and brush his teeth. His toothpaste was out, like Moony had rooted through his top drawer and brushed his teeth with his finger and some toothpaste. Sirius felt oddly warm about that.

He flipped off the lights and was about to head out to sleep on the couch when Moony hummed. “Where ya going?”

His voice had slipped into a honeyed, thick accent. Sirius blinked for a moment. It seemed that his Welsh history returned to the present when he was tired. Interesting. Also, cute.

“The couch,” Sirius whispered back. “Get some sleep, Moons.”

“Hmmm no. C’mere.”

Sirius crossed the room and tucked Moony’s untied hair behind his ear. “Moony, I’m not going to-“

Moony scooted to the other side of the bed and finally burrowed under the covers, then lifted them for Sirius to climb under. His eyes were still closed like he was too tired to open them.

“’m not asking you to, Black. We can have a-“ yawn- “sleepover.”

“You’re sure?”

“It’s your bed, Sirius. ‘m not kicking you out of it.”

Sirius slipped under the covers and settled against the pillow. It wasn’t the side he usually slept on, so he rooted around for a moment to get comfortable.

Moony sighed and tugged Sirius close, their bodies pressed together. Sirius stilled and Moony set his head tiredly on Sirius’ shoulder. He tossed an arm over Sirius’ chest, the other burrowed under Sirius’ body, holding him close.

When Sirius didn’t move, Moony sighed. “’m not gonna bite, Sirius.”

Sirius chuckled and lifted his arm, tossing it over Moony and pulling him closer. He let his other hand set onto Moony’s hip atop the covers. “You’re amazing, you know that?”

“Hm?”

Sirius nuzzled his hair with his nose and kissed his forehead. “You’re amazing.”

“Mhm. Too tired. Tell me in the morning.”

Sirius chucked again and Moony nestled closer, his nose pressed into Sirius’ neck.

Sirius fell asleep to Moony’s breathing, his heart beating impossibly fast.

Sirius woke the next morning alone. He should have expected it, really- for Moony to slip away before he woke up to avoid a conversation. Sirius was used to this by now.

But for some reason, it sent a pang of hurt through Sirius this time. Probably the fact that he was starving. Probably unrelated to the bedsheets tossed up, proving that there had been another person there last night.

Sirius felt the mattress. Cold. Moony had been gone for some time, then.

He got up and showered quickly. Then, as he wandered downstairs to the kitchen to find something to eat, he heard it.

Soft piano, a lively tune accompanied by a soft, accented voice. Honeyed words dipping into syllables. A deep rift.

Sirius rerouted, stepping silently into the small library that he and James had stocked with their childhood favorites, hockey plays, and old classics. James kept his newer additions in his bedroom until they were eventually relocated to the library. Sirius just kept everything here. It was meant to be an office, they supposed. But two NHL players didn’t need an office. They didn’t even need a house this big. So, the library was outfitted with cascading shelves and a small sofa by the window.

And, after Sirius had admitted being proficient at pianoforte (years of lessons back inside the House of Black), Dumo had bought him a classical piano. It sat by the window as well, all dark wood and beautiful notes. Sirius only played when he was thinking about Regulus.

So, Sirius played at least four times a week.

But as Sirius stepped into the library and leaned on the doorway, Moony was sitting at the piano, carefully treading his fingers across the keys. His face was alight with the morning sun, filtering in through the light green linen curtains Kasey Winter’s girlfriend Natalie had bought them as a housewarming gift. He looked golden. Sirius stared, studying the way his freckles and scars seemed to come alive before focusing on the words he was singing.

There ain't no gold in this river
That I've been washin' my hands in forever
I know there is hope in these waters
But I can't bring myself to swim
When I am drowning in this silence
Baby, let me in

Go easy on me, baby
I was still a child
Didn't get the chance to
Feel the world around me
I had no time to choose
What I chose to do
So go easy on me

There ain't no room for things to change
When we are both so deeply stuck in our ways
You can't deny how hard I've tried
I changed who I was to put you both first
But now I give up

Go easy on me, baby
I was still a child
Didn't get the chance to
Feel the world around me
Had no time to choose
What I chose to do

So go easy on me

I had good intentions
And the highest hopes
But I know right now
It probably doesn't even show

Go easy on me, baby
I was still a child
I didn't get the chance to
Feel the world around me
I had no time to choose
What I chose to do
So go easy on me

Sirius felt weightless. He was watching Moony curl his fingers around the keys effortlessly. His voice was clearly still sleep-rasped, the song low effort. He had his eyes closed, just humming now.

“’m not gonna bite, you know,” Moony said suddenly, smiling slightly, eyes still closed. He was still fingering the keys, letting the melody continue.

Sirius smiled. “I know.”

He crossed the room and sat next to Moony on the bench. He finally opened his eyes, the amber irises catching the morning sun, turning to liquid gold.

“I thought you only sang rock,” Sirius mused.

Moony hummed. He turned his eyes back to the keys, letting his fingers find a quick riff before he answered. “I think I spent a long time trying to be exactly what people told me I wasn’t.”

Sirius considered that. “People wanted you to be…”

“Soft,” Moony muttered. He hummed some more, repeating the chords to the song he’d just sung now. “Back in Tenby, my mother grew flowers. She sold them in the markets. She arranged for weddings. I worked in the one coffee shop in town. People… everyone thought of me as this soft, kind boy. I didn’t want to be that. I didn’t want to be whatever Wales thought I was.”

Sirius leaned into his shoulder. “So, you turned into someone different.”

“I got tattoos. I started partying. I… well, I went into pop-rock music. That’s not exactly wrong for me. I enjoy it. But every now and then…” he played another riff. His breath ghosted Sirius’ face. Sirius shivered. Probably unrelated. “I just want to be on a flower farm by the seaside, playing piano in my mother’s greenhouse, sipping a coffee that I made.”

Sirius reached out, taking his hands. Moony stopped playing and let Sirius slip his fingers into his. Sirius placed Moony’s hands on his thigh and sat up straighter, popping his knuckles before pressing a few keys delicately. Then, he began to play one of the first songs he and Reggie had ever duetted together. It sounded incomplete without Reggie playing on the other side of the piano. But it wasn’t something Sirius could ever bring himself to complete- to play the other half of. This wasn’t his. It had been theirs.

Moony let him play for a while, leaning his own head on Sirius’ shoulder now. His hands still rested on Sirius’ thigh. When Sirius finished, he sighed and sat back, cording a hand through his hair.

“I had figured this wasn’t James’,” Moony mused. “What’s a big, strong hockey player doing with a piano?”

Sirius chuckled. He rested his head atop Moony’s. “When I was three,” he began, “my mother forced me into piano lessons. When I was four, my brother joined us. I guess that’s where it started for him- the whole music thing. But I always just wanted out of there. I wanted to be on the ice. I wanted to be with my teammates. Reggie played too, of course. Our father was in the NHL. It was… well, expected of us. But he never took to hockey the way I did.

“Anyway, we grew up playing together. That song… it was one of the first ones we ever learned that could be played as a duet. We would stay up all night- I think I was ten?” Sirius chuckled wetly. “We’d play it. Our mother would come downstairs and yell at us to keep it down, or go to bed, or whatever. And we’d just sneak right back to the piano.

“The night I ran away from home… I was eighteen. It hadn’t been a good night. But… Regulus had packed me a bag. He bought me a one-way ticket out of there. And he sent me on my way. And I… well, I made it big in hockey. I’m the youngest NHL captain ever. The Lions won the Stanley Cup last season. But…

“I guess just like you. Every now and then, I still come and play. It’s always that song. I can’t ever make myself fill in the gaps where Reggie used to play. I think about him all the time. I don’t know if he wants to talk to me. I know I want to talk to him, but we have separate lives now. I’m not sure how we would fit together anymore. But Dumo bought me this piano the year I was drafted to the Lions. And anytime I’m thinking of Reggie…”

Sirius played a short riff, letting the music fill the silence.

Moony pressed closer and kissed his cheek. “’m sure he thinks about you too, Sirius.”

Sirius laughed wetly. “Why is it so easy to talk to you? I can’t even talk to James about my family. Much less my brother.”

Moony smiled ruefully. “I think it’s because we don’t actually know each other, you know? It’s easy to talk to someone who doesn’t have any background knowledge of who you are. No expectations.”

Sirius smiled back at him. “You think he thinks about me?”

Moony’s smile melted, but not worriedly. More like he was considering his words. “I think… well, I’m a fan of his music. I think he thinks about you a lot more than you think he does.”

“Is it strange?” Sirius asked eventually. “To talk to me? If you’re a fan of his. To, I don’t know. Put a face to his albums?”

Moony smiled sadly. “No. Not as strange as it probably should be.”

Sirius laughed. He leaned forward and pressed a quick, chaste kiss to Moony’s lips. “You know what?”

Moony blinked, then tried to hide a small smile blooming on his face. “What?”

“I don’t even care that I don’t know your name.”

Moony laughed. “You have my Twitter handle.”

“I have your fake Twitter handle,” Sirius corrected.

Moony shrugged. “Good enough.”

Sirius smiled and kissed him again. “Yeah,” he muttered and then kissed him again. “Good enough.”

Moony’s hands carded through Sirius’ hair.

For the first time in his life, Sirius was consumed by a kiss.

Oh. His mind added pitifully. This man is going to destroy me.

Sirius made them breakfast. Moony made them coffee. Moony sat on the counter and traded kisses with Sirius between scrambling eggs and brewing coffee. Moony rooted around in the fridge like he lived there, finding some vanilla syrup that James must have bought and some milk he deemed worthy. Then he mixed it all together from his spot atop the cabinets.

Sirius watched him work. He almost burned the eggs. Moony would have never let him hear the end of it.

They ended up with eggs and bacon. They sat together on the counter. Sirus handed Moony an Advil, which he took readily as they both recognized the light pounding in their heads as hangovers.

“Did you write the song you were singing earlier?” Sirius asked.

Moony shoved a piece of bacon in his mouth. “Yeah.”

Sirius snorted. So much for manners. “You’re a menace,” he told the other man.

Moony rolled his eyes. “Alright, Mr. Vodka Shots.”

Sirius laughed. “Hey, that’s a team tradition.”

“Vodka is the devil’s liquor.”

“It does its job well, then,” Sirius quipped.

They settled into silence again. When they were done, Sirius leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to Moony’s temple. “It was a beautiful song.”

Moony blushed. It was the first time Sirius had seen him do so. He looked marvelous. “Thank you,” he muttered.

“Oh? Breakfast?” James stumbled into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes. “What the fuck time is it?”

Moony laughed and handed him the plate they had saved, along with a slightly cool mug of coffee. “Eggs, bacon, and a latte made by yours truly. Also, it’s one in the afternoon.”

“No, it’s not,” Sirius gasped. “Fucking hell.”

“Did you not check?” Moony asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

“No,” Sirius countered, “I was too busy admiring you on the piano.”

James snorted. “Moony plays?”

“James, you won’t believe-“ Sirius recounted the instruments Moony had admitted to playing the night before. He told James about the song Moony had been playing that morning. He really could only describe the music as gorgeous. Just like the musician.

Moony flushed. “Okay, that’s enough compliments.”

“No, it’s not,” Sirius argued.

“Hm, yes, it is,” James decided, “I think our Moony is going to combust. “By the way, are those Sirius’ boxers?”

Moony flushed again. “Shut the fuck up and eat your eggs, Potter.”

Sirius beamed and tossed an arm around his shoulders, and Moony complied by settling into his side. James smiled, bemused at them, and ate his eggs.

[operation: captain moony]

James Potter has added Thomas Walker, Finn O’Hara, Leo Knut, Kasey Winter, Logan Tremblay, Pascal Dumias, and Jackson Nadeau to the chat.

Finn: what is this??

James: don’t tell cap.

Pascal: I love how you start with that.

Kasey: all the best things start with “don’t tell cap”.

Jackson: like that pool party in the hotel in tampa.

James: what pool party.

Leo: that one started with “don’t tell cap, or the assistant cap, who are sharing a hotel room”.

James: uncool.

Logan: Potty? You had a reason for gathering us all here today?

Thomas: PLEASE TELL ME WE’RE GOING TO PARENT TRAP CAP AND MOONY

James: WE’RE GOING TO PARENT TRAP CAP AND MOONY!!!

Thomas: fuck yeah.

Finn: cap doesn’t date??? moony doesn’t date hockey players???

James: okay, don’t tell cap i told you all this:

Leo: go on.

Pascal: yes, do go on, Jamie.

James: okay. so. cap and moony had a sleepover last night.

Jackson: we all assumed that.

Logan: called it.

Kasey: they kissed at the 3brooms!

James: yes. anyway. but they did NOT canoodle last night! they just cuddled.

Finn: wait that’s adorable.

James: it gets better.

Pascal: do tell.

James: i wake up this morning to music, right??? you all know that piano dumo got cap like, four years ago?

dumo: i knew i would have a hand in cap’s marriage.

Thomas: little hasty there, dumo.

James: i walk down there, and they’re sitting together on the bench, playing the piano. they’re chatting. cap kisses moony. moony kisses cap. they chat some more. they snuggle up on the bench. they play a bit more music. they kiss some more.

Logan: be still, my heart.

Jackson: i didn’t know cap could be nice.

James: i ran away so they didn’t know I could see them.

Kasey: of course you did.

James: i came back like half an hour later and cap made breakfast (bacon and eggs. i’ve lived with him for four years and didn’t know he could cook at all). moony made us lattes. LATTES. the man is a gift from above. anyway, i walk in and they’re eating breakfast together on the counter. cap’s got his arm around moony and everything. they’re just sitting there chatting. moony made me eat all my eggs before i could have any latte.

Logan: not sure you need coffee, pots.

James: and then cap is telling me about this song moony sang that morning on the piano, and he just keeps saying “gorgeous”. like, over and over again. he said moony looked beautiful playing. i don’t think he really knew he was saying it, but moony’s just sitting there blushing. he made cap do the dishes.

Thomas: awh, they’re fucking adorable.

James: ergo: we need to parent trap them. because i think if we leave them to it, they’ll go on being in love and not doing anything ab it.

Pascal: they’ve known each other two weeks???

Finn: OPERATION CAPTIAN MOONY!

Kasey: OPERATION CAPTIAN MOONY!

James: thank you for your service, gentlemen.

James: first order of business: movie night at moony’s.

Pascal: has moony offered this as an option?

James: no. but cap and i have his address.

Leo: tonight?

Logan: tonight.

Pascal: moony is going to slit all of our throats. i’ll bring those cookies celeste makes.

James: id die a happy man if i got some of celeste dumias’ cookies.

Jackson: ^^^

James: meet at mine and caps at 6 :)

Finn: can i pick the movie?

Kasey: it’s only fair that moony gets to pick.

Finn: i hate fair.

Chapter Text

Sirius had dropped Remus off back home two hours ago when there was a knock on his door. He was facetiming Barty and Evan (making sure he could physically see both of them at all times, much to their dismay) and working on beats for his new album. Two weeks into his trip, and he was still entirely unsure what to do.

“Hold on,” Remus told the guys, heading to his door. “Someone’s here.”

“Maybe Dora sent you flowers,” Barty piped up. “She sent Lily some today.”

“That’s because they’re secretly in love, babe,” Evan told his boyfriend.

Remus laughed and skidded across the tile in the entrance hall on his socks, yanking open the door without checking the peephole. He came face to face with Pascal Dumias and Thomas Walker, a pile of hockey players behind them, all cheering, “Moony! Movie night at Moony’s!”

“Ah, fuck,” Remus muttered.

“We’re crashing your house,” Pascal informed him, walking in before Remus could slam the door in their faces.

“Who was it?” Evan asked from the phone in Remus’ hand.

“Oh? Facetime?” Finn O’Hara grabbed Remus’ phone and held it up to his face. Remus had a split-second panic that Finn would recognize at least Barty- who appeared on screen so often that he was a household name. But Finn just said, “Sorry, we’re stealing Moony. Go back to your evenings,” and hung up the call.

“Hey!” Remus protested. “I was-“

“Popcorn!” Thomas and Kasey ran past Remus into his kitchen, carrying a box of popcorn each.

“Sorry,” Sirius said, hanging back with Leo, who seemed to be the only sensible one in the group. “I, um, got home and James told me the guys had planned an impromptu movie night at your house. I was under the impression you knew we were coming.”

“I was entirely unaware,” Remus told him, glaring at James, who just shrugged and made himself at home in one of the loveseats in the living room.

“Oops,” Logan announced and jumped on top of James. James yelped.

“Jackson couldn’t make it,” Leo informed Remus as he walked by and into the house.

“Pity,” Remus deadpanned.

Sirius was still standing on his front stoop, staring at Remus. Remus watched his eyes drop to his exposed torso; the obvious ink there now visible. Remus was wearing old sweatpants and a crop top that Evan had cut- a shirt from their old college. Remus shifted, leaning against the door.

Sirius’ eyes snapped back up. “Can I come in?”

“Manners all the sudden, Black?” Remus mused. “Interesting.”

“I really had no idea,” Sirius promised.

Remus gestured for Sirius to come inside. “Make yourself at home. I certainly have.”

“What is all this stuff, Moony?” Thomas called from the kitchen. Remus remembered his setup in there- laptop, MIDI fighter, keyboard, song notebook, and guitar. He’d been camped out at the kitchen table since Sirius dropped him off.

He could tell Kasey was pressing some of the buttons on the MIDI fighter. Remus rolled his eyes and Sirius and James followed him into the kitchen, where Kasey was indeed having fun with the beats Remus had programmed in. Thomas was eyeing the guitar, and Pascal was dragging his hands across the keyboard.

“You break it you buy it,” Remus told them. “That stuff isn’t cheap.”

“We’re rich,” Kasey said cheekily, and kept pressing buttons. Remus tapped his computer a few times, swatted Kasey’s hands away, and replayed the loop Kasey had been making. He nodded.

“Good track, Kase,” Remus told him.

Kasey beamed. “Thanks.”

Remus saved it, just to play back for a laugh later. It really was sporadic and chaotic.

“I didn’t know you had all this cool tech,” Thomas said. “Can I touch your guitar?”

Remus laughed. “Don’t drop it.”

Thomas took that as allowance, which it was, and lifted the guitar from the table with awe. He picked a few chords. “Cool.”

“Do you play?”

“Never,” Thomas admitted. “But now I’m going to make you give me lessons.”

Remus snorted. “Sure, Thomas.”

“Yesssss.”

Sirius thumbed a few keys on the keyboard. “Writing?” He asked Remus softly.

“Well, I was trying to,” Remus deadpanned.

Sirius grinned. “Oops?”

“Oops,” Remus agreed.

“You write?” Kasey looked up at him. “Do you have any songs? Play us one!”

“I don’t have anything ready right now,” Remus lied. He had four albums out. He had songs he’d never released but were perfectly capable.

“Make something up,” James urged. Leo, Logan, and Finn were standing in the doorway now, chanting, “Moony! Moony! Moony!”

Remus chuckled. He sat down and replayed the loop Kasey had just recorded. Then he shook his head and shoved Sirius away from the keyboard, clicked it to classical, and tried a few keys.

“Fuck yeah,” James breathed. “Play us something, Moony.”

“All of you need to shut the fuck up right now,” Remus told them.

They all shut the fuck up. Sirius was eyeing Remus curiously.

Remus shook his head, backed away from the piano, and gestured for the guitar from Thomas. He handed it over easily.

One of his unreleased songs would have to do. He couldn’t come up with something new on the spot- not with Sirius Black looking at him like that.

He strummed a few chords, pulled out the pick he had stuffed in his pocket, then started playing. His voice followed quickly.

[[cover in end notes if you want to listen]]

Had to have high, high hopes for a living
Shooting for the stars when
I couldn't make a killing
Didn't have a dime but
I always had a vision
Always had high, high hopes

Had to have high, high hopes for a living
Didn't know how but
I always had a feeling
I was gonna be that one in a million
Always had high, high hopes

Mama said
Fulfill the prophecy
Be something great
Go make a legacy
Manifest destiny
Back in the days
We wanted everything, wanted everything

Mama said
Burn your biographies
Rewrite your history
Light up your wildest dreams
Museum victories, everyday
We wanted everything, wanted everything

Mama said don't give up,
It's a little complicated
All tied up, no more love
And I'd hate to see you waiting

Had to have high, high hopes for a living
Shooting for the stars when
I couldn't make a killing
Didn't have a dime but
I always had a vision
Always had high, high hopes

Had to have high, high hopes for a living
Didn't know how but
I always had a feeling
I was gonna be that one in a million

Always had high, high hopes

High, high hopes)
(Always had high, high hopes)

High, high hopes)
(Always had high, high hopes)

Mama said
It's uphill for oddities
The stranger crusaders
Ain't ever wannabes
The weird and the novelties
Don't ever change
We wanted everything, wanted everything

Stay up on that rise
Stay up on that rise and never come down, oh
Stay up on that rise
Stay up on that rise and never come down

Mama said don't give up,
It's a little complicated
All tied up, no more love
And I'd hate to see you waiting
They say it's all been done
But they haven't seen the best of me
So I got one more run and
Iit's gonna be a sight to see

Had to have high, high hopes for a living
Shooting for the stars
When I couldn't make a killing
Didn't have a dime
But I always had a vision
Always had high, high hopes

Had to have high, high hopes for a living
Didn't know how but
I always had a feeling
I was gonna be that one in a million

Always had high, high hopes

Always had high, high hopes

Had to have...

Always had high, high hopes

He kept his eyes on his fingers the entire time. It had been a while since he’d kept his head down while singing, but he did so this time. As soon as he finished, he stummed off hard and set the guitar butt on his socked foot, looking up at the Gryffindor Lions.

“There. Does that appease you all?” He asked, cocking his head to the side. “Can we watch a movie now-”

“That was so good!” Logan cheered, cutting Remus off. The other guys chorused their approval.

Sirius leaned down and placed a smacking kiss on Remus’ forehead. Remus swatted him away.

“Gorgeous,” Sirius muttered, just for him. Remus flushed. Pascal whistled at them. Remus flipped him off.

“How would that sound with your usual sound?” Sirius asked, leaning over Remus’ chair, making Remus’ shoulder wedge into his ribs.

Remus rolled his eyes. He reached for his laptop, bringing up the raw recording with true music and clicking play.

It was the same song, but an entirely different feel. He played about a minute of it before cutting it off.

“Like that,” he told Sirius.

“Whoa, you recorded it?” Finn leaned over the table, looking at the laptop screen upside down. “Cool.”

“You should make an album,” James praised. Remus snorted. “What? You should! We’d all buy it.”

“I’d buy it four times over,” Kasey promised.

Remus shook his head at their antics. “What movie are we watching?” He asked, standing up and making Sirius straighten as well.

“Your pick,” Leo told him. “We didn’t get that far.”

“I wanted to pick,” Finn grumbled. Remus patted his cheek.

“You pick then, O’Hara.”

Finn beamed at him. Pascal rolled his eyes. “Endless,” Finn begged the room. “Please.”

“We watched that last week,” Logan groaned.

“You may have,” Thomas piped up. “I haven’t seen it yet! It was a summer release, right?”

“Yeah,” Remus told him. It was Barty and Lily’s movie. He’d seen it a hundred times, despite them asking the group to watch something else by the fifth movie night. Remus had been at the premier, for fuck’s sake.

Remus pushed into the living room again, grabbing the remote. “I’ll put it on. Sirius?”

“Yeah?” Sirius asked, looking a little too excited to be called out.

“You’re in charge of popcorn,” Remus told him. Sirius deflated. He went to start on the two boxes the guys had brought in. James made fun of him.

“James?” Remus called.

“Yeah?”

“You help him.”

James grumbled and went to join Sirius by the microwave. Leo and Pascal laughed at them, and the guys got comfortable. For some reason, they left the loveseat empty. Leo, Logan, and Finn took one sofa. Thomas and Kasey took the other loveseat, cuddling up together like they did this often, and Pascal laid out across the floor. Remus tossed him one of the blankets piled by the TV, and a pillow from under Logan’s head. Then he tossed the other guys blankets and grabbed one for himself, plopping onto the empty loveseat as he realized what the guys were doing.

Well, shit. Sirius had a meddlesome team, that’s for sure.

Sirius and James came in with the popcorn and a Tupperware container full of cookies that Remus learned had come from Pascal’s wife, Celeste. James passed the cookies around and then plopped onto the floor with Pascal, forcing the older man to share his blanket before Finn tossed them another couch pillow. James winked at him in thanks.

Sirius looked down at Remus, who eyed him from the loveseat. He was tempted to make Sirius sit on the floor with James and Pascal, but… he really kind of wanted to lean into Sirius tonight. As if he hadn’t cuddled with the poor man all of last night, too.

He patted the remaining space next to him. Sirius smiled and sat down, tossing an arm casually over Remus’ shoulders like this was commonplace. At this point, Remus assumed it was. Remus tossed the blanket over them both, and Sirius pressed a quick kiss into Remus’ scalp. It tingled. The popcorn bowl Sirius had saved for them got placed on Remus’ thigh. Remus leaned back against Sirius’ shoulder.

It felt all too natural, to be honest.

Remus started the movie. It was strange to watch the team quiet down and watch diligently. The guys that had seen it before (Leo, Logan, Finn, Pascal) would sometimes explain scenes to those that hadn’t (Thomas, Kasey, James). Sirius was playing with Remus’ hair.

Halfway through, Sirius tugged on Remus’ waist.

“Hmm?” Remus hummed, and Sirius tugged again. Remus turned back to look at him; he looked tired. None of them had gotten enough sleep after their night out, and Remus figured these NHL boys never got enough sleep anyway.

Remus leaned back further, wondering where Sirius was maneuvering him. Sirius leaned back against the edge of the loveseat, tugged Remus into his lap, and stretched his legs out across the other side. Remus snickered and settled back against Sirius’ chest, letting the other man wrap him up in his arms. Their legs tangled together. Sirius set his head atop Remus’, and Remus rearranged the throw blanket.

“Awh,” James mused.

Sirius flipped him off and went back to cording his fingers through Remus’ hair. Remus couldn’t even be bothered to scold either of them.

It was always strange, to watch two of his best friends waltz around a screen under different names and personalities. Lily played the villain’s girlfriend in this movie. There was a total of six on-screen kisses between her and Frank Longbottom, the actor playing the “bad guy”. It was something they liked to tease her about. Even Alice Longbottom, Frank’s whirlwind of a wife, took it upon herself to tease the two mercilessly. Alice had even been known to plant a smacking kiss on Lily’s lips just to see Frank’s reaction.

Barty co-starred with Frank, and Endless was one of the few films Barty had done where he was the protagonist. He gets the guy (Fabian Prewitt- not Evan, though there are no on-screen kisses for them to tease Fab and Barty over). He saves the day. He smiles, he wears a suit.

So, yeah. It was always strange to see his friends on screen. To watch Barty laugh at a joke he would never deign to acknowledge in real life. To watch Lily fawn over Frank, when they were both so obviously in love with other people (Frank; Alice, Lily; Pandora, though they still hadn’t gotten their acts together). It was strange to be able to look at the screen and think Oh, I took shots with him on his birthday. He laughed and spit the whiskey onto my shirt (Frank, the villain), or One time, a boy broke up with me back in college and this man offered to incinerate his car. Also, I made him penis cupcakes when he lost his virginity when we were eighteen (Barty, the hero), or even This woman once shaved all of my hair in my sleep when we were eighteen, but I also once punched a man that touched her hip in the street (Lily, the girlfriend). Even Fabian Prewitt, who Remus had slept with when they were twenty, was strange to see on-screen. Remus knew that man liked freckles and soft music, and also that he was a bottom. Remus shouldn’t know that about the people acting in the movies he’s watching.

He sent a quick text to Fabian and his twin brother, Gideon, who was an author and ran in the same circle as Pandora. He didn’t even care that Sirius could probably see over his shoulder- because Fab wasn’t in his phone as Fabian anyway, and Gid’s name wasn’t recognizable when it was just Gid.

[two idiots and gid]

idiot 1: guess what movie im watching

idiot 2: the princess bride

gid: that is literally the stupidest fucking guess ever.

idiot 2: excuse the fuck outta me but we have NO context.

gid: you slept with the man for two years.  you should know he’s not a princess bride kinda guy.

Sirius’ grip tightened around Remus’ chest, confirming the fact that he had read over Remus’ shoulder. Remus rolled his eyes and scoffed at Sirius, who just pressed what felt like a possessive kiss in the crook of Remus’ neck.

“Who’s that?” Sirius whispered in Remus’ ear. The breath ghosted down his spine in the form of tremors.

Remus turned his head slightly to look back at Sirius. He smirked and looked down at Sirius’ lips, and the other man got the message and pressed a kiss on Remus’ own. Remus pulled back and patted Sirius’ hand across his chest.

“Some of my friends,” Remus answered, whispering as Sirius did. The other guys didn’t seem to notice them not watching the movie. “They’re twins. I used to sleep with one of them.”

Sirius made a noncommittal noise and pressed his face into Remus’ shoulder. “Should I be worried?” He said it jokingly, but then they both stilled.

Remus looked back at Sirius again. They just… watched each other for a moment.

They hadn’t talked about… this. There wasn’t really anything to talk about. They’d kissed. They’d cuddled. They’d sat together at the piano and talked and played and kissed and it had been so easy. Sirius calmed Remus, who was always a ball of strangled energy. Remus was always waiting. Waiting for the other shoe to drop- waiting for the next tabloid leak about him or his friends. Waiting for another man to come along and only want to be in Remus’ bed for the notoriety, and not wanting to be in his life for the same reason.

Remus Lupin had known Sirius Black for two weeks and one day. He’d heard of Sirius Black every time Reg got drunk for the last five years. And yet… that picture he’d painted in his mind didn’t fit the man at all. This man was beautiful, and he smiled, and he laughed, and he tossed his arm across Remus like it was natural, and he sat on kitchen counters at one in the afternoon to eat bacon and eggs. He jumped around with his teammates at bars to Remus’ own music and smiled at Remus through whisps of black hair and ice blue eyes. He tucked his drunk friends into bed.

So, no. They hadn’t talked about it. Remus hadn’t expected there to be anything to talk about. Sirius didn’t even know who Remus was.

But, Remus supposed, it just fell into place. Like everything else they had done- them becoming something would just happen. Of course it had developed in the background while they were busy playing pick-up basketball. Of course it would develop too soon into the summer, when there was too much time left for nothing to go wrong.

Sirius was just blinking at him. Remus smiled softly and kissed him again.

“No,” Remus breathed.

Sirius beamed.

No talking, then. But understanding.

idiot 1: i love the princess bride

idiot 2: ill expect your apology in the mail by morning, brother.

gid: fuck you.

idiot 1: it’s the movie where the guy gets the guy and we all cheer.

idiot 2: that doesn’t give me much to go on.

gid: it’s endless, isn’t it?

idiot 2: fucking hate that movie. leo didn’t get to make out with jonas. leo very much wanted to make out with jonas.

idiot 1: jonas has a boyfriend????

gid: that’s never stopped LEO before.

idiot 2: no it hasn’t. well, throw popcorn at the screen for us because i will not be watching that movie ever again.

gid: you love that movie. the cast is your favorite.

idiot 1: it’s my favorite cast, too. <3

idiot 2: *bows*

gid: get the fuck outta the chat.

There were so many hidden secrets in those messages, with Sirius reading over Remus’ shoulder. There was no way for Sirius to know that Remus was talking with a member of the very cast playing on the screen at that moment. He didn’t know the man he’d just asked Remus about was Fabian Prewitt, who was currently being taken hostage by none other than Frank Longbottom. He didn’t know that two of Remus’ best friends’ names would scroll by with the credits at the end.

But maybe Remus could hold onto that for just a little while longer- not being Remus Lupin, but Moony.

Because he’d been Moony back home. He’d been Moony to his mum- in the hills of her flower farm and in the café of his coffeeshop and in the halls of his school. He’d been Moony when he and his mates went sailing, and he’d been Moony when he had his first kiss at the pier. He’d been Moony when he’d been young and reckless and dreaming.

And sometimes, Remus missed being just Moony, and not Remus Lupin.

And when he left at the end of the summer, he would be able to tuck Sirius Black into the things that were just for Moony- into all the things he would look back on later and miss, even if he swore he never would.

Sirius looked down at Moony, studying the lines on his face as the other man slept, propped up against Sirius’ chest. His phone sat in his lap, Sirius’ arm around Moony’s chest, the other underneath him as Sirius continued to finger Moony’s tawny waves.

His face, littered with freckles and that one, beautiful, lovely white scar running across his nose. It was longer than Sirius first realized: starting almost at his left ear in a fine line, thickening as it ran across his face, and then thinning out on his right cheek. It looked like Moony had been clawed at, but Sirius found it delicate. Beautiful. Lovely.

Sirius wasn’t sure what had happened between now and that first meeting. He had been so sure he was just going to sleep with the man that joined their pickup game. He’d been so sure that they would shoot innuendo back and forth for the summer and then Moony would disappear, as silently as he’d arrived.

Sirius didn’t know what had happened, but it had been two weeks and one day. And Moony had slept in Sirius’ bed the night before. Sirius had kissed him. Multiple times. Moony had worn Sirius’ old t-shirt from Regulus and a pair of boxers he’d stolen from Sirius’ drawers. He’d brushed his teeth with Sirius’ toothpaste and his finger. He’d played Sirius’ piano and made lattes the next morning and sat bathed in green, morning light in the library.

Sirius didn’t know what had happened, but he didn’t really want Moony to disappear silently. He didn’t want the man to shoot innuendo across the court at him anymore. He didn’t want to sleep with him and leave him.

Sirius wasn’t the type for relationships. He knew this. But that had never stopped him from trying.

And goddamn, he was up for trying right now.

Moony was all sly smirks and secrets and long fingers. He was sweaty long-sleeve t-shirts on a basketball court and mascara brushed across eyelashes in the light of the Three Broomsticks. He was gentle kisses and scoffs and amber eyes. He was what Sirius didn’t know he was looking for.

Sirius Black wasn’t in love. He’d never been in love. He’d love before, of course. Regulus. James. His team. James’ parents, the Potters. He’d never been in love.

But he had a feeling it started a lot like this- like holding another person close and being content or sharing secret smiles while the guys around them munched on popcorn and chatted about a movie. He thought it was leaning on shoulders and an easy-going friendship, even if they both knew they’d jump each other’s bones if given the chance. Sirius figured love started out a lot like a hurricane: the calm, gentle breeze, the smell of approaching rain, the sudden stillness, and then the sirens.

Sirius wasn’t even mad about the upcoming wreckage.

They weren’t together. They weren’t dating. Moony wasn’t his boyfriend.

But they seemed to both share an understanding: take it wherever it will go.

Sirius would be damned if he didn’t.

[operation: captain moony]

James: okay, they’re both asleep. everyone out!

Leo: we’re leaving cap here?

Finn: damn right, we’re leaving cap here.

Thomas: the movie still has five minutes!

Pascal: Jonas wins. no one kisses. leo agrees to go one a date. go.

Kasey: that was low, dumo.

James: fold moony’s blankets!

Logan: we may be bastards for this, but we’re folding the fucking blankets.

Finn: we’re nice bastards.

Sirius woke up to a strange silence. He heard cars roaring down the dirt road up to Moony’s rental home. He looked around. The room was empty. There was a sticky-note with a smiley face drawn on it stuck to the TV screen.

Fucking bastards.

Moony was still asleep, but he’d turned slightly, so his face was pressed into Sirius’ chest. His phone had fallen to the ground, and his hand now rested on the base of Sirius’ neck.

Oh, he was fucking stunning.

Okay, so maybe Sirius wasn’t too angry at the team.

“Moony,” Sirius whispered, shaking him slightly.

Moony groaned. “No.” His words had dipped back into that honeyed accent. Sirius almost moaned.

He chuckled instead. “Darling, I can’t let you fall asleep in an armchair.”

“It’s a loveseat, you creatin,” Moony muttered.

Sirius snorted and pressed a kiss to his forehead. “Alright, Moons. Whatever you say.”

“’m not getting up,” Moony swore, pressing closer to Sirius.

Sirius swung his legs down from the armrest, jostling the man in his lap. Moony grumbled, until Sirius stood, still holding Moony. He carried him across the living room bridal style before Moony’s eyes shot open.

He flailed for a second, making Sirius laugh outright.

“Okay,” he muttered, a little flushed. “You can carry me. That’s… interesting.”

Sirius nuzzled his nose into Moony’s hair, just behind his ear. He started climbing the stairs.

“It’s the first one on the right,” Moony muttered, knowing where Sirius was headed. “Where did the guys go?”

“I guess we both fell asleep,” Sirius mused. “I think they stranded me here.”

Moony snorted. “Your team is insufferable.”

“I’m not complaining,” Sirius teased. Moony rolled his eyes tiredly and pressed his face between Sirius’ shoulder and neck. He hummed.

He walked into Moony’s room. There was a drum set in the corner, which was strange, as the rest of the room was seemingly designed by a grandmother. There was another guitar propped up against the far wall, and three journals scattered on the floor beside it. Moony’s bed was made, covers tossed back, ready for someone to slip inside.

“Nice place,” Sirius mused.

“Thanks, rented it myself,” Moony joked. Sirius laughed and set him down on the bed. He was still wearing that intoxicating cropped shirt and sweatpants, so Sirius figured that would be comfortable enough for him to sleep in.

“I’ll go sleep-“

“Like hell you will,” Moony muttered. He patted the spot next to him, much like he had last night. “C’mere.”

Sirius chuckled and kissed his cheek. “Alright. But I’m wearing a sweater and jeans…”

Moony huffed. “Top drawer, dear.”

Sirius grinned at the name and bounded over to the drawer Moony had indicated. Inside were t-shirts and sweatpants, separated to sides. Sirius rifled through the shirts for a moment, pulling out an old David Bowie tour shirt and a pair of sweats.

He ducked into the bathroom to change quickly. He splashed water on his face and brushed his teeth with his finger, thinking of Moony the whole time.

Sirius caught sight of the clock on the bedside table as he got under the covers on the other side of the bed. 9:13 pm. He laughed inwardly. They were pathetically exhausted after one night out and little sleep.

Moony was humming to himself, eyes closed, still turned away from Sirius, toward the door. Sirius tucked himself close and draped an arm over Moony’s body. He stopped humming and scooted back, grinning.

Sirius slipped his other arm underneath the other man and pressed a kiss to the back of his neck. Moony hummed again, and Sirius tugged him closer, both arms across his chest.

Moony took Sirius’ hand and threaded their fingers together, letting their joined hands fall to the mattress.

“This is nice,” Moony yawned out. His eyes were still closed.

“Hm,” Sirius agreed, leaning into his back. “It is.”

“What happened to breaking each other’s backs?” Moony asked, all stick and no sugar.

Sirius barked a laugh. He loved that the other man never beat around the bush. He was so blunt.

He slowly pressed three kisses up Moony’s neck. “Oh, we can still do that, darling. This is nice, too, though.”

“Hm.” Moony snuggled back again, squeezing his hand. “It is.”

Regulus Black @fuckhockeyplayers

Re, darling, did you perhaps take some of my shirts with you on vacation? @fuckthemoon

Replies:              .

Veronica Leonardo @skittlesaremyfav

SEE? I’M TELLING YOU, THEY’RE DATING!

____reply:

         Barty Crouch @fuckroses: what? they are? why didn’t they tell us? @fuckmclovin

         Dorcas Meadowes @fuckmclovin: wait. i thought Re was dating that hockey player?

         Pandora Lestrange @fucklilyevanswithlove: he’s going to kill us all for outing that.

         Lily Evans @fuckflowers: i’d be careful with saying that. re sent me a bouquet of lilies after i said that on Twitter.

         Killie Brown @killie3467: what’s wrong with that?

         Remus Lupin @fuckthemoon: she’s allergic to lilies :)

Remus Lupin @fuckthemoon

why yes, reggie darling, i do recall packing some of those shirts.

____reply:

         Regulus Black @fuckhockeyplayers: fuck you. i spent an hour this morning looking for my Bowie tour tee.

         Remus Lupin @fuckthemoon: oh? don’t worry. it’s actually currently in use.

[skittles]

romulus: [photo]

tulip: is that…

baby black: my brother.

baby black: wearing my tshirt.

baby black: brushing his teeth with his finger in your bathroom.

baby black: at 8:30 am.

barted: are those my sweatpants???

romulus: you left these at my house party three years ago. quite comfortable.

barted: i thought those caught fire that night. wow.

strange: why would they have caught fire that night???

evan(s): oh! that was the party where barty’s hair caught on fire, right?

dork: and his tshirt.

mclovin: and his shoes.

barted: those were nice shoes, too.

romulus: the sweatpants survived. also, i don’t recall how you got back to your place without your pants, shoes, or shirt?

tulip: his hair was also singed.

strange: i drove him.

strange: wait, no. that was another time.

dork: barty and i caught the subway that night. back to mine and marls’.

evan(s): barty was basically naked???

barted: no, i borrowed cas’ dress.

mclovin: CAS was basically naked, then???

mclovin: where was i?

dork: no, i borrowed one of re’s flannels and basketball shorts.

strange: why didn’t barty just borrow those, instead of your dress?

barted: fuck the patriarchy.

romulus: damn straight.

baby black: i believe we’ve gotten off topic. why, oh why, is my long-lost brother in your bathroom at 8:30 am wearing my old shirt and barty’s old sweatpants that did NOT catch fire, brushing his teeth with his finger?

romulus: contrary to popular belief, we actually have not fucked.

romulus: but we have cuddled for the past two nights. and also, he carried me yesterday. talk about a turn on.

baby black: please stop.

barted: eeeey!

strange: you don’t cuddle with randos, remus.

romulus: this isn’t a rando.

romulus: this is sirius.

dork: “this isn’t a rando. this is sirius.”

dork: can someone please hit him that is too fucking cute.

romulus: it’s the truth???

strange: oh… you like him!

romulus: i believe we were talking about reg’s question? go on, reg.

mclovin: oh, he’s in love with his best friend’s brother.

evan(s): this is too good.

tulip: dibs on the shovel talk.

barted: shouldn’t reg do the shovel talk??? imagine.

evan(s): hello, brother of mine. i’m your boyfriend’s brother. if you hurt my brother, i am not above killing you, you, who is my brother.

dork: it would be amazing.

baby black: i despise you all.

romulus: sorry?

baby black: you should be.

strange: oh! reg! tell remus about your plan!

romulus: oh? pray tell.

baby black: there is an album in the works.

romulus: good!

baby black: im calling it unsaid emily.

romulus: who is emily.

baby black: sirius is emily.

barted: oh, sure. makes sense.

romulus: no it doesn’t???

baby black: whenever we were kids, our parents didn’t like me hanging out with sirius without their supervision. they thought he would corrupt me or something. i don’t know. anyway, obviously we hang out without supervision- at school, in public, whatever. we were brothers, yeah?

romulus: yeah….

baby black: they also didn’t like that sirius is gay. they kept trying to get me dating a nice little rich girl. anyway, after sirius and i would hang out, our parents always asked me about my day. not in a nice way, more like they were making sure i wasn’t doing anything wrong. but anyway, i always called sirius emily.

baby black: you know. “oh, i hung out with emily today.” “oh, i got lunch with emily today.”

baby black: so, my parents thought i had this nice, rich, semi-girlfriend. and they didn’t know me and sirius were spending time together outside of the house. it got them off both of our backs for a little bit.

baby black: anyway, sirius always thought the whole thing was hilarious. he’d introduce himself to people as emily, you know.

baby black: so, im writing him an album. and im calling it unsaid emily. and he’ll understand.

romulus:…

romulus: that’s… that’s actually really sweet, reg.

tulip: do you have any songs yet?

baby black: i have one called HELLO already. also, working on one called HOW DO I SAY GOODBYE. i still need to write UNSAID EMILY.

baby black: how’s your album going, remus? or are you too busy fawning over my brother.

romulus: i admit to nothing.

romulus: actually, im thinking about going a different route with this album.

romulus: genre, i mean. i can’t seem to write unless it’s paired with piano and guitar these days. ya know, i think minnie would say it’s time for me to put out a pop album.

mclovin: he’s in his girlypop era.

barted: well, now im fucking excited.

evan(s): were you not already???

Remus met Sirius on the porch. He was sitting in the porch swing, looking out over the countryside. Remus wrapped the small blanket he’d brought out tighter around his shoulders and picked up the two lattes he’d made, handing Sirius his from behind before settling his arms around Sirius’ shoulders.

He leaned forward, rocking the swing back and forth, setting his head atop Sirius’, holding his coffee mug close to Sirius’ chest.

Sirius huffed out a breath. “You spoil me with these.”

Remus kissed his temple. “Hmm.”

They stayed like that for a while, Remus leaning on Sirius from behind, rocking the swing back and forth gently as they drank their coffees.

“I’ve always thought Cornelia Street looked like it was out of a movie,” Sirius tells him, referring to the long county road that wound through ranchland and farm fields and also led to Remus’ rental home.

Remus laughed. “It sounds like it’s out of a movie.”

They were silent for a bit longer. The name Cornelia Street echoed in Remus’ mind.

“Sing me something?” Sirius whispered.

Remus smiled and pressed it into Sirius’ hair.

“A free show, Mr. Black?”

Sirius snorted. He reached up and tangled their fingers together. “If you’d be so kind.”

Remus shook his head, bemused. He stood up straight and walked around the swing. Sirius opened his arms and Remus settled next to him on the bench, leaning into his shoulder. Sirius’ hand immediately started playing with his hair.

Remus took another sip of his latte. Vanilla and hazelnut this morning. Then he cleared his throat.

It wasn’t often that he sang without music anymore. He used to all the time, when helping his mother cut flowers or sitting with his secondary school boyfriend on the beach. Now, he was twenty-three, snuggling up with an NHL player on a porch swing in No Where, Minnesota, sipping lattes and sporting a practically hidden identity.

Oh, the world liked to laugh, really.

The song that came to mind stopped him short.

Looking out across the fields, the trees growing, the wildflowers blooming… only one song was appropriate.

It was unreleased. Remus would never release it, he was sure. But he didn’t need to. The people he wanted to hear it were gone.

He thought of his mum. He thought of her brother, Tom. He thought of how much he missed both of them. He lost Tom, his stand-in dad, when he was fourteen. Drunk driver. He thought of his mum. Who he’d lost five years ago.

He swallowed hard. Sirius squeezed him.

He cleared his throat again.

Hey mom, I know we're gettin' old
And the lines on our hands have changed
But you still look at me the same
Hey mom, guess what? You're really tough
And I know you did all you could
Just to make sure my life was good

Sorry for the fights and the tone of my voice
Sorry for the nights when I made the wrong choice
Life is flyin' by and it's hittin' me now
I hope it's not, but

If this is the last time, please come close
I love you with all my heart, you know
I don't wanna cry, I'm bad at goodbye
If this is the last time
Then let's do the things we always do
Like go to the mall and buy some shoes
I don't wanna cry, I'm bad at goodbye
If this is the last time

Hey Tom, what's up? Miss you so much
Yeah, the shade of your hair has changed
But I look up to you the same

Taught me how to fish, taught me how to ride a bike
Taught me how to love, how to treat a lover right
Life is flyin' by and it's hittin' me now
I hope it's not, but

If this is the last time, please come close
I love you with all my heart, you know
I don't wanna cry, I'm bad at goodbye
If this is the last time
Then let's do the things we always do
Like go for a drive or watch the news
I don't wanna cry, I'm bad at goodbye
If this is the last time

Hey you, sit back
Don't go, so fast

If this is the last time, please come close
I love you with all my heart, you know
I don't wanna cry, I'm bad at goodbye
If this is the last time
So let's do the things we always do
Or maybe we try something brand new
I don't wanna cry, I'm bad at goodbye
If this is the last time

If this is the last time
If this is the last time
Oh, if this is the last time

Remus sighed and leaned further into Sirius, who just wrapped his arms around him. Their lattes were long forgotten now.

After a few minutes silence, Sirius pressed a kiss to Remus’ lips. “Beautiful,” he breathed.

Remus grinned against his lips.

Sirius pulled back and dragged his thumb across the scar the sat on Remus’ face. His eyelids fluttered. The scar tissue tickled.

“What happened?” Sirius asked softly. His own eyes followed his thumb’s progress. His other hand came up to cup Remus’ jaw.

His face being held like this, Remus felt… treasured.

It was honestly insane, how quickly they were falling into each other.

“Fishing accident,” Remus muttered. He didn’t talk about it much.

He’d been twelve, out on his mate’s fishing boat. They were tossing nets overboard and reeling them in, one of them tossing bait into the water. There had been five of them out there that day.

Remus rolled up the sleeves of the linen shirt he’d put on, brandishing some more nicks and scrapes he’d gathered that day. “They used to look a lot worse,” he told Sirius. “Now, they’re just white lines.”

“Did you fall in?” Sirius asked, taking one of his arms in hand and wiping at the scars on his arm, too.

Remus shrugged. “I was twelve. We were young and stupid. I got tangled in a net, went under for a bit. My mates pulled the net up, but it took me with it. The ropes cut into my skin, like this-“ he pressed down on the scars. “Fishing nets aren’t rope, like people think. They’re more of a nylon, and the one my mate’s dad used to use had these little barbs in the nylon, so the fish couldn’t get out. Anyway, I struggled against the net. Got myself tangled in all those little barbs. When they got me out, we had to rush back to the hospital. Some of the cuts were pretty deep.”

“There weren’t any adults out with you all?”

Remus shook his head, leaning it against Sirius’ shoulder again. “We grew up sailing. Our parents started letting us take the boats out on our own around ten. We were just fucking around… I dunno. It was a stupid accident. Now I’ve got all these scars.” He laughed to himself. “It’s really funny, thinking back. Wasn’t at the time. Most people don’t have the guts to ask what the scars are from, but… it’s not a hard story.”

Sirius smiled down at him. He pressed a kiss into Remus’ forehead.

“Did you fish a lot, then?”

“Tenby’s a harbor town,” Remus explained softly. “My mum had a flower garden by the seaside, you know that. But… yeah, I suppose. My mates and I would go sailing a lot. We didn’t fish much when we got older, we just liked to take the boats out at sunset or sunrise. Lounge on the beach before school.”

Sirius hummed. “Sounds… angelic.”

Remus laughed. “Yeah, it was. Until, well, it wasn’t.”

“Your mom’s passing,” Sirius guessed.

Remus nodded. “Yeah. She… I was a full-on mum’s boy. She was great. I couldn’t be there anymore without her. I couldn’t stay in that house, and I couldn’t be in Tenby and not be in that house, so… here I am.”

Sirius kissed him softly. “Do you ever visit?”

“Not in five years.” Remus sighed. “I own my mother’s house. But… I haven’t been back. My Uncle Tom passed when I was fourteen. There’s no one there for me anymore.” Then he smirked at Sirius and jokingly said, “Except my first boyfriend, so if you’re about to suggest I go back-“

Sirius pressed their lips together again, grinning into it. “No, no,” he said as he pulled away. “I was just wondering. When you talk about Wales, you… you sound like you miss it.”

“I don’t miss Wales,” Remus said truthfully, surprising himself. “I miss my mum. And my uncle.”

Sirius hummed and pulled Remus into his lap, swinging his legs up on the porch swing. He tucked Remus’ hair back from his face. “I don’t miss Quebec,” Sirius said softly, “but I miss Regulus.”

Remus leaned his head onto Sirius’ chest, closing his eyes, listening to the other man’s heartbeat. He let Sirius gather his thoughts.

“My parents were awful. I was decidedly not a mama’s boy.” He chuckled haughtily. “But my little brother… I spent my entire childhood protecting him. Jumping in front of our parents when they were angry, covering for Reggie when something went wrong… I came out to my parents when rumors started going around about Regulus. So that they wouldn’t notice.”

Remus played with Sirius’ shirt- Regulus’ shirt- and let Sirius go on. Remus knew most of the story, from Regulus’ point of view of course.

“That was the night I left home,” Sirius said finally. “I think my parents would have killed me, had I stayed. But Father disappeared and Mother was tired and I was… I was in pretty bad shape. And Reggie appears. He cleaned my cuts, handed me this plane ticket and a packed bag. I told him to come with me, and he just… he told me no. He said that one of us had to stay, and he wasn’t even a legal adult yet, so it had to be him. And I left. I got a new phone and number… I don’t know if Regulus ever tried to call me. I don’t know anything. I just know that… well, we both ended up being splashed across the media. Regulus is this… star, and I’m in the NHL. It’s been that way for four years now. I never worked up the courage to contact him. He’s never contacted me. But I miss him.”

“He protected you,” Remus whispered. Sirius looked down at him.

Remus shifted so Sirius could see his face. “He protected you,” he whispered again. Sirius cocked his head to the side. “You said that you spent your entire childhood protecting him,” Remus pointed out. Sirius nodded. “Maybe he thought it was his turn.”

Sirius sighed and leaned into Remus. “Maybe.”

Remus remained quiet for a bit longer, playing with Sirius’ hair.

“Mother always liked Reggie,” Sirius said suddenly. “He was never as… persistent as me. Never got in as much trouble. I mean, he got in trouble. But he… he was always quiet. Did as he was told. I always just assumed that going back to him would mean going back to my entire family, because I never considered him leaving, too.

“But if he’s not playing hockey anymore… if he’s, I mean, living in LA… he had to have, right? Mother would never have allowed that.

“And so I’ve just been… stewing, I guess. I mean, how would one even get into contact with one of the most famous people in the country?”

Just ask, Remus thinks. Just ask. Just tell me you want his number. Just tell me you’re looking.

Remus stays quiet. Sirius doesn’t seem to think this is strange.

Sirius pulls out his phone. “James just texted me.”

“Did he?” Remus chuckles. “Thank him for stranding you.”

Sirius grins and kisses Remus’ nose. “Noted.”

Sirius busies himself with his phone for a moment but continues stroking his fingers along Remus’ back. Remus pulls out his own phone, snaps a picture of Sirius, and types out a message.

[moony’s bitches]

Moony: [photo]

Moony: thanks for this, lads.

James Potter: moony, your welsh is showing.

Pascal Dumias: lads?

Logan Tremblay: you’re so very welcome, chap.

Finn O’Hara: if you’re happy about it, it was all my idea.

Finn O’Hara: if you’re angry about it, it was all Pots.

James Potter: hey!

Moony: oh, im sure it was all James.

Jackson Nadaeu: awh. cap looks so nice in that photo.

Sirius Black: careful, nado.

Jackson Nadaeu: cap’s always nice, moony. the nicest.

Leo Knut: good save.

Thomas Walker: CAPTAIN MOONY

Thomas Walker: DRINKING COFFEE TOGETHER

Thomas Walker: ON A PORCH SWING

Thomas Walker: IN THE COUNTRYSIDE

Kasey Winter: i might cry this is so adorable.

Sirius Black: i cannot stand any of you…

Moony: he’s smiling at his phone.

Moony: it’s me that can’t actually stand any of you.

Remus looks up at the sound of a photo being taken. Sirius smiles at him.

Sirius Black: [photo]

Sirius Black: he adores us.

Moony: objection. relevance.

James Potter: oooh!

Leo Knut: careful there, moony. pots wants to know your real name so bad he’s going to start looking up lawyers from LA.

James Potter: lawyers that currently live in LA but immigrated from Wales when they were eighteen.

Moony: christ, james.

Sirius Black: he’s a musician??

Finn O’Hara: musicians that live in LA but immigrated from Wales when they were eighteen, possibly with a law background.

Moony: yeah, don’t look that up.

Kasey Winter: oh, getting warmer, lads!

Remus looks over at Sirius quickly. “Really. Don’t look that up.”

Sirius raises his brows at him. “I’m just texting Tremzy, Moony.”

Remus shifts in Sirius’ lap, and Sirius moves to allow Remus to settle next to him again. Sirius sets down his phone and keeps his eyes on Remus.

“Darling, would knowing you live in LA and are from Wales get us your name?”

Remus stays silent, meeting Sirius’ eyes.

Sirius nods. He picks up his phone and shoots off a quick text, then pockets it.

“What did you just tell Logan?”

“I texted Pots,” Sirius said simply, “I told him to stop looking you up.”

“…why?”

“It obviously makes you uncomfortable,” Sirius stated. “You don’t want us to know who you are. Alright. I can live with that. I kind of understand it, too.”

“Do you?”

“I think…” Sirius trailed off, turning to face Remus completely, leaning back against the armrest of the swing. “I think you’re more famous than you originally let on. I think you were surprised that first day we met, when Pots asked who you were. And I think you… I think you like not being known as that person, at least for now. And I’m not going to take that away from you.”

Remus eyed him.

Sirius went on. “And I think that when you didn’t recognize us at first… I think I understand where you’re coming from. I don’t want to be the captain of the Gryffindor Lions everywhere I go. I just want to be Sirius. And if you just want to be Moony when you’re here… that’s okay, darling. It’s alright.”

Remus surged forward and kissed him. When he pulled back, he took Sirius’ face in his hands. “It’s not that I don’t trust you-“

“You don’t want us to look at you different,” Sirius finished. “I understand, Moons. I do. Besides. The guys are so used to nicknames. What’s one more?”

Remus laughed and kissed him again.

James wouldn’t come pick up Sirius, which was fine with him and Moony. They lounged about all day. Moony played his guitar for a little while, and Sirius sat in the chair next to him, reading a book he’d stolen from Moony’s bedside table.

Later, Moony made lunch. Chicken paninis that Sirius swore were heavenly. Moony just laughed and kissed him.

Sirius thought it was strange, that they’d had all this time together and they were so content to just… be. To just sit next to each other, or talk, or watch another movie.

They didn’t truly even make out until well past lunch, when they were sitting on the couch, watching their second movie of the day. Moony just turned and caught Sirius’ lips to shut him up (he’d been complaining about the protagonist’s idiocy). Then, they had simply not separated.

Sirius had leaned Moony back and crawled on top of him, both of them chuckling and sharing breath. Moony had wrapped his arms around Sirius’ neck and pulled him back in.

But, they’d stopped before any clothes could come off. Even though they were both panting, and both were hard. They’d just… rewound what they’d missed from the movie. Sirius had stayed on top of Moony, head on his chest, Moony’s hands in his hair. They’d laid there until the movie was over and Sirius chuckled into his shirt.

“I’ve never seen The Princess Bride,” he told Moony.

Moony gasped. “No. Nope. We’re watching it now. You’re not allowed to speak the entire time.”

“Excuse me?”

“You’ll complain. It’s cheesy and romantic and old and amazing,” Moony explained. “And you’re not allowed to complain.”

Sirius laughed. He wrapped his arms under Moony and nodded. “Alright.”

Moony pulled the movie up and pushed play. He carded his fingers through Sirius’ hair but snapped his fingers in front of Sirius’ eyes every now and then to make sure he was awake. Sirius always kissed his palm when he did that. It made them both smile.

The movie was alright. He could see why Moony liked it- it was simplistic in its story, the guy got the girl, it was lovely. Sirius liked the action in it. When he sat up at the end, grinning, he opened his mouth, and Moony interrupted him.

“Don’t complain,” Moony warned.

“I’m not going to,” Sirius lied.

Moony rolled his eyes. “Yes, you were.”

“No, I wasn’t.”

“Sirius.”

“Moony.”

They both smiled at each other, stayed silent for a moment, and then spoke at the same time.

Moony shoved Sirius onto the floor. “Tosser.”

“As Pots would say, your Welsh is showing,” Sirius teased from the floor.

Moony shook his head and stood, stalking into the kitchen. “Rydych chi'n lwcus rydych chi mor bert,” he shot over his shoulder.

Sirius didn’t have a clue what he said, but he laughed anyway.

Remus Lupin found it surprisingly easy to exist in the same room as Sirius Black. Especially when the other man was out cold, head in Remus’ lap, smiling softly.

Remus leaned over to the coffee table, grabbing the song notebook he’d set there. He scribbled around a bit, editing some previous lyrics. Then, he looked down at his phone buzzing on the table as well.

He picked it up.

“Hello!” Pandora yelled into his ear. Remus winced and looking down at Sirius, who slumbered on.

“Hey, Dora,” Remus said. “Sirius is here. He’s asleep.”

“Oh. Oh. That’s adorable,” she concluded.

Remus chuckled. “It is, isn’t it?” He asked, looking down at Sirius’ face again.

“Awh. Wait. I can totally hear it in your voice,” Pandora squeaked. “Awh, Remus! You more than like him. Oh this is grand. You never fall in love!”

“Christ, Dora,” Remus hissed, looking down at Sirius again. “I’m not… in love. I’m just… seeing where it goes. We only kissed like two days ago. Calm the fuck down.”

Pandora just laughed. She did that a lot.

“Best friend’s brother is such a cliché, Re,” she decided.

“I know,” Remus admonished.

She laughed again. “How is Reg? Have you talked to him?”

Remus raised an eyebrow, though she couldn’t see it. “Don’t you live down the street? You’d know better than me.”

“I mean how is he with all of the… Sirius stuff?”

Remus sighed. “I talked to him two days ago. He, um… he’s been here, at the house, since,” he said, hoping she’d catch that he was talking about Sirius. “I don’t want to have a phone call or anything. With… him here.”

“Understandable,” Pandora agreed. “You’ve been texting, though?”

“Yeah,” Remus assured her. “Like, constantly.”

“Really?”

“No,” Remus admitted. “He’s not really a constant texting type. Me either. But I’ve heard from him sporadically. He’s… a lot better about the whole me and Sirius thing than I thought he would be.”

“Are you afraid Sirius will wake up and not tell you and listen? Is that why you’re basically using code names?”

Remus laughed. “No. He’s not exactly quiet. I’ll know when he wakes up. I just feel bad.” He carded his fingers through Sirius’ hair. “You know, I feel like I’m in the middle. I don’t want to be in the middle. I feel like I’ll have to lie to one of them eventually.”

Pandora considered that. “Have you thought about just… telling Sirius the truth? Reg’s writing that album. He’s obviously going to talk to Sirius soon. He told me and Lily that he wants to.”

“I know,” Remus assured her. “I just… it’s not just about him. It’s about me, too. I haven’t told any of the guys here my name, you know that. Especially not Sirius. I’m not sure how to… I don’t know. Exist alongside them once they know who I am. Or who I’m friends with. I stop just being a person once they know all of that.”

“And they’re okay with this? Just… not knowing? Sirius is okay with it?”

“He told me he is. He said he understands. He said… well, he basically guessed that I’m more famous than I originally let on, which is, like, the whole point. He’s right. He told me he gets it. He even got onto his best mate for looking things up and trying to find me.”

Pandora sighs dreamily. “Sirius sounds so much nicer than Reg.”

Remus laughs at that. “Yeah, he does, doesn’t he? Baby Black would kill us if we told him that, though.”

“Which really only proves us right,” Pandora points out.

Remus hums in agreement. “How are you, Dora?”

“Oh, grand.” Pandora makes a sound like she’s getting up from sitting. “Working on that same book I was when you left.”

“Living With the Undead?” Remus asks, grinning. He looks down at Sirius some more. Still asleep. If he was awake, he’d shut his mouth.

“Yes,” Pandora says. “It’s going well. I hit a bit of a wall, but Lily came over and we watched a movie, and now all is right with the world again. Oh! Barty and Evan said they were on facetime with you, and a nice looking boy hung up on them.”

“Finn,” Remus laughed. “The Lions came over for movies last night.”

“Ah.”

“So… Lily makes everything right with the world?” Remus asked, not letting it go like Pandora probably hoped he would.

Pandora sighs. “Yes. How many times? I’m so in love, Remus.”

“I know,” Remus tells her. He looks down at Sirius again. “I know.”

They talk for a bit longer, just about their day to day. Pandora ran into Minnie, Remus’ manager, in the street. They ended up getting coffee. Dora has that effect on people. Remus tells her about his day with Sirius. He admits that they still have not slept with each other. She calls him hopelessly in love and oblivious. He mutes her for a moment to sigh and pinch his nose, and then reiterate that he is not hopelessly in love and oblivious. She just hummed and said, “Oblivious.”

Sirius hums in his sleep and burrows deeper into Remus’ torso. He brushes his fingers through his hair again.

He and Pandora chat for another thirty minutes, reliving old stories and laughing about the things she and Remus’ other friends have gotten up to. He’s called at least two of them a day since he’s been here, but it’s still nice to talk.

When they hang up, Remus goes about studying Sirius’ face. His long lashes. His light skin. His spattering of dark freckles, dusted on his high cheekbones. Fuck, those cheekbones.

Remus brushes some of Sirius’ hair away from his forehead, catching a small scar there. Probably a hockey puck. Maybe a skate blade. Maybe his mother’s rings.

Remus picks his notebook up again. And, for the first time in a while, Remus Lupin, one-time winner of the American Music Awards Artist of the Year award, two-time winner of Song of the Year, and rock artist, writes a song.

[skittles]

romulus: just wrote a whole fucking song

romulus: in fifteen minutes.

romulus: and i actually adore it.

strange: does this have anything to do with the fact that black senior is sleeping in your lap?

tulip: outed.

dork: so proud of you, re! for writing the song AND for snuggling sirius black.

baby black: you wrote a song about my brother?

romulus: oh, so only YOU’RE allowed to write songs about sirius?

baby black: you haven’t even sucked his dick yet

barted: well i hope you haven’t, reg… that would be awkward.

mclovin: does dick sucking constitute song writing? cause ive never sucked one o those

evan(s): ”one o those”

barted: it’s heavenly.

dork: im sure.

romulus: it’s called wildest dreams

baby black: oh dear lord you disgust me

baby black: can i see the chorus?

romulus:

He's so tall and handsome as hell
He's so bad, but he does it so well
I can see the end as it begins
My one condition is

Say you'll remember me
Standing in a nice suit
Staring at the sunset, babe
Red lips and rosy cheeks
Say you'll see me again
Even if it's just in your wildest dreams,

Wildest dreams

strange: wait it’s kinda sad

strange: it’s not gonna end

barted: you don’t even know the guy???

barted: @ dora

baby black: no she’s right

evan(s): regulus???

baby black: they’re literally sickeningly perfect for each other.

romulus: we don’t have to deep dive into that.

baby black: i grew up with the bastard, re. and i know you.

baby black: it’s not gonna be up to dreams.

dork: that was strangely comforting and cute.

tulip: im crying

tulip: reg is being so nice

tulip: remus marry that man

romulus: which one???

evan(s): either

baby black: oh lord fucking help us all.

mclovin: they haven’t even fucked yet??? why are we talking about marriage?

romulus: ^^^

strange: because reg said they’re perfect. Which means they are. reg is a great judge of that stuff.

barted: reg told me and evan that we would crash and burn.

baby black: oops.

dork: that’s just because he’s a evil bastard

baby black: if it makes you feel better @ ev and barty, i don’t really think that

baby black: anymore.

tulip: why would that make me feel better???

strange: how many songs constitute an album?

mclovin: anything from like, five to thirteen. more, even. some bitches be crazy.

baby black: three songs can be an album, too.

romulus: two would count as singles. But three can be an album.

barted: what about four? marls said five and you both said three. what happened to four?

baby black: people don’t just write four songs.

romulus: no one likes even numbers.

mclovin: four songs in an album. fucks sake, just write five. or three and the other can be a single. come on.

baby black: four is the biggest ick.

evan(s): the masters have spoken, everyone.

tulip: i cannot believe you three are the pinnacles of musical success right now.

romulus: youre a literal model and ive seen you wear the same pair of sweatpants out four days in a row.

mclovin: for real. he has literal DIOR in his closet eight times over. just mailed to him so he can wear it in the streets. and he wears barty’s old shitty college sweatpants.

tulip: i feel attacked.

strange: i think you’re supposed to.

baby black: pinnacles my ass.

Moony easily could have driven Sirius home, but neither of them bring it up. When Sirius wakes up, Moony is beaming and excited, texting on his phone and grinning at Sirius.

He kisses him hard. “I wrote a song,” he tells Sirius.

“Oh?” Sirius tries to fix his hair. “Good. I’m proud. Can I hear it?”

“No,” Moony says cheekily. Then he barrels on, obviously pleased and not sure of what he’s saying. “But I just… I haven’t been able to write. In a bit. Had a sort of block. It’s why I left LA for the summer. I’m supposed to be coming up with an entire album while I’m here and I’m not really sure how many songs I’m going to end up with, but the first two weeks I was here… absolutely nothing. Now I feel… shit, Sirius, I feel like I could write for days.”

“So… do,” Sirius decides, leaning over and pecking his cheek. “But I can’t hear the one you just wrote?”

Moony scoffs again and hops up from the couch, brandishing his notebook like a shield. “No. It’s about you, you wanker.”

Sirius flushes so hard he can feel like heartbeat in his ears. “Oh. Well… fuck, darling. Now I feel like I have to hear it.”

Moony winks at him. “Don’t worry, love. It’ll be on the radio by autumn.” He kisses Sirius on the head and heads off to the kitchen.

Love. Love. Love. Love. Love.

“That’s awfully presumptuous of you,” Sirius calls, once he’s regained feeling in his face after smiling so wide. “That it’ll be on the radio. Are you even more famous than I thought? Because I knew you were big. But like, are you, like, big?”

He walks into the kitchen, catching the tail end of Moony’s sly smirk. He leans on the table and winks at Sirius. “Oh, you can’t just go around asking guys how big they are, Black.”

Sirius flushes again. “I hate you.”

Moony laughs and bounds around, pulling things out of the fridge and starting a pan on the stove. He gestures for Sirius to sit down.

“I don’t want to lie to you,” Moony starts. “So I’m not going to. But I also… I don’t want you going out and actively trying to figure out who I am, Sirius.”

“You already know I won’t do that,” Sirius assures him.

Moony chops some vegetables into the pan and considers. “I have 73.5 million followers on Twitter. People make edits of me. Edits, Sirius.” He shudders. “Fucking TikTokers.”

Sirius considers that. “I… well, fuck.”

Moony shoots him an apologetic look. He walks over and presses a kind kiss to Sirius’ forehead. Then, he goes back to the stove, dropping some ground beef into the pan and stirring it around.

“I think I have a million,” Sirius offers.

Moony laughs, not unkindly. Just at his attempt. “You have 98 thousand, love.”

Sirius grins at the name again so hard that he doesn’t answer for a moment and Moony turns around. When he sees Sirius’ expression, he scoffs and rolls his eyes.

Sirius stands up and embraces Moony from behind. “Say it again?”

“No,” Moony says cheekily. “You’re just going to swoon.”

“Of course I’m going to swoon.”

“Dramatic bitch,” Moony says instead. Sirius laughs.

“Fuck, I adore you. Hey, what are you making?”

It’s Moony’s turn to flush. “What?”

“What are you making?”

“No, the- the other thing.”

Sirius raises his brows. “I adore you.” He mutters into the back of Moony’s neck

Moony shudders. Sirius feels it under his fingertips.

“I, um, I-“ Moony reaches out and turns off the heat on the stove. He turns in Sirius’ grip. “I, yeah. I’m actually not making dinner right this moment anymore.”

He wraps his arms around Sirius’ neck and tugs him down. They stumble back against the counter, careful to avoid the stove and the pan.

“Oh,” is all Sirius can manage, before he’s running his tongue along Moony’s lips. The other man parts his lips and Sirius presses forward, begging for more. Moony’s hands are under Sirius’ borrowed shirt and his nails are scraping up and down Sirius’ back.

Sirius might actually implode.

He huffs, unable to reach Moony’s neck without bending over, and picks the shorter man up by the thighs and sets him on the counter. Moony lets out a moan so obscene, they might as well be fully naked now. Sirius matches the sound as soon as it registers in his mind.

“Fuck.” Moony latches onto his shoulders as he drags his tongue down his neck. “Fuck, Sirius.”

“Mhmm,” Sirius agrees, biting down on the flesh on his collarbone.

Moony shoves him back and yanks Sirius’ shirt off, takes a moment to stare, and then pulls their mouths back together.

“Arglwydd achub fi,” Moony mutters. Sirius huffs into his neck.

“English, sweetheart,” he pleads.

“Ddim o gwbl,” Moony answers.

Sirius kisses him again. “Deux peuvent jouer à ce jeu, ma chérie.”

Moony moans and drags his lips to Sirius’ ear. “Fucking French.”

Sirius laughs and drags his hands up Moony’s thighs. He can feel the other man pressing against his sweatpants.

“Christ,” Sirius mutters.

“Mhmm,” Moony agrees.

“I’m going to pick you up,” Sirius tells him, “and I am going to carry you to your bedroom. And then I am going to make out with you for a lot longer.”

“Please,” Moony begs.

Sirius boosts Moony up, and the other man wraps his legs around Sirius’ waist. He makes it easily out of the kitchen, considering they’re still making out. Moony’s hands are everywhere.

The stairs are a little trickier. But still, Sirius makes quick work of them. He pushes into Moony’s room and drops him onto the bed, climbing over him without wasting a moment.

Hands are everywhere. Moony grinds up, pressing them together. Sirius is losing his mind.

It shouldn’t feel like this, he thinks vaguely. It’s never felt like this.

Moony’s panting when he parts from Sirius’ lips. He’s pawing at Sirius’ sweatpants. “Off,” he mutters. “Off.”

Sirius has never been one for following directions, but he slips out of the sweatpants in record time.

Moony groans and presses his own sweatpants down to his thighs. Sirius tugs them the rest of the way off, and then pulls Moony’s linen shirt from his head. The number of tattoos he has is obscene. He doesn’t even have time to consider them before he’s being pulled back on top of the other man.

“Baise moi,” Moony begs, and for a split second, Sirius is confused. But then he registers that Moony just spoke French to him. Fucking French.

“Oh, fuck,” Sirius groans. “You know French. Of course you know French. Mother fucking-“

“Sirius.” Moony kisses him again.

Sirius kisses down his torso, thumbing the waistband of his boxers, looking up at Moony for confirmation. His cock is tenting the fabric now, and Moony all but whimpers.

Sirius slides them off. “Merde,” he breathes. “Putain de merde, Moony, magnifique.”

“Stop talking,” Moony moans.

Once again, Sirius finds himself following directions.

He takes Moony in his hand, pumping up and down, and there’s already a steady stream of precoma pulsing from him. Sirius pumps him a few times and then kisses Moony’s inner thigh, testing. Moony jolts. Sirius smirks against him, then kisses his tip. The sounds the other man is making would wake neighbors, if he had any.

Sirius takes Moony in his mouth, pumping his head up and down. Moony is fisting the sheets, trying to stay still. Sirius reaches over and takes his hand in his, placing it at the base of his neck. Moony gets the idea and grips a handful of Sirius’ hair. Not pulling, really. Just holding.

Sirius pops off, licks Moony’s tip, kisses down his length, presses a few kisses on his thighs, and then goes back to sucking him off. Moony groans and taps his head for attention.

“You?” He asks.

“Hmm. Let me-“ Sirius begins, but Moony shakes his head.

“No, no. Let me see,” Moony says.

Sirius realizes he’s still wearing his boxers, and suddenly becomes aware of how hard he is. “Merde,” he breathes, and shucks them off.

Moony’s eyes dilate even more, if possible. “Beautiful,” he mutters, and then shoves Sirius back on the bed and climbs atop him, wasting no time in getting his own mouth around Sirius.

Sirius’ hips jolt up. Moony moans. “Sorry,” Sirius musters, bracing his hand on the back of Moony’s neck. His other hand fists the sheets, as Moony had been previously.

Moony pumps himself as he drags his tongue and teeth up and down Sirius’ length, and Sirius takes a moment to appreciate how fucking hot Moony is.

He has a vague acknowledgement that he has no idea who this man is, but that he’s currently being blown by someone who’s songs play on the radio and millions of people would probably kill to take Sirius’ place. It makes him strangely proud- not of himself, but of the man atop him. He’s made a name for himself. He’s someone sought after.

But mainly, Sirius tunnels into their time together. This isn’t a rockstar or whatever he is. It’s Moony. The man that held him and made him stay silent during The Princess Bride. The man that demanded Celeste Dumias’ phone number to ask for her cookie recipe. The man that tried to show James how to do an alley-oop on the court and laughed at the poor guy when he couldn’t do it.

Also, the man that just wrote a song about Sirius. The man that kissed him in a crowded bar. The man that propped his feet up on Sirius’ dash like he belonged there.

He does, Sirius’ mind supplies. He does belong here. With me.

Moony groans and pops off of Sirius, licking his lips. “Fuck,” he mutters, looking up at Sirius.

Sirius hauls him up to his lips and kisses him hard, hoping that everything that’s just run through his mind passes through that kiss. He assumes it does, because Moony flips them over again and allows Sirius to hover over him, pressing kisses to all of his scars from that damn fishing net and his tattoos.

“You don’t have any tattoos,” Moony says suddenly, pressing their bodies close together.

“No. I’ve always wanted one.”

“Get one,” Moony says simply, then moans. “Fuck, no. Don’t get one. You’d-“ a sharp intake of breath when Sirius takes him in hand again- “fuck. You’d be too fit.”

Sirius laughs and kisses him again, taking both of them in hand and thrusting them together. Moony groans into his mouth and lets Sirius wrap their tongues together.

Sirius comes suddenly, and it’s blinding, hot, and leaves him shaking. Moony follows right after, as if the sight of Sirius in that state has sent him over the edge. He’s stunning, absolutely gorgeous, as he comes, eyes closed and mouth open and legs shaking. They collapse onto the bed, Sirius on top of Moony like a paralyzed man. Moony runs an exhausted hand through Sirius’ hair, which Sirius realizes is damp.

It feels too natural, to lay like this, pressed together and sated.

“Rydych chi'n mynd i fod mor hawdd i'w garu,” Moony mutters.

“Hm?”

Moony doesn’t translate. Instead, he presses a tired kiss to Sirius’ lips. Then, with a sigh, he yanks the covers over them.

It shouldn’t feel like this, he thinks again. It’s never felt like this.

James Potter calls Sirius at nine that night, when they’ve put their clothes back on after a two-hour nap and had a second attempt at making dinner. Sirius is pressed into Remus’ side on the porch again, where they’re watching the stars shine in the night sky. They watched the sunset together and made out lazily, wondering to each other when James would realize that Sirius was yet to come home.

Remus sighs when James’ name pops up on Sirius’ screen. Sirius kisses him sweetly and answers.

“Hey, Pots,” Sirius greets. He listens for a moment, and then turns to Remus, throwing an arm over his shoulders. Remus settles into it.

“You don’t have to go,” Remus assures him softly. “You can stay, if you want.”

Sirius kisses his temple and tells James that they’ll both meet the guys at the court the next day. Remus can hear James laughing on the other end when Sirius hangs up.

And it should be weird. Remus hasn’t spent time with a man after a hook-up in years. It’s always been one-offs, at least since Grant Chapman and their childhood romance. But Remus left Grant behind when he left Wales, and in between him and Sirius, the only steady companion in his life was Fabian Prewitt, who wasn’t a love at all. Just a lover. A lover who Remus saw at nights, when business brought Fabian from New York to Los Angles. Or when Remus’ work took him to Fabian’s city.

They were never in love. There were never any feelings. They simple slept together and met their joint friends for drinks. Everyone knew they were sleeping together. But it never… it never felt difficult. He and Fab had an easy understanding. And it ended two years ago, when Fabian started dating a barista that worked at his usual coffeeshop- Benjy. The two were still together. They worked. Remus was happy for them. The three of them could even joke about it these days.

And it should be weird, to feel so comfortable with Sirius Black. But in reality, Remus is just wishing he didn’t have to leave at the end of the summer, and Sirius didn’t have to stay, and they could just live in this little bubble.

Because it isn’t just about sex. It’s about them, and how they became fast friends, and how they fell asleep together twice and both knew they went into a friendship with the knowledge they were going to sleep together… and how neither of them made moves toward that at first.

But now that they had… well, fuck. Remus was going to take it as far as it would go.

Chapter Text

The thing about Sirius Orion Black is… well, he’s not exactly subtle. Or quiet. Or, well, reserved.

Remus Lupin was coming to understand this.

Sirius was so different from Regulus, it was insane to think that they were raised by the same people. Though, Remus never attributed Regulus actions or personality to his parents. Remus knew enough about Regulus’ parents to know that everything Regulus had become, would become, was due to Reg’s own astuteness. Regulus Black would make a life for himself. He had.

Sirius seemed to have done the same thing. He’d made a name for himself in the hockey world, heavily stressing that he was not related to Orion Black, former Slytherin Snake captain from back in the day. Sirius Orion Black, of course, was related to Orion Black. But not in anything but genetics. And not in any way that mattered.

And he’d made himself into his own person. He had his own home (that he shared with James Potter, but still) and cooked his own meals (most of the time) and had his own friends. He was doing alight for himself after leaving home with nothing but a ticket, a duffle bag, and the memory of a brother that once existed.

But Remus had talked to Regulus. Remus had talked to Sirius. And there was nothing where there parents were missing. Both men had filled that spot with a found family. But there was a spot right in each of their hearts- right in the center of it- where the other belonged. One that couldn’t be filled.

So, one month after Remus Lupin had moved out to Gryffindor, Minnesota for the summer, when Minerva McGonagall called about the bid the Gryffindor Lions of the NHL had put on a show, Remus shut her down immediately.

The last two weeks had been… well, a dream. Remus and Sirius had crawled into bed that first night, back at Remus’ rental home, and snuggled up together to sleep. They’d driven in Remus’ rental car to the courts the next morning, bopping along to Peter Pettigrew’s latest album mixed in with Marlene’s first hits. Remus had laughed when Sirius tried to hit Marls’ high notes. He’d recorded it once he parked and sent it to the group chat. Regulus’ response had been his favorite:

baby black: he never was as talented as me.

But Marlene’s held a close second:

mclovin: im hiring him as backup as we speak.

They had entered the courts to cheering friends. Remus had flipped them off. Sirius had scoffed and laced up his shoes. Pascal had kissed them both on the head.

And that had been that. The guys didn’t act any different. Finn still tucked Logan and Leo close any time Remus winked at them, only now, Sirius would yelp and tug Remus close as well. James and Remus went out for coffee four times over the course of a week. Thomas came over twice for guitar lessons. Remus wasn’t much of a teacher, and Thomas wasn’t much of a student, but they made it work. It involved a lot of cursing and swearing at each other. Remus gave Thomas one of his favorite guitar picks, and Thomas had threaded it on a cord around his neck.

Sirius come over to Remus’ some nights, too. They would curl up on the couch and laugh at each other. Sirius, working on hockey plays. Remus, working on his now sixth song of his new album.

He had a name in mind now, too. He’d called Regulus about it. They’d both gotten choked up and denied it adamantly.

They would fall asleep on the floor after watching movies. Sirius always made breakfast, no matter what time of day it was. They sat on the porch swing and Remus would hum or sing, and Sirius would tuck him close. They found a football in the garage and tossed it back and forth to each other, and Sirius found a permanent marker and scribbled all over Remus’ already tattooed scars.

And Remus would go over to Sirius’. They would sit in the library reading, or crash on the couch with James for movie night, or lounge in Sirius’ room together. They went for a lot of walks down Sirius’ street. They made out lazily in the early mornings. James would yell at them when they got too loud. Pascal always happened to call Sirius when things were getting interesting.

And sure, Remus adored their moments. He adored Sirius against the pillows, sweaty and spent. He adored Sirius collapsed on top of him. He adored Sirius, really.

But he also adored talking to him. He adored that they were friends, too. He adored that they would steal each other’s clothes and pass (unknowingly, at least for Sirius) Regulus’ shirts back and forth between each other. He adored sharing meals with Sirius, and he adored driving too and from places with him. He adored all of it, really.

So, when Minerva McGonagall called and said Remus Lupin had been bid on for a showing to kick of preseason at Hogwarts Stadium, Remus rerouted her.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to play. He could already see it:

He would disappear for a day. Sirius would call and ask where he was. James would text him. Thomas would probably show up at his house. Remus wouldn’t be there.

He could imagine the whole team, who were of course, required to be at the show to kick off their preseason, standing in the front row. He could imagine walking out. He could imagine the drums. He could imagine their faces. He could imagine Sirius’ face.

The moment it all… fell.

But really, Remus wasn’t sure it would. He wasn’t scared of them finding out who he was anymore. He knew these men. He knew they would clap him on the back and then ask him out for coffee the next day like normal. He knew them.

He was mainly scared that they wouldn’t feel that they knew him anymore.

He could imagine the scene. He could see it so easily it was like a dream, really. He thought about it more than he should.

But Remus wasn’t the one that should have been preforming for the Gryffindor Lion’s preseason.

He told Minnie to call Reg, instead.

“Remus,” she’d begun, in that tone that told Remus she wasn’t sure about something. “This is a huge bid. You want to give it to Regulus?”

The funny thing about Minerva McGonagall was her passion for both boys. She’d never tell Remus no. She would simply make sure he was sure. And then she’d call Reg.

Minnie was both his and Regulus’ agent within Godric’s Records. The record’s owner, Albus, had appointed her to them when Reg had been signed. It made sense, really. They were best mates, often did shows together, and most of their media spectacles included both of them. One agent, less collaboration.

So, Minerva knew why performing for the Gryffindor Lions would mean so much to Regulus.

“Give it to him,” Remus urged. “I’ll call him right now.”

“Alright. I’ll… text me when you’ve hung up with him, then. I’ll let the Lions’ communications team know.”

“Thank you, Minnie,” Remus told her.

“Oh, Remus,” she’d said. “You don’t have to thank me. Thank you.”

He’d called Reg immediately.

“How many songs are you away from finishing your album?” Remus had asked in lieu of hello.

Reg had scoffed. “Less than you.”

“First of all, fuck you. Second of all, how many?”

“I’ve got three left,” Reg said.

“How many in total?”

“Nine. You?”

“I’ve got five now. Shooting for nine as well. Wow, look at us.”

“So, my brother is going to have eighteen songs to his name?”

“Not all of my songs are about Sirius!” Remus had protested. When Regulus remained quiet, he’d amended, “Yes. Your brother is going to have eighteen songs to his name.”

“He’s gonna be a cheeky bastard about that.”

“Damn right he is.”

“Is that the reason you called? To try and write faster than me?”

“No. I called to let you know that you’ve got one month to finish and polish the album.”

“What?”

“Reg,” Remus had begun. “Minnie just called me.”

“Why do I not like the sound of this already?”

“She said the Lions put a bid down to book me for their preseason kickoff show. To play my upcoming album.”

“Remus. Tell me you didn’t give up a huge bid for me…”

“Not for you,” Remus had assured him. “For you and Sirius. For the Black brothers.”

Regulus remained silent again.

“It’s about time someone gave something up for the two of you,” Remus told him quietly.

“You… you want me to play my upcoming album at the Lions’ preseason kickoff show,” Regulus said, a little choked. “My upcoming album that is about my brother- for my brother- who is on the Lions’ team.”

“I… I want to give you the chance to do that. I don’t… I’m not signing you up for a death sentence. I told Minnie I’d ask you. Before, well, anything was made official. I can take it if you don’t-“

“No.” Regulus’ voice was hard, determined. “No. I, Remus, thank you. I… I don’t think I tell you enough how much you mean to me.”

“Oh, Christ,” Remus joked, “don’t confess unrequited love to me right now. I can’t take it.”

Regulus snorted. “Black brother boyfriends.”

“I’m not dating your brother.”

Regulus scoffed. “I… sure. And Remus?”

“Yeah?”

“I’ll call Minnie now. I… thank you.”

“You’re going to take it?”

“It’s… it’s a chance. It’s what I’ve been looking for. I’d be a fool not to take it.”

Regulus, Remus knew, had never considered himself a fool.

“Reg?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m… I’m going to tell Sirius. Not… my name. But that I know you. I’m going to tell him that I know you well.”

“Remus…” Regulus sighed. “Are you sure?”

“He’s going to find out eventually.”

“I… I don’t want that, you know, driving you two apart. I mean, before it eventually does anyway. I mean, if you want the next month to just be… fine, then be fine. It’s not hurting my feelings, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“If Sirius is the kind of man that walks away because I know his little brother better than he does,” Remus said with absolutely certainty, “than he’s not the kind of man I want to know.”

Regulus huffed. “Righteous bastard.”

“Are we talking about the same Remus Lupin?”

Reg laughed. “I… thank you again, Re. I’m… I’m gonna confirm with Minnie, now.”

“You don’t have anything to thank me for. Bye, Reg.”

So, that was that. Regulus Black was announced as the performer for the Gryffindor Lions’ preseason show three days later. Twitter was feral.

Regulus Black @fuckhockeyplayers

might have to retire my username. Regulus Black x NHL Gryffindor Lions, coming August 14^th. tickets, linked in bio.

Replies:              .

Marlene McKinnon @fuckdorks

ALREADY BOUGHT MY TICKETS BABY. SO EXCITED FOR YOUR NEW ALBUM.

Dorcas Meadowes @fuckmclovin

No need to retire the username. maybe take after re and fuck one instead.

Anthony Green @thethirdblackbrother

Throwing in the towel on the Black brother rivalry? No way.

Justine Brewbaker @breadbaker73

Someone please record the fight that breaks out for me. PLEASE. I cant be there.

Lily Evans @fuckflowers

so excited. can’t wait, babes.

Jonas Brown @turkeytrot

Can’t wait to see the Black brothers at each other’s throats.

Barty Crouch @fuckroses

First of all, I would like to say that I am beyond proud of our darling Reggie. Second of all, would you all shut the fuck up about the Black brothers? Not everything is a propaganda tool.

Barty’s manager had yelled at him for that. Barty hadn’t cared.

Remus Lupin @fuckthemoon

So excited to see our Reggie (@fuckhockeyplayers) performing at the Gryffindor Lions NHL preseason kickoff this year. Beyond proud of him. You can get your tickets in my bio, but only if you want to hear Reggie’s new album…

Replies:              .

Regulus Black @fuckhockeyplayers

I need an opener, Re.

____reply:

         Remus Lupin @fuckthemoon: ill definitely consider.

         Peter Pettigrew @iamarat: DO IT DO IT DO IT

         Pandora Lestrange @fucklilyevanswithlove: Pete??? When did you get here? How have you been?

         Peter Pettigrew @iamarat: I was summoned when the media decided to be cutthroat and ridicule Regulus. I am here now. Also, I already bought ten tickets. Dunno who the other nine are for, but we’re all comin.

         Remus Lupin @fuckthemoon: he’s a literal angel.

         Gideon Prewitt @gidfigfifo: my brother-in-law is, like, shitting himself over this. so much love for the black brothers rn. KNOCK EM DEAD @fuckhockeyplayers

         Regulus Black @fuckhockeyplayers: your brother-in-law?? random. but he has my upmost support.

         Fabian Prewitt @fabrabmifaso: he means our brother in law, the head coach of the Gryffindor Lions.

         Remus Lupin @fuckthemoon: oh? small world.

         Evan Rosier @fuckcrouching: it’s about to get smaller if all these people don’t stop pestering Reg about his brother.

         Pandora Lestrange @fucklilyevanswithlove: ev, dear, you can’t threaten murder every time someone annoys your friends.

         Marlene McKinnon @fuckdorks: oh? that’s the first time im hearing about that law.

         Peter Pettigrew @iamarat: bitches be bonkers.

Remus adored Peter, Gideon, and Fabian. It wasn’t often that the lot of them interacted in Twitter feeds. They had a larger group chat for their larger circle. But when the media went nutso over a “Black brothers reunion”, well… they came out of the woodworks.

The worst part was that Regulus still had Sirius blocked on Twitter, so the elder Black brother was moaning about getting tagged in Tweets and shouted out in the media, all while unable to see most of the Tweets he was tagged in, as they were replies to Regulus’ own tweets.

When the news broke about Regulus performing at Hogwarts Stadium, Remus and Sirius had been sitting on the porch swing again.

James had called Sirius.

“Hey, Pots,” Sirius chirped, an arm around Remus. He’d sat up, face slack. His arm slipped away. “What?”

“What is it?” Remus asked, alert. “Sirius?”

“I- hold on, love.” Sirius kissed his cheek and got up to pace in the yard, a good distance away. He and James talked for fifteen minutes like that: Sirius, pacing and Remus, watching and biting his lip. He’d started getting the Twitter notifications as Sirius and James talked. He knew what it was. Sirius kept looking back at him, giving him reassuring smiles.

He came back over to the swing but sat on the porch, cross-legged, facing Remus still on the swing.

“Alright?” Remus asked. His phone was going off like crazy, but he tried to stuff it under his leg. It just kept vibrating.

Sirius raised an eyebrow. “Do you need to take that… or?”

“No,” Remus assured him. “Talk to me. You’re alright?”

“I-“ Remus’ phone cut him off, eight loud pings in succession. The Skittles group chat- one of the only things Remus had set to alert with sound.

Sirius swallowed. “It’s okay, Moony. You can take that. I, I can explain later-“

“No,” Remus urged. “It’s okay. It’s just Twitter.”

“Just Twitter?” Remus’ phone accented Sirius’ comment. “Darling… Twitter must be shitting over you right now.”

Remus sighed. “It’s… I’m being tagged in a lot of Tweets right now.”

“Why?” Sirius asked casually, cocking his head to the side. “You’re alright, right?”

Remus laughed, amused. “Come here, cariad.” He patted the porch swing. Sirius obliged, standing up and sitting next to Remus again, who wrapped his arm around Sirius’ middle and pressed a kiss into his neck.

“Of course I’m alright, Sirius. Are you alright?”

“Ah.” Sirius swallowed. “So… you already heard. Of course, you did. You’re… you’re probably attuned to everything in the music industry.” He didn’t say it condescendingly. Just… stating the obvious.

Remus nodded and ran a thumb across his cheek. “I heard. Are you…?”

Sirius sighed. Remus tossed his phone away, into the grass. Sirius chuckled.

“I’m actually… yeah. Alright. I didn’t expect this, of all things. I’m sure he knows I’m on the team. If he didn’t when he took the show… I’m sure he will soon. I’m just surprised he would take the opening.”

Remus nodded. “That’s understandable, Sirius. Really.”

“I, um, I guess I’m anxious about it. I know he’ll be right there. I know I need to talk to him. Even if he doesn’t want me to. I’m sure there will be all kind of security. That’s mainly what James was talking about. He’s pretty sure the team could take the security team if I wanted them to. I told him to shut up, but he was pretty adamant.”

“Sirius,” Remus said, half laughing. “Your team adores you.”

“I know.” Sirius smiled contentedly. Then, he frowned slightly. “I, um… I’m nervous. About seeing him again, I mean. But I’m also excited. That’s normal, right? Well, none of this is normal. Most brothers don’t go five years without speaking to each other.”

“It’s normal, Sirius,” Remus assured him. “It’s normal to feel anxious and excited at the same time. It’s okay. You’re allowed to be scared about this and still want to do it.”

“Even if I didn’t want to do it,” Sirius joked, “I have to be there. It’s kind of in my contract.”

Remus laughed and kissed him. “He wants to see you too, love.”

Sirius hummed. “You think?”

Remus’ heart hammered in his chest. “I know, Sirius.” And the way he said it... he made it sure Sirius couldn’t misunderstand him. He wasn’t saying he knew because he felt it in his bones. He was saying he knew because, well… because he really did. Because Regulus had told him.

Sirius’ head snapped up, meeting his eyes. “You… know.” Not a question, a statement.

Remus leaned away from Sirius, face impassive. They studied each other. “Do you know who I lived with in college, Sirius? Well, the two years I was in college before I took off.”

“No.” Sirius sounded like he was coming to an answer, though.

“I lived with a boy a year younger than me,” Remus said softly. “He was in the music program, too. He’d run away from home a few months earlier. We got on great. We met our best friends that first semester. Movie nights, partying, you name it. We were into it all. He’s still my best mate to this day.”

Sirius just nodded. Remus went on.

“Do you know who the Lions tried to book for the preseason kickoff?”

“No,” Sirius answered, shaking his head. Remus hadn’t figured he would. He may have been the captain, but that sort of wrangling went to other people.

“They tried to book me, love,” Remus said gently. “My manager called the other day. I turned down the show.”

“…why? Because of us?” Remus wasn’t sure if Sirius meant because of him and Remus, or because of Remus’ relationship with the entire team.

But Remus shook his head. “No. I thought about it. It wouldn’t have been… terrible. For you all to find out who I was because I performed at the stadium. I think it would have been rather funny, actually.”

Sirius chuckled wetly. “Where are you going with this, Moony?”

Remus cocked his head to the side. He took Sirius’ hand- now the only bit of them that was touching.

“I told my manager no. I told her to call my best mate, instead.”

Sirius sucked in a breath and looked away from Remus, studying his phone in the grass, still vibrating. They could hear it still.

“I called him and talked to him. He’s working on an album right now,” Remus continued. “Same as me, really. It’s funny. He’d been looking for an… opportunity like this one.” That gave enough away for Sirius to catch his double meaning. Sirius turned back to Remus.

“The Lions booked him instead,” Remus said softly.

“Reggie,” Sirius breathed. “I… your best friends with my little brother.”

Remus nodded. Sirius looked away again. He squeezed Remus’ hand.

“Why didn’t you… tell me that? In the beginning?”

“I didn’t want you to think… I don’t know, Sirius. This wasn’t about you and him. This was about us. And… well, I’m not going to keep that from you. Not anymore.”

“You got my little brother a show in my stadium,” Sirius said, more to himself. He was still looking away. Remus’ heart was still beating like it wanted to jump out of his throat.

“Yeah,” Remus agreed. “I did.”

Remus’ phone erupted with Regulus’ ringtone. Each of his friends had a special one. Regulus’ was the opening lines of Fat Bottomed Girls by Queen. Remus glanced over. His phone was screen up, the whole screen taken up by a photo of Regulus back in college, holding four bottles of vodka and staring at the camera entirely deadpanned. He’d been trying to coax Remus to get drunk with him in the safety of their apartment that night- a random Tuesday when they both had classes the next day. Regulus wasn’t usually that kind of person. Remus found out later, after they did get drunk, that it was Sirius’ birthday.

Remus looked back at Sirius. He was staring at the screen. REGGIE BABY, followed by seven hearts, scrolled across.

Sirius shook his head and stood up. He looked from Remus to the phone. Remus’ stomach was plummeting.

Then, Sirius leaned close and kissed him sweetly. “Thank you,” he muttered. He stepped back and went to head inside the house. He looked back at Remus, who was staring after him, wide eyed.

“I’m not angry, Moony,” Sirius said gently. “I… I just want to think for a second. About… everything. And this doesn’t change you in my eyes, you know. Well, maybe a little. But not you. Just, well, it’s hard to explain. It doesn’t change who you are, just who you know.” He nodded to Remus’ phone, which had stopped ringing just to start up again. “Answer his call. I’ll be inside.”

Remus scrambled to the phone when Sirius left.

“Reg,” he breathed immediately. “This better be fucking-“

“I need you to listen to something.” Regulus was crying. Crying. Remus stopped immediately.

“Reg?”

“I need you to listen to something, Remus.” Regulus’ words were hard. “I need you to listen to this song, and I need you to tell me what you think, and I swear to God-“

“Okay, okay, babe. Put it on. You’re okay.”

Regulus never cried. He was certainly one of the people Remus thought deserved to. But he never did. When it did occur, Remus wasn’t ever sure how to handle it. He had opted to just treat Regulus as he normally would, because Reg hated coddling and kissy noises. Remus knew this firsthand because Regulus had once yelled at him and then cried harder apologizing.

Regulus played the song.

Remus found himself wiping his own eyes by the end. “You finished it?” He asked, a little choked himself.

“Don’t fucking cry, Lupin,” Regulus warned him.

“Have you played this for the others?”

“No. Not… no one else. Until the, well… big day.”

“Pandora is going to cry,” Remus told him. “So will Barty, but he’ll try to act like he’s not.”

Regulus snorted. “Yeah. They will.”

“It’s great, Reg. Really.”

“Is it?”

“Is this… this is the one, yeah? Unsaid Emily?”

“…yeah,” Regulus sighed out. “I don’t know why this one was so hard to tackle.”

“Because it’s not just a song, Reg. It’s…”

“Don’t you dare get all philosophical on me, Re,” Regulus begged. “That’s what Dora is for.”

Remus laughed. “I… it sounds great, Reg, really.”

“Thank you, Remus.”

Remus knew he was thanking him for more than the advice.

“Like I said, Reg. You don’t have to thank me.”

“I’m going to hang up now and consider how to mass murder Twitter as a whole,” Regulus promised, “also, I’m going to get roaringly drunk with Cas and Marls.”

Remus laughed. “If you figure out the Twitter portion, let me in on the action.”

“Obviously. Evil fucking genius.”

“Bye, Reg.”

Regulus hung up.

Sirius was in the living room when Remus came in. He had his head in his hands, back to Remus. When he heard the door, he looked up.

They just looked at each other for a moment. Sirius must have caught the expression in Remus’ eyes- the lingering effect of Regulus’ song- because he turned toward Remus, leaned back on the cushions, and opened his arms.

Remus tumbled into them.

“’m not mad at you,” Sirius said into his hair. “Please stop looking at me like I am.”

“I was worried you’d be a little upset,” Remus admitted. “I mean, he’s your brother.”

“I know,” Sirius muttered. “But he means a lot to you, too. And you… you gave him your show, Moony. For… for me?”

“No.” Remus laughed. He thumbed Sirius’ sleeve. “Funny, because he… well, he said the same thing. Don’t give up the show for me. It’s not just for Regulus, and it’s not just for you, Sirius. It’s for both of you. I believe the exact words I told him were it’s about time someone gave something up for the two of you.”

Sirius chuckled wetly and buried his face in Remus’ hair. “I adore you, Moony.”

Remus sighed and leaned into him. “I’m still sorry, Sirius. For not telling you. No matter if your angry or not.”

Sirius kissed his scalp gently. “Thank you.”

They sat like that for a while. Long enough for James to call and end up ignored when Sirius just chucked his own phone away. Remus chuckled.

“What’s he like?” Sirius asked eventually.

Remus looked up at him sadly. “I’m not the person who should be telling you that, Sirius. You can… you can reconcile with him. You can find out yourself.”

It was a light scold. Sirius seemed to take it just as it was. He nodded.

“I figured. But I thought I’d try anyway.”

“Oh? You thought I’d just tell you?” Remus’ lips quirked up. “You’re not that pretty, dear.”

Sirius laughed and kissed him hard. “I adore you,” he said again.

Remus hummed against his lips. “I adore you too, cariad.”

Sirius tugged Moony into him, making him lose the ball and yelp. “Sirius!”

“Not sorry,” Sirius mused against his neck, laughing as Tremz and Knutty battled it out for the turnover.

“That’s cheating!” Talker wailed. “Unsportsmanlike conduct! Someone make flirting a foul!”

Moony shoved Sirius off and shook his head at him. “Stop doing that,” he demanded.

“Hmmm… no.” Sirius smiled cheekily at him and kissed his cheek as he ran down the court after Leo.

“Asshole!” Moony yelled after him, making chase down the court.

“Awh, you two are adorable,” Harzy told Sirius he ran over to play defense. Sirius snorted.

“Yeah, we’re real fucking cute,” Sirius deadpanned as Moony flipped him off on the other side of the court.

“Fucking dick,” Moony yelped as Sirius blocked his layup.

“I’m really feeling the love right now, guys!” Bliz told them.

“Shut the fuck up,” Sirius and Moony chorused, chasing the ball across the paint.

Sirius kissed Moony’s cheek as he plucked the ball up and passed it out to Leo. Moony grabbed his face and kissed him hard, winked, and then took off down the court.

“Mother-fucking trosiant!” Moony yelled at Harz. Harzy laughed and ran off. Sirius winked at Moony.

“That was your fault,” he told him lovingly.

“Piss off,” Moony said sweetly, running off as well. Sirius laughed and shook his head, meeting James’ eyes.

“You’re gone for that man,” James whispered as they jogged down the court together.

“Pots,” Sirius said, looking him right in the eyes and almost running into Dumo. “You have no fucking idea.”

“Piece of shit!” Sirius shouted as Moony stole the ball from him.

“Tell me that tonight, sweetheart,” Moony called over his shoulder as he passed to Dumo down the court.

“I can’t stand that motherfucker,” Sirius told Nado. Nado just laughed and patted his shoulder.

“Cap, I think you love that motherfucker.”

Sirius glared at Nado.

“Pesky bitch,” Moony hissed in his ear as Sirius blocked him out for a rebound.

“You love me,” Sirius joked, running off. He turned around and saw Moony standing where he left him, staring after Sirius with a small grin on his face.

“Sirius! Stop flirting and fucking play the game!” James yelled at him, passing the ball to Nado as Sirius tailed Moony all over the court, taking full-man defense way too seriously.

“Fucking bench him, James!” Moony shouted, trying to fast break away from Sirius.

“He’s the captain!” James yelled back.

“Fucking distracted captain,” Dumo laughed.

“Someone else distract him!” Moony wailed.

“I don’t think any of us can, dude,” Knutty admonished.

Sirius wrapped his arms around Moony, holding him there. “Someone take the ball from Nado! I’ve got him!”

“Fucking bitch!” Moony cursed. “This has to count as a foul!”

“It’s pickup,” Harzy argued. “There are no fouls!”

“Stop stalking our star player!” Talker shouted.

Dumo was still laughing at them. He shook his head at Sirius. “Whipped son of a bitch.”

“I didn’t ask for this,” Moony sighed.

“Too bad,” Sirius told him. “You got it.”

The guys all laughed. Their timer went off.

“Who won?” Sirius asked cheekily.

“We did,” Finn informed him. “Good work, Cap.”

“Crashed it.” Sirius bumped their fists together.

“Cheats,” Knutty coughed into his fist.

“It’s called using your resources,” Bliz announced. “Besides, Cap would have spent the whole game staring at Moony anyway.”

“If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em,” Dumo agreed. “Good work, boys.”

“Thank you.” Sirius grinned cheekily at Moony as he said it.

On cue, Moony pulled his shirt up to wipe at his face, clearing the sweat from his eyes. Sirius’ eyes snagged on the tattooed torso now visible. Moony smirked at him.

“If you keep undressing me with your eyes,” Moony said slyly, “I’m gonna catch a cold.”

The guys lost it. Sirius shoved James away from him.

“Just enjoying the view, sweetheart,” Sirius told him, walking over and wrapping his arms around Moony’s waist. He kissed his forehead gently. “Sorry for attacking you on the court.”

Moony scoffed. “No, you’re not.” But he kissed Sirius’ jaw. “But I accept your apology anyway.”

Sirius chuckled and rested his chin on Moony’s head. “You’re just too good. We can’t keep up.”

“You all keep up plenty well. I’m not even an athlete.”

It was Sirius’ turn to scoff. He poked Moony’s stomach, the other guys milling around them normally. Packing up their things, stretching, dumping water bottles on each other.

“With those abs, darling? Not an athlete?”

“Nah, just a rock artist.” Moony winked. “Gotta keep up for the fans.”

“The fans.” Sirius feigned shock. “Not me?”

“Oh, absolutely not.” Moony shook his head.

“Hey!” Leo put his face between theirs. Sirius jumped back. “Dinner?”

Moony groaned, extricating himself from Sirius’ hold. “Fuck yes. I need eight pizzas and a coke.”

“Oh! Sirius!” Harzy walked over, tossing an arm over Leo’s shoulders easily. “Did I tell you I’ve been memorizing all of your brother’s songs? I’m going to go wild at the show.”

Sirius laughed. “You and me both, Harz.”

The guys had taken one look at Sirius four days ago, the day after Regulus’ show had been announced, and seen the easy smile on his face, his arm slung around Moony’s shoulders, and gauged that the reaction to his little brother coming to town was not as horrible as they would have guessed. Since then, it had been an easy passing of jokes. The guys started looking into Regulus- his music, his other tours, his interviews. Moony got a little uncomfortable any time one of them said they’d seen one of Regulus’ shows on YouTube or found an old edit of him before he was famous. But none of them had mentioned Moony, so Sirius figured they hadn’t spotted him in any of them. Yet.

Sirius had only told James about Moony’s friendship with Regulus. He wasn’t sure Moony wanted the guys to know, but James was an exception for everything. There was no way Sirius was going to correctly file that information away without talking to James first. Moony had just smiled and kissed him when Sirius had said he needed to tell James. But they hadn’t talked about the others yet.

Moony rolled his eyes as he tugged off his basketball shoes. “He’s singing a new album, idiots. You won’t know any of the music.”

“Are you going to come with us, Moony? Cap can get you seats with us, for sure,” Harz told him. “Come with us!”

Moony eyed them. “I’ll be there,” he told Finn and Leo.

“Oh, Cap’s already got you a place?” Dumo asked.

Moony shook his head. “Nah. I got offered the opening spot.”

“Oh, what?” James asked from across the bench. “Hot take. I did not know that.” Sirius hadn’t know that, either. He knew Moony had given away the entire show in favor of Regulus. He didn’t know Moony might still be performing.

Moony laughed. “I don’t know if I’m going to take the spot yet.”

“Why wouldn’t you?” Talker asked. He pouted his lip out. “Don’t you love us?”

“Well, taking the spot involves a lot of conversations with all of you,” Moony said seriously, stuffing his shoes in his duffle. He looked up at Sirius, smiling softly. “My name, for one.”

“Which is…?” Finn prompted.

“Theodore Roosevelt,” Moony deadpanned.

“Asshat,” Finn responded.

Moony chuckled.

“But you’ll be there either way, right?” Logan pressed. “We seriously can get you a spot.”

Moony shook his head, looking down at his fingers for a moment. He did that a lot, Sirius was realizing. When he was considering something.

Sirius walked over and sat next to him under the guise of taking his own basketball shoes off. He nudged their knees together. Moony grinned at him.

“I’ll be there,” Moony assured the guys. “Considering I’m kind of with the band.”

“But you just said you don’t know if you’re taking the spot,” Bliz argued. “We can get you a ticket, Moons-“

Moony laughed, shaking his head. “No, guys, like I’ll be there with Reg. Don’t get me a ticket. I’ve got-“

“You’ll be there with Reg? As in, Regulus Black? Sirius’ little brother Regulus Black?” Thomas asked him, looking up from his water bottle.

Moony raised an eyebrow. Sirius snickered at the guys faces and blew Finn a kiss when he glared at him.

“Do you know another Regulus Black?” Moony asked them.

Leo sputtered. “I didn’t know you knew Regulus Black.”

Moony shrugged, zipping his duffle up. Sirius stole it from him immediately and zipped his own shoes inside. Moony rolled his eyes at him. “I told you guys I was a musician from LA.”

“But you know Regulus Black?” Kasey asked, as if reiterating the question.

Moony rolled his eyes at all of them this time. Sirius leaned back in the chair and tossed a lazy arm over Moony’s shoulders.

“Did you know this?” Logan asked him, pointing at Moony.

Sirius shrugged. “Yeah?”

Moony scoffed. “Yeah?” He mimicked.

“Piss off, I don’t sound like that,” Sirius argued.

“You knew?” Leo yelped. “How come we didn’t know?”

“Are you sleeping with the man?” James challenged, laughing.

“You knew too, didn’t you?” Kasey squinted at James. “Are you sleeping with the man?”

“He’s sleeping with the man I’m sleeping with,” Moony deadpanned. Sirius chuckled and kissed his cheek.

“Come on,” Sirius told them, standing and slapping his knees. “Let’s get some dinner.

That night, Sirius tugged Moony into his bedroom as James wolf-whistled in the hallway, heading to his own room.

Moony chuckled as Sirius pushed him back against the closing door. It shut with a thud.

“Someone’s anxious,” Moony teased.

“You’re so fucking beautiful,” was all Sirius could muster, just looking at the man under his fingers. Moony smiled softly at him and met his eyes.

You love me.

You love me.

You love me.

Sirius had said that to Moony on the court today. The other man had stopped what he was doing and just smiled after Sirius as he ran off.

You’re gone for that man.

Pots, you have no fucking idea.

I can’t stand that motherfucker.

Cap, I think you love that motherfucker.

Sirius trembled as Moony reached up to cup his face. “Sirius?” He asked softly.

Fucking Christ, Sirius was so gone for this man.

He thought back to the calm before the storm. A hurricane rolled in a lot like this. Two weeks ago, Sirius could see it coming. The darkening skies that looked a lot like amber eyes and tawny waves. Now, Sirius thought he was on one of those sailing boats Moony had told him about- consumed by squalls that had appeared out of nowhere. Sirius had seen the storm coming. He just hadn’t realized how quickly it was approaching. He’d looked up this evening and suddenly he was surrounded.

Moony, laughing with Thomas and Pascal at the dinner table in a local pizza parlor.

Moony, smiling at Sirius across the court.

Moony, rolling over this morning in the sunshine to kiss Sirius.

Moony, on a porch swing, singing softly.

Moony, telling Sirius he knows his little brother.

Moony, giving up a show for the Black brothers.

Moony, smiling softly after Sirius said you love me.

Sirius Black had known Moony for one month and four days. And he was stupidly, recklessly in love with him.

Sirius leaned down and kissed Moony hard. “You’re beautiful.”

“You’re repeating yourself, dear,” Moony muttered against his lips.

“Fucking beautiful,” was Sirius’ response. He wrapped his arms around the other man’s waist and tugged him to the bed. Moony came willingly, and when the back of Sirius’ knees hit the bed, Sirius fell back, pulling Moony on top of him.

He settled between Sirius’ legs, leaning down to kiss him again. “Hmm,” Moony hummed. “You’re pretty, too.”

Sirius laughed and ran his hands up Moony’s back. “A charmer, you are.”

Moony shrugged and tucked a hand under Sirius’ t-shirt. “I strive to serve.”

Sirius laughed harder and flipped them over, bracing his knees on either side of Moony’s thighs. He placed his hands on either side of the other man’s head, leaning down. Moony just grinned cheekily up at him, running his own hands up and down Sirius’ thighs.

“Cheeky motherfucker,” Sirius mused.

“You love me,” Remus said, mockingly, imitating Sirius’ voice again.

Sirius just grinned and leaned down to kiss him again.

I do I do I do I do I do.

This time, Moony wrapped his arms around Sirius’ neck and tugged him close, pressing their noses together. Sirius smiled and parted his lips for Moony to slip his tongue into, then he bit down on the other man’s bottom lip, tugging. Moony moaned and muttered something about James in Welsh.

Sirius snickered. “He’ll invest in earplugs,” Sirius decided.

“Hm, he should have already, honestly,” Moony breathed out.

Sirius kissed down his neck, running his own hands under Moony’s shirt, over his chest, before tugging the fabric off. Moony shrugged it off and then set to work on Sirius’ own clothes.

They were completely out of them in moments.

Sirius dropped back onto the bed and Moony climbed on top of him, grinning and licking up Sirius’ neck. Sirius let out an animalistic noise and buried his fingers in the other man’s hair.

Hours later, Sirius lay awake, holding a sleeping Moony close to his chest. He’d fallen asleep with his face tucked into Sirius’ neck, his arms still around him. Moony had one leg hitched over Sirius’ body. Sirius kept his tight hold on him, almost clutching the other’s body as close as he could. He’d been inside Moony mere hours ago, for the first time, and still, Sirius wanted him closer.

Sirius Orion Black, captain of the Gryffindor Lions, one time NHL Stanley Cup Champion, looking into his fourth season and (knock on wood) second Stanley Cup run, was in love.

You love me you love me you love me you love me.

I do I do I do I do I do.

Before they fell asleep, in between the time when they’d slipped back into sweatpants and watched a movie, Remus texted the group chat.

[skittles]

romulus: :)

barted: ???

baby black: oh god

baby black: you fucked my brother, didn’t you.

romulus: no

strange: no?

romulus: :)

evan(s): oh god, rem, spit it out

tulip: he’s a swallower.

romulus: i didn’t fuck your brother

baby black: ??

romulus: your brother fucked me

dork: the love story i didn’t know i needed.

mclovin: the only black brother drama i support

baby black: dear god

romulus: sorry not sorry

evan(s): YES REM

barted: hahaha

tulip: ^^^ the ONLY black brother drama WE support.

baby black: the number of times every day that i consider offing all of you and finding new friends

romulus: you adore us.

strange: when did we start saying adore instead of love

romulus: wait

romulus: fuck

dork: you ok there, rem?

Remus woke up to the sound of the toilet flushing. He squinted at the open bathroom door, where Sirius was pulling on a pair of boxers.

“Alright?” Remus asked, voice sleep-rasped.

Sirius’ head whipped over to him. “No, no,” he mused, turning off the light and walking over before crawling over Remus and dropping bodily onto him. He buried his face in Remus’ chest. “It’s still early. Go back to sleep.”

Remus huffed and ran his fingers through Sirius’ hair. “You’re the one that woke me up. Where’d you go?”

“Needed to pee,” Sirius grunted. Remus chuckled.

“Time’s it?” Remus asked into Sirius’ hair.

“Like, 4:30.” Sirius smiled against Moony’s chest. “You’ve only been asleep a few hours.”

Remus looked down at him. “You haven’t been sleeping?”

Sirius hummed and tunneled his arms under Remus’ body. “Just been a bit hyper.”

Remus snorted and kissed the top of his head. “You’d think you’d be tired out by now.”

Sirius smirked up at him. “You’d think.”

Remus opened his mouth to say something- probably scold Sirius for something or other- when Sirius surged up and planted a tired, loving kiss onto Remus’ lips.

Loving.

Remus’ heart fluttered. Sirius pulled back with a tired smile. “Go back to sleep, love.”

Love.

Lovelovelovelovelove

Remus blinked at him. “I- yeah. Alright.”

Sirius titled his head, amused. He kissed Remus’ chest and laid his head back down.

“Only if you go back to sleep, too,” Remus mused.

Sirius huffed. “I’ll try.”

Remus Lupin had always assumed falling in love- truly- would be something earth shattering. He always thought his world would tilt before righting itself again. He didn’t expect this- the acknowledgement, deep inside him, followed by the easy silence that followed inside his mind.

Remus John Lupin, one time winner of the American Music Awards Artist of the Year award, two time winner of Song of the Year, and rock artist, fell in love quickly and silently, holding Sirius Orion Black close to him in the haze, somewhere between 4:30 a.m. and when Minerva McGonagall called hours later, at 6:54 a.m.

Remus would always remember the exact time.

Because that was when the world finally shifted.

“What?” Remus groped along the bedside table for his phone, Minerva’s special chirping ringtone going off and startling him awake.

“Hello?” Sirius muttered, lifting his head, blinking. So, he’d finally fallen asleep, it seemed.

“It’s mine,” Remus told him, shifting to finally make a grab for the phone. “It’s my manager. She never calls this early. What time is it?”

“Hmm,” Sirius groaned and fell back against Remus’ chest. “Do you want me to go stand in the bathroom while you talk to her?” He asked sleepily.

Remus looked down at him, incredibly fond at the gesture. He kissed Sirius’ temple and shook his own head. “Go back to sleep, love. I’ll just be a moment. I’m sure she’s just asking about a booking or something.”

The phone read 6:51 a.m. before flashing with Minnie’s name again.

“Hello? Minnie?” Remus ground out as he shut the bathroom door behind him. He flipped on the light and stared, blinking, at his form in the mirror.

“Remus,” she breathed out. “Have you- did you see the news?”

“What? It’s like, seven in the morning. How did you see the news? You’re two hours behind me-“

“I have alerts if anything goes off about you,” she stated primly. “Or Regulus.”

“I- what?” Remus huffed, sitting down on Sirius’ bathroom counter. “What?” He asked, a little more seriously the second time, after finally registering her words.

“I sent you a Twitter post, Remus. Read it.”

Remus switched her to speaker, turned down the volume, and went to their messages. He clicked the link.

TeaTime Los Angles @sunnylateatime

Ready to find out the truth in the link between Regulus Black, Remus Lupin, and NHL Gryffindor Lions captain Sirius Black? Click the link below to read more.

With shaking fingers, Remus clicked the link. The TeaTime Los Angels was a gossip column, but one that was constantly in Remus’, and his friends’, business. And, while they were a gossip column, it wasn’t often that they were far off from the truth. They did their research. They were one of the only tabloids that didn’t fantasize about Remus and Regulus secretly dating, but did report on the love affair between Pandora and Lily anytime the girls went out together.

So, yeah. Never far off.

The time on his phone read 6:54 a.m.

TeaTime this Morning: The truth between Remus Lupin and the Black brothers

Remus Lupin, singer songwriter, and Regulus Black, singer songwriter, have had a well-chronicled friendship for years. The two perform shows together, attend premiers, and enjoy back-and-forth Twitter between them and their other close friends, dubbed “The Skittles” after Barty Crouch, actor, leaked a screenshot of the group chat the eight of them share. The group, consisting of Remus Lupin, Regulus Black, Barty Crouch, Evan Rosier, Lily Evans, Pandora Lestrange, Dorcas Meadowes, and Marlene McKinnon, have been very vocal about their commitment to each other and the friendship that blossomed back in college, before each of them dropped out to pursue their careers in various arts.

Now, the relationship between Regulus Black and elder brother Sirius Black, the youngest captain ever in the National Hockey League and Gryffindor Lions’ All-Star MVP, is less chronicled. There is no back-and-forth Twitter banter. There are no vacations or Instagram pictures of the brothers together. If not for their strikingly similar features, it would be hard to say that the two are even related. It is no secret that the brothers do not have a close relationship.

TeaTime staff poured over both brother’s backgrounds and found no animosity, so one can just assume that the brothers grew apart through the years. Regulus Black’s original songs can state a traumatic home life growing up, and all fans are aware of his estrangement to his mother, Walburga Black, and the death of his father, Orion Black, whose funeral neither brother attended.

On the heels of the announcement of Regulus Black’s partnership with the Gryffindor Lions in their preseason show, the TeaTime staff looked closer at the relationship between the brothers. Are they trying to patch their relationship? Are they planning on seeing each other at all during this preseason show? Is Regulus Black, who is planning on playing his new album at the show, making a point to his brother? Does Sirius Black even know his brother is coming to town?

None of these are answers we can give you. But we can give you this: Remus Lupin, stated best friend of Regulus Black, is dating Sirius Black.

After Twitter banter between friends, Lily Evans and others have revealed to fans that Remus Lupin is sleeping with a “hockey player”. Fans have spent a month trying to figure out who this is. It came to our attention that Remus Lupin has not been seen in Los Angles since his last show in May.

In order to shed light on the Black brother’s relationship, TeaTime staff travelled to Gryffindor, Minnesota, to scout out the Lions team. What we found was not expected, although quite exciting for Remus Lupin fans.

Remus Lupin has been staying in Gryffindor, Minnesota for the summer. Following are photos our staff have taken of Remus Lupin and Sirius Black, along with other known members of the Gryffindor Lions team.

There is no way to know if Regulus Black and Sirius Black have been in contact, but Remus Lupin, best friend of Regulus Black and apparent boyfriend of Sirius Black, seems to be caught in the middle of the family feud. Our question for him: are fans correct about Remus Lupin’s Black brother boyfriends, or can we expect a friendship to blossom between “The Skittles” and the Gryffindor Lions?

The following pictures, Remus decided, were not exciting. Or fun.

Some were a little blurry, obviously taken covertly. But they were also obviously of Remus and Sirius. Holding hands walking across the street. Remus shoving Sirius away as he tried to kiss Remus’ cheek. Sharing a kiss outside the Three Broomsticks after another night out with the guys. Thomas Walker and Finn O’Hara meeting Remus for coffee. James Potter and Sirius Black opening the door for Remus and Pascal Dumias at a restaurant. Remus and Sirius tangled up together after Logan Tremblay and Jackson Nadeau wrapped them in a scarf. Leo Knut making kissy faces at Sirius as Remus turned away from him. Kasey Winter with an arm around both of them.

Remus was shaking. Minerva was talking, but he wasn’t really listening. Sirius was in bed on the other side of the door.

It didn’t really matter that the Lions would obviously see an LA tabloid leak about them. It didn’t matter that they would know his name. What mattered was what this would do to Sirius and Regulus- Regulus, who surely was already aware of the leak if Minerva was calling Remus.

“Remus? Remus,” Minnie was saying. “Are you listening to me?”

“I- no. I, fuck, sorry, Minnie, I-“

“Remus, I understand that this is a lot. You don’t have to confirm or deny anything-“

“Confirm or deny? They have pictures, Minnie.”

“I know that. But you don’t have to put anything on social media yourself. Now, this doesn’t affect your music career. This is a social life leak. It’s harmless.”

“Harmless?” Remus laughed humorlessly. “Minnie, the guys don’t know who I am. This is going to sit between Regulus and Sirius-“

“I already spoke with Regulus. He’s annoyed about it, but he’s not angry-“

“I need to call… fuck. Minnie, do I need to come home? Once the other papers see this, Gryffindor is going to be crawling with-“

“That’s your decision, Remus, but yes… you’re right. You won’t be able to just be in Gryffindor anymore. It would probably be worse that being home, now. The papers there will only be after you, not the hundreds of other stars that live in LA. I’m not going to tell you what to do. That’s you decision.”

“Fuck, Minnie… I don’t know.” Remus felt oddly close to tears. He’d been leaked in the media so many times now that it usually was just an annoyance. This… this felt like a breach of privacy. It was a breach of privacy.

This was a man Remus loved. This was two men Remus loved, though in different ways. This was Regulus and Sirius. These weren’t just pictures of Remus and a random hookup at a club in LA. This wasn’t just the tabloids speculating who his songs were about. This was… this was real. They were right this time.

Remus had a new album coming out. Every song was about Sirius Black. People wouldn’t even have to question that, not now.

Remus Lupin was in love, and the world knew about it. And Remus… Remus didn’t know how to grapple with that. Not mere hours after the realization hit him, too.

The media was going to comb through his life- Sirius’ life, Reg’s life. It would turn over every rock. Sirius would be splashed next to old pictures of Remus making out with a random celebrity at a premier, or a club, or in the streets of LA. Remus would be splashed next to Sirius’ highlight photos. Regulus would be in the middle of it all.

“Minnie, I…” Remus broke off. “I don’t know what to do,” he said finally, in a strangled voice.

“Remus.” Minnie sounded pitying now, more like a mother. She didn’t have any children, but every now and then, she’d get that look in her eyes, or use that tone of voice, and Remus was back in his mother’s kitchen, being chastised for something he’d done. “You’re twenty-four years old. You shouldn’t always know what to do.”

“What do I do?” Remus asked her, dragging a hand down his face as the tears started to fall. “I- Minnie, what do I do?”

“I don’t know, Remus,” she answered a few seconds later. “I’m not you.”

Remus huffed a broken sound. “I…”

He trailed off, thinking of what he’d needed this summer- slow, quiet, love. He thought of a seaside of flower fields and a fishing net with barbs in it. He thought of easy sunlight and farmers markets. He thought of a coffeeshop by a library. He thought of his Uncle Tom. And he thought of his mother.

“I need a ticket,” he said, minutes later. “Minnie, I need a plane ticket. I want… I want to go home.” He was speaking through tears now.

“Okay, Remus. I can book you the next flight to LA, it leaves in a few-“

“No.” Remus cut her off. “No, Minnie, I want to go home.”

Minerva was quiet for another few minutes. “You want to go back to Wales?”

“Yes.” Remus was really crying now. “Yes.”

“Okay. Okay, dear. Let me… let me look up the flights from Gryffindor.”

Twenty minutes later, Remus was booked for the next flight from Gryffindor, Minnesota to Swansea, Wales. He’d drive the hour up the coast to Tenby by himself.

Just as he had five years ago.

Minerva stayed on the phone with him for another thirty minutes. Remus finally hung up with her, texted his friends that he was going home, and washed his face. When he emerged from the bathroom, it was 7:54 a.m. An hour. A lifetime.

Sirius was curled up asleep in the bed, the blankets askew so Remus could climb back in easily. Remus considered it. He stood there and stared at Sirius for what felt like hours. He wanted to climb back into that cocoon of warmth and block all socials from both of their phones and escape back into the bubble that had been Gryffindor for a few more weeks. Just a little bit longer. A little more time. That was all he’d needed.

Remus pressed a quick kiss to Sirius’ forehead. He gathered his phone, one of Sirius’ t-shirts slipped over his head, and a hoodie from the other man’s closet. He slipped out of the room after looking back, the morning light filtering through the curtains now.

James was stretching for a run when Remus came into the kitchen to grab his keys.

“Oh? Leaving already?” James stretched up and leaned to the side, cracking his back. “Cap awake?”

Remus shook his head and muttered a minute, “No”, before stuffing his keys in the pocket of the hoodie and stepping around James.

James turned toward him more. “Moony? You alright?”

“Yeah, James,” Remus managed. He sent the other man a watery smile. “Fine.”

“Is… is Cap alright? Where you going?”

“He’s asleep,” Remus muttered. “I’m… I’m going home.”

James watched as Remus looked around the house before heading to the front door. As Remus touched the doorknob, James spoke up again.

“You don’t mean the rental home, do you?” James asked in a small voice. “You’re… leaving.”

Remus looked back at James over his shoulder. “Don’t wake him up,” he told James. “Please.”

“You’re just… leaving? I didn’t know you were leaving today. Was that a plan?”

Remus shook his head and opened the door. “Bye, James. Thanks for everything.”

“Wait, Moony-“ Remus shut the door. He made it to his car and had started it before James opened the door again, peering out at him. He shook his head and called something out. Remus put the car in drive and pulled off the curb, refusing to look back at James.

But he looked back for Sirius. Because once, five years ago, no one had. And Sirius deserved better than that from Remus.

Remus Lupin was in love. And he was going home.

Sirius woke up to a cold mattress. He rolled his eyes and rolled out of bed, knowing Moony would be downstairs, probably by the piano or sitting on the couch with a post-run James, drinking a latte or an americano that he’d made from whatever Moony could find in their kitchen.

He showered easily and dressed in one of Moony’s shirts that had been hung in his closet for a week now. He put on a pair of relaxed jeans, cuffed them like Moony showed him, and walked downstairs.

James was sitting alone at the kitchen table, looking like he was waiting for Sirius.

“What’s up?” Sirius asked, walking into the kitchen and expecting the coffeepot to be half-full. It hadn’t even been turned on that morning. He looked back at James. “Moony in the library?”

James shook his head, looking a little miffed.

“James?”

“Sirius… Moony left.”

“Oh?” Sirius set his phone down on the counter. “That’s strange. I didn’t know he had anywhere to be this morning. He doing lessons with Talkie again?”

“No, Sirius… I… Moony left.”

The way he said it this time made Sirius stop. His stomach started to churn like he would be sick. “What?”

“I don’t know.” James gripped his hair. “I don’t know, Sirius. I was about to go on my run earlier and he came down here- he looked shit. I don’t know. I asked him where he was going cause he was gathering up his things, and he just said home, and at first I thought he meant back to his place, but then I… the way he said it, I don’t think he meant back to his place. He told me he was going home. Like, home home. I think he’s going back to LA today.”

Sirius’ fingers were trembling. “He… what?”

“He asked me not to wake you,” James said miserably. “He left like an hour and a half ago.”

“James!” Sirius scrambled for his things. “I don’t- he what?”

“I’m sorry! I didn’t think- I thought you knew. But then you- I guess you didn’t know…”

Sirius stopped, remembering a foggy memory of the morning. “He got a call from his manager early this morning,” Sirius thought back. “He said she never calls this early.”

“His manager?”

“He’s- fuck. Did something happen? I need to go and see if he’s still here.” Sirius grabbed his keys. “James, please. I need to- fuck. I can’t drive right now.”

“Okay, okay.” James nodded like he was speaking to a child. “Okay. I’ll drive. Let’s go.”

“You just let him walk out?” Sirius questioned moments later when they were speeding toward Moony’s house. “What the fuck, James?”

He knows he shouldn’t be angry at James, who really was trying his best right now, as a man that never went more than five below the speed limit and was now roaring through Gryffindor to get to Moony’s rental home.

“He looked so sad, Sirius,” James argued, “what was I supposed to do? Hit a man while he was down?”

“Shout for me!” Sirius groaned.

“He said not to wake you up!”

“Fuck what he said!”

“Shit, Sirius,” James complained. “I’m doing my best!”

“I know I’m sorry!”

Sirius took four deep breaths and looked to James. “What if he’s already gone?”

James turned his eyes from the road for one moment. “Sirius… then I guess you call him, yeah?”

“What if he’s… gone, James?”

James was quiet for a long time. Sirius was twisting his hands in his lap. He was wearing Moony’s shirt.

“You really care for him, don’t you?” James asked finally.

“I’m so in love with that bastard,” Sirius admitted, tears welling in his eyes. “What if he’s gone, James?”

“Sirius…” James breathed. They both knew the weight of Sirius admitting he was in love. “Then you call him, Cap. He’s not gone gone. I’ve seen the way you two work. I don’t think there’s another person for either of you.”

“I don’t want to call him,” Sirius complained. “I want to smack him. What the fuck does he think he’s doing?”

“You said his manager called this morning,” James pointed out. “Maybe something happened, okay? Don’t… don’t pin it all on him.”

“I have to be mad at someone,” Sirius reasoned.

They were driving up Cornelia Street now. Sirius stared out the window at the farm fields and hills. James turned onto the dirt road to Moony’s house.

James hardly parked before Sirius was opening the door. Moony’s rental car was still here. Sirius was going to fucking scream. In exasperation or joy, he didn’t know.

“Stay in the car,” Sirius demanded, before he slammed the door shut and sprinted up Moony’s steps. He was moments away from just barging in when the door opened and Moony was standing there, holding a duffle bag. He blinked at Sirius.

“What are you doing here?” His voice was ragged.

Sirius opened his mouth, probably to shout, but then he stopped. Moony was wearing his t-shirt, his jeans, cuffed at the bottom. He had Sirius’ hat on his head. He looked like he’d been crying. His voice sounded like he’d been crying.

The words died in Sirius’ throat. He reached out and unslung the duffle bag and yanked Moony into his chest. The other man came willingly, seeming limp.

“Sirius,” Moony began, words muffled by Sirius’ chest.

“I thought you- fuck, Moony, James said you’d left and I thought I’d never fucking see you again you bastard. I can’t- what happened? Are you alright? Where are you going?-“

Moony pulled back, cutting him off. “You didn’t see the news?”

Sirius’ stomach plummeted. “No.”

Moony sighed, defeated. “Sirius, I’m… I’m going home.”

“LA,” Sirius said. “Okay. Okay. But for how long? You’ll be back before Reggie’s show, right? I mean-“

“I’m going to Wales, Sirius,” Moony cut him off again. “I’m going home.”

Sirius stopped. He knew Moony hadn’t been home in five years. He knew Moony never could make himself do it. He knew-

“Are you alright?” He asked, tugging the other man back. Moony collapsed against him.

“I came to Gryffindor to get away from the media and the fucking idiots that-“ Moony choked. “Not to get blasted across tabloids and Twitter again.”

Sirius sucked in a breath. “What happened?”

“They took pictures of us, Sirius,” he said, in a small, broken voice. “Me and you. And the… the team. Just, you know, day to day life. They came here looking for you, because of Reg’s show announcement, and they found us.”

Sirius stepped back, holding Moony at an arm’s length, looking down at him. “I… okay.”

“Okay?”

“I don’t know what you want me to say, Moon-“

“Sirius.” He took a deep breath. “They broke into my life. Again. They’re going to break into yours. They’re breaking into Reg’s life. You and him are splashed across all the websites this morning. The Black Brothers Feud, and me… they’re putting me right in the fucking middle of it, like any of this was on purpose, like we’re supposed to give a shit what they think is going on-“

“That’s not your fault, love,” Sirius breathed. “Okay. Me and my little brother, in the papers. We don’t… we haven’t seen or spoken to each other since either of us left home. Okay. The papers are going to have a hard time finding anything relevant to post. And I hate that you’re being strung across it, but, love… that’s not on you. That’s not-“

“It is, Sirius.” Moony reached up and gripped his hair, and Sirius took his hands instead. They gripped his back hard. “I don’t know why I thought I could just be in a fucking bubble. I brought this on both of you-“

“You gave Regulus his best friend,” Sirius argued. “You gave me… you. And okay, our bubble popped. That’s… we can live with that, Moony.”

“I don’t want to live with it,” Moony groaned. “I want to go home and sit in my mother’s kitchen and write music and cry and be left alone for one month. Just one.”

“Okay.” Sirius looked back at James, who was trying to pretend he wasn’t watching in the car. “Okay. Let me get my things. James has my keys, I think my passport is still-“

“What?”

Sirius raised his eyebrows. “I’m coming with you, obviously.”

“I’m not-what?” Moony shook his head. “Sirius, you have a life here-“

“So do you,” Sirius argued. “I’m coming with you.”

Moony blinked back tears. “Sirius.”

Sirius tugged him in again and kissed him. “I’ll come with you, Moony. We can spend a month doing nothing or everything and no one will bother us.”

“Except the neighbors,” Moony grumbled into his mouth. Sirius laughed.

“I…” Moony shook his head and pulled back. “Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why do you want to come? I just upended your life. I’m not going to make you-“

Sirius laughed again. Wholeheartedly. “Moony, you upended my life long before tabloids took pictures of us together. I want to come because you’re going, obviously.”

“Why?”

Sirius huffed, rolling his eyes. Stupid, lovely boy. “Because I love you, you asshat. And you’re leaving. So I’m going, too.”

Moony blinked at him. “You… fuck, Sirius, I don’t-“

“You don’t have to say it back,” Sirius told him lightly. “It’s not-“

“Are you fucking stupid?” Moony shoved him back, shaking his head. “Of course I love you, idiot. But I’m… I only have one ticket.”

Sirius shrugged. “We’ll get one.” He beamed at Moony and kissed him hard. “I love you.”

Moony laughed wetly against him. “I love you too.”

Sirius waved to James. James rolled the window down. “Is my passport still in your car?” He yelled.

James rifled through the glove box before pulling out a little blue book. He held it up. “Yeah?”

“Perfect,” Sirius yelled back. He turned to Moony. “Perfect.”

Moony sighed and shook his head at Sirius. “Our flight leaves in two hours.”

“Perfect.”

“You still need to pack.”

“No, I don’t. I’ll just steal your clothes.”

“My jeans aren’t long enough for you,” Moony argued.

“Doesn’t matter. I just won’t wear pants.”

Moony laughed and kissed him. “Dumbass.”

“I’m your dumbass now,” Sirius said cheekily.

Moony shook his head. “I love you, Sirius Black. Fuck. I love you.” He said it like he couldn’t quite believe what was happening.

“I love you too,” Sirius told him. “I don’t fucking know your name, and I love you.”

Moony laughed. He shook his head hard. He picked up his duffle. He kissed Sirius again.

“Remus,” Moony whispered against his lips.

“Hmm?” Sirius pulled back, staring at him.

“Remus John Lupin,” Moony whispered again, cocking his head to the side, small tears in his eyes. “My name. Remus Lupin.”

Sirius laughed. He kissed him again. “I’m so fucking in love with you, Remus.”

Remus smiled and kissed him back.

Sirius Orion Black and Remus John Lupin, couple of the week, splashed across every single tabloid in the country, photos trending on Twitter, waved goodbye to James. They climbed into Remus’ rental car.

They were going to Wales. Remus was going home, and Sirius was ready to follow him there. Damn the press, damn the consequences.

They were in love.

Chapter Text

“Sirius, love, you can’t just-“

Sirius stuffed the muffin into Remus’ mouth and rolled his eyes, flipping his sunglasses down as he did so, grabbed Remus’ hand and both of their duffle bags, and prowled right past the reporters in the lobby of the Gryffindor airport.

Remus choked down the muffin as paparazzi snapped photos, turning his face into Sirius’ neck as they walked, both of them grinning like madmen.

Sirius looked down at him. “You’re lucky you’re dating such a superstar, Moony, or these idiots would never be here for you.”

Remus rolled his eyes and kissed Sirius’ cheek. The paparazzi went nuts: taking photos, screaming for a moment’s word. Remus flipped them off over his shoulder and kept walking, even when Regulus’ name started being thrown out.

He felt Sirius tense only slightly before prowling on. Remus squeezed his hand. Sirius squeezed back.

Waiting in their gate was surprisingly easy. No one had given them a hard time in security, and not many people took flights directly to Wales from Gryffindor, Minnesota, so they were able to put their backs to the main crowd and look into the corner without many people noticing them.

Really, the only other set of people waiting on the small plane was a large family- four kids, two parents- an elderly couple- two women- and what looked like a college student just trying to get home for the rest of the summer break. He went a bit wide eyed when Remus and Sirius approached their gate, but had yet to make his way over to speak to them.

Sirius tossed an arm over Remus’ shoulders and whistled, low and slow. “You never did tell me how big you were.”

Remus shot him a look, but the playful glint in Sirius’ eye told Remus he knew what he was doing.

Remus’ lips quirked into a sly smile. “Oh?”

“Yeah. I mean, I know you’ve got a few songs out. But, well, as a hockey fan, I don’t watch much of the standard news channels.” A quirk of his eyebrow. “How big are you, love?”

Remus leaned closer, almost speaking into Sirius’ slightly parted lips to say, “I believe I warned you about asking a man how big he is, darling.”

Sirius nipped at Remus’ nose, and Remus swatted him away. “Brat,” he shot at Sirius, who accompanied his nip with a quick kiss.

“I know. You love me anyway.”

Remus rolled his eyes.

Sirius huffed and leaned away slightly- not to get away, but to see Remus better. “Remus?”

Remus hummed, crossing their ankles together under the seats. Sirius let him do it. Obviously.

“Really, love. I know… you’ve got a following. But I hate to admit… I’ve never really heard any of your music.”

Remus feigned shock. “What?”

Sirius chuckled and pulled Remus’ hands from his chest, where they were clutching his shirt.

Remus smiled. “Of course, you have. You just don’t know it.”

Sirius rolled his eyes. “Oh, humble, are you?”

Remus’ smile softened. “Sirius, darling… James listened to my music every morning during breakfast when I stayed at your place.”

Sirius’ eyes shot up. “Does he?”

“It plays all the time at the Three Broomsticks.”

“Does it?”

“Leo and Kasey play it during basketball.”

Sirius huffed. “So, maybe I just suck at remembering who sings what,” he defended.

Remus laughed. “It plays in your car. All the time.”

Sirius threw his hands up in mock outrage. “Why didn’t anyone tell me!”

Remus shook his head at his boyfriend.

Boyfriend.

God, he was so in love.

Sirius’ phone started ringing. A FaceTime. He picked it up and glanced at the screen. “It’s Dumo. What do you wanna bet it’s most of the guys, actually?”

Remus shrugged. “I’m not taking that bet. I’d lose. Horribly.”

Sirius kissed his cheek quickly. “Should I answer it? Are you… okay with that?”

“James already knows. Also, it’s splashed on every front page. And the Lions have been tagged in Twitter so many times it’s impossible for them to not know by now.”

“You’re… alright, though?” Sirius asked. A careful question.

Remus smiled and kissed his cheek this time. “Answer the damn phone, Black.”

Sirius barked a laugh and answered the damn phone.

Kasey, Pascal, Finn, Leo, and Logan filled the screen immediately. All staring as Sirius and Remus came into view. Thomas jostled into view, shoving Kasey away for a moment before both boys popped up again.

“Cap!” They all said, almost in perfect sync. Remus shook his head at their antics. Then, “Moony!”

“Oh, you’re at the airport. Why are you at the airport?” Finn asked, getting close enough to the camera that they could see up his nostrils.

“Blow your nose, O’Hara,” Remus deadpanned.

Leo hauled him back and hissed, “Finn!”

“We’re going on a trip,” Sirius told them.

“Because of the papers?” Pascal asked, all stick and no sugar.

Sirius squeezed Remus’ hand out of camera range. Remus smiled at him- definitely in camera view.

“We’re visiting my hometown,” Remus explained. “Going to Wales for a bit.”

Pascal nodded appreciatively. “I don’t remember this trip being planned before the papers bombarded all of us, though…”

Sirius rolled his eyes. “If the man wants to get away from the tabloids, Dumo, let the man get away from the tabloids.”

Logan clapped. “Amen to that. Hey, Moony… can we still call you Moony?”

Remus chuckled. “Sure, Tremz.”

All the hockey players gasped, even Sirius, whose eyes widened, and he grinned so hard Remus thought he was going to burst a blood vessel.

“Oh,” Logan said, covering his mouth like he was going to cry (but not really). “Oh, Moony, my love. You’ve accepted the nicknames.”

“Hey!” Finn protested. “He’s Cap’s love- and you’re one of mine.” As if to prove his point, he hauled both of his boys into his lap. Kasey groaned at them.

“I YouTubed you,” Pascal announced. “We’ve all been watching Remus Lupin TV for the last hour or so. The boys came over for breakfast when we saw the news.”

“Cap, why didn’t you tell us you were dating Remus Lupin?” Kasey wailed. “The amount of times I would have asked for your autograph, Moony!”

Remus chuckled, cheeks reddening. “You can have it, Kase. But, like, don’t act like I’m someone… different.”

Thomas waved him off. “Are you kidding? We knew you were what you are. We just didn’t know who you were. I mean, come on.” He looked to the guys around him in the Dumias living room. “He won Artist of the Year last year!”

Remus coughed into his fist. “Yeah, just go telling everyone, why don’t you?”

Sirius blinked at him. “You did?”

“You didn’t know?” Leo asked, incredulous.

Sirius shrugged. “You guys know me. I’m not really a music guy.”

Remus shoved his head away. The guys laughed. Sirius kissed him hard, and most of the guys coughed.

“Two-time winner of Song of the Year,” Thomas continued, looking haunted now. “And you’ve been giving me guitar lessons.”

Remus buried his face in his hands. “Oh, Christ.”

“Don’t worry, Moony.” Pascal winked at him. “We’ll still expect you to wipe our asses at the next pick-up game. But also, we’re signing you up for karaoke night at the Broomsticks.”

Logan perked up. “Oh, yes!”

Kasey was thumbing through his phone. “How many edits of you are there on TikTok?”

Remus groaned into his hands. Sirius chuckled and kissed him on his head. “Way more than there are of us, boys,” Sirius informed him. “My boyfriend’s cooler than all of us combined.”

“Damn straight,” Thomas and Finn muttered.

“I can’t stand any of you,” Remus informed them all. Sirius beamed.

Remus’ own phone buzzed. He looked down at it- eyes catching on Regulus’ name before he turned to Sirius.

“Reggie’s calling me, Sirius,” he murmured. “I’ll be right over there.”

Sirius squeezed his hand and Remus got up, walking a few paces away to answer the call. He leaned against the wall.

“Wales?” Was how Regulus said hello. “You said you never wanted to go back to Wales. You never wanted to have to sit there and remember your mum and uncle. So why, Remus… why are you going back?”

Remus hummed. “Hello, Reggie darling. How are you on this fine morning when all of our faces are splashed on the news front page?”

“Fuck that,” Regulus grunted. “I hate the damn press. But are you okay?”

Remus heart filled. “Yeah,” he breathed, looking back at where Sirius was now laughing at his phone. “Yeah, I’m… more okay than I thought I’d be.”

“Is Sirius okay? Have you spoken to him? Or did you just pull a Lupin classic and flee under the cover of darkness?”

Remus brought a hand up to hide the wide, adoring smile on his face- even though Reg couldn’t see it anyway. “First of all, fuck you. I don’t flee under the cover of darkness.” Reg snorted. “Second of all, I… I’m proud of you.”

“What? Why?”

“Because you’re asking me if he’s okay.”

Remus could practically feel the eye roll. “He may be a public figure,” Regulus said quietly, “but NHL players don’t normally have to deal with this level of privacy breaches. At least, not like we do.”

“He’s handling it well. I think his exact words were okay.”

“Okay?”

“That’s what I said, too,” Remus laughed. “He’s… he’s coming with me, Reg. Back to Wales.”

Regulus breathed a sigh. “Dramatic bitch,” Reg told him after a moment. “The press took some pictures of you and now you’re both fleeing the country."

Remus could hear the teasing tilt in Reg’s voice. “Don’t let the bastards get you down, Reg,” was his response.

Regulus laughed, stilted. “Minnie called me at like four this morning. Four, Remus.”

“I know. She called me at seven. I mean, my seven. Your… five.”

Regulus snorted again. “I think we give her grey hair.”

“She loves us.”

Regulus was quiet for a moment. “Yeah,” he agreed finally. “She does.”

“Are you ready? I mean, Sirius and I will be back for the concert. The Lions are losing their minds.”

“I’m ready.” Regulus was never one to ask for help, but Remus doubted he needed it in this case. “I still need an opener. Marlene and Pete said they’d be on standby, but now that you’re outed anyway…”

Remus chuckled wetly. “I don’t think I want to play any of my new songs,” he told Regulus. “I don’t want to get in the way of you.”

Shuffling on the other line, like Regulus was just climbing out of bed. It would be about eight in the morning his time.

“I don’t give a fuck what you play, Re,” came Regulus’ voice at last. “But I’m not sure I can step onto that stage unless I’m walking out there to you.”

Remus sucked in a breath. The sheer admittance of that… Regulus needed him there. Not just in the audience. Regulus needed Remus on the stage, so that when Regulus came out… he was walking toward something that made sense. Something solid.

Remus nodded. “I’ll be there, Reg. I’ll… yes, okay? Whatever you need.”

Regulus swallowed. Remus could hear it across the line. “Our friends are about to be menaces on Twitter,” he conceded.

Remus laughed. “Yeah, yeah, they are. I can already see Barty getting in trouble with his manager.”

“Dora’s going to dedicate a book in honor of this moment.”

“Cas will probably smash half her vases. She’s going to have to restart.”

“Evan’s going to demand to do my music video for Unsaid Emily.”

“Is he not already doing it?”

“Oh no, he is. But I’m making him beg.”

“Bastard.”

Regulus huffed a laugh. “Lils is going to pitch such a fit.”

“Marls might actually commit mass murder.”

Both men chuckled. Regulus huffed. “Go back to my idiot brother,” he told Remus. Then, after a moment, “Love you.”

Remus grinned broadly. “Love you too, Reggie.”

[skittles]

barted: i sleep

barted: for five hours

barted: and you idiots

evan(s): out with it, barty

barted: ARE SPLASHED ACROSS EVERY TABLOID IN TOWN

baby black: no rest for the wicked.

strange: im not a big fan of the mass media at the moment.

dork: when are we ever?

mclovin: please tell me you’re issuing a statement @ re OR reg

baby black: a statement about what?

baby black: that re is stupidly in love, or that i plan to sell my soul to my brother with this new album?

romulus: i don’t think that’d be a particularly happy statement

tulip: remus

romulus: yes?

tulip: tell me you saw the lions players twitter tags.

baby black: …

baby black: holy shit

When Remus sat back down next to Sirius, the elder Black brother was staring at his phone, eyes dancing with amusement and something like pride.

“What?” Remus asked, leaning over.

“The guys,” Sirius said, tapping Remus’ own screen as the Twitter notifications kept pouring in. Remus hadn’t bothered to check on them yet. Not with hundreds coming in at once.

“What did they do?” Remus asked, a little warily.

Sirius beamed. “Just… look.”

Leo Knut @itspronouncednewt

I’d pay good money if Remus Lupin (@fuckthemoon) sat on my face

Replies:              .

Finn O’Hara @fishoharaofficial

Excuse me baby, what?

Logan Tremblay @tremzylogan

fuck yeah, baby!

Pascal Dumias @dumoofficial

Oh, this is what we’re doing now?

Pascal Dumias @dumoofficial

Remus Lupin (@fuckthemoon) can join us in Gryffindor anytime.

Thomas Walker @walkietalkie

Big thanks to Remus Lupin (@fuckthemoon) for the… lessons.

Replies:              .

James Potter @jamesprongspotter

Oh?

Kasey Winter @therealblizzard

LeSsOnS.

Logan Tremblay @tremzylogan

Remus Lupin (@fuckthemoon) is welcome at our apartment ANYTIME. Literally anytime.

Replies:              .

Finn O’Hara @fishoharaofficial

i feel like this is flirting, but also i agree

James Potter @jamesprongspotter

the rumors are true: the Lions are sluts for Remus Lupin (@fuckthemoon)

And, most surprisingly, Remus noted- was the response from Regulus Black to James Potter, that spurred the “Skittles” and Lions conversation:

Replies:              .

Regulus Black @fuckhockeyplayers

was that ever a secret, Potter?

Evan Rosier @fuckcrouching

yeah, we been known that.

Pandora Lestrange @fucklilyevanswithlove

grammar, ev. we’ve been over this.

Dorcas Meadowes @fuckmclovin

“sorry mom”

James Potter @jamesprongspotter

allow me to rephrase: the Lions are sluts for… the Skittles?

Barty Crouch @fuckroses

try again. but you’re getting warmer.

Regulus Black @fuckhockeyplayers

barty, shut the fuck up.

Lily Evans @fuckflowers

i heard the lions stranded Sirius Black (@siriusblackoffical) at Re’s (@fuckthemoon) rental home for two days. what a love story.

Finn O’Hara @fishoharaoffical

that was all my idea.

Pascal Dumias @dumooffical

they owe their love to my piano, if anything.

Marlene McKinnon @fuckdorks

who are you people

Kasey Winter @therealblizzard

who are YOU?

Dorcas Meadowes @fuckmclovin

don’t pretend you don’t know

Pandora Lestrange @fucklilyevanswithlove

humble to the end, us.

James Potter @jamesprongspotter

Alright. Allow me to rephrase one more time: the rumors are true.

Barty Crouch @fuckroses

Colder, Potter. Colder. How did you get COLDER?

Regulus Black @fuckhockeyplayers

too many concussions, im afraid.

James Potter @jamesprongspotter

excuse me?

[star & moon]

moon: stop dry flirting with james over twitter

star: i was two seconds away from asking who this bastard was

moon: that would be your big brother’s best mate and housemate.

star: they’re twenty-three and still live together?

star: sirius always was a codependent motherfucker

moon: oi!

star: i guess he’s your codependent motherfucker now

star: have fun

moon: cold hearted bastard

star: xx

Remus laughed and looked back at Sirius, who was texting James, screenshots of the Twitter thread in the chat, as Sirius (who was still undeniably blocked from Regulus’ account) couldn’t see it.

Sirius thumbed through it and leaned unthinkingly on Remus’ shoulder. Remus huffed and kissed his head.

“Hm?”

Remus rolled his eyes. “James sending you the screenshots of the Twitter thread. Just… it’s funny.”

Sirius turned and smiled at him. “Is it?”

“I told Reg to unblock you. Now, I think he’s just holding out for the spite of it all.”

A light in Sirius’ eyes dimmed. “Ah.”

“Oh- no-“ Remus backtracked. Stupid. What a stupid thing to say. “No, love, I just meant… he’s, shit. Reg’s a spiteful bastard. Don’t, I mean, he doesn’t like change. There’s a lot of change coming up. I think he’s just holding onto what he’s built for himself for a bit longer.”

Sirius huffed a laugh, which Remus himself would deem as spiteful, knowing both brothers as well as he did. “Yeah. I don’t blame him. I mean… I get it.”

Remus hummed and kissed Sirius’ cheek. “So?”

“So?”

“We have in-flight Wi-Fi. Tell me you’re not about to spend the next ten hours looking up YouTube clips, are you?”

Sirius barked a laugh. “I love you.”

Remus beamed. “I know. But really…” Remus turned in his chair, facing Sirius better. “We should play a game.”

Sirius raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“Of course. I mean, we don’t actually know that much about each other.”

A shrug. “We know what matters.”

“Let me rephrase: I want to play twenty questions, and you’re in love with me, so you have to allow it.”

Sirius grinned and kissed him hard. “Your wish is my command.”

Remus smiled against his lips.

Sirius leaned back and gestured to him. “Okay. First question; shoot.”

“What made you want to play hockey?”

Sirius quirked his head to the side. He took Remus’ hand. “I don’t know. I think if there had been another way for me to survive after leaving home… I don’t know that I’d have gone pro. Or even played for college that one year. It was the only thing I was indisputably good at. But… it was our dad, Orion… he was the hockey star. He got injured in the NHL and spent his entire life grooming Reggie and I to one day go that route. If there was one thing I hated about joining the hockey leagues…” Sirius shook his head. “It would be that I followed in his footsteps. But I also don’t think I see it that way anymore. I made my own little family, like a solace in the league. The Lions are good people. I’ve met tons of amazing players and men in the league. Not everyone is a hockey bastard.”

Remus laughed. “Reg’s Twitter username is fuck hockey players,” he mused. “Mostly because of Orion Black. Secondly, because he once dated this hockey player in college that would always run into him on the ice. The guy ended up being a total prick. Our mates and I spray painted the hedges of his fraternity house.”

Sirius chuckled. “That… that sounds like Reg. And also like you.”

Remus nudged him. “Your turn.”

“Okay. Question two: what was the first song you ever released?”

Remus bit back a smile. “I released an entire album at the same time as my first ever release,” he explained. “Um, but I guess the first one I ever wrote for that album was either Wake Me Up or We Are Young.”

Sirius quirked an eyebrow, a silent question.

Remus rolled his eyes and pulled out his phone, then he played both songs for Sirius, who listened intently and grinned broadly.

“Wake Me Up was like, a personal anthem,” Remus explained once they were both over. “But We Are Young was for my friends. I wrote it back in that first year of college.”

Remus stilled. “Wait. I think I might have actually written Some Nights first…”

Sirius laughed. “I really need to study up on your music.”

Remus flashed him a feral grin. “You’d better, love.”

“Play me Some Nights,” Sirius requested.

Remus kissed his temple and played the song. At the lyrics “I found a martyr in my bed tonight, he stops by bones from wondering just who I am, who I am, who I am,”, Sirius shot Remus a deadpanned look and kissed him hard, swiping his tongue across Remus’ clamped lips, and then pulled back, flashing him a sly smirk as Remus gaped at him.

“Question three,” Sirius told him as the song ended.

Remus shook his head. “You play dirty, Black.”

Sirius winked. “Don’t tell the league.”

Remus laughed and asked, “What’s your favorite color?”

Sirius shot him an incredulous look. “Really?”

“Hey, I want to know!”

Sirius shrugged and looked around, as if refamiliarizing his mind with color options. Then, he looked right into Remus’ eyes and smiled softly. “Amber.”

“Amber,” Remus deadpanned. “And why, pray tell, is it that nondescript color?”

Sirius shrugged. “Your eyes are amber,” he said as if that made all the sense in the world.

Remus blinked. Then, he felt the hot flush creeping up his neck. Sirius chuckled at him, and Remus shoved Sirius’ shoulder. “Incorrigible flirt.”

“You asked.”

“You were supposed to say red or gold or whatever other Lions colors-“

Sirius shook his head, cutting Remus off. “Amber.”

Remus flushed again. “Alright, alright.”

“Question four,” Sirius barreled on, “What’s your favorite meal to make at home?”

Remus blinked. “Oh. Um, I don’t do a lot of cooking. My main courses include pasta, pasta, and sandwiches. But… Pandora Lestrange, the author?” He waited for Sirius’ vauge nod, like he’d heard the name before. “She’s one of my best friends. She’s like, a stellar cook. Her and Dorcas Meadowes. Also, Peter Pettigrew makes a mean meatloaf and lasagna.”

Sirius shook his head in disbelief. “Peter Pettigrew… the singer.”

Remus shrugged. “He’s a good friend of mine.”

Sirius laughed, regarding Remus with prideful eyes. “I love you. Also, I’m proud of you. Who’s Dorcas Meadowes?”

“She’s an artist. An amazing one at that. You’ll probably be meeting her, and Pandora, at Reg’s show. Also, Pete will be there too.”

Sirius ran a hand through his hair. “A lot of first impressions to make.”

Remus waved him off. “They already adore you. Of course, they’re going to act like they don’t. Because, you know. We’re all menaces.”

“I seem to remember someone else acting like they didn’t adore me for a bit-“

Remus cut him off with a deadpan look. “And you see where that got me.”

Sirius chuckled and squeezed his hand.

Remus smiled and squeezed back. “I love you, too. Also, I’m also proud of you.”

Sirius smiled. “Question five.”

Remus rolled his eyes and asked, “What was your first job? If you’ve ever had one other than hockey, that is.”

Sirius shrugged. “I worked at the local grocery store that first year in college. After that, well, the NHL pays pretty well.”

“What did you do?”

“Oh, just cashier. The people loved me.” He winked at Remus.

“I’m sure,” Remus said, and he meant it. He wasn’t sure Sirius could go anywhere and not charm the socks off of the people there.

“Question six,” Sirius went on. “What… what are you looking forward to most about Wales, other than being away from the media?”

Remus considered before he answered. Around them, the gate seats filled with more people. Sirius kept his eyes on Remus’ face, smiling softly. “I think… the sunrises,” Remus decided finally. “I mean, obviously, you. I can’t wait to just… well, you.” Sirius snorted, and Remus went on, “But the sunrises. On the beach, or on the porch… sitting in the flower fields. They’re sure to be overgrown and full of weeds by now, but there’s a lot of them that grow back each summer. I know most of the plots will be empty of actual blooms, with no one there to plant them… but I’m ready for the Welsh sunrises.”

Sirius nodded. “Then so am I.”

Remus smiled at him. “Charmer.”

“Question seven,” Sirius rerouted them again. “Go ahead, love.”

“Earlier,” Remus began, taking Sirius’ other hand. “You didn’t seem to really care about the media attention. But… how do you really feel? About the press. And I don’t just mean the ones in the lobby or whatever. I mean… the leak, the attention on you and Reg, on us, on the team, the hounding you’re going to get even when I’m not in Gryffindor…?”

Sirius leaned back in his airport chair. He looked around, and Remus let him search for his answer.

“I think…” Sirius trailed off, but Remus continued watching him. Sirius dragged his eyes back to Remus’. Ice, cool blue.

“I mean, sure. It sucks. I’m going to be honest about that. But I’ve also been dealing with press since I started in the NHL. Before, even. I did so many interviews and shows growing up…” Sirius shook his head. “I know that they’re poachers. I know that the second someone has a bit more talent than the average population, the public repays them by tracking their every move. And that’s you, Remus. You’re talented, and beautiful, and the press is going to do everything they can to get into your life. And…” Sirius gave him a cocky grin- “I’m in your life now, whether they like it or not.”

Remus grinned and squeezed his hand again.

“So, yeah. It sucks. But if they want to ask me questions about you…if they want me to confirm that you- fucking Remus Lupin- are my lover… well, then that’s not that annoying at all.”

Remus chuckled. “Sirius…”

“It sucks,” Sirius said, reading the tell me the truth look Remus was shooting him. “Of course, it sucks. Of course, it’s a breach of privacy. It’s… vile, really. But, Remus-“ Sirius shook his head- “I’d say it’s worth it. To get you, I get the press and silly fans as well. And I’d say that’s really worth it.”

Remus smiled sadly at him. “I’m still sorry.”

Sirius shook his head. “Don’t be. You didn’t tell them to post that article.” A raised eyebrow. “Unless you did.”

Remus snorted and kissed his cheek.

They boarded the plane between questions seven and eight. As they settled into their international flight- a smaller plane, but the lively bunch of families, college students returning home, and elderly couples, started chatting. It was easy to fall into the rhythm of boarding, with Sirius at his side, chatting up the elderly women behind them. They called him baby. Sirius beamed and shot Remus a look that had Remus jotting that down in his mental notes.

As it was a small international flight, they had lots of space, Sirius spread out on the seat, already lowered all the way down as soon as the plan was in the air, back to the seatback in front of them, legs stretched out, Remus’ hand in his lap as he played with his fingers. Remus just reclined (like a normal person, he told Sirius, who just rolled his eyes) and let Sirius swipe their fingers together.

Once they were settled, Sirius’ eyes glittered. “Question eight.”

Remus chuckled. “Oh, we’re still going?”

“You’re the one that wanted to play twenty questions.”

“You’re strangely dedicated.”

A wink. “I like learning about you.”

Remus’ neck heated. He waved for Sirius to ask away.

“What celebrities should I worry about beating me up now that you’re publicly taken?”

Remus barked a laugh. The two elderly women looked at them. “Is this a way to ask which celebs I’ve slept with?”

Sirius waved his hand, taking Remus’ with it. “Those twins you were texting-“

Remus cut him off with another laugh. “You’re still thinking about that? Sirius, that was weeks ago.”

Sirius narrowed his eyes at him. “Answer the question, Lupin.”

Remus, still grinning, told him, “That was Fabian and Gideon Prewitt. Gid’s an author, runs around to book signings and screen writes with Pandora a lot. Fab’s an-“

“Actor,” Sirius breathed. “He was in that movie we were watching at the time. Oh-“ Sirius shook his head. “That was the joke. That’s why you and Gid were laughing.”

“Barty and Lily were in Endless too,” Remus pointed out. “And Frank. We’re all good friends.”

Sirius leaned his head back and looked at the roof of the plane. “Your life is… wow. You’re surrounded by walking legends.”

Remus chuckled. “I’m a walking legend.”

Sirius winked. “I know.”

“But Fab and I slept together… we were nineteen when we started. Both just getting our feet in the door in our areas. We broke that off sometime when we were twenty- he started dating Benjy, who still gives us shit about sleeping together.” Remus laughed. “But Fab and I were never… together. We just slept together anytime our paths crossed. It was never even anything close to serious. We’d still go out for drinks with our friends and act as friends, because we were. Fab and I are still close too, you know.”

Sirius pursed his lips. “Hmm. Okay. Continue.”

Remus rolled his eyes. “How many names are you expecting?”

“Remus, darling, I love you. But you are far too good with your tongue for it to have only been Fabian Prewitt.”

Remus flushed. He hoped the two women behind them didn’t hear Sirius. From their hushed giggling, he supposed they had. He shot his boyfriend a look. Sirius grinned cheekily.

“I slept around a bit. I’m sure there’s all kinds of speculation articles you could find. But… mostly one-offs. Beginning singers, fans in clubs, friends in the business. I dated this one guy that year in college… he broke up with me, but Barty offered to light his car on fire in front of him, so he’s long gone.

And then there’s Grant Chapman- my secondary school boyfriend. We… I think there was a time when I loved him. A time when he loved me. We broke up when I left for LA. He’s still in Tenby. He looks after my mum’s house. I think he owns half of the coffee shop I used to work at now. He’s married, too-“ Remus added, when he saw Sirius’ raised eyebrow- “so don’t look at me like that. We’re… I think if I’d stayed, he would have been it for me. But I didn’t, and we both grew up. We were seventeen and stupid and we’d grown up together. But… Mum died, and his father started hitting on him, and we just drifted apart. It wasn’t even just me leaving- it was everything.” Remus considered for a moment. “Now that I think about it, I don’t think we would have lasted if I’d stayed in Tenby. But he’s still one of my best friends, even now. Even though I only speak to him maybe once a month. Probably less. He’s come to my international shows before, he’s met my friends. But…” A shrug. “He’s Grant.”

Sirius nodded. “I…” Sirius trailed off. “I’m glad that you have something like that- someone to look back on. I mean, it’s a little grating on my personal pride. Like, I’m going to have to meet the guy. And I probably hate him a little bit just because you used to love him. But… I’m glad that you had that.”

Remus snorted. “It’s alright that you hate him. He’s kind enough that he won’t even care.”

Sirius shrugged. “I’ll still do it.”

“I slept with Marc-Andre Fleury, once,” Remus mused, just to see the look on Sirius’ face.

It proved just what Remus had envisioned- widened eyes, a start of his knees coming up in shock, the gripping of his hand. “You what?”

Remus snorted. “Kidding, love. But- I did sleep with a few other celebrities. Either way, no one’s coming to claw your face off. Except maybe Barty and Evan. Those two…” Remus shook his head. “You’ll have to meet them.”

“Aren’t they dating?”

“Oh, yeah, they are.” Remus nodded. “Very much in love. But Evan still offers to make out with me every time I have a show, just to stop the marriage proposals. I only take him up on it every now and then.”

Sirius groaned and buried his face in his hands. Remus laughed. He leaned close and whispered into Sirius’ ear; “You’re a much better kisser, baby.”

Sirius eyes widened, and he shuffled in his seat, shooting Remus a look that promised he was going to be demolished later. Remus gestured around, at the ten-hour flight ahead of them.

Remus took the next question. “Who is your celebrity crush?”

Sirius eyed him. “Trick question? You, obviously.”

Remus shook his head, laughing. “No, I- other than me, love.”

Sirius considered. “I don’t know that I have one.”

“Let me rephrase- an athlete you look up to professionally but would also allow to crawl into your bed.”

Sirius huffed. “Well, not anymore, obviously,” he began, scanning Remus’ body with his eyes. It was an effort not to squirm. “But… I always looked up to Finn’s older brother, Alex. Wouldn’t have refused if he wanted to do a friends with benefits thing, either.”

“Alex O’Hara,” Remus agreed, having seen enough photo’s of Finn O’Hara’s older brother this summer to have his own opinion.

Sirius’ grin was almost sinful. “But now I have you.”

Remus squeezed his hand. “Now you have me.”

Next, Sirius asked Remus what his most embarrassing moment was Hands down, Remus decided, it was Regulus Black walking in on Remus Lupin hooking up with a random college student back in the first three weeks of knowing each other and sharing an apartment. Since then, worse things had happened (waking up naked with Lily, Dorcas, and Barty with no explanation when they were twenty; slipping headfirst into a fountain while drunk and Pandora was recording; trying to speak Italian with Marlene in Florence while they were on tour; accidentally lighting his clothes on fire on a separate occurrence than Barty, but still at a house party in LA). But those worse things happened after that initial shell had been broken by his group of friends. Now, the most embarrassing thing to other people would probably be a daily occurrence to them.

Sirius had laughed at the story. How Remus described Reg’s cheeks getting red enough to match the throw pillows, how he’d stuttered and left the apartment altogether as soon as he’d arrived. It wasn’t Remus’ fault they’d gotten frisky on the couch. They just had.

“You’re a rouge,” Sirius decided. Remus shrugged.

Remus then asked about Sirius’ most embarrassing hookup story, in which he learned that once, Sirius had called out another person’s name during sex and the other man hadn’t even batted an eye, but Sirius had been mortified. He’d never texted him back.

Remus had laughed. The elderly women behind them giggled, too. Sirius grinned at them all.

For the twelfth question, Sirius asked Remus if he’d ever crushed on Regulus.

Remus busted out laughing, saw the look on Sirius’ face, tried to contain himself, and then just laughed harder.

“No,” Remus said through his laughs. “No. I mean, I know it sounds hokey, but we were always just… friends. Close ones. I mean, he’s like my brother. He, Barty, and Evan… we’re our own little Lions team. Barty and Evan always liked each other. Reg and I… I mean, Cas tried to get us together once, when we were younger. But it was never in the cards. I always saw him as a brother. Once, while drunk, he told me he’d date me for my looks but not for my personality. That man has seen me at my absolute worst- and I mean he’s carried me home wasted, seen me in my panic attacks after shows, I think once he even cleaned up my vomit when I had the flu. Even though he vowed to never do it again. And I’ve seen him at his worst, too. But… no. Never that. Not with each other.” He smiled softly at Sirius and reached his free hand over to run a thumb across the other man’s jawline. “He’s got the looks, of course. Looks a lot like you. But… you’re not the same person at all. And yeah, I love Reg. I love you. But not in the same way. I think from the moment I met you, I knew I’d end up sleeping with you. I didn’t plan on falling in love… but, hey, happy accidents, right?”

Sirius laughed. Remus continued. “When I met Reg… there was none of that. I mean, I knew we’d be good friends. But I didn’t even envision sleeping with him. The media likes to pair us up. But… I’ve made out with him before, actually, on dares or drinking games. And we always laugh right after. Because that’s what it always was- a joke. So, no, I never crushed on Reg. Unless you count saving all of the thirst traps fans make of him and sending them to him to be annoying.”

Sirius laughed again. He shook his head, as if clearing thoughts away. “I don’t know what to do with the information that you’ve made out with my little brother, but… well, I won’t lie and say I knew it. I know how close you two are. I wasn’t sure if there had ever been any… lingering feelings.”

So, in turn, for question thirteen, Remus asked if Sirius had ever crushed on James. The reaction was about the same.

“James thinks Reggie is pretty,” Sirius told him, like this was a secret. “And I’m not really sure what to do with that information.”

“Regulus texted me after that Twitter foreplay and said, and I quote-“ Remus pulled out his phone to read Reg’s message- “I was two seconds away from asking who this bastard was.”

Sirius chuckled. “I think… I think you and James have been better brothers to Regulus and I than we ever were to each other.”

Remus softened and kissed Sirius’ cheek. “You two never had the option of being good to each other, love. But now you do.”

Sirius smiled softly at him and nodded.

For question fourteen, Sirius asked how Remus was expecting long distance to work for the two of them. It made sense- Remus wasn’t going to pack up and move to Gryffindor, even if it was a haven and beautiful. Sirius couldn’t move to LA, not with his Lions loyalty and entire job being in Gryffindor. And, even if Remus liked to ignore it, LA made his job a lot easier.

Remus told Sirius he hadn’t really considered it. For the fifteenth question, Remus cashed in on asking Sirius the same question, and they had a discussion about video calls and visits to each other. During the hockey season, which spanned October to June (May, if the Lions didn’t make playoffs), Sirius really couldn’t leave for too long. Weekends, at most. Remus told him that was fine. Remus could easily take two weeks or so to visit Gryffindor at a time. His job was dependent on him, really. Unless he was touring, which with his new album coming up (that Sirius complained about still not being allowed to listen to), a tour was eminent.

So, video calls and quick visits for the time being. Both of them knew it would be difficult. They’d get fed up with it, they’d miss each other, especially after a summer of spending almost every waking moment with each other. But they were both dedicated to seeing it through.

“I have no intention of losing you because of a little distance,” Sirius told him. Remus just kissed him hard.

Question sixteen belonged to Sirius, and he asked Remus what his favorite flower was.

Remus laughed. “I… I don’t really have a favorite. There are flowers I am adamantly against…” he considered, thinking of the flowers his mother had disliked enough for it to carry over into Remus’ psyche. Flowers that were menaces to grow, flowers that were oversold and overdone, flowers that didn’t last long. He smiled at Sirius, “Roses. I am not a fan of roses. Or baby’s breath. I mean, why do roses and baby’s breath with thinks like delphinium, Queen Ann’s Lace, and ranunculus exist? I can’t name one person I know that enjoys a standard roses and baby’s breath arrangement.”

Sirius laughed. “Who’d have thought floral people would be so petty?”

“Roses are overdone,” Remus admonished. “I mean, garden roses are beautiful. Victorian roses are stunning. But… standard roses? Ew.”

Sirius took his hand again and twirled their fingers together. “Noted. Tulips?”

“Why tulips?” Remus asked, cocking his head to the side.

“Dunno. That’s James’ mom’s favorite.”

“Your extensive knowledge of floral surprises me,” Remus deadpanned.

Sirius laughed, a good, hearty laugh. He asked the ladies behind them what their favorite flowers were. They answered with hydrangea and, in a surprising answer, one of them said she adored bells of Ireland, even though they weren’t technically flowers. This led to a debate between Remus and the two elderly women about the overuse of roses.

“If the giver just put a little thought into the flowers,” one of the women said with distaste, “we wouldn’t have so many young people feeling adored by being handed roses and baby’s breath.”

“Right?” Remus agreed, pointing at her and shooting Sirius a I told you so look. Sirius just kissed his cheek.

Once Remus and the ladies had finished their discussion, Remus turned to Sirius and asked, “What game this coming season are you most nervous about? Or… what team are you nervous about?”

Sirius considered this. “One,” he said, holding up a finger, “I don’t like to call it nerves. That suggest fright as well.” Remus’ lips quirked up. “Two,” Sirius continued, “I guess the question would be what team are serious contenders, or something like that. But… the answer is definitely the Slytherin Snakes. Their captain-“ Sirius shuddered- “Severus Snape. Nasty bastard. My second season, he got a bad hit on me and knocked me out for the rest of the season. The guys were livid. Of course, we knocked the Snakes out both seasons since then. We got the Cup last year. But… the Snakes are always a worry. Them, or the New York Rangers. Finn’s big brother plays for them, and they’re always a tough game. A fun game, don’t get me wrong. They’re great guys. But definitely tough to beat.”

Remus nodded. “I heard about the hit when you played the Snakes,” he admitted. “I was actually watching the game.”

Sirius raised a brow at him. “Oh?”

“Well, my mates were all over at Reg’s. He was watching it, and Evan was making dinner for everyone, and me and him were sitting on the couch when you got hit. Reg was…” Remus trailed off, letting himself chuckle for a second. “He was pissed. Angry that player hadn’t been tossed from the game. He ranted about it for hours, until stuffed his face with pasta and he shut up.”

Sirius barked a laugh, held it back for a second, and laughed again. “He did?”

Remus shrugged. “What can I say? I think he’s watched every game.”

Sirius beamed at him. Then, question eighteen, Sirius asked, “Do you think our worlds are colliding?”

Remus smiled at him. “Absolutely. That’s okay, right?”

Sirius shrugged. “I mean, obviously, yes. I want to meet your friends and… everyone important to you. You’ve already met all of mine. But… it’s just strange. Because, you know… everyone you know is so... extravagant.”

Remus smiled softly. “We aren’t extravagant when it’s just us,” he told Sirius softly.

Sirius squeezed his hand again. “I’m not worried about it. It’s just strange, because I know you’ll all have these famous people problems that I won’t understand on a personal level. Like this- the media thing. The leak about us. That… hit you really hard, love. I just want to be able to understand all the issues when they happen and not have to have them explained to me so I understand why it makes you upset.”

Remus tilted his head. “Sirius…”

“I’m not-“ Sirius stopped and ran a hand down his face. “I’m not weirded out by it. I’m excited, really, to meet everyone. I don’t even know who your closest friends are. But I also know I could just Google it. Which… it a little strange.”

Remus smiled sadly at him. “I’m… I can’t change that, darling.”

“I know,” Sirius assured him. “I’m not asking you to. It’s just unreal to go from not really knowing anything about you to realizing the whole world practically knows who you are. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, I’m just saying it’s…”

“Strange?” Remus finished for him.

Sirius huffed a laugh. “Yeah.”

“I’m going to be totally honest, all of my mates are coming to the show,” Remus admitted to him. “So… good luck. Because I know you think we’re some phenomenal people that are totally worthy of media attention and fame, but I’ve seen most of those people fall asleep in bathtubs and also, Dorcas told me that the shovel talk she’s prepared for you is intense.”

Sirius grinned. “I’ll sit through it, don’t worry.”

For question nineteen, Remus sucked in a breath and asked the question that had been banging around in his head for the entire game: “What… what do you want to know most about Reg?”

Sirius stilled, and looked at Remus for a moment. Just their eyes resting together. Then, Sirius asked in a quiet voice, “Is… is he happy?”

Remus’ heart swelled. He could feel small tears in his eyes. “Yeah,” he choked out. “He- yeah, cariad. He’s happy.”

Sirius nodded. “That’s all I need to know.”

Remus kissed him.

Question twenty, Sirius asked him, “What’s your biggest turn off?”

Remus laughed and told him it was hockey players. Sirius just covered Remus’ face with his hands, both of them cracking up.

Remus fell asleep on Sirius’ knee, their hands intertwined, as Sirius talked with the ladies behind them. Sirius was still facing backwards, legs stretched out in the seat in front of him. Remus had simply removed the arm rest and laid out across his legs. Sirius had one hand in Remus’ and the other in his boyfriend’s hair.

“Who are you?” One of the ladies asked eventually.

Sirius blinked at her. “Um…”

“I don’t mean to pry,” she assured him, squinting. “But this boy here looks familiar. And I overheard the two of you talking earlier, and I was just wondering what two famous people ended up on our flight.”

Sirius thought for a moment. He didn’t want to give Remus’ name and have these two ladies, no matter how kind they were, end up alerting the press where they were heading. See? Sirius could think about the media. He was aces at it.

“If you don’t mind,” he muttered, “I’d rather not-“

“Oh, that’s absolutely alright,” she beamed at him. “Absolutely fine.”

After a while, Remus smiled sleepily up at him. “Not napping?”

“I’m still riding an adrenaline high,” Sirius deadpanned, “after having to chase the love of my life out the door this morning and get to his house before he left.”

Remus flushed. “Sorry, love.”

Sirius grinned. “I’m messing with you. But I do think I’m still riding that terror, if we’re being truthful.”

Remus cringed. “Well… sorry?”

Sirius leaned down and kissed him. “Runaway bride, but make it the hot, tattooed superstar that I fell in love with in a month, and make it not a wedding.”

Remus laughed. “Sure, Sirius.”

Remus pulled out a book and started reading, head still in Sirius’ lap. Sirius kept stroking his hair, and pulled out his phone, accessing the flight’s WiFi to scroll through his socials. It was as bad as Remus suspected: The Black Brother’s Feud, The Star-Crossed Lovers (a good pun, in Sirius’ opinion, considering he and Reg were both named for stars. He wasn’t sure that writer had even known he was making a pun). There were pictures of Remus making out with some guy at a club that Sirius quickly thumbed past. He knew Remus had a past, but he didn’t like staring at it. They both had… frivolous backgrounds when it came to dating. It wasn’t anything to be ashamed of, so Sirius wasn’t sure why the papers found it important to make Remus feel bad about ever having even touched another man before Sirius.

“Whatcha reading?” Remus asked eventually.

“Twitter,” Sirius said, shifting his phone so he could look down at Remus.

Remus frowned. “How bad is it?”

Sirius looked to his phone and read out, “Is this official confirmation that Remus Lupin and Regulus Black are not married, as previously thought?”

“Ah, shit,” Remus said, feigning shock. “They caught us.”

Sirius laughed and kissed Remus’ hand. “I love you.”

“Love you, too,” Remus hummed. “You know, you’re allowed to Google him,” he told Sirius. “There’s a shit ton of edits on TikTok. Just search The Skittles.”

“The Skittles?” Sirius laughed. “What?”

“Well,” Remus said, turning a bit so his cheek was pressed into Sirius’ thigh. He set his book down in his lap. “I’m not going to tell you about Reg. But that doesn’t stop you from looking us up.”

Sirius looked at his phone for a moment. “TikTok, you said?” He asked, but he looked down at Remus, who had his eyes closed. He faked a lousy snore and Sirius laughed, returning to carding his fingers through his hair and opened the app.

It was surreal, watching edits of Remus. He should have looked Regulus up first, he knew that. But he’d slipped on his headphones when Remus was truly asleep and the first thing he’d searched for was Remus Lupin.

Which, in turn, Sirius had to admit, showed a lot of Regulus, too. Tags like #skittles and #lupinextreme filled his TikTok feed. There were edits to songs Sirius realized were Remus’, edits to music from the 70s, and photos from Remus’ college days all the way until now. There was an interview video of Remus, Regulus, and another woman laughing as they explained a memory between them: a post-party mishap that had resulted in the woman, Marlene’s, bank calling to ask if her card had been hacked.

“But the eight of us got a fully-funded trip to Italy, with all the excursions,” Regulus said, shrugging, and the pretty blonde woman shoved him out of his chair. The video cut to black as Remus laughed his ass off.

There was a video of Remus at a premiere for the very movie the guys had all watched at his rental home; Endless. It was Remus stepping out of a limousine and reaching back into the car to help Regulus out, the two of them linking their arms together, and stepping in perfect time with each other and the beat added over the video. Remus looked… well, let’s just say Sirius’ mouth went dry. Remus looked very good in red.

Another video, posted by someone with a blue check next to their profile with a name Sirius recognized: Peter Pettigrew. It was a video of Remus in swim trunks, a red-haired man next to him. Remus was arguing with the camera holder about something when the other man tackled him off the side of the cliff. Sirius stared as the camera raced forward, the filmer laughing, and showed both of them plummeting into the ocean. The caption read: re wasn’t a fan of cliff jumping in greece, so fab just had to tackle him.

Fab. Fabian Prewitt. The guy Remus had slept with for a while. This video was posted from just a few months ago- April. It would have been long after Fabian and Remus stopped sleeping together. But Remus was right- they were still friends.

A video posted by Frank Longbottom, from the filming set of Endless. Remus and a woman on set, laughing in cheap superhero costumes as the badgered Lily Evans and Barty Crouch, two of the stars in the movie. The camera flipped to who Sirius assumed was Frank, deadpan expression as he said, “The Skittles have descended upon our set. Send help.” Then reckless laughter as the camera flipped back around and showed Remus collapsed atop Lily Evans with a spilled milkshake between them.

An edit of Remus in paparazzi photos; him smoking while walking down the street, Remus with an arm tossed around a dark-skinned woman, him drinking a Redbull outside a café, Remus and Regulus flipping off the paparazzi together.

Then, an edit that was all about Regulus and Remus. The song chirped out at Sirius… he watched this one at least six times.

When we were young we were the ones
The kings and queens oh yeah, we ruled the world
We smoked cigarettes, man, no regrets
Wish I could relive every single word

A video of Remus and Regulus in college, performing on the side of a building, laughing and tossing drumsticks between each other. There were others sitting with them- that Marlene woman, Lily Evans, Barty Crouch, the dark-skinned woman, another man, and another blonde woman. All were stomping their feet and singing along.

We've taken different paths
And travelled different roads
I know we'll always end up on the same one when we're old
And when you're in the trenches
And you're under fire I will cover you

Short clips here: Remus and Regulus dancing at a wedding, the two of them being interviewed together, a video someone took of them on a flight, arguing about a book held between them. There was a video of Regulus pointing at Remus’ shoes and crinkling his nose in distaste. Clips of them at an award show.

If I was dying on my knees
You would be the one to rescue me
And if you were drowned at sea
I'd give you my lungs so you could breathe

Short clips here, too: Remus catching Regulus as he tripped over something, Regulus saying something into a microphone with fire in his eyes, Remus beaming from the audience. The two of them performing a duet.

I've got you brother-er-er-er
I've got you brother-er-er-er
I've got you brother-er-er-er
I've got you brother-er-er-er

Then, to finish it off, a slow motion clip of them: Regulus, standing stone-faced by the exit doors of an airport as Remus ran for him, an ironic sleep-pillow attached to his neck. Remus jumped on Reg, making him fall down and wrap his arms around the other man. Then the video faded to black.

Sirius watched a lot of these as Remus napped, and then, finally, he put on some of Remus’ music, set his phone down, leaned his head back, and went to sleep.

[skittles]

strange: i have officially finished my editing process for Living with the Undead! v excited about this one, loves.

evan(s): oh dora! that’s amazing! so proud.

dork: oh PANDORA MY LOVE THAT’S GRAND

baby black: that’s stellar, dora. i can’t wait to read it!

barted: i have been summoned by reg’s use of an exclamation point. what’s happening?

barted: OH

barted: PANDORA

barted: YOU ROCKSTAR OF A HUMAN BEING

mclovin: i feel everyone has summed up our love for our amazing author, but i need to make my love shown as well, so: xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

tulip: she’s a fucking force to be reckoned with.

tulip: watch out world, pandora lestrange is literally running over you

strange: thank you everyone :)

barted: remus, being on a ten hour international flight does not allow you to NOT comment on dora’s success.

romulus: ….

romulus: PANDORA

romulus: i’m going to marry you one day.

baby black: ???

strange: oh, that’s grand remus!

mclovin: dora could pretend re was some long lost film star and re could pretend dora is tall, dark, and handsome

romulus: xxxxx

barted: im living for that image.

evan(s): dora, did you tackle all of the bells and whistles as well? acknowledgements, synopsis, dedication? or are you waiting for your publisher’s review?

strange: oh no, all of that is done.

barted: Language of Flowers is still my favorite dedication yet, by the way.

tulip: that’s because that’s the only one that mentioned you by name, asshole

baby black: i quite liked the dedication on Dread, Drinking, and other Valuable Things.

baby black: “to all those that dread drinking, and to all the dreadful drinkers”.

dork: there are two types of people in the world.

strange: that’s not what you were supposed to get out of that dedication

mclovin: they know

romulus: do we get a preview of the dedication like we did last time?

strange: no

strange: this one’s really important

baby black: oh?

[LiOnS!]

nado: so it turns out

nado: that cap is dating an internationally famous rockstar.

nado: who’da thunk

HARZY: is that sass i detect, nado?

nado: an internationally famous rockstar

nado: who has just accepted the bid

nado: to OPEN FOR REGULUS BLACK AT THE SHOW!

potty: shut UP

potty: where did you hear that?

nado: i ran into amber from PR on my way out of the rink this morning

kuny: you went to the rink?

knutty: oop

tremzy: MOONY IS GOING TO PERFORM FOR US?

talker: thank god i think ill sell my soul to see that man perform.

bliz: he’s still watching Remus Lupin TV

dumo: so am i

HARZY: so am i

potty: so am i

knutty: we’re impossible.

captain padfoot: don’t worry, boys

captain padfoot: im still watching remus lupin tv, too

potty: CAP

kuny: he lives

dumo: your boy is right next to you

dumo: and you’re watching his youtube clips?

captain padfoot: *photo*

captain padfoot: he’s asleep

captain padfoot: so, ssshhhhh

HARZY: cap

HARZY: you’re fucking whipped

talker: aren’t we all?

talker: *photo*

tremzy: what are you doing with my sister

tremzy: i didn’t even know she was in town

tremzy: wtf noelle

bliz: oh, yeah, we’re all whipped

bliz: *photo*

HARZY: first, how did you get to New York so quick? we literally saw you like, seven hours ago??

HARZY: second, why are you and nat at dinner with my big brother

dumo: it’s starting.

knutty: *photo*

tremz: payback bitches

potty: okay so i don’t have anything to contribute to the couples photos, but i would like to say one thing

talker: go for it, potty

potty: cap?

captain padfoot: oh god

potty: your brother is one beautiful fucker

captain padfoot: kill me now

HARZY: EEYYY

dumo: THAT

dumo: was not one i saw coming

captain padfoot: james, you told me that first time re came out with us that you thought reg was pretty. do you remember that?

potty: don’t remember, also not surprised.

potty: i’ve kind of always thought regulus black was pretty

knutty: can someone…

knutty: can someone PLEASE tell me he’s kidding

tremz: regulus black IS pretty, baby

knutty: not what i meant

bliz: boys

bliz: we have a new mission

bliz: operation Captain Moony is complete

captain padfoot: what the fuck

bliz: it’s time for operation…

HARZY: black potty?

nado: jeg.

dumo: fuck hockey players

bliz: dumo, what?

dumo: that’s his twitter handle.

dumo: @fuckhockeyplayers

talker: OPERATION FUCK HOCKEY PLAYERS IS A GO

tremz: love fuckin hockey players

HARZY: awh, baby, stawp

knutty: …

knutty: one day, im going to break up with them.

potty: no, you won’t

tremz: no, you won’t

bliz: no, you won’t

HARZY: bring it, babe.

Chapter Text

Remus woke up with two hours left in the flight to Sirius’ knee jerking at a spot of turbulence.

“Shit, Moons, I’m sorry!” Sirius hissed in the silence of the dark, sleepy plane. He threaded his fingers into Remus’ hair. “Shh, love, go back to sleep.”

Remus blinked. “Oh.”

Sirius’ face appeared above his. The other man must have leaned forward to look directly down at him. “Oh?”

“Moons?” Remus asked, a sleepy smile slipping onto his face.

Sirius blinked. “Have I not called you that before?”

“I don’t-“ Remus swallowed, his throat impossibly dry- “I don’t think so.”

“Is it…?”

“It’s really fucking cute,” Remus whispered, like it was a secret.

Sirius chuckled. “Oh, I adore you.”

Remus flashed him a smile. He took Sirius’ hand from his hair and clasped it on his chest. “Have you not rested?”

Sirius cocked his head to the side before leaning down to place a gentle kiss on Remus’ nose. “I did. Woke up about twenty minutes ago. Well, I watched a shit ton of edits of you for about an hour before I fell asleep.”

Remus flushed. “Oh, Christ. What kind of edits?”

“The tantalizing kind,” Sirius said, straight-faced.

Remus narrowed his eyes. “…Thirst-traps…?”

“Nah.” Sirius waved him off. “Don’t need a thirst-trap when I already have your tattoos practically memorized.” Remus pinched his finger for that one. Sirius grinned that Cheshire Cat grin. “But, that red number you wore to the Endless premier? I’d love to see that again. Preferably on your floor.”

Remus let out a breathless laugh. “Oh, love. And here I was thinking that Black #12 jersey I bought the other day would be the highlight of the trip.”

It was Sirius’ turn to flush a deep crimson. “You did what now?”

Remus winked tiredly. “’m not sure you heard me right.”

Sirius let out a tortured sound. “Fucks sake.”

Remus hummed in agreement. “It’s a bit big on me, too,” he whispered. Rubbed his chin. “I wonder-“

“Stop, I beg of you.” Sirius leaned back and hit his head on the seat behind him. Remus shuffled so he could peer at Sirius through his lashes, head still in his lap. His boyfriend continued, “I’m never going to get that image out of my head.”

“Good.” Remus accompanied this statement with a squeeze of their joined hands. “Love you,” he added softly.

Sirius smiled down at him. “Love you too, Moons.”

They didn’t fall back asleep in the two hours remaining. They just whispered back and forth to each other about whatever struck them. Remus sat up and Sirius maneuvered so he could lean on his shoulder. At one point, they tiredly kissed for about ten minutes before realizing that literally anyone could wake up and catch them… well, not quite making out, but something close to it. Sirius giggled into Remus’ hair. They shared earbuds to watch Zootopia, but it was more background noise as they continued their conversation and traded smiles.

When they landed, Sirius sighed gratefully. “I love you, Moons, but I really fucking want off this plane,” he whispered into Remus’ ear.

Remus flicked his nose, then kissed it.

Deplaning and finding their baggage was a breeze, and Minnie had been such a kind soul in renting a car ahead of time, which made Remus’ life so much easier, considering he had an overgrown child in the shape of an NHL captain stuck to his body. They each got a small coffee immediately from an all-night café three blocks from the airport, then Sirius made Remus switch him, and Remus settled into the passenger seat as Sirius drove them the hour from Swansea to Tenby up the coast.

Sirius demanded that they play only music by people Remus personally knew, and Remus demanded that they play none of his own. So, as Sirius tapped the steering wheel with his thumb and kept one of Remus’ own hands in his own (sometimes resting it on the console, sometimes holding it to his mouth, which cause strange flutters in Remus’ body that he would probably need checked by a doctor), Remus controlled the Bluetooth.

He settled for Marlene’s second album for a while, talking to Sirius about crazy things they’d all gotten up to on the release day. After a bit, he played Pete’s latest hits, and Sirius asked him about cliff jumping in Greece, because apparently, TikTok enjoyed showing Sirius all of Remus’ worst moments (such as being tackled off a cliff by Fabian Prewitt).

“You looked so hot in those trunks, by the way,” Sirius interjected as Remus explained the trip.

Remus flushed, but this time, he brought Sirius’ hand to his lips.

And the whole thing was just so freeing: talking about his life with Sirius, Sirius driving down the dark coastline that Remus still knew so well, sipping hot lattes at 10 p.m.

They made it to Tenby faster than Remus was ready. At this point, they’d had such a day: the ‘runaway bride’ incident, as Sirius dubbed it, two hours in the airport in Gryffindor, ten hours on the plane, the hour it took to deplane, get their baggage, and the car, and then the hour in the car… Remus had slept most of the day, and still, he wanted to collapse, despite the coffee.

Remus turned down the music as they pulled into town.

Sirius glanced over at Remus, who was squeezing his hand now but looking out the passenger window, despite the darkness that bathed his hometown. The music was now so low he had to strain to hear it.

Sirius hummed and kissed Remus’ palm again, which was becoming one of his favorite pastimes.

Remus glanced over at him. His eyes were soft, and he looked exhausted, though Sirius figured he did, too.

“It’s just… strange,” Remus offered.

“I know, darling,” Sirius said softly. The directions to Remus’ mother’s home were already guiding Sirius to the house, but Remus pointed out the signs to him anyway.

When they pulled into the circle drive, Sirius grieved that the sun wasn’t shining. The darkness probably helped Remus, who was staring at the house barely shining in the moonlight. But Sirius wanted to see the place that had built Remus from the ground-up. He wanted to see the overgrown flower fields and the seaside.

They sat in the car for a moment. Sirius let Remus gather his thoughts.

“Alright,” Remus said into the silence. “Let’s… let’s settle in, love.”

Sirius opened his door only after Moony did, following his lead. He got their two duffels out of the backseat and stepped up to where Remus was leaning on a porch post, staring at the front door.

“Can you…” Remus handed him the key, dangling from his usual set. Sirius hadn’t realized Remus always carried it with him. “Can you open it?” He asked almost silently.

Sirius kissed his temple. “Of course, Moons.”

He set the bags down and slid the key into the lock. Remus leaned into his side, taking a deep breath of the crisp night and ocean air.

Sirius could smell the flowers, too.

Sirius turned the doorknob and opened the door, leaned down to pick up the bags, then switched them to one hand so he could take Remus’ own.

“Alright?” He asked quietly, stroking Remus’ hand with his thumb.

“It looks the exact same,” Remus admitted. “It even smells the exact same. I don’t know why I thought…” he swallowed hard. “I guess everything else in my life has changed, and I just… I thought something about this place would be different, too.”

Sirius smiled sadly at him. “I think… I think there’s something beautiful about the fact that it hasn’t changed, Remus. It’s a constant. You can always return to it.”

Remus smiled at him. “Thank you.”

Sirius grinned. Remus tugged him over the threshold.

Remus led him to his own bedroom, turning on a light and laughing wetly. Sirius stared around the space- the first room he’d even been in that was truly Remus Lupin’s space. There were posters on the wall and books scattered around, an old guitar set leaning on the wall. There was a small nook filled with fossils and rocks that Remus must have collected, and then a jar filled with perfect shells. Papers pulled from journals and stapled to the walls- songs that Remus had written when he was young. Sirius wanted to inspect every inch of the place.

They set the bags down in the corner and then changed into old t-shirts and their boxers. There was something about Moony in this domesticity, even though they’d had plenty of domestic moments. Moony, naked as he slipped an old band shirt over his head and pulled a pair of Sirius’ boxers onto his body. Moony, hair tousled and looking around his teenage bedroom. Moony, smiling sleepily at Sirius as he did the same.

Remus tugged him in and kissed him gently. “I’ll show you the rest of the house in the morning,” he promised. He flipped off the light. “Right now…” He pulled Sirius to the bed. “Gracious, I just want to lay down with you.”

“Hmm.” Sirius kissed his nose as they fell onto the mattress. “As long as I get a coffee in the morning, I don’t care.”

Remus huffed a laugh. “We’re going to need to go out for groceries, love.”

“Your old shop, then,” Sirius bargained.

Remus rolled his eyes. “My wish is your command,” he mimicked from Sirius’ own statement this morning. Sirius beamed. He shuffled under the covers. “These smell freshly washed.”

“I texted Grant that I would be staying for a while,” Remus admitted. Then, he rolled his eyes again. “Bastard probably got Marcus and came in today to clean everything up, even though I know they come over here once a month.”

“Marcus?”

“His husband,” Remus supplied.

“Hmm,” Sirius kissed his nose again. “Well, I’m supposed to be hating Grant Chapman. You’re just describing a saint to me. Stop making me like him,”

Moony laughed. “He’s just a kind soul, Sirius.”

“Don’t care,” Sirius sing-songed.

Remus shoved his face back. Then, he climbed across Sirius’ body and straddled him. Remus hummed into his neck, and Sirius’ hands found their own way to his waist.

“Oh?” Sirius asked, already a little breathless.

“I know I said I just want to lay with you,” Remus mused, “but I would also very much like to state that I am in love with you, and no matter how tired I am right now, I still would like to make out with you at least once today.”

Sirius laughed. “Fais de ton pire mon amour,” he challenged.

Remus, who knew French because of Regulus’ use of the language anytime he got excited or upset, which was apparently often (Remus’ words, not Sirius’), responded, “Merde, Sirius, ne me tente pas.”

“God,” Sirius breathed as Remus began running his open mouth along Sirius’ throat. He tilted his head up to allow Remus under his jaw. “Fuck. Please be tempted, Moons.”

A breath punched from Remus’ mouth, ghosting over Sirius’ skin, and Sirius flipped them quickly, burying Remus in a pile of blankets as he connected their lips.

It was a flurry of tongue and teeth for a long while, until Sirius got his fingers under the waistband of Remus’ boxers and slipped them off.

“Fuck,” Remus breathed, “fuck, baby.”

Sirius moaned. “Oh, merde, Remus.”

“Like that?” Remus pulled back and smirked up at him. “Didn’t notice.”

“God, I about jumped you on the plane,” Sirius admitted. Remus reached forward and pulled Sirius’ own boxers down, immediately wrapping his warm hand around Sirius’ cock.

“Shit,” was all Sirius could manage before Remus eased him onto his back to begin working at Sirius’ hardness and mouthing his way down his throat again, which turned Sirius into a man of no words but many sounds.

Their first time, Sirius realized, had only been the night before. Or perhaps, in this time zone, two nights ago. But in Sirius’ mind, it was the last time he and Remus had shared a bed, just last night, even though this day had seemed to stretch on forever.

Sirius had fucked Moony just last night- and it had been all hands gripping hips and punched-out moans and tongues on throats. It had been messy and dirty and they had been laughing. They’d made a mess on Remus’ toned stomach.

This time, Sirius decides, just the next night, is entirely different but also not, at the same time.

There isn’t any laughing. There’s no gripping or scratching or biting. It’s just them, in this old bed that has Remus’ teenage sheets on it, and it’s Remus sliding a firm hand along Sirius’ stomach. It’s lips pressed together, tongues dancing, and soft smiles. It’s light kisses along necks and shoulders and fingers that work Sirius slowly, beautifully, wondrously.

It's Remus pushing into Sirius with a low groan, and Sirius fisting the sheets, and it’s the slow and glorious way Remus moves his hips and angles himself as Sirius moans, “There, Moons. Oh.”

It’s nothing like the first time. If Sirius were reading a book, it’s actually exactly the kind of first time he figures runaway princes and lifelong loves should have. But that’s not them, and they’ve never done anything slowly, but still- it’s beautiful. Sirius cries a little when he comes, and Remus is pressing kisses to the trailing tears and thrusting into him, fucking him through it, his fingers finding Sirius’ in the sheets.

They fall asleep in a jumble of sheets and tangled limbs, Remus with his face pressed into Sirius’ neck and Sirius’ nose in Remus’ hair, and they both wonder why they even bothered to put on clothes.

“You’re mine,” Sirius whispers into his hair. “For fucking ever.”

Remus hums out the words, “I love you; ain’t that the worst thing you ever heard?”, and he looks up blearily at Sirius as his eyes slip closed.

Sirius adores the way the words sound like a song, like their song, like something that Remus could sing to millions but still say in private to him. So, he grins, and kisses his Moony’s nose.

“You,” Sirius tells him, “are the absolute worst idea I’ve ever had.”

He feels the ghost of a kiss on his neck.

The ghosts that hovered around Remus when they arrived seem to be gone the next morning, when he wakes Sirius up with a kiss and a smack on the ass before leading Sirius to the kitchen, where they stare out the big bay windows overlooking the flower fields and the land that Remus inherited, both of them butt-ass naked. Remus stares, but he no longer looks haunted moving through this home- he looks well-rested and ready, recharged in a way Sirius has yet to see. Sirius stands behind him and wraps his arms around Moony’s waist, tucking his chin onto the shorter man’s shoulder. Remus puts his hands over Sirius’ and begins to hum.

They stand like that until they both realize they need coffee.

They don’t drive to the shop, even though it’s a forty-five minute walk each way. They both want to smell the fresh air and, for Sirius’ part, he wants to listen to all of Remus’ stories and hold his hand as they walk.

He has priorities.

So, they do just that. They each pull on relaxed jeans that Remus cuffs for them both, Sirius puts on the New Balance sneakers he got for his birthday from Harzy last year, Remus tugs on a brown pair of lace-up boots that look so broken in he might as well have had them since childhood, and they each throw on one of Regulus’ tops (Sirius, an old band tee and Remus, a sweater with the words “Christ had John, and I have George”- King James I embroidered on it, and Sirius laughs for a whole minute before Remus shuts him up with a kiss).

Sirius, according to his boyfriend, should not find the sweaters that his brother apparently hand-embroiders that hilarious.

They walk, hand in hand, down the old, paved road toward town. The house is situated at the top of a hill, overlooking the harbor and the flower fields, and it’s sort of all alone. But further down the road is a house Remus points out as his neighbors, and some people that are outside even come over to hug him and gush about how long it’s been since he’s been in town. Sirius stands to the side, not awkwardly, but just watching. Watching the elderly people that embrace his Moons, the children that Remus used to babysit coming forward with their parents and waving awkwardly, and the people Remus’ age that ask if they want to join them for pints, to which Remus refuses for the time being. Neither of them are looking to end up in the international media for being in Tenby so soon.

Remus introduces Sirius as his boyfriend, and elderly women pinch his cheeks and kiss his forehead, even though they have to yank him down to do so. He’s told at least fourteen times by the time they make it to the shop to take care of him [insert: Remus] now, you hear?

Inside the shop, Remus’ face lights up at the man standing at the counter, pouring latte art. The man looks up at the doorbell chime, catches Remus’ eye, breaks into a grin, and sets down the milk pitcher to promptly rub his face and lean on the counter for a moment, hiding his grin by shoving his face into his arms for a count of four.

“Oh, darling,” Grant Chapman says, looking back up at Remus and nodding to Sirius behind him, their hands intertwined, “I didn’t half bloody miss you.”

Remus scoffs and the two embrace. Another man comes in from the back, and Remus nods to him and shakes his hand, in turn introducing Sirius to Grant and his husband, Marcus.

Grant is Remus’ height, all light blonde hair and tanned skin with freckles and a small flower tattooed on his wrist. He’s got bright green eyes and there’s a strange twinkle to them- like a reformed child of chaos. Marcus probably two years older than the three of them, grinning and tossing an arm over Grant’s shoulders, but he shares the Welsh good looks and freckles. Sirius can’t even pretend to dislike Grant Chapman, not when he turns those green eyes on Sirius and starts asking about his life, and about hockey, and about Remus.

Remus waves his hands and tries to stop the obvious interrogation, but then Marcus is stepping in and dragging Remus over to the register, making him put in an order and then also forcibly not allowing him to pay.

“It doesn’t cost anything,” Sirius hears Marcus saying.

“I literally used to work here,” Remus deadpans. “I helped make the menu. I know exactly how much it costs, you-“

“Oi!” Marcus laughs, reaching out as Remus tries to stuff what must be the exact amount and then some into the tip jar and covering the lip with his hands. They tussle for a moment, both laughing, and Sirius is transfixed on the easy existence of Remus here as Grant waits for Sirius’ answer to a question he didn’t catch.

“Sorry.” Sirius drags his eyes back to Grant’s. “What?”

Grant softens and smiles at him. “Nevermind,” he says quietly. He looks over at Remus, who is flipping off Marcus and offering to pay for the next order that comes in. Then, he looks back at Sirius. “I can see it in your eyes. You’ll do fine.”

Sirius blinked at him, the question Grant had asked finally filtering in through the haze that was Remus in the sunshine, arguing with his ex-boyfriend’s husband over the payment of coffees in a shop that Remus used to manage.

Do you love him?

And, well, Sirius thinks Grant got it right, and that it must be in his eyes, because when Remus looks back over at him, he grins softly at Sirius’ expression and holds up the two coffees.

They walk back to the house after promising an insistent Grant that they’ll meet he and Marcus at dinner the following night, another forty five minutes of holding hands and listening to the waves crash, but hardly any people stop Remus on their way back. Sirius bounds around and plucks wildflowers out of the ground, making a little bouquet after some time, and hands it to Remus, who smiles indulgently and tells him it's the best bouquet he’s ever seen.

Sirius choses to believe him, even though it’s utter bullshit.

They stop at the small local grocer at the base of the hill and stock up on… well, not groceries, exactly. More like unhealthy snacks that neither of them should be eating, but Sirius decides his trainer doesn’t need to know, and Remus whispers that his face might break out, but he also doesn’t give a shit.

They also snag a case of some Welsh brand beer that Sirius can’t even pronounce, but listening to Remus say it over and over again to try and “educate” him is one of the best things Sirius has ever heard.

“I love you,” Sirius says as they haul six bags each, and Remus is clutching that little wildflower bouquet like it’s precious and grumbling about Sirius’ inability to say Welsh words.

Remus tries to roll his eyes, but the utter lovesick smile on his face shows off his true feelings.

“I love you too, baby,” Remus muses, and kisses his cheek.

And well, Sirius thinks that the sheer domesticity of Remus Lupin in his hometown, and sheer joy radiating right into Sirius’ chest, might be his favorite thing of all.

They unload the groceries with only three make-out breaks- which are each bordering on clothing coming off until one of them bumps into a bag on the ground or counter and they remember that they have to be reasonable, responsible adults for at least another five minutes.

James calls, which Sirius adores, because Remus answers the FaceTime to find James, Leo, Finn, and Logan all staring at him and Remus goes about his business, continuing to unpack into a set of drawers and chatting with them without handing the phone over, and no one seems to find this strange, but Sirius is bursting at how easy it all is. How Remus has just become this man in his life that is now their life and honestly, if Sirius thinks about it too hard, he’s going to cry.

And then Remus’ phone is ringing, and then someone is knocking on the front door down the stairs, and Remus freezes, staring at his phone while Finn asks who it is, and he drags his eyes to Sirius.

Remus takes one look at the caller ID- DoRa DeAr, followed by three green hearts- and then hears the knocking at the door, and he knows that this is no longer simply the quiet, restrained version of coming home that he’s come to expect from Sirius, the seaside, and no neighbors.

But you know what? He’s not even angry. He’s really, really, really happy, actually.

He feels his face break into a wild grin and he flies out of his room and down the stairs as Sirius calls after him, “Love? Moons? Remus!”

He yanks the door open without checking and comes face to face with Pandora Lestrange, Evan Rosier, and Barty Crouch, all standing there looking windswept and bleary eyed and Evan is holding all three bags, and Remus promptly throws himself at them.

They go down atop three duffle bags and the soft, green grass; Pandora screeching and peppering him with kisses, Barty grabbing fistfuls of his t-shirt in an attempt to stay upright, and Evan yelping as Remus’ face comes dangerously close to his own, and then kisses Remus’ forehead.

“Oh?” Comes Sirius’ voice from the door, and Remus can hear the surprise and also the I’m-not-surprised-at-all in his tone.

“Loverboy!” Barty yells, addressing Sirius, whose eyebrows shoot up as Barty winks and plants a sloppy kiss on Remus’ temple. “We finally meet.”

“Uh-huh,” Sirius agrees.

“Sorry, baby,” Remus muses, pulling himself off of his friends and helping Pandora up, and Sirius is leaning against the open doorframe now, arms crossed but smiling at them all.

“Surprise?” Evan asks, allowing Barty to pull him up, too. Then Barty shoves him into the shrubs, and Evan blows a raspberry, and all is right in the world again, because they’re here. And Sirius is here. And Remus is going to fucking combust.

“Surprise is right,” Remus agrees, pulling Pandora over to Sirius and ignoring the fact that Evan is now balls-deep in his shrubs and Barty is blowing him kisses.

Remus must still be beaming, because Sirius smiles softly at him and takes Pandora’s hand.

“Sirius,” he introduces himself.

“Black Senior!” Barty bounds over and throws his arms around Sirius, who stares in shock and the calm and collected man he usually sees onscreen and the screaming man now kissing the side of his face.

“Um-“

“Barty,” Remus chides in eternal exhaustion. “Stop kissing my boyfriend.”

Barty frowns. “He’s like a broad, strong, older version of Reggie and you want me to not oogle him?”

Evan detangles himself from the shrub and duffle bag straps and hauls Barty into his chest, huffing and holding his chin in a behave yourself way. Remus snickers, desensitized to their antics. Barty licks the side of Evan’s hand.

Sirius is staring. Remus takes his hand and sighs. “Sirius, this is Barty, Evan, and Pandora.”

Pandora breezes past him into the house, kissing his cheek and saying, “Everyone calls me Dora!”

Sirius is still blinking at all of them, and Pandora’s retreating back.

“Lils, Marls, and Cas stayed behind because Reg’s finishing up his album and getting ready for the show,” Evan explains, “but the three of us were very ready to meet our newest lovely Black brother and spend some time away from the media as well, so here we are. Oh, and also you. We’re here for you, too.”

“Thanks, Ev,” Remus deadpans.

Barty frees himself and grins his wicked grin at them. “Okay, so, I know Welsh schools don’t have sex ed for shit, Re, so I brought over some pamphlets for you-“ and he starts digging in his pants pocket, and Remus tugs Sirius through the door after Pandora quickly and shouts, “Okay, just make yourselves comfortable!”

“Wait, Re! I just want to make sure you know you still need to be using condoms with anal intercourse, and we need to go over STDs!”

Sirius chokes on what might be a laugh, and shoves Remus to make him walk away faster.

“Oh my god, he does that all the damn time,” Remus whispers to Sirius under his breath. Pandora is standing in the kitchen’s big bay window, looking out at the ocean.

“Hey, Dora,” Remus muses, and he releases Sirius’ arm to wrap his own around the small woman, setting his chin on her shoulder as she laughs.

“Oh, the house is lovely, Remus darling,” Pandora chirps. “I can see why you adore it so.”

Remus feels his lips break into a smile. “Isn’t it?”

Sirius is standing behind them, and the two of them are quiet for a moment until the chaotic whirlwinds that are Barty Crouch and Evan Rosier come bustling in, arguing about who should be carrying Pandora’s bag. Remus rolls his eyes and takes Dora’s bag from them, stowing it away in one of the two guest bedrooms and leaving Sirius alone with them all for a moment, and when he comes back, Evan’s got his arm around Sirius and is showing him a video on his phone, and Remus has never known embarrassment like hearing his freshman-year-of-university voice through the phone.

“Oh my God, Evan, stop,” Remus chides, trying to yank the phone away, but it’s surprisingly Sirius that stops him, snatching the phone out of Evan’s hand and holding it high above their heads, watching the video of Remus, age eighteen, as he attempts to shotgun a beer for the first time and completely botches it by spitting the entire thing out on Barty’s face. There’s a snort of laughter and the video shoots to Regulus, standing next to Evan with his arm slung around Dorcas, trying and failing to cover the absolute glee on his face. Sirius is smiling.

“This is gold,” he announces. “Send it to me immediately.”

“Do not,” Remus orders.

Evan does.

And it’s like that, for the next two hours or so. Barty and Evan stash their bags in the only bedroom left, other than Remus’ mum’s old room, which he has yet to venture into. And the five of them collapse in the living room- Pandora and Remus snuggled up on the couch, his arms around her as she coos at them all, Sirius on the arm of the couch (which allows Remus to lean his head on his boyfriend’s thighs), Barty on the floor as he rolls around, and Evan on the recliner as he stares dejectedly at his own boyfriend, possibly one of those moments when he thinks why did I pick this one? before he makes his own list of all the reasons he loves and adores everything Barty Crouch is and will be.

It's a round of showing off old videos of Remus, who tries and fails to not enjoy the way Sirius’ face lights up as memory after memory surfaces. He hears about the time Remus almost shit himself in a final exam, and about the time Remus and Regulus locked themselves out of their apartment and had to stay with Lily and Marlene for three days. Sirius hears about the time Evan, Barty, Remus, and Regulus went for matching tattoos and receives a free show as the two boys he is not sleeping with show off the snakes that curl around their hips. Barty wiggles his bum suggestively, and both Evan and Remus shove him away. Sirius is warming up to them a bit.

Remus loves the way Pandora asks Sirius about his life- everything from his favorite coffee (whatever Remus makes in the mornings) and his first pet’s name (he’s never had one). Pandora makes the mistake of asking how they met, even though she knows the whole story, and Sirius just looks her dead in the face and says, “I’m going to pretend you haven’t heard the whole thing already”, and then he launches into the entire tale, from the moment they walked into the same gym to that quick kiss at the Three Broomsticks two weeks later, to waking up together and having breakfast with James and sitting on the porch swing at the house on Cornelia Street.

He even tells them about Remus’ impromptu attempt at escape, as he calls it now, just 72 hours before. Or was it 48? Remus honestly cannot deal with the dramatic time changes and entire day aboard a plane.

“Oh, so it was fuck at first sight?” Barty asks, grinning like a madman.

“It was horndog at first sight,” Evan corrects, rolling his eyes, “didn’t you hear the man?”

And Sirius is grinning down at them both, and Evan kicks Barty’s side lightly from his spot in the recliner, and then they’re both on the floor because Barty has yanked on his leg, and Pandora is chiding them both like an exasperated mother with too many children.

“Going to tell me that book dedication now?” Remus asks her quietly.

“No,” Pandora says sweetly.

“I’ve had a media spectacle,” Remus reminds her. “I’ve been through hell this week, I’ve flown home to Wales, and I’ve told the man I love that I love him. I deserve compensation.”

“I thought your compensation was your boyfriend’s dick,” is her reply, and Remus has to bite down on his tongue from laughing at the absurdity of it all.

Later, after Remus has made mediocre sandwiches for a late lunch using the supplies he and Sirius picked up, they all curl up and watch a movie, to which the only requirements to were no one we personally know can be in this, so naturally, they settle on The Princess Bride. Sirius laughs and holds Remus’ hand the whole time, and Pandora lays a blanket over the three of them, now all sitting on the sofa squished together.

After the movie, the pack of Cwtch Ale that Sirius cannot pronounce for the life of him is cracked open, and they spend the afternoon on the porch and in the yard, drinking beer and laughing together, and Pandora take a video of them all grinning and holding up their bottles in the Welsh sunlight to send to Lily.

She responds with her own clip of Regulus, Marlene, Dorcas, and herself in the dimly lit living room of Regulus’ home, holding mimosas and all wearing strangely shaped sunglasses in the L.A. morning. They’re all straight-faced and hungover, and Regulus flips the camera off in a deadpan that has Remus laughing and Sirius narrowing his eyes.

The next day is Dorcas’ birthday, so Barty, Evan, Remus, and Pandora band together to get her a spectacular gift basket and flower arrangement put together from overseas. Remus spends fifteen minutes on the phone with a florist, basically designing the arrangement himself in his instructions and not feeling bad about it at all when the florist starts sound monotoned and annoyed. Barty and Evan then demand that La Croix, vagina-shaped cookies, yellow Gatorade, and white-cheddar Cheeze-Its make it into the gift basket. Pandora adds that there’s a book she specifically wants in there, and the poor florist sounds forlorn that this all must be picked up and delivered by the following morning. Remus adds a generous tip for the poor woman and when he finally gives his name to pay for it all, she gasps and says, “Really?” in a tone that tells him she’s about to forgive him for the entire forty-minute debacle of Dorcas’ birthday gift.

Sirius sits through it all with a wide, mirthful grin on his face that tells Remus he finds it all adorable, even though Barty requested that the vagina cookies have a pierced clitoris in a voice that sounded like he wouldn’t take no for an answer. When Remus shot him a questionable glance, Barty explained that he wanted the cookies to look “as much like Marlene’s cooch as they could manage, so the two wives would have a hey-day with the delivery”. And still, Sirius kept that smile on his face.

Evan takes the phone to request that a bullet vibrator be added to the bag, and there goes the entire afternoon, because they’re all laughing and once they hang up, they send another video to Lily, this one because Sirius is flushed and asking them all how they manage to be themselves and still be daily faces in the media, and he looks overjoyed and has his arm slung around Pandora’s shoulders as Remus records and then flips the camera around to say, “He thinks we’re rouges and unworthy of the world’s attention.”

To which Lily sends a reply, this one Regulus’ monotoned French accent he gets when he’s being a prat, “We are rouges that are unworthy of the world’s attention.” But then Marlene, in the background, performs a swan dive off the couch and onto her wife’s back and Lily spills an entire bottle of champagne for the mimosas onto Regulus’ carpet, and Regulus doesn’t even have it in himself to look annoyed by them, and the video cuts out as he whirls and chides them for being children as Dorcas laughs hysterically.

Sirius watches it four times, his face so close to the screen his nose is almost grazing it.

“Did Re tell you about that time Reg caught him and his hookup on the couch?” Evan asks, and Sirius breaks into an attempted annoyed look and says, “Yes.”

“That’s the first time Reg ever talked to me,” Barty chimes in helpfully. “Dorcas and I lived next door, and he stepped out of the apartment looking all flushed and Dorcas asked what happened and he just said, ‘My roommate is a slut and I am never sitting on that couch again’, and then he came and had dinner with us.”

“A true bonding experience,” Remus agrees sagely.

“How did you all meet?” Sirius asks, brows raised.

“Cas and I lived next door to Rem and Reg,” Barty supplies, like he hasn’t just said this. “And then Lily and I had acting classes together.”

“Lily was my roommate,” Evan chimes in.

“Marlene and I were in the same music class freshman year,” Remus tells him.

“I got assigned to write the screen write for an act that Barty and Lily were in,” Pandora explains.

“And it all just kind of… happened,” Remus finishes. “We actually all ended up dropping out and becoming dirtbags.”

“Lies,” Evan pipes up. “Slander.”

“Anyway, Marlene, Lily, Reg, and I got a house once we did,” Remus continues, “and Pandora and Evan moved into our old apartment, and Barty and Dorcas were still next door, and then Marlene and Dorcas started dating, and Lily and Dora worked on another set together, and Reg and I got signed by our label pretty close together. Evan got that modelling gig with Vouge, and Barty was signed to this high-end movie as a supporting role, and thus… The Skittles became a media sensation. I think people were surprised by a set of eight young kids that had become friends in college and were suddenly rising stars in all of their fields.”

Sirius nods, like this all makes sense.

“How about you?” Pandora asks kindly. “You and your best friends?”

Sirius shrugs, leaning into Remus. “I live with James Potter, he’s on the Lions with me. We’ve got this townhouse in Gryf. All of my best friends are on the team. Honestly, I’m a little blown away sometimes by how close we all are. Our organization is good about not trading any of us to other teams, and I know none of them are as close to each other as we are. There are other NHL players I know that cannot stand their teammates, but… we all work, I guess.”

“Any juicy gossip?” Evan probes. Remus snorts.

Sirius laughs. “I’m… not sure? I mean, none that stands to your level of juicy, anyway. No one’s sleeping with each other’s wives or whatever.”

“Does that mean he isn’t going to allow this scenario where I sleep with Re and you get to sleep with him?” Barty asks Evan in a loud whisper.

Remus shoves him away, and Sirius squeezes his shoulders. “Sorry to disappoint.”

Pandora waves him off. “Ignore him. That’s what we all do.”

“Hey!” Barty admonishes.

“James thinks Reg is pretty,” Remus pipes up. Sirius whips his head to him, mouth agape.

“That was our secret!”

“He’s not my best mate,” Remus reminds him. “I don’t have that blood-sworn secrecy to his celebrity crushes.”

“Your best mate’s got a crush on your baby brother?” Evan asks, eating it up. “That’s gold. Oh goodness, Reg is going to eat that up.”

“No one’s going to tell Regulus!” Sirius half states, half begs.

“Of course not,” Pandora assures him, “but Reg’s got this uncanny way of being able to tell when someone’s into him. He plays around with it a lot. Pity your best mate.”

“James isn’t-“ Sirius starts, and then he groans. “I was going to say James isn’t going to act on it, but now I’m thinking I shouldn’t be banking on that.”

Remus kisses his cheek. “It’s okay, love. When they ride off into the sunset together, you’ll still have me.”

Sirius shoots him a look that’s more joyful than the comment warrants. Barty reaches out and pokes Sirius’ dimple with his finger. He receives two fingers for it, one of which Remus shoves up his nostril. No one blinks. It’s commonplace.

Later, after they’ve sent another video to Lily (Barty, gathering flowers from the yard and presenting them to Evan on one knee while Pandra records and Remus and Sirius laugh their arses off in the background about something, Remus honestly isn’t sure- he’d just seen Sirius snort, and then he’d snorted, and then they were both rolling in the grass) and received another one back (Lily, recording as Regulus put himself together for the day, as if he didn’t have huge red lips on his cheek from Marlene’s apparent parting kiss, or a deep purple hickey on his neck that had apparently afforded all four of them free shots for the entire night before), Remus tells the three stowaways that they’ll have to fend for themselves at dinner the following night.

“Sirius and I are doing dinner with Grant and Marcus,” he explains when Barty wails in protest. “You’re not invited.”

To which Pandora, who had conned Grant into giving her his number the first time they had met, held up her phone. “I’ve just texted him. We’re invited.”

Remus laughs and that’s that, really.

And then even later, once he’s forced Evan and Barty inside to shower off the airport stink and grass stains and Pandora has gone inside for one of her “self-care alone time” moments, Remus takes Sirius’ hand and they walk down the side of the cliff to the beach. It’s a bit of a hike and neither are wearing shoes, but the soft sand welcomes them the moment the grassy slope ends, so it doesn’t matter.

Sirius is chuckling and leaning into him, and Remus is leaning into him right back, and it’s a gamble as to if they’ll end up in the sand when they trip their way to the water’s edge. They’re both at least ten ales deep and while that had taken place over the course of hours, they’re both slightly cross-eyed and starstruck at the same time.

They stand in the surf, cuffed jeans high enough as to not get wet, and lean into each other as the sun sets. And Sirius is humming something that Remus recognizes from Regulus’ first album- the only one Sirius had ever listened to. The fireflies are coming out, and the whole world smells like Welsh beer, zinnias, and peonies, and the sun is setting, and Remus grips the back of Sirius’ neck and kisses him hard, with no remorse.

Sirius grins into it. He’s grinning a lot these days, really. And Pandora yells from the top of the cliff that Sirius’ phone is ringing and it’s probably James but they don’t care. They stand, grinning at the Wales sunset, feet in the sea, and Remus listens to Sirius hum along to Regulus’ song and he’s so in love, so in love, so in love.

Cause you’re not lost, no you’re not lost, oh , Remus places the lyrics to Sirius’ humming.

Oh, you’re not lost at all.

Chapter Text

They should have cared about James’ phone call, because when Sirius calls him back the next morning, it’s not James’ face that greets them, but the fuzzy face of a black kitten, barely old enough to be away from its mother.

“Isn’t she adorable?” James asks, eyes bright as he brings the camera to his face. “Thomas said she completed our house, Cap!”

Sirius blinks. “James…” he trails off. “Have you… have you bought a cat?”

Remus snorts toothpaste from the bathroom. Sirius pays him no mind as he comes barreling into his back, trying to get a look. They can hear someone in the kitchen making breakfast, but both of their focus is now singularly locked onto the spot in the frame where two little black ears poke up into view.

“Oh my God,” Remus breathes.

“She’s an angel,” James assures Sirius. “Really, Pads, she’s so sweet. I couldn’t just leave her.”

“You’ve… bought a cat,” Sirius repeats.

“I always thought you were both more… dog people?” Remus asks, sounding torn between laughing hysterically and consoling Sirius.

“Oh, I love me a good Dalmatian,” James assures him. “Or, like, a greyhound. But a fluffy little kitten that’ll grow up into a doll to be around? Abso-fucking-lutely.”

“Or it’ll grow up into a spawn of Satan,” Sirius trades him. “A black cat, James? Are you serious?”

And really, Sirius should have learned by now not to ask James that.

“No, you’re Sirius,” he says immediately, like a gag reflex. Remus snorts into Sirius’ shoulder. He flicks his hip.

“What was I supposed to do? You’ll be gone a month,” James complains.

“I’ve been gone two days,” Sirius reminds him. “And you got a cat. Is that all I am to you? The equivalent of a fluffy, pretty thing to look at that shits in a box?”

Remus kisses his cheek. “You’re more than that, baby. You’re also tall enough to reach the top shelf.”

James laughs. “He’s got you there.”

“James.”

“Sirius.”

Sirius relents. It really is cute. He sighs. “What’s her name?”

James brightens. “I’m thinking Medusa. That’s catchy, right?”

“Medusa? After the Greek monster that killed thousands of men?”

“No,” Remus and James say at the same time. Remus shoots Sirius a troubling look, like he can’t believe he doesn’t know this. Sirius raises an eyebrow. That… was Medusa, right? His parents used to teach them loads about mythologies. He knows he’s gotten it right.

“Obviously not,” Remus chides. “C’mon, love. Really? That’s what you got out of the story?”

James runs a hand down his face. “Yeah, really, Sirius? You got that she was a monster?”

Sirius raises his hands, taking James and the phone with him. “What was I supposed to get out of it?”

Remus sighs and pats the edge of the bed. “Let me tell you a story.”

Sirius sits.

“Okay, so, Medusa was this acolyte in Athena’s temple that Poseidon was obsessed with right?” Remus begins, running a hand through his hair.

“Right,” Sirius agrees. “Although, I thought they were dating.”

“No, they weren’t dating,” James admonishes. “Honestly, Sirius, what false Greek textbook did you swallow?”

“I was ten the last time I read about Greek mythology!” Sirius defends.

Remus sets a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Well, you’re about to learn. Anyway, Medusa was this handmaiden in one of Athena’s temples, and one night, Poseidon came and well, he took advantage of her.”

“Went full on Greek god,” James puts in. “Pulled a Zeus. It wasn’t usually Poseidon’s style, but he was honest-to-God obsessed with Medusa.”

Remus snaps, accenting the point. “Right. Well, Athena found out. And she blessed Medusa with the ability to turn any man who looked at her to stone.”

“So…” Sirius shrugs, “It wasn’t a curse?”

“No,” James and Remus say at once. Remus continues, “So, men from all around came and tried to kill her, even though she was just remaining in Athena’s temple and continuing her work, and shouldn’t have run into any men, as they weren’t allowed in the temple. But obviously, straight males have to try to fight anything that breathes in a way they dislike-“

“Amen to that,” James interrupts.

“-so they came from all around to try and slay the ‘monster’,” Remus explains. “Anyway, the whole story is that Medusa was a victim of men, and a savior of women. And time and time again, men would take advantage of her for her beauty so eventually, she became a weapon. Someone that the men couldn’t hurt anymore, because she hurt them first. They came from all over to kill her just because she had the ability to do so. And she did. So, women throughout history have used the symbol of Medusa’s head, y’know, with the snakes, as a way to show that something is a safe haven for women. Rape centers and relief groups use it all the time. It’s actually a thing these days to get a Medusa tattoo if you’re a survivor of that kind of violence. Medusa wasn’t a Greek monster- she was a Greek victim who was tired of being victimized.”

Sirius blinks. And yeah, it’s a horrid subject, and it stands to reason that humanity has always been as fucked up as it is now. But Remus looks so stunning explaining something so in depth that Sirius is having trouble looking away from his eyes.

“Oh,” is his eloquent response.

“So, I’ve named her Medusa,” James reasons. “Because I found her in a box on the side of the road coming back from Dumo’s with Thomas. And she was so cold, cause it was raining, and so many people had just driven right past. She’s a survivor, you know? And I think she needs a name to remind us of that.”

“I love the story,” Remus assures him, “but I also feel like you’re putting a lot of stock into your kitten’s name. Most people just name theirs Beans and move on with their day.”

James puffs out his chest and holds Medusa up with one hand. She meows.

“Look at this face,” James announces. “This is the face of a survivor. She deserves a name like it.”

Remus nods sagely. “You’re right. Hello, Medusa. Be good to our James while we’re away, yes?”

Medusa meows again, as if she’s heard it. And then she scampers up James’ arm to sit on his shoulder, and James beams.

“She’s a natural!”

Sirius sighs. “I hate it. But I also love the cat.”

“Medusa,” Remus reminds him. “Her name is Medusa.”

“Oh, I know,” Sirius assures him.

It was Pandora that they heard making breakfast. When Sirius and Remus emerge (after Remus has grilled him on how many other Greek myths he may have gotten wrong), she’s got avocado toast, orange juice, and eggs sunny-side-up waiting for them.

“Um, hello,” Remus says. “This is astounding. Where did you get all this?”

“Remus,” Pandora greets. “Sirius.” He nods back. “It’s ten in the morning. Obviously, I woke up at eight and took a walk down to the grocer to get stuff for breakfast, because you two cannot be trusted- especially since all you have to show for your grocery buying is sandwich stuff, cheesy puffs, off-brand Spaghetti-O’s, and beer.”

“That’s all a man needs,” Sirius says, but he slides into the kitchen table to start eating.

“Eggs are fresh!” Pandora chirps. “Also, I’m about to go and jump on Barty and Evan and hope they’re clothed.”

“They won’t be,” Remus assures her, but she’s already walking out of the kitchen.

Sirius leans across the table and kisses him. “I love you.”

Remus blinks at him. “I love you too, baby.”

He gives Remus a soft smile that turns into shock as Pandora lets out a screech down the hall, and the following voices are that of two twenty-two-year-old men that have been awoken from their slumber by a girl sized wrecking ball with blonde hair and a big heart.

Remus snorts. “Welcome to my world,” he tells Sirius. “You can’t escape now.”

Sirius smiles at him again, that soft, all-encompassing smile. “I wouldn’t even if I could. I love your world.”

Remus kisses him again.

“Dora!” Barty screeches, and Pandora comes running into the kitchen still covering her eyes, so she bounces off the wall, then the counter, then the table, and then Sirius. She’s giggling maniacally.

“They weren’t clothed?” Remus guesses.

“They weren’t clothed,” she confirms. And then she steals a bite of his toast. He lets her, obviously.

Five minutes later, Evan comes around the corner with fresh hickeys on his bare chest that definitely weren’t there when he showed off his tattoo to Sirius yesterday, clad only in his boxers and an old button-up cardigan that’s definitely Remus’ from college and not buttoned, as Remus would have worn it. Barty is right behind him, wearing a look of bewilderment at the breakfast spread, boxers, and absolutely nothing else. He sighs and kisses them all on the cheek before pouring himself a large glass of orange juice that he complains about not having champagne to add to.

“You know,” Remus tells him softly, as if breaking some kind of devastating news, “the mass public does actually drink, like, orange juice. It doesn’t always have to be a mimosa. Some people, like, care about their health.”

“Fuck the mass public,” is Barty’s tortured response. Evan kisses him on the cheek and then asks Remus where the closest liquor store is (the same grocery store they’ve gone to twice in two days) and then where the nearest coffee shop is (a forty-five-minute walk, a ten-minute drive). Neither sounds appealing to undertake at this moment.

Sirius grins through it all.

And so, it’s a day of Remus sitting on the porch and eating cheesy puffs while shuffling through his notes and strumming his guitar. Sirius goes for a run, then does a core workout on the porch next to Remus and he has to pretend he’s not oogling his boyfriend as he tries to stay in shape for his literal job. But Sirius is there, and he’s sweating, and he’s grinning at Remus and winking, and then they disappear around noon to Remus’ bedroom and when they emerge, they’ve both got fresh love bites and Sirius’ hair has been washed. Remus doesn’t allow Barty’s cooing to embarrass him.

Evan is sitting at the kitchen table in front of the big bay window on his laptop, editing photos and videos, and he shoos them away for a time because he’s working on a ‘secret project’ that apparently only Regulus has any idea about. Remus shoots him a text:

[star & moon]

moon: why is evan working on a top-secret project that only you know about

star: because

star: he is working on a top-secret project that only i know about

moon: this wouldn’t happen to be a music video featuring you soon to be hit Unsaid Emily that i would very much like to see, would it?

star: hush, remus. you’re being loud.

moon: fuckin knew it

moon: how did he react to the song?

star: he had himself a cry. i almost didn’t let him hear it until after the show, but… you know. it’s ev.

moon: yeah, i know.

moon: it’s ev.

star: you can watch the video

moon: fuck yessssss

And so, Remus spends some time in the kitchen with Evan, looking over the video and they have themselves another little cry about the whole thing. It’s gorgeous, and it’s got old photos and videos that Regulus asked his eldest cousin Andromeda for, and it’s got Regulus signing, and it’s got some bloke they asked to act as Sirius (but really doesn’t look like him) re-enacting the night Sirius left Quebec and Regulus behind.

And Sirius spends this entire time outside with Pandora, leafing through her books and looking through the kitchen window at them both, grinning when he and Remus make eye-contact.

He doesn’t try to tell Evan how to edit the video- they all know Evan’s the best at that kind of thing. But he does listen to the song again and again and again, until all he can hear is silent days, mysteries and mistakes, who’d be the first to break? guess we’re alike that way over and over in his head.

After that, he joins Barty in the living room, where he’s responsibly reading through a set list and script for a movie he’s been propositioned for. They chat about it for a while. Barty’s thrilled about the role- he’ll be playing some British prince named James, and they both have a roundabout laugh about Regulus inevitably realizing James Potter thinks he's pretty and exploiting the poor soul. But really, Remus thinks, they would be good together.

Also, Regulus adores cats. And James has Medusa now. That’s basically a ticket into Regulus Black’s Hall of Fame.

Pandora comes inside and pesters Evan for a moment about the top-secret project, so Remus goes out to the porch to sit with Sirius. His guitar is still sitting there, so he picks it up and strums a few chords, and when Sirius sends him that pleading look that Remus knows he’ll give in to, he starts to sing one of his gag tracks, something he and Regulus wrote for fun and never put out.

This hospital's got lots of crying kids
A minute ago, I did not exist
It's nice to finally meet my relatives
I bet it's always gonna stay this fun
I bet it's easy staying 'way from drugs
I bet our parents always stay in love
Always stay in love

Me, my, oh, what a life
So lean on my people, gon' be stepping in time (wow)
Me, my, oh, what a life
So lean on my people, gon' be stepping in time

So thank you
For coming to my birthday party
I am one minute old today
And everything is going great (oh)
Thank you
For coming to my birthday party
I am one minute old today
And my minute's been going great
And I hope it stays that way

I bet this Instagram's a load of fun
It's best to show the best of everyone
I bet it never bites us in the bum
I bet my ignorance is always bliss
Except ignoring pigment in our skin
I bet my country's nice to immigrants
And that's just how it is

Me, my, oh, what a life
So lean on my people, gon' be stepping in time (wow)
Me, my, oh, what a life
So lean on my people, gon' be stepping in time

So thank you
For coming to my birthday party
I am one minute old today
And everything is going great (oh)
Thank you (thank you)
For coming to my birthday party
I am one minute old today
And my minute's been going great
And I hope it stays that way

Heaven, everything is fine
In heaven, everything is fine
You got your good things
I've got mine

Thank you (thank you)
For coming to my birthday party
I am one minute old today (one minute old today)
And everything is going great (I've got mine) (oh)
Thank you (thank you)
For coming to my birthday party
I am one minute old today (one minute old today)
And my minute's been going great
(And I hope it stays that way)

This hospital's got lots of crying kids
A minute ago, I did not exist
It's nice to finally meet my relatives
I bet I'll never outgrow all my friends
I bet I'll see a female president
Yeah, I can tell this life will be a cinch
And that's just how it is

Sirius laughs through it, and hums along, and Remus is grinning until the end and their just two idiots laughing at each other and in love.

Sirius is leaning against him on the small porch seats, and he’s scrolling on his phone, and Remus picks up his notebook, and he writes another song.

Feel like I should call and thank your ex, sittin’ here like damn, how could anybody let you get away?

And Evan and Barty are laughing over the script in the kitchen window, and Pandora’s got her own laptop out now, typing relentlessly. And Christ, Remus is so, so, so in love.

[moony’s bitches]

Sirius Black: [photo]

James Potter: oh that’s so fucking cute.

Pascal Dumias: that’s our moony, that is

Leo Knut: i didn’t know he had THAT many tattoos

Finn O’Hara: oh my god

Logan Tremblay: delETE. DELETE. HE’S A BITCH FOR TATTOOS

Moony: oh?

Thomas Walker: OH? you’ve got a lion tattoo, moony

Moony: oh yeah. got that one when i was like nineteen. i think i was high on something, too.

Kasey Winter: it was fate

Finn O’Hara: I’m still

Finn O’Hara: wow

Finn O’Hara: you’re a lucky man, cap

Logan Tremblay: love?

Leo Knut: we’ve officially lost him

Sirius Black: i know, harz

Sirius Black: believe me

Sirius Black: i know.

Jackson Nadaeu: oh wait

Jackson Nadaeu: cap’s being… sweet

Kasey Winter: everyone run

Thomas Walker: somethings wrong

Sirius Black: fuck all of you

Sirius Black: don’t forget i am RETURNING from abroad at some point.

James Potter: you’d better

Logan Tremblay: yeah, you have a goddaughter named medusa to attend to

Thomas Walker: paperwork to sign

Moony: we’re definitely godparenting medusa

Sirius Black: we’ve got weekends. it’s already decided.

Pascal Dumias: oh good lord

Regulus Black @fuckhockeyplayers

countdown to Regulus Black x Gryffindor Lions: three weeks. Tickets linked in bio.

Replies:              .

Freddie Green @regulusblackshusband

SO EXCITED

Dorcas Meadowes @fuckmclovin

I adore you, Reggie

____reply:

         Barty Crouch @fuckroses: *gasp* we’re not allowed to call him that in public!

         Marlene McKinnon @fuckdorks: step aside, bitch, we’re doing it.

James Potter @jamesprongspotter

can’t wait, sweetheart

____reply:

         Regulus Black @fuckhockeyplayers: call me sweetheart again, potter, and i’ll chop your dick off.

         James Potter @jamesprongspotter: oh, but what a way to go, sweetheart.

And that is when Remus and Sirius decide that it’s effectively too fucking much.

“Oh my God,” is how Remus greets Regulus on the phone two minutes later.

“Save it, Lupin.”

“Oh, so you haven’t been looking up his highlight reels? What about his stats? Or his Instagram-“

“Remus.”

“Tell me I’m lying,” Remus challenges, “and be truthful.”

Regulus is quiet.

“I fucking knew it,” Remus whispers.

“Who the fuck is this guy?” Regulus whispers back, sounding exasperated. “James fucking Potter, calling me sweetheart on Twitter, with his stupid glasses in all of his pictures and his-“

“Oh my God,” Remus interrupts him, mainly talking to himself. “You’re going to fall in love with Sirius’ best mate.”

“I am not!” Regulus bristles.

“Oh Christ,” Remus continues, “do you know he saved a kitten yesterday?”

“He what? I don’t care.”

“There was an abandoned kitten on the side of the road. Little, black, wet from the rain. People kept driving past it,” Remus says anyway. “He adopted her and named her Medusa. Because her deserved a survivor’s name.”

“That is fucking tragic.”

“You want a picture of the kitten, don’t you?”

“I want a picture of the kitten.”

Remus snickers and sends him a photo of Medusa, complete with James in selfie mode and holding up the precious little baby like she’s the most valuable thing in the world. His glasses are askew, his eyes are a little crossed because he’s staring at Medusa in the middle of the frame, and he’s got jam on his cheek from his morning toast, which he’d been in the middle of eating when Remus and Sirius demanded a photo.

“Good lord,” Regulus admonishes. “I said I wanted a photo of the kitten, not of the disaster that adopted it.”

“Admit it,” Remus demands, “he’s fit. He’s funny. He’s-“

“No.”

“… but it’s a cute cat, right?”

“She’s adorable,” comes Reg’s small voice. “Look at the little white spot on her nose. Oh my God.”

“You’re going to fall in love with James Potter,” Remus says again.

“Good gracious, Rem-“

“You’re going to date my boyfriend’s best mate. Wait, we can do doubles. I adore James. This is great. He’s like the poster child of good fortune and running before breakfast. Also, he makes a killer mojito. I know you’re a slut for a mojito.”

“He’s got jam on his cheek in this photo, Remus. If you’re trying to seduce me, this isn’t the picture.”

“He listens to ABBA,” Remus continues. “He once drunk-sung your songs in the car on the ride home, even though your music wasn’t playing. He’s like the patron saint of good friends and driving the speed limit.”

“This is all sounding like a resounding no.”

“Why?”

“I don’t drive the speed limit. Also, ABBA is atrocious.”

“I know,” Remus agrees, “but he also reads Jane Austen. And he’s like, got seventeen pairs of Converse. I didn’t even know a person could own that many Converse.”

“You really know the way to a man’s heart, Rem.”

“He quoted Alexander Hamilton to me once,” Remus promises, “the complete letter to Laurens when he said ‘you should not have taken advantage of my sensibility, to steal into my affections without my consent’. I know you’ve got that embroidered on a sweater somewhere. Maybe Evan has it. I should ask Evan.”

“I don’t know whether to reach through the phone and hit you or to hand up.”

“He always tries to drink his coffee before eating his breakfast after his runs,” Remus goes on. “Reggie, you two would be perfect! You can drink your mojitos and he’ll drink his blue Gatorade and you’ll-“

Regulus hangs up. Remus shoots him several texts in a row about common manners while on the phone, to which he receives a middle finger emoji and then a notification about a saved image. He sends Regulus a wink, to which he then receives, you are a pain in the ass.

He sends back a heart. Regulus dislikes the message.

When he and Sirius reconvene after calling their respective parties in the Twitter Sexting Scandal, as Barty is calling it, they’re both grinning and triumphant. They all sit down and have off-brand Spaghetti-O’s in celebration. Pandora allows it.

In the evening, Grant and Marcus end up coming over with ingredients for what they promise will be the meal of the year, to which Barty challenged them thoroughly, seeing as his favorite meal this year had been made by a sous chef with seventeen year’s experience in the fine art of Italian truffle (to which Marcus scoffed and went on a rant about Italian and Welsh delicacies being too different to compare).

So, Marcus commandeers Pandora and Evan to help him with leek soup, which had been a staple of Remus’ childhood. Remus then explains in great detail to Barty, Evan, Pandora, and Sirius why leek soup is so special to Welsh culture (as in, he explains that before a battle against the Saxons, Saint David told his soldiers to wear the vegetables on their helmets to be able to identify each other in the fray. Sirius laughs and says that he can’t imagine a better way for a leek to become a national emblem, and Remus kisses his cheek indulgently).

Grant pulls Remus, Sirius, and Barty to the other side of the kitchen to help him prep some conwy mussels. Sirius is obviously anxious about eating the dish, but Remus and Grant each slurp one raw in honor of their childhood of gathering and fishing for the nasty creatures. Barty tries to follow them up and ends up spitting the mussel back up, and Grant claps him on the back for a good effort.

“Welsh people are insane,” Sirius told Remus as they watched Grant coach Barty on sautéing the conwy mussels.

Remus quirks an eyebrow. “We’re not the only culture in the world that eats mussels, clams, and oysters.”

Sirius shudders. “I think I’m going to stick to the soup.”

Remus laughs and kisses him. “Okay, baby.”

Once the food is done and Marcus and Pandora have had a very in depth discussion about English literature, they all pile back onto the back porch to watch the sun set with a fresh pile of Cwtch Ale, leek soup, and conwy mussels that Sirius refuses to allow anywhere near his mouth. He watches Remus suck them down with narrowed eyes, like he no longer trusts him. Grant teases him mercilessly, but Sirius takes it in stride, nodding along.

“If I’m a bitch for not wanting to eat that,” Sirius told him, “then I’m a bitch.”

“You’re my bitch,” Barty tells him.

Sirius nods sagely. “Yes, yes, of course.”

And Remus is so, so, so in love.

Sirius watches Pandora and Remus trip around in the yard, slow dancing to a song playing out of Evan’s speaker. There are stars twinkling above them and Sirius can hear the crashing of the waves over the beat.

As soon as the song ends, Pandora comes tripping over to Sirius. “Dance with me!” And Sirius is effectively pulled from his perch atop the porch railing and into a silly waltz with Pandora.

“Dora!” Remus wails, “I wanted to dance with him next!”

Pandora sticks her tongue out at him, and Sirius shoots Remus an apologetic look as he rolls his eyes and treks off to pull Grant off his ass and into a twirling, laughing mess.

Pandora hums. “I’ve had some beer, so you must indulge me,” she tells Sirius.

He looks down at her. “Oh?”

“You and Remus.” She nods to where their boy is spinning around with Grant, Marcus clapping to the beat and watching them. “Do you feel forever about it?”

Sirius takes a moment to just… look. Remus, wearing a large sweatshirt that belonged to his Uncle Tom and pajama pants, spinning around with Grant under the stars, holding a beer in his hands. The soft music as Barty and Evan sit in the grass and point up at the constellations. Sirius sees Evan tracing Leo. And Pandora, blinking up at him with huge, babydoll blue eyes.

“Yeah,” Sirius says, and it’s practically a whisper. “Yes.”

Because he does.

Grant and Marcus crash in the living room that night, and when Sirius and Remus wake up the next morning, there’s a sticky note detailing that they had to open the coffeeshop, and therefore have been gone for hours.

Remus shoots Grant a text, thanking them for coming out the night before. Sirius sticks another note next to it for the others, and tugs Remus down to the beach with him, both of them still in their dirty pajamas and fluffy morning hair.

“Baby,” Remus mutters in his ear as Sirius tugs him close, swaying on their feet in the sand. Sirius sets a hand on his waist and another comes up to lift Remus’, and then they’re dancing in the midmorning sun, no music except their heartbeats and the waves.

Remus flushes. “Oh.”

Sirius smiles. “Oh?”

“Oh, I love you so,” Remus finishes, pressing his nose into Sirius’ neck. Sirius grins into his hair.

“I love you too, Moons,” he muses.

[skittles]

tulip: can someone please tell remus and sirius that we can all hear them fucking

dork: i can’t

mclovin: yeah maybe they should try harder

baby black: oh good lord

strange: i can’t hear them

barted: that’s because you’ve got your phone playing pete’s first album

barted: we can hear that, too

tulip: the walls are really thin

barted: oh, someone just put someone’s dick in their mouth

barted: id know the sounds of a blowjob anywhere

baby black: gooD LORD

baby black: STOP

evan(s): you woke me up

evan(s): for this converstion?

strange: just put your own music on, boys

strange: they’re in love

dork: i never thought id see the day remus lupin fell in love

mclovin: i never thought id see the day that someone other than barty’s blowjobs were a subject in the chats

barted: my blowjobs are exceptional

barted: tell them, babe

tulip: barty’s blowjobs are exceptional

tulip: the loveliest

baby black: this is my actual final straw

baby black: the 13^th reason

baby black: did you have to text the GROUP CHAT about this?

baby black: four of us aren’t even there!

evan(s): contrary to popular belief, your sex lives are not at the forefront of my mind at dawn

evan(s): i do not wake up and open my phone thinking “finally, time to see what all of my friends got up to in bed last night”

mclovin: you don’t?

dork: marls and i treat it like one of those reality tv shows that you and barty always seem to steer clear of

tulip: omg i wanna see lils in a reality tv show

barted: “watch as young actor pours too much cream into her coffee and fumes about it for the rest of the day”

evan(s): there’s no such thing as too much cream

baby black: oh god lily you set him up for this one

barted: THAT’S WHAT HE SAID

dork: i could feel that one coming in my soul

mclovin: THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID

tulip: sometimes i truly fear for us all

romulus: oh hey everyone

barted: you SLUT

baby black: hello, remus.

strange: is it safe to go into the kitchen now?

romulus: oh, yeah.

romulus: we’re on the porch now

tulip: …is the porch safe?

evan(s): wait

evan(s): this was all happening in the KITCHEN

barted: well, it’s like 2 p.m. here.

tulip: yeah, where do you expect them to be?

tulip: the shower?

 baby black: currently garroting myself.

romulus: sirirus is on the phone with james

romulus: he says hi to reg

strange: oh, tell him reggie said he can’t wait to meet him in person!

baby black: do NOT

dork: see?

mclovin: a sitcom.

[LiOnS!]

knutty: pots, what kind of cupcakes should i make for regulus’ show after party?

potty: i don’t know?

tremzy: he’s your boyfriend

captain padfoot: no he is NOT

potty: (yet)

captain padfoot: dear jesus

dumo: he seems like a red velvet kind of man

captain padfoot: if memory serves, he doesn’t eat sweets

potty: what

potty: who doesn’t eat sweets

HARZY: dealbreaker for potty

potty: im just thoroughly confused

dumo: if you’re following your diet plan, YOU shouldn’t be eating sweets

tremzy: do people actually follow those? i just eat whatever le cooks up.

knutty: you follow the diet plan, then

tremzy: oh my god he’s been poisoning us with the diet plan

talkie: potty and sirirus’ brother are actually dating?

captain padfoot: NO

potty: -T YET

dumo: well, you have to give him points for optimism

The next two weeks pass in a blur of dinners with Grant and Marcus, evenings and mornings on the beach, floral classes (taught by Remus), the beginnings of a writing craze for Pandora, and phone calls. Sirius is so in love he could keel over.

He’s made Remus a proper arrangement, which he’s put on the kitchen counter and fawns over every time he walks through the room. Sirius adores him.

They watch a total of twenty movies over the course of two weeks, including, but not limited to, Endless (Sirius found it surreal to look over at Barty as he watched it), the Kung Fu Panda trilogy (apparently a hangover favorite of the ‘Skittles’), the new Spider-Man Homecoming, and an earlier work of Fabian Prewitt’s that has Sirius laughing- Easy A.

Sirius reads one of Pandora’s books that Remus apparently keeps with him wherever he goes- Language of Flowers. It’s got Remus listed by name in the dedication and Sirius could die.

He and Remus make pasta from scratch one night and end up with egg and flour decorating their hair, and Remus grins brightly at him from across the kitchen island, freckles and amber eyes and cracked lips, and Sirius hops onto the island to kiss him.

James continues to call, but what happens more frequently are Face-Times from the entire team, or group Skypes from the Skittles, which is when Remus will kiss Sirius on the cheek and then disappear with Barty, Pandora, and Evan to talk with Regulus, Lily, Marlene, and Dorcas. They’ve apparently got the group Skype thing down, with at least one of them usually being in a foreign country for work.

Sirius bonds with Pandora and Evan over afternoon tea that Dora makes with leaves and everything, and they sit on the porch and chat while Remus and Barty continue to look over scripts and song notebooks like madmen. Pandora sometimes descends into the chaos with them, tucking into her laptop and typing away faster than anyone Sirius has ever seen.

Twice, Evan was shipped huge parcels (one from Louis Viton and one from Dior), and he sets up in the backyard with a tripod and camera and does his own shoot while Barty drools. Remus and Sirius clapped with every pose change. Evan edited and sent the photos to each company, complete with kissy faced emails large checks for the sole purpose of them needing his pretty face (Barty’s words, not Sirius’). The wildflowers and seaside and house make for beautiful backdrops, Evan tells Remus. Remus tells him he’s welcome to fly in anytime to use it as a set. So, Evan schedules with a swimwear company that’s getting off the ground for their next modelling gig to be hosted in Tenby, Wales (“Of all godforsaken places”, Remus had told Sirius over coffee that morning, but he'd been smiling).

So, the swimwear company sent their entire collection ahead for Evan to map out locations for, and he makes Remus, Sirius, Barty, and Pandora all don the suits and trek out into Tenby for trials. Sirius is the only one who hasn’t been assaulted by Evan’s creative whirlwind before, but Remus shows him how to pose for the trials and when Evan posts a photo of Remus and Sirius on the beach, kissing in swim trunks and bathed in saltwater and sunset orange, it blows up. Still, the media hasn’t tracked them all to Tenby, and they laugh about it over midday margaritas that Barty is surprisingly skilled at making.

(Pandora posts one of herself in the wildflowers, laying in the fresh grass and petals, a patterned suit on her body and her white-blonde hair flowing out around her. It shoots through her stats and becomes her most liked photo in weeks, and she tells them all that Lily texted her and said she looked beautiful, and Remus explains in patient, half-delerious detail to Sirius that night that the two women are hopelessly in love and simultaneously hopelessly oblivious to the other’s feelings.)

There’s one more Twitter interaction that involved Regulus and James:

James Potter @jamesprongspotter

Regulus (@fuckhockeyplayers), sweetheart, i hear you don’t like sweets?

Replies:              .

Regulus Black @fuckhockeyplayers

i might if that sweet thing is you, potter.

____reply:

         James Potter @jamesprongspotter: well, i was going to offer cupcakes but id be happy to offer myself instead.

         Regulus Black @fuckhockeyplayers: in retrospect, a cupcake sounds lovely.

To which James called Sirius and spontaneously combusted on the spot, and Sirius is now planning his funeral, because apparently James is incapable of keeping it in his pants, even in Twitter foreplay.

Remus had suggested James smear the cupcake all over himself, but Sirius shoved his face into the pillow before James could comprehend the statement.

Sirius is kind of worried he’ll do it anyway.

So, it’s two weeks of learning more about Remus Lupin and his best friends, and it’s two weeks of falling further and further in love with the man, and it’s four days until the fly back to Gryffindor, Minnesota to come face to face with Regulus Black himself, and Sirius is… Sirius is…

Well, Sirius is so in love, and he’s so proud, and he’s not at all worried about what the future might bring. Because he knows this patient, kind man that makes inappropriately timed jokes will be next to him, and he knows that his brother must have a sense of humor because Remus Lupin is his best friend, and Sirius is so excited for his future that he’s almost got whiplash, because three months ago, if you’d told him what this summer would entail, he would have run for the fucking hills.

But Remus is next to him. And Regulus is on his way. And James has bought a kitten. And Sirius is fucking ready.

Chapter Text

The thing about stepping out of the small Gryffindor airport with your famous friends, NHL playing boyfriend, and own claim to fame is that… well, things can get loud.

The paparazzi is here; they knew they would be. Minnie had called Remus that morning to make sure he, Sirius, Barty, Evan, and Pandora were prepared. Of course, they were (“We’re not idiots, Minnie,” Barty had said. She’d scoffed).

The thing that snags Remus’ eyes aren’t the flashing cameras or the posters with his face on them- it’s the ten-ish burly, straight-faced, sunglass-wearing, black-clothed hockey players pushing their way to the front like security guards. It’s no surprise that none of the paps recognize them for who they are- LA media doesn’t give a shit about these NHL players in Minnesota. So, the gathered Lions, with their sunglasses and bored expressions, are able to walk right by.

Sirius, holding onto Remus’ hand and their duffle, chokes a laugh as Pascal Dumias claps him on the shoulder and extends a hand like they’re here to escort them, not speaking, mouth still in a grim line.

Remus nods to him, very seriously, and tugs Sirius after his teammate.

How clever, these Gryffindor Lions.

Barty, Pandora, and Evan pile into the sleek, black Range Rover (Pascal’s wife’s car, not security, though it looks the part), settling in the full back row, before Remus and Sirius climb into the captain chairs in the middle. Sirius tosses their bag to Evan, who tosses it into the back, they buckle, Pascal slides into the driver’s seat and Logan into the passenger, and they’re off.

“Fucking brilliant,” Logan bursts as soon as people start chasing the car, tearing off his full-black sunglasses.

“Good one, Tremzy.” Remus laughs with him.

“Wait-what?” Remus hears Barty say behind him.

“Barty, Evan, Pandora,” Remus muses, “this is Pascal Dumias and Logan Tremblay. Gryffindor Lions and apparently method actors.”

“We did well, non?” Pascal asks, reaching back to pat the hand Sirius has clasped around his shoulder before removing his own comically large red frames. How no one realized that true security escorts don’t wear heart shaped glasses, Remus will never know. Perhaps it’s one of those strange things people pass off as normal for “The Skittles”.

“I’ll never doubt you again,” Sirius tells him, grinning broadly. “I thought I was going to have to toss Moons over my shoulder and take off.”

Logan laughs and shoots Sirius a look. “You’ll do that anyway.”

“Oui,” Sirius agrees.

Remus looks behind them and spots James’ cherry red Toyota Tacoma pick-up truck with Thomas Walker in the passenger seat and Kasey Winter in the middle backseat, whooping. James, trying to keep up with Pascal’s demon driving. Behind that, Remus catches sight of the baby blue Ford Bronco that Leo Knut drives, betting that Finn O’Hara is in the passenger seat (or driving, actually), and the other guys either with them or joining to procession.

“This is insane,” Logan tuts, flipping off a group of turned-around paps as they drive past. “Is it always like this?”

“Nah,” Barty answers. “At home, yeah. LA is crawling with the pap- can’t really leave the house without being swarmed. We’re always getting asked to stop for just a few seconds. But usually, unless it’s a premier, award show, or concert… we’re left relatively alone. Except for random fans.”

Pascal looks at Barty, Evan, and Pandora in his rearview mirror. “Sounds like a lot of unnecessary bullshit for a few twenty-year-old kids to have to put up with.”

“It does, doesn’t it?” Pandora asks in her breezy, loving tone. “You’re Pascal Dumias?”

Pascal blinks at her. “I am.”

Dora nods, thinking. Remus shoots her a quizzical look. She shrugs. “Ever since Reg got us all watching the Lions games, I like to put faces to names. Isn’t Pascal the one that’s the oldest in the league?”

Sirius barks a laugh, Logan stifles a wide grin, and Pascal extends them the finger.

“Grandpa Dumo,” Logan mutters under his breath and receives a swat to the head.

“Oh, please,” Sirius says, stopping Pascal from maiming Logan any further. “Like you couldn’t skate us all out of house and home.”

Sirius feels a little untethered. He’s back at home- he’s met Medusa, the adorable black fluff ball that sits on James’ shoulder more often than not. He’s sat down and had himself a session at the piano in the small library of the townhouse. And, most recently, even watched three episodes of Avatar: The Last Airbender with James, who was ecstatic to have him home.

But now, in the space between one episode and the next, Sirius sighs and rolls onto his back where he’s lounging across the couch. James, in the corner with his body tucked up and small (not the way you’d expect someone larger than life to enjoy sitting, but James enjoys the tight feeling of his muscles and a blanket when relaxing), looks over at him. And he pauses the intro screen.

“Alright?” James asks, too casually. Knowingly.

Sirius shrugs. He can’t name it. He’d like to chalk it up to the anxiety of Regulus’ show, now only two days away, but he knows that feeling. That feels like a pool in his gut of dread and excitement. That has been ever growing since the last time he saw Regulus, back in Quebec with one hand full of runaway clothes and the other full of forgotten promises.

He'd even like to chalk it up to jetlag and another extensive day on a plane and new time zone. But he knows that’s wrong, too.

“Where’d you say Remus was for the rest of the day?” James asks, like he’s needling away at something.

“He took Barty, Pandora, and Evan up to the Cornelia Street House to get settled in, but later tonight- like, red-eye-flight-tonight, he and Pandora are going to drive back to the airport to smuggle Regulus and their other friends out past the paparazzi and to the house.”

“So, Regulus is getting here tonight?”

Sirius cuts a glance in James’ direction again. “Absolutely not, Potter.”

James throws his hands up. “I wasn’t!”

Sirius sits up. Sighs again.

James softens. “You know… it’s okay to miss him?”

“Regulus?” Sirius asks, because he’s an actual idiot.

James snorts. “No. I mean, yes. But not what I’m getting at, here. I meant Remus.”

Sirius blinks. “I saw Moony two hours ago, Pots.”

“This is quite literally the first time since the two of you met that you’re not at each other’s beck and call,” James points out.

Sirius just shakes his head. “That’s not true. For a while there, we didn’t even-“

“Don’t give me that, Sirius Black. Literally since that first time you kissed, it’s been daily and constant. I mean… not in a bad way. What I’m saying is that the past few months, for you, have been… Remus Lupin. And then you spent a literal month attached at the hip. Of course, it’s strange to come back home and him be doing other things. He’s lived in your world for… a pretty long time.”

Sirius thinks on that for a moment. It’s not that he’s angry Remus isn’t sitting with them. It’s that his body isn’t quite sure what to do with itself without a snarky, hot-as-fuck rockstar to lean on.

“I just spent a month in his world,” Sirius points out quietly.

James shrugs. “Yeah. In another country. But here? In Gryffindor? It’s… it’s you and him, and it’s the Lions. It’s a little weird that he’s here, doing his own thing with his friends. Of course, it is.”

Sirius shoots his friend a look. “You’re pretty wise, you know.”

James shrugs and pushes play again for their fourth episode. “I noticed you got that far-away look as soon as he kissed you goodbye. Put the pieces together.”

Sirius sighs and tosses a hand over his forehead. Recognizing why his body feels off-kilter doesn’t immediately right it again- he knows that. But it does make him feel better to know that the churning in his chest is from wishing Remus was next to him. Fucks sake, he needs to get a grip. It’s been two hours. Once Remus inevitably goes back to LA, this is going to eat him alive.

He eyes James some more. Medusa is perched on his shoulder, purring in his ear. On screen, Aang is trying to convince his friends to cross a canyon on foot.

“Don’t think we’re not going to talk about this,” Sirius eventually says, dropping his head back against the cushions again.

“Talk about what?” James asks, tearing his eyes from the flying bison to stare at him. But Sirius knows they both know what he means.

“You practically taking my little brother’s clothes off in multiple Twitter feeds,” he replies, cool and easy.

James nods, very serious. “Oh. I thought it would be something bad.”

Sirius snorts, and the two of them focus back on the Avatar trying to master all the elements before the Fire Lord can execute total world dominion. It seems a lot simpler than what they’re facing.

Remus and Regulus sit, perfectly still, as the last notes of the final song in Regulus’ set echo around the stadium. Regulus, Lily, Marlene, and Dorcas arrived almost two hours ago, and Pandora drove the girls to Remus’ rental home while Remus and Regulus went off to first sound-check at the Hogwarts Stadium.

It's just playing the music aloud this time, using the pre-recorded songs that will go on the album instead of singing. So, the two men just sit on the stage, crisscross applesauce, listening intently as the music washes over them.

Regulus’ eyes blink open. “Okay. Wow.” He’ biting his lip, darting anxious eyes all over the stadium. His brother’s picture hangs in multiple places- Sirius’ bright, inviting smile next to James’ crossed eyes or Pascal’s fatherly embrace.

Regulus sighs before Remus can speak. “It feels so much more real. You know, here. In this place that’s wholly his. At my house, it was… still mine, you know? Now it’s truly going to be his.”

“Yours,” Remus corrects, leaning back on his hands and tossing his legs straight out in front of him. “It’s going to be both of yours.”

Regulus gives him a tired, sad smile. “I’m not sure we’ve ever had something that’s ours.”

Remus purses his lips. Thinks about it. Then, softly, like he’s afraid to startle Regulus away, he says, “Well, there’s me.”

Regulus blinks at him. Then, in a very un-Reg-like fashion, he grins. And nods. “Yeah. I guess we have you.”

They stop and talk to the tech crew for a while on their way out. It made sense to come and do the first soundcheck at eleven at night, when none of the players would be in to skate around. Now, with the dark summer sky and the bustling of Gryffindor, Remus just wishes he was next to Sirius.

As he and Reg drive out to Cornelia Street, catching each other up on all the crazy things they’ll need to do once they get home, Remus realizes that he has very little time actually left in Gryffindor. He’s unsure how quickly they’ll pack up and leave after the show, and he supposes that depends on Sirius and Regulus. Will they stay another few days? A week? At most, it’ll be two. Remus, despite wishing to just stay, knows he needs to get back to his life eventually. There’s only so long one can outrun it.

“Hey, um… Reg?” Remus starts when there’s a catch in the conversation.

Regulus looks over at him, assessing eyes, and Remus knows he already knows what Remus is going to ask.

“Oh, don’t look at me like that,” Remus grumbles.

Regulus smirks. “I’m still going to make you ask,” he assures him.

“Oh, I know. Evil bastard.”

Reg just snorts and goes back to texting Lily that they’ll be back soon.

“If I just… drop you off at home….” Remus trails off when the tilt of Regulus’ smirk grows. “Oh, you little shit.”

Regulus scoffs. “Don’t worry. I’ll admit it’s strange to see you-“ He looks Remus over- “like this. And I know it’s even weirder to ask me if it’s fine if you leave us alone in your rental home so you can go sleep with my brother.”

Remus flushes. “I just want to-“

Regulus holds up a hand, trying not to smile. “We only have a little bit longer here, Rem. Don’t waste it.”

Remus breathes a sigh of relief. “You’re kind when you’re not being a prickly asshole.”

Regulus laughs. “Good luck trying to catch me being nice, then.”

True to their agreement, Remus practically kicks Regulus out of the car when they pull up. Reg, the little shit, sits in the passenger seat and continues talking about nothing until Remus has to physically remove him.

“Use protection,” Regulus mutters slyly as he shuts the door. Remus flips him off through the window and tears off back up the road.

When he gets to James and Sirius’ townhouse, he hefts the large, empty flowerpot to get the spare key underneath. If they’re asleep, he doesn’t want to wake them.

He cracks the door open. James, on the sofa, whips his head in the front door’s direction. When James beams at him, Remus steps into the room and shuts the door quietly. Sirius, all six foot three inches of him, is sprawled across the sofa, passed out.

James waves at Remus ecstatically. “It took him forever to fall asleep, even though he’s wiped from the plane,” he whispers. “Misses you.”

Remus’ heart clenches. “He told you that?”

James shrugs. “We had a real heart-to-heart about it. Don’t tell him I told you, though.”

Remus sighs and sits gingerly on the edge of the sofa, next to Sirius’ head, which is buried in the cushion below. He takes one of his hands and kisses his palm.

James, wise man, stands, pats Remus’ shoulder, and makes his way upstairs.

Remus grins after him. Then kisses Sirius’ palm again. “Hey, love. Come on- let’s go to bed.”

Sirius stirs and groans. “Hmm.”

“C’mon, baby. Let’s go to bed,” Remus whispers against his hair. Sirius lifts his head and looks up at him. Blinks once, twice, three times. Then his mouth splits in a wide, breathtaking grin.

“Oh. Hello. There you are,” he says, accent heavy and voice sleep thick.

Remus melts. “Here I am.”

“What are you doing here?” Sirius rolls over so he can look up at Remus without breaking his neck. He reaches up and tucks some of Remus’ hair back. “I thought you were getting everyone settled in.”

Remus smiles sadly at him. “Who knows how much longer I’ll be here, love. I’m not spending the night away from you if I can help it.”

Sirius gives Remus his own downtrodden smile, stands, and scoops Remus into his arms. “Well then. Let’s get to bed, yes?”

Remus chuckles and buries his face in the spot where Sirius’ neck meets his shoulder. Wraps his hand up and around his boyfriend’s neck. Sirius, though he’s just been woken up and had a taxing day, makes quick work of getting them into his room. He sets Remus down onto the bed and is immediately there, crawling between his legs and settling his chin on Remus’ chest, smiling sleepily.

“Did you want to change?” Sirius asks after a moment, one hand fingering Remus’ jeans.

Remus hums, and Sirius stands to stalk over to the dresser, where he pulls out one of Remus’ (Reg’s) t-shirts and one of his own pairs of boxers. He holds them up, raising a brow.

Remus grins and stands, going over and accepting the clothes with a kiss to Sirius’ cheek, then he shucks his own off right there while Sirius watches, eyes darkening, and starts to tell a story.

“Regulus bought this shirt at a garage sale,” he tells Sirius, who pauses in his visual exploration of Remus’ thighs to stare at him.

“What?”

Remus nods. “Yeah. I think we were twenty? Found this garage sale that had all kinds of old shirts. Reg bought this one and used to use it as his hair towel, poncy bastard. You know he’s got those curls, and refused to buy a microfiber towel until Dora and Dorcas wore him down eventually. But one night after we were at this gala, the guys all crashed at our place. Reg and I still lived together then. And Barty got his hands on this shirt to sleep in, and then wore it home the next day, and then a few weeks later I was at his and Marlene’s place and spilled pancake batter all over myself, and I got this shirt to change into. Had it ever since. Reg complains all the time, it’s still one of his favorites.”

Sirius blinks at him. Remus sets his hands on his hips.

“I wear that shirt all the time,” Sirius blurts.

Remus smiles. “Yeah, I know. A lot of my old shirts are actually stolen from Reg.”

“I-“ Sirius looks down at the t-shirt he’s wearing, and blinks again. “This is Reg’s, too,” he says softly. “From the bag he packed me when I left.”

It’s Remus’ turn to blink and look at Sirius’ shirt. “…Actually? I- I wear that shirt all the time.”

Sirius laughs- a disbelieving, heartfelt thing, and tugs Remus closer by gripping his wrists and tugging, then he leans down and kisses him soundly.

“Oh, I can’t fucking stand that nosy bastard,” Remus muses when Sirius pulls back. “He’s always got his nose in fucking everything.”

Sirius chokes out another laugh and pulls Remus backwards, letting himself fall onto the bed and pulling Remus down with him.

“God, I want you so bad right now,” Sirius whispers to him, nosing at Remus’ curls.

Remus’ insides heat up. “Oh?” But the other man is just contentedly holding him, pressing their bodies together in a way that’s more caress than hot.

“I think I always do,” Sirius continues, kissing at his hair, his temples, his forehead. “Fuck, do you think this will ever feel manageable?”

“What?” Remus asks, running his hands up Sirius’ arms.

“This,” Sirius says, like that explains what he’s talking about. And Remus blinks at him, and knows, and smiles.

“No,” he whispers back to him. “No, I don’t think… I don’t think it’ll ever be something we could push aside or settle into.”

“God, I hope not,” Sirius tells him, finally running his hands down Remus’ back and kissing him on the lips. Then, “I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to look at you and just… not absolutely have to touch you.”

Remus grins at him, bracing his hands on either side of Sirius’ head and pushing himself up a bit to stare down at him.

“Do you want to?”

“Touch you? Yes.”

A snort. “No. I mean… do you want it to be… less? Less rushed, less-“

“Absolutely not,” Sirius cuts him off. “That would mean there was less love, too. And I’m absolutely positively not going to do that. Or ever wish for it.”

Remus huffs. “Well, why would you ask, then?”

“It was hypothetical, love.”

“Oh, well, as long as it’s hypothetic- hmmph-“ Sirius cuts Remus off, tugging him back down and flipping them to press them into a searing kiss.

“I’m going to take your clothes off, now,” Sirius Black tells him, all jagged smiles and cocky assurance. He’s already pulling Remus’ boxers down, freeing him to the cool air.

“Oh. Okay. Yes, please.”

It takes them a minute. They’re both exhausted, and worried over what’s coming with Regulus, and but they’re both so in love and they want so badly. So Sirius coaxes little tremors out of Remus with his tongue, and Remus traces all over Sirius’ body- the little scars here and there from hockey pucks and his mother’s rings. He presses his hands into Sirius’ hips when he takes him in his mouth, letting Sirius twine his fingers through Remus’ hair as his hips jerk and Remus presses him back down into the mattress so he can continue having his way with him.

Sirius comes in a thick white strip, shaking, and Remus is already kissing up his neck, so it gets all over both of them, but neither of them seem to care. Sirius’ eyes are wet and he’s pulling Remus closer, closer.

Remus slips into Sirius less than a few minutes later, pressing into him and drawing hushed cries from him. Remus is so close he’s counting backward from four thousand to try and not finish this right here. Sirius is shaking, overstimulated and begging, and Remus fucks him hard and fast, holding his hand over Sirius’ mouth to stop from waking the entire neighborhood and he’s pressing his own face into Sirius’ neck to stop from crying out himself.

After, they spend what feels like hours whispering back and forth and coaxing shakes out of each other. Remus disappeared into the bathroom at one point for a warm towel and cleaned up their sweaty and wet chests. They’ve both slipped back into their boxers, but Regulus’ two t-shirts lay forgotten on the floor. Sirius is sitting up in bed, braced against the headboard, grinning at Remus as he sings a soft, heartfelt song from his unreleased album that Sirius has somehow convinced him to let him hear. He thinks the convincing had something to do with hands clasped over his head and bruising kisses. He’s not bothered about it in the slightest.

The song, Remus realizes, is that very first one he wrote, with Sirius asleep in his lap and Pandora just having hung up the phone. He’s grinning at Sirius in the middle of his words, sitting there all pretty, legs tangled in the bedsheets. He’s already explained to Sirius that he wrote this one in the beginning, before the I love you’s, even before the coffee dates and dinners at the townhouse. But he thinks, strangely, that it’s not until halfway through that he remembers that this one was the first.

And how wonderful it is, he thinks, that it started with something like this, and even in chorus, he wouldn’t have been able to point out that he was already halfway in love with this man.

He said, "Let's get out of this town
Drive out of the city, away from the crowds"
I thought Heaven can't help me now
Nothing lasts forever
But this is gonna take me down

He's so tall and handsome as hell
He's so bad, but he does it so well
I can see the end as it begins
My one condition is

Say you'll remember me
Standing in a nice suit
Staring at the sunset, babe
Red lips and rosy cheeks
Say you'll see me again
Even if it's just in your wildest dreams

Wildest dreams

I said, "No one has to know what we do"
His hands are in my hair, his clothes are in my room
And his voice is a familiar sound
Nothing lasts forever
But this is getting good now

He's so tall and handsome as hell
He's so bad, but he does it so well
And when we've had our very last kiss
My last request is

Say you'll remember me
Standing in a nice suit
Staring at the sunset, babe
Red lips and rosy cheeks
Say you'll see me again
Even if it's just in your wildest dreams
Wildest dreams

You'll see me in hindsight
Tangled up with you all night
Burning it down
Someday when you leave me
I bet these memories
Follow you around

You'll see me in hindsight
Tangled up with you all night
Burning) it down
Someday when you leave me
I bet these memories
Follow you around

Say you'll remember me
Standing in a nice suit
Staring at the sunset, babe
Red lips and rosy cheeks
Say you'll see me again
Even if it's just pretend

Say you'll remember me
Standing in a nice suit
Staring at the sunset, babe
Red lips and rosy cheeks
Say you'll see me again
Even if it's just in your wildest dreams
In your wildest dreams
Even if it's just stayed in your wildest dreams
In your wildest dreams

As soon as he finishes, Sirius is there, kissing him softly and grinning into it.

“No last kisses,” he tells Remus, like a promise, like a prayer.

“No,” Remus agrees, prays, “No last kiss.”

And he thinks, Father, Son, Holy Spirit, Amen.

Two mornings later, Sirius wakes up and stumbles downstairs to find Remus in the kitchen, sitting cross-legged on the counter, holding an iced latte and nodding along as James talks, flinging around the spatula he’s using for the eggs. Medusa is sitting in Remus’ lap, curled up in a little ball, watching her dad.

He walks right to Remus’ side, leaning into him and inhaling for a moment as James goes off about some YouTube video he saw that explained the dynamics of “The Skittles”, and is asking about how much of it Remus agrees with (none).

“Morning, baby,” Remus hums, kissing his forehead and stroking a hand through Sirius’ hair. “Today’s the day.”

Sirius gives a half-hearted grunt in response- really, it’s early, and his alarm had gone off only three hours after Remus and he had actually fallen asleep. Remus smiles knowingly and presses a coffee into his hands.

Sirius hadn’t been expecting Regulus to come and see him in the day between his arrival and show, so he wasn’t disappointed when Remus had smiled sadly at him yesterday, kissed his cheek, and rushed off for more soundchecks, run-throughs, and three different interviews their manager had scheduled for him and Regulus with various on-site news stations. Sirius and James had most of the team over yesterday, all of them playing Twister and Scrabble and talking about the show and the pre-season kickoff, all of them so excited to get back onto the ice as a team, get into practice and scrimmages.

Remus had come back over around midnight last night, coming into Sirius’ room quietly and slotting himself into place against Sirius’ back. Sirius had been asleep, but he’d woken up about an hour later and Remus was still awake, pressed against him, scrolling through his phone with worry lines on his face. They’d talked for a long time, made out in the lulls of the conversation, and finally fallen asleep around four. Now, it was seven, and Remus had to be gone soon for the stadium for last-minute checks and meetings, and Sirius and James needed to be heading out for brunch with the team and then a locker-room meeting with Coach Weasley that would take all afternoon before the show this evening.

They ate breakfast- him, Remus, and James, with Medusa plopped on James’ head. Remus kissed James on the cheek and then Sirius on the lips, smiling at them, and then was off, pulling out of the driveway in that beautiful bright blue convertible that his manager had rented for him when they got back from Wales.

It had been a bit of a joke. Remus had sighed when he saw it, and Sirius had lit up. “She knows I don’t like flashy cars,” Remus had groaned, dropping his head onto Sirius’ shoulder. Sirius had shushed him and made Remus drive him around for an hour yesterday morning, the wind in their hair and the sun on Remus’ beautiful skin.

“Well,” James said from behind Sirius, “you’re a besotted fool.”

Sirius realized he’d been staring after Remus, who was long gone, and shut the door before flipping James off over his shoulder and leaving to get dressed for the day.

The rest of the morning went a bit like this:

(An image) Dumo, Harzy, and Talker at the head of the table, fencing with straws while the rest of the guys talked loudly about the upcoming season- the teams they’d play first, the projections, the rookies joining other teams. They hadn’t gotten a trade or a rookie, surprisingly, and Sirius sat there in the middle of it all, feeling like his life was very full and very far away from Quebec indeed.

(An image) Leo, Logan, and Finn in the back of James’ pick-up, riding to the stadium with Sirius and James. Remus’ first album blasting on the radio, windows down, people honking at them at red lights and waving hysterically. The five of them cheering and whooping and tossing up two fingers to the sky. Utter joy.

(An image) Their group walking past another set of famous people on their way into the stadium. Barty, Pandora, and Evan yanking Sirius into their huddle and introducing him hurriedly to Lily Evans, Dorcas Meadowes, and Marlene McKinnon, the latter two who still went by their former first names in public, but were married all the same. Lily wrapping Sirius in a hug, Dorcas eyeing him, and Marlene flicking her wife’s cheek.

(An image) Barty flirting with Leo on the way into the stadium, Evan flirting with Logan, and Finn, groaning and looking a little flustered, complaining to Sirius that this was all his fault and that he was going to haunt him when he died.

(An image) The six Skittles with them splitting off from the group of hockey players to make their way down to the ice, where a stage had been erected, and Sirius trying not to let his insides come out his mouth when he looked down and saw to unmistakable figures standing on the stage gesturing at different spots and talking with the Lions public relations coordinator.

(An image) Remus, with his back turned to the NHL team walking across the top of the stands to the back stairs, where they could get into their locker room without messing up the flow of the show setup. Regulus Black, turned toward Remus, with a clear view of them. And Sirius Black, stopping and staring as he makes direct eye contact with his little brother for the first time in five years.

(An image) Regulus, standing and staring. Sirius, standing and staring. Regulus, blinking once. Sirius, not blinking at all. And then, the slow, seemingly unintentional way that Regulus lips quirk up. The very intentional nod that he gives Sirius. The clear, unhindered way his eyes look. So unlike that tortured young boy that Sirius knew.

(An image) Sirius, nodding back. Sirius, continuing on with his team. Now was not the time to be reuniting. They both had a job to do right now.

(An image) Hours upon hours in the locker room, listing to Coach Weasley, messing about in the room between meetings, working on designing that season’s token (they adorn a red and gold hat with a lion’s mane, sprinkle some glitter on, all sign it, and call it a day). PR meetings and pre-season interviews. PT checks for all of them. Re-evaluations of their personal diets and training plans. Speed checks on the simulator. Riding down the hallway on Kasey Winter’s back while James whoops and shoots past on Kuny’s. Watching Olli and Thomas race to see who finishes the pickle juice shots the fastest. Finn, Logan, and Leo in the corner of the locker room after the speed tests, taking a ten-minute power nap all piled on top of each other on one bean bag. James and Dumo decorating all of their lockers with Celeste Dumias and Natalie’s personally designed jerseys that all say things like “Hoe Dameron #12” (for Sirius) and “James Bondage #8” (for James). All the guys deciding to wear the jerseys to the show that night instead of the preseason sweaters in the gift shop.

(An image) The late lunch brought in from the diet team- chicken, broccoli, rice. The creamy pour-over that only some of them get because it goes against some of their plans. The Southern Sweet Tea from one of their national sponsors that the PR team comes in for and takes random pictures of them all drinking it with lunch. The beanies that Coach pressed into each of their hands, specially knitted by his wife and he threatens them all with bodily harm if they’re not all photographed wearing them at least once this season, even if they are a little wonky. None of them would ever disrespect Molly Weasley like that, though, and they all tuck the beanies into safe spots in their lockers to wear for roadies.

(An image) Remus, on the way to the kitchens to grab something to eat with Pandora and Lily, and Sirius, walking by on his way back from his PT session with Olli and Harz. The quick kiss and grins that they trade, the squeeze of Remus’ fingers on his waist and the way Sirius winks at him as they continue on their way. The way Lily lights up when Sirius looks back their way and catches her eye. Her own wink. The way Olli tells Sirius that he’s scored one hell of a man, and the way Sirius laughs all the way back to the locker room, because he’s never heard anything more true.

[moony’s bitches]

moony: you bastards ready?

FINN: bitch, I’ve never been more ready for something in my life.

pascal: knock ‘em dead, remus.

james: and by ‘em, he means us, moony.

sirius: good luck love, you’ll do amazing, love you.

kasey: oh, that was so sweet.

thomas: cap’s over there grinning and blushing at his phone, rem. please serenade this man tonight.

sirius: both of you shut the fuck up.

leo: you sure you want this one, remus? your return date is almost expired, but i think you should reevaluate.

moony: lol. no returns. love you too, baby.

logan: BABY?

james: oh, come here, baby. let’s get dressed for the show.

FINN: oh my god moony you should see the state of the locker room right now.

pascal: *video attatchment*

sirius: moons.

moony: reg says to put a shirt on, james.

sirius: MOONS

moony: xxxxxx

The original plan had been to not, under any circumstances, play a song from his new album. But as he and Regulus had been doing their final sound checks this morning, Reg had turned to him and said, “Play Cruel Summer.” And then he hadn’t given Remus much of a choice and put the song in the que anyway.

Remus really isn’t that fussed.

Now, with four minutes to showtime and the Lions out in the front of the crowd, taped off from the rest of it, and Remus about to walk out onstage to open before Regulus gets up there and spills his heart on the stage in the middle of his brother’s stadium, Remus’ heart is pounding.

Regulus, the little prick, seems very unconcerned. He’s just humming and getting the last bit of his eyeliner put on. Remus is shaking.

“Reg.”

“Hm?”

“I’m about to shit myself.”

One eyelid creaks open. He regards Remus with cool eyes. “I hadn’t noticed.”

“Oh, you are an absolute prick.”

Regulus sighs and the makeup artist looks up at Remus, eyes wide, wondering if she should step away. Remus shakes his head. The number of times the two of them have had heart-to-hearts in front of their stage staffers is insane.

“Okay. So. I’m about to go up there and either forever forge a bond with my brother that’s been dwindling and faded ever since he ran away from home, or I’m going to entirely, completely wreck it and we’ll never see or speak to each other again,” Regulus says. “All in all, I’d say that logically, the stakes are pretty well in our favor. You, on one side, have fallen stupidly and unthinkingly in love with my brother. You’re worried that if this goes poorly, you’ll forever be split down two sides; the life we have in LA, and the life you have here, in Gryffindor, with him. So now you’re shitting yourself-“ he checks the clock- “three minutes before you’re due on stage because you’re worried you’re going to have to give one of us up to make the other one truly happy. Is any of this sounding right?”

Remus laughs, incredulously, at the way Regulus has always been able to pick him apart and examine what’s making Remus tick. He just nods.

“Okay. One, your happiness should not be placed after mine or his. In your mind, what’s best for you should always come first. Second, if this goes poorly, there is no part of me that would be so hateful to forbid you from loving him, and if he would, then he’s not someone I would allow you to love anyway. Okay?”

Remus just nods, digesting his words, feeling them settle somewhere between his sternum and years of putting himself last.

“Two,” Regulus goes on, “you’re going to kill it. You are an icon, Remus John Lupin. So go, I don’t know, be an icon.”

He waves Remus away, to where the stage manager is calling for him, and Remus laughs again, disbelieving, and waves the makeup artist away for two seconds to press an obnoxious, smacking kiss on Regulus’ forehead and sprint away before he can retaliate with something like a knee to the groin, which he has been known to do.

When Remus steps out, a little peppy now, into the lights and screams of hundreds, the first thing he sees is the Gryffindor Lions. Pascal, Kasey, and Thomas, whooping. Leo, Finn, and Logan, glitter smeared in their hair. James, Olli, and a man Remus hasn’t met jumping up and down before the music even starts. And there, in the middle, is Sirius, beaming up at him, gold glitter streaked through his own hair and two hearts drawn on his right cheek in red eyeliner. Remus’ heart is going to fall out of his fucking ass.

The first beat drops, and Remus jumps, grabs his microphone, and then there’s guitar, and his band behind him is whooping, jumping with him, and Remus rips into the first song of the night.

Sirius can’t stop screaming. He’s been jumping up and down with James for the same amount of time that he’s just stood, starstruck and staring, and the wonderful, beautiful soul on stage.

Remus is wearing red high-waisted trousers tucked over a gold, sheer top, his tattoos and skin peeking through. He’s tied his hair back in a neat bun that’s let some strands break loose with his movements. He’s got on golden, heeled, pointed boots that he hasn’t once tripped in, no matter how much jumping across the stage and running toward his band he does, grabbing his guitar at random intervals and joining the bassist for a solo, signing into the same mic as his backup, sliding across the stage with his guitarists, leaning over his drummer and taking into the mic there, about how proud he is of this group, about how proud he is of the Lions, about how proud his is to be here, witnessing this.

The crowd loses it, of course. Remus Lupin is on stage, with that charm and glow of him, and Sirius cannot stop fucking screaming. And then Remus is slowing down, coming to rest at the front of the stage, grinning right at him, and talking into the mic softly.

“As most of you may have read in the press,” he says, and Sirius flushes as the team nudges him like crazy, whooping, all of them knowing where this is going. Remus winks. “My boyfriend is down there with the Lions. Now, I’ll admit, I don’t know a shit-ton about hockey, but I think he’s the captain.”

Screams. Cheers. James, yelling, “Damn straight he is!” Followed by Logan, yelling, “Well, not that straight!” And the entire team laughing their asses off as Sirius tries to pull his eyes off of Remus for long enough to glare at them.

“So, this last song,” Remus says, still grinning right at him, “is for Sirius. I’ll admit that my next album is a stray from my usual sound, but as a little sneak peek right before our very own Regulus Black gets up here, you’ll get to hear the first song in my upcoming album. This is Cruel Summer.”

Sirius’ heart stops, starts, stops, and starts again with the music. Remus winks at him and blows a kiss.

Fever dream high in the quiet of the night
You know that I caught it
Bad, bad boy
Shiny toy with a price
You know that I bought it

Killing me slow, out the window
I'm always waiting for you to be waiting below
Devils roll the dice, angels roll their eyes
What doesn't kill me makes me want you more

And it's new, the shape of your body
It's blue, the feeling I've got
And it's ooh, whoa, oh
It's a cruel summer
It's cool, that's what I tell 'em
No rules in breakable heaven
But ooh, whoa oh
It's a cruel summer
With you

Hang your head low
In the glow of the vending machine
I'm not dying
You say that we'll never screw it up in these trying times
We're can’t stop trying

So cut the headlights, summer's a knife
I'm always waiting for you just to cut to the bone
Devils roll the dice, angels roll their eyes
And if I bleed, you'll be the first to know

Oh, it's new, the shape of your body
It's blue, the feeling I've got
And it's ooh, whoa, oh
It's a cruel summer
It's cool, that's what I tell 'em
No rules in breakable heaven
But ooh, whoa, oh
It's a cruel summer
With you

I'm drunk in the back of the car
And I laughed like a fool coming home from the bar (oh)
Said, "I'm fine, " and it was so true

I don't wanna keep secrets just to keep you
And I snuck in through the garden gate
Every night that summer just to seal my fate (oh)
And I screamed for whatever it's worth
"I love you, " ain't that the worst thing you ever heard?
He looks up grinning like a devil

It's new, the shape of your body
It's blue, the feeling I've got
And it's ooh, whoa, oh
It's a cruel summer
It's cool, that's what I tell 'em
No rules, in breakable heaven
But ooh, whoa, oh
It's a cruel summer
With you

I'm drunk in the back of the car
And I laughed like a fool coming home from the bar (oh)
Said, "I'm fine, " and it was so true
I don't wanna keep secrets just to keep you
And I snuck in through the garden gate
Every night that summer just to seal my fate (oh)
And I screamed for whatever it's worth
"I love you, " ain't that the worst thing you ever heard?

And now, Sirius just can’t stop grinning through the tears streaming down his face, and James, Leo, Logan, and Pascal are all making kissy faces at him, and Remus is there, on the stage, flush and out of breath, smiling right back at him.

Remus turns, though it’s hard, away from Sirius’ happy, grinning face, to see Regulus there, standing in the wings, smiling softly at him. His arms are crossed over the bright red satin button-up he’s got on, tucked into light golden trousers, his heeled red boots crossed over each other as he watches Remus turn to him.

It had been Lily’s idea, really, to coordinate their outfits the very first time they’d done a show together. Now, their stylists don’t even ask or question it. They’ve always got coordinated but not exactly matching outfits on the rack when they step into their changing rooms.

Regulus is standing there, and Remus is watching him, and then Reg is pushing off the side of the stage and stepping out into the light, not looking at the crowd (his brother) and walking right over to Remus, eyes alight.

Remus holds the microphone a little ways away from him as Regulus draws close and mutters, “You absolute lovesick fool.”

And Remus is grinning too hard to deny it. The crowd his chanting now, screaming for Reg, and Regulus takes his own mic from the proffered stand, and he’s turning, finally, to the crowd. And Remus is pressing a hand into his shoulder in comfort, looking once more at Sirius, giving him a small, reassuring smile, and then Remus himself is ducking off the stage on the other side, where Lily, Dorcas, Marlene, Pandora, Barty, and Evan are standing, eyes wet. He turns off his mic, hands it to a stage hand, takes the bottle of water Evan is holding out to him, takes the towel from Marlene, accepts a kiss on the cheek from all of them, and then they turn, as one, to watch as Regulus starts speaking.

“I think,” Regulus begins in that annoying French drawl that he gets when he’s being a prat, “that it would be moot to not point out that my brother is the one my best friend just sang that song to. And I also think it would be pointless not to point out that yes, he is the captain of the Gryffindor Lions and no, my brother and I have not spoken for five years.”

The crowd quiets, hanging on every word. Remus darts his eyes to Sirius, where Pascal and James have set hands on his shoulders and he’s staring, breathless, at Regulus.

“Not by our own choices,” Regulus goes on, “but simply because that is the way life took us. I’m sure anyone who’s a Gryffindor Lions fan knows that our lives before college weren’t favorable, and anyone follows me in the press knows the same thing. If you’re here tonight, I’m going to assume that you’re both.

“Remus Lupin is, by all accounts, intents and purposes, my best friend. There’s been speculation in the media for years that we’re secretly married, or dating, or having an affair, or whatever you all come up with. But the simple, unavoidable truth is that Remus Lupin and I are best friends. We roomed together our first year in college, met the rest of our friends that same year, and it was all gone from there.

“This album… this album means a lot to me. More than any of the others. Probably more than all of the others combined. This album is, for the sake of truth, for my brother, Sirius Black. It is dedicated to him. But it is also for my friends, for Remus Lupin, Barty Crouch, Evan Rosier, Lily Evans, Pandora Lestrange, Dorcas Meadowes, and Marlene McKinnon. Seven people who have been there, since the first moment we met, for it all. They’ve seen me puke in bathtubs and scream at the press. And it is for Sirius, who was there before them, to patch up scraped knees and cook me dinner, and who was there to raise me in a way that our parents never were.”

Remus is staring, open mouthed, at Regulus. Remus knew he was going to sing heart-wrenching songs tonight. He hadn’t realized Reg was going to bare his entire soul. He’s strangely damningly proud. And he’s also crying a little. When he tears his eyes away to look over at Sirius, in the crowd, he sees the tears streaming down his own face. The tears on Pascal’s face. On James’. On the entire teams’.  

“The beginning of my life belongs to him, and the last five years belong to my friends, and my hope is that, after tonight, those two senses of belonging with converge into one family. One blended family of people who found each other across countries. Across continents. Sirius has a family here, with the Lions. And I hope that, with enough luck and forgiveness, it expands to include me again, too.

“If you take anything away from tonight, I want it to be hope. And pride. And joy. And forgiveness. Because I am so damn proud of him, and so damn proud of us, as a whole. And here, in the Gryffindor Lions stadium, surrounded by people that support us both, I want to say thank you.”

Regulus takes a deep breath and looks right at Sirius, blinks twice, and then says, “This is Unsaid Emily, my fifth album.”

The piano starts up. Then the guitar. Then the drums. And then Regulus is sitting down on a stool someone must have brought out when Remus wasn’t looking, grinning that sly, knowing grin, and singing. And people are screaming. People are crying. People are cheering and clapping and the whole world feels alight, and right, and Remus cannot stop fucking crying.

Regulus’ show goes a bit like this:

(An image) Lily, screaming through the tears streaking down her face. Peter Pettigrew, Gideon and Fabian Prewett, and their friends in the crowd, catching Remus’ eye and cheering, whopping and throwing their hands up, tear tracks on their faces. Barty and Evan aggressively making out, crying through it, until Dorcas yanks them apart, laughing through her own mess of tears. Marlene and Pandora, arms tossed around each other, swaying in their bright red minidresses, singing along.

(An image) Someone brings them red and gold feather boas and sunglasses, and Remus puts it all on and catches Sirius’ eye, grinning wide and broad and both of them still crying as Regulus rolls into his third song.

(An image) The Gryffindor Lions, all holding up two fingers to the stage and cheering, James blowing Regulus kisses as the other man takes a drink between songs and chats with the crowd a bit. Regulus rolling his eyes and saying in front of hundreds, “I see you finally put a shirt on, Potter,” and letting the crowds scream and cheer and James go beet red.

(An image) The girls, in their red and gold minidresses (Marlene and Pandora in red, Lily and Dorcas in gold), drinking straight from a bottle of wine someone procured from somewhere. Remus, Barty, and Evan tucked together, arms tossed around shoulders and waists, laughing and crying and so damn proud.

(An image) Regulus playing the piano. Regulus taking a shot someone’s brought him. Regulus grinning with the drummer. Regulus winking at them on the side of the stage. Regulus pulling Lily out onto the stage to chug the rest of the bottle of wine in her hands. Regulus yanking Remus out to sing backup for Family Line, the sixth song in the set. Barty tossing probably a hundred red roses into the crowd and Evan, leaning against his back, huffing laughter, and holding a bottle of Jack Daniels.

(An image) People tossing flowers onto the stage as Regulus announces the final song, cheering and screaming and begging for more. Regulus just sits, calmly, on his stool, as the opening cords of Unsaid Emily begin. Remus is preemptively sobbing. He’s staring, open-mouthed, at Sirius, also sobbing, but smiling in the front row, still surrounded by his boys.

First things first
We start the scene in reverse
All of the lines rehearsed
Disappeared from my mind
When things got loud
One of us running out
I should've gone along then
But I had too much pride

No time for goodbyes
Didn't get to apologize
Pieces of a clock that lies broken

If I could take us back, if I could just do that
And write in every empty space the words "I love you" in replace
Then maybe time would not erase me
If you could only know I never let you go
And the words I most regret
Are the ones I never meant to leave
Unsaid Emily

Silent days, mysteries and mistakes
Who'd be the first to break?
I guess we're alike that way
He said, they said conversations in my head
And that's just where they're gonna stay forever

If I could take us back, if I could just do that
And write in every empty space the words "I love you" in replace
Then maybe time would not erase me
If you could only know I never let you go
And the words I most regret
Are the ones I never meant to leave
Unsaid Emily

If I could take us back, if I could just do that
And write in every empty space the words "I love you" in replace
Then maybe time would not erase me
If you could only know I never let you go
And the words I most regret
Are the ones I never meant to leave
Unsaid Emily

And then the show is over, and Regulus is joining them in the wings, and he’s taken immediately into a group hug that they all know he just hates, but they do it anyway. And the stage team is whisking all eight of them off to the backstage, where they’re given a bit of water to slow down and placed in front of heavy-duty fans, so no one faints (which Barty had done, once). And they’re all taking a few Advil to clear the roaring headaches starting from the noise, and Pandora and Evan produce four joints, and they all share them as the stage team cleans and gets people out of the stadium.

It isn’t until an hour later that they’re allowed to do what they’re all waiting for. A security team leads them down to a reception room in the stadium, apparently where big sponsors and donors meet before games to have dinner and some drinks, and then there they are.

The Lions.

Regulus stills, only briefly, as Sirius whips his head around and it goes dead silent all around. Remus thinks that the silence isn’t helping anything at all, and he would do anything for these two men, so he nudges Barty and Evan and says, “Go make friends.”

They do, dragging the others along with them, cheering and wrapping their arms around the entire team, and noise starts up again, and then it’s just James standing there, solid behind Sirius, and Remus, solid behind Regulus. Sirius’ eye flick to him for just a moment before he steps forward and, with absolutely no warning at all, grabs Regulus tight and hugs him.

Reg lets out a small sound, then wraps his arms tentatively around Sirius, until the elder Black brother is squeezing him and they both melt, kneeling on the floor and crying, holding each other, and Remus and James stand there over them as they mutter to each other.

James comes to stand next to Remus linking their arms together, and Remus thinks that, bizarrely, he’s gotten so many good, amazing things out of this. Out of coming to Minnesota. Out of being fed up with the media. Out of renting that one, stupid, damning basketball court.

It’s kind of funny how life works out, actually.

Remus leans his head on James shoulder and smiles.

It’s about half an hour later, when Sirius and Regulus have stood up and dusted themselves off (Regulus, now pretending he wasn’t crying at all and Sirius, still crying) that Pascal and Lily team up to get them all ushered into the limos parked behind the stadium. Remus ends up with Marlene, Dorcas, Kasey, James, Sirius, and Regulus all in his. His heart is going to explode.

Regulus sits resolutely on the other side of Sirius, making small talk with Kasey, who wants to know absolutely everything about L.A. And Sirius is there, leaning into Remus and kissing his cheek and saying, “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” and listening to Regulus with a wide, all-encompassing grin on his face.

They end up at the Three Broomsticks, meeting Peter, Gid, Fab, and some other friends, and the whole bar is shut down for them for the night. Remus is sure it’s the wildest thing the place has ever seen- feather boas and glitter and shots and screams and reunions. And the whole time, Sirius is there, pressed into Remus’ side, talking to Regulus. Or James. And then there’s Sirius, two feet away, dancing with Kasey and Thomas, and Logan, Leo, and Finn are talking to Gid and Fab, and Arthur Weasley pops in for a while to drink with his brother-in-laws and team before ducking out, deeming the night to large for him. And Remus is spinning a reluctant Regulus around as Peter belts out his own song, then Marlene, and Dorcas presses her lips to his neck and then just screams, tossing up two fingers and whirling into her wife.

It's extremely early in the morning when they wind down. Regulus, impossibly posh and wasted, has been leaning on James for two hours now. James hasn’t been able to go anywhere or do anything, but he looks ridiculously overjoyed. When Sirius saw them, he blew a raspberry. Remus just laughed.

There’s a rideshare service there to take them all to respective addresses, and Regulus takes one look at Sirius and declares he’s going with his brother, to which Sirius broke into hysterical laughter, and Regulus stuffed his fingers in Sirius’ mouth. Remus is honestly just trying to walk in a straight line at this point.

So, the rest of the Skittles are shuttled back to the house on Cornelia Street, and James, Regulus, Sirius, and Remus stumble out of their own taxi and into the townhouse, trying not to fall on their faces. Remus doesn’t know what Regulus is planning, since there’s only two rooms and over Remus’ dead body is he bunking with James, even though Regulus would fry him alive in the morning if Remus left him and James passed out in the same room just so he could sleep with Sirius again.

Sirius solves this problem. “Just-gonna-“ and he flops onto the first couch, pulling Remus down with him. James ends up sprawled across the other and Regulus, in a move Remus did not see coming, ends up curled up at one end with James’ head in his lap.

Remus and Sirius giggle and point and are literally nothing but a couple of gossiping schoolboys for the next ten minutes, until Sirius’ eyes are slipping closed and he’s kissing Remus’ cheek greedily, saying, “I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you.”

“I love you,” Remus responds, pulling Sirius down and letting him lay atop him, throwing a blanket over them, and kissing his head. “I love you, I love you, I love you.”

“Thank you,” Sirius says at last, minutes or hours later, through the haze of confusion that comes along with leaving a crowded, loud bar and entering a quiet, coffee-scented home. “Thank you for loving me as if it is not hard at all.”

“It’s not,” Remus says immediately, confused and drunk and fucking astounded. “It’s not hard at all.”

And Sirius smiles, a soft, sad smile, one that came from his childhood and being left behind again and again and again and again. And Remus smiles, too, one that is crooked and broken and healing, one that came from flower fields and coffeeshops by the seaside, from a dead mother, gone father, and a lifetime of running away.

And something slots into place.

Chapter Text

Sirius wakes up pressed into Remus’ chest, both of their legs dangling precariously from the couch in the townhouse- which Sirius doesn’t remember getting to last night. His last memory of the night before is himself, Logan, Marlene McKinnon, and Barty Crouch atop the bar at the Three Broomsticks, doing a dance number to one of Remus’ latest hits while Regulus, Remus, Lily Evans, and Dumo stood below them, laughing their asses off. Sirius thinks he remembers Pascal recording. He's going to need to ask for that.

It takes Sirius a moment to wake up and register exactly what is happening in his brain. He’s hungover- that’s for sure. Remus is snoring softly into his hair, and Sirius has one hand up Remus’ beautiful, sheer, golden top, and they’ve both still got glitter in their hair and eyeliner on their cheeks. When Sirius’ vision clears enough to look around the room, blinking, he sees James passed out on the sofa across the living room. It takes a moment- because Sirius isn’t quite sure he’s seeing clearly- to recognize that it’s Regulus Black himself curled up around James’ chest. James is sprawled across the entire sofa, his torso across Regulus’ legs, and Regulus has fallen face-first into James’ shoulder, leaning over him in a way that will absolutely be uncomfortable when he wakes up.

Sirius shifts, realizing how much he needs to piss, and Remus hums. He doesn’t want to wake his boyfriend up, but Jesus, there’s no way to get off the couch without it.

“Moons,” Sirius whispers in his ear, hoping to get away with only waking up Remus- and maybe jetting off to Sirius’ bed up the stairs instead of crashing on the uncomfortable couch, where they can sleep for another eighteen hours. “Love, darling, sunshine of my life-“

“What?” Remus asks, just muttering, shifting so he’s pressed closer to Sirius. “What?”

“Sweetheart, I need to get up. Just let me-“

“Hmm.” Remus’ eyes open. Bright amber in the morning light. “What? Dear God, my head. Sirius, what?”

“I just need to get up, love. Go back to sleep,” Sirius tells him as he starts easing Remus off of him. Remus just nods and then holds a hand to his temple.

“Oh, Jesus. What did- are we at yours? How did we get here?”

“I have no idea,” Sirius admits. Then, he nods to the other couch. “And look.”

Remus drags tired, unamused eyes over to the other sofa. Then, he stifles a laugh that makes him half-groan in pain.

“Oh, Reg’s not going to like that when he wakes up.”

Sirius places a quick kiss on Remus’ forehead. “Be right back,” he promises, and jets off to the downstairs bathroom.

When he gets back, Remus is spread-eagle on the carpet, face-up, blinking at the sunlight pouring in from the open windows. Sirius leans over him and raises a brow.

Remus waves him off. “I need coffee,” he announces, and lifts his hands so Sirius can help him to his feet. He allows Sirius to tug him close when he stands. “When do you have to start practice? Soon, right? Not today though?”

“Not today,” Sirius assures him, swiping a hand through his hair. “Coach never schedules the first practice the day after the pre-season show. Knows we’ll all be too hungover and sick. Tomorrow, though. Morning skate followed by the first day of training camp in the afternoon.”

Remus’ mouth pinches in the corners. But he says, “Okay. What time is morning skate?”

“Probably around nine. Eight, at the earliest.”

“And what time will training camp be over?”

“No later than four.”

Remus nods and kisses his cheek. “Alright. I’m starving. I could eat a horse. I’ll make four lattes if you make bacon.”

“Should we wake James and Regulus up?”

Remus snorts and looks over at them, still passed out, and leans his head on Sirius’ shoulder to survey the damage. Then, he whistles sharply. Sirius winces at the noise and pinches his side when Regulus pops straight up, blinking like he’s been shot.

“What the fuck, Rem?” He says before he even has his eyes open all the way. His legs shoot out, and James tumbles off the couch and onto the floor in a heap, blinking awake and groaning.

Regulus blinks down at him. Then at his lap. Then, at Remus and Sirius. Then, back at James.

“Were you…” He starts, still staring at James, and then looks at Remus. Remus just gives him a solemn nod. James is groaning on the floor, groping around for his glasses which, Sirius notices, are propped up in Regulus’ hair.

“Glasses?” James asks, like full sentences are too hard.

“What?” Regulus asks him. When he looks down this time, the glasses fall to his nose. He jumps a little, blinking through them, before yanking them off his face and stuffing them onto James’ nose instead. James grins at him.

“Thanks.”

Regulus just huffs. Then glares at Remus. Remus gives him a too innocent look.

Medusa comes careening out of her bed in the corner to catapult herself at James, who catches her with one hand and props her up on his chest. Regulus stares.

“Coffee and bacon in the kitchen in ten,” Remus announces to the room, and then tugs Sirius into the kitchen. Sirius looks back in time to see Regulus just blinking at the wall like he’s regretting all of his life choices.

“Oh, fuck, it’s noon,” James says five minutes later when he stumbles into the kitchen. He’s still wearing his James Bondage jersey and has a pansexual flag painted on one cheek that Sirius doesn’t remember from the show, and he’s got a feather from a boa stuck in his hair. Regulus comes right behind him, glowering and looking tired, and he reaches up without looking or saying anything to pluck it from James’ locks and toss it on the ground. Medusa mauls it and then looks up at Regulus with pride.

Remus and Regulus are both still wearing their show outfits, the coordinating red and gold sets shiny in the noontime sun. Remus is plunking straws into four large cups of iced coffee and yawning. Regulus reaches immediately for the darker one and takes a long pull. Remus reaches into his own pants and pulls out a silver vape, which Sirius doesn’t remember him ever hitting, and hands it to Regulus without a word. Regulus takes a long hit off of that too, puffing out smoke in the opposite direction of people before handing it back to Remus, who takes a small hit, matches it with coffee, and tucks it back into his pocket like this is commonplace. Regulus blinks at them all. He’s got a few dots of glitter stuck to the tip of his nose. He’s got gold eyeliner lining his eyes.

Regulus takes a deep breath and says, “Alright. I’m going to change.” And then he marches off up the stairs with his coffee in one hand.

Remus snorts and looks at James and Sirius. Then, he turns to Sirius and softly says, “James and I can finish the eggs and bacon if you wanna go show him where some clothes are. Bring me back some sweats, yeah?”

Sirius feels his shoulders tense before he nods and kisses Remus softly, pats James’ shoulder, steps over Medusa, and follows his little brother up the stairs.

When he gets to his room, Regulus is rifling through his drawers like he owns the place. He pulls out a few of Remus’ t-shirts, scoffs, and tosses them to the side.

“That’s not very tidy of you,” Sirius comments when he comes in.

Regulus turns to him, frowning slightly. “You have five of my shirts in here,” he tells Sirius, gesturing to the drawer.

“Remus brough some of them, I’m sure,” Sirius answers without thinking.

“No. I mean, I-“ Regulus takes a breath. Stares at him for a moment. “Hello, Sirius.”

Sirius blinks. “Hi? Good morning?”

Regulus sighs and turns around. Continues going through Sirius’ stuff. “This isn’t exactly how I envisioned things going after that show.”

Sirius sits on the bed and kicks his feet. “Me neither. But is it… bad?”

“No,” Regulus admits. “It’s not.”

“How-“ Sirius starts, and then cuts off. How have you been? He knows how Regulus has been. He takes a deep breath. “That is to say… we have a lot to talk about.”

Regulus nods, yanks off his over-sized red button up from the night before, and burrows into one of Sirius’ large Lions sweatshirts. Then he kicks off his golden trousers, yanks a slightly-too-big pair of sweatpants onto his hips, and turns to Sirius.

“We do.”

“Um…” Sirius just stares at him. He’s not sure how to start this conversation, but he’s also content to just… look. He hasn’t seen his brother in five years. He can’t believe how much Regulus still looks like him, or how much Regulus has changed. He doesn’t have those hallow cheeks anymore, or the bags under his eyes. He’s lost most of his bulk from their daily hockey practices with their father’s hired personal coaches. He’s leaner, with beautiful black curls framing his face and tattoos tracing his skin. He’s shorter than Sirius, too. They used to be the same height, but Sirius put on another three inches between eighteen and twenty-three. Regulus seems to have not grown since that last night they were together. In fact, Sirius thinks it looks like he’s shrunk a bit, even though he knows that’s not possible. He’s just looking at him from a different angle. He seems larger than life now. He used to tuck himself into corners, quiet and unseen. Now, Regulus isn’t afraid to take up space. He’s okay with making himself known.

“You look good, Sirius,” Regulus says gently, and Sirius thinks… well, that’s all that really needs to be said on his part after last night, anyway.

“I should have forced you to come with me,” Sirius blurts out. “I’m so sorry, Reggie-“

Regulus holds up a hand, stopping him. “I should have gone,” Regulus acknowledges, “but, at the same time, they never would have let both of us go. Besides, I wasn’t a legal adult yet. I couldn’t leave until I was eighteen. And I did. So.”

“But you- signing?” Sirius asks, tapping into that one part that still kind of hurt. Why hadn’t Regulus come to find him when he left? Why didn’t he stick to hockey- their thing? “I didn’t even know you wanted to do that.”

Regulus shrugs. “It wasn’t the plan. I just wanted to go to college. It just kind of… happened. Not to say I don’t enjoy it. I love it. I like my life, Sirius. But, yeah. It wasn’t something that I planned for. And you remember how much I liked my plans.”

Sirius snorts without meaning to. “…yeah.”

“I didn’t know you’d… stick to hockey,” Regulus tells him. He’s still standing, arms crossed, leaning against the dresser.

Sirius shrugs. “It was all I knew how to do. I mean, I like it. It’s… mine. It’s not Father’s.”

“Or mine,” Regulus adds, a little glint in his eyes.

Sirius opens his mouth to protest, but Regulus goes on, “I think I like that, by the way. We both… we both did other things. My life is mine. Yours is yours. Wholly and completely.”

Sirius swallows. “That’s not to say that I… don’t want you in my life. Just because something isn’t ours doesn’t mean it can’t include each other. Right?”

Regulus gives him a small, knowing smile. “Right.”

“Right,” Sirius agrees again.

Regulus steps forward and falls backward onto the bed, flopping next to him, arms out. He blows out a breath.

“So,” Regulus says, too innocently, “you’re in love with my best friend.”

Sirius snorts, looking over at him. “Old news.”

Regulus nods sagely. “How many times have you two fucked in this bed?”

Sirius chokes on his next inhale. “Reg!”

“I’m just wondering,” Regulus says casually. “You know, in case I need to get up and go shower.”

“I-“

“Oh, you definitely need a shower, Reg,” comes Remus’ voice from the doorway, a sage smile of his own. He’s leaning on the doorframe, grinning at them. His clothes are rumpled, but Sirius still thinks he’s the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen. “I don’t even know the count at this point.”

Regulus faux shivers but doesn’t move. Remus is holding two coffee cups and walks over to hand one to Sirius, leaning on his shoulder and smiling down at them both. He’s still got the run-over-by-a-train look of an extremely hungover person, but he looks quietly content. James comes a moment later, bustling into the room with four plates stacked atop each other in one hand and his own latte in the other. His is almost halfway gone now. He passes out the plates of bacon and eggs before plopping onto the floor cross legged. Remus snorts and sets his breakfast down for a moment before changing into his own sweats. Sirius follows suit, and even James takes some of Sirius’ clothes to change into instead of walking to his room across the hall.

“Good morning,” Remus announces once they’ve all eaten and drank their coffees.

Regulus, who’s collapsed backward onto the bed with his legs hanging off the edge, says, “Fuck off.”

They all shower- separately, since Remus and Sirius don’t think it would be very kind to Regulus if they jetted off to shower together. Pascal sends the video of Sirius dancing the night before without question, and just includes a text that tells Sirius to get James and Regulus dating as soon as possible so they can all be put out of their misery. Finn sends a photo to the Lions group chat of the entire team with Remus and Regulus that Sirius doesn’t remember taking, but Remus is pressed into his side, licking his neck, and Sirius’ head it thrown back in a boisterous laugh while Olli stares at them, grinning. Across the line of people, Regulus is leaning into James and smiling broadly in a way Sirius thought he would never see, with James staring down at him, also grinning, and Pascal next to them, watching contemplatively.

James changes Sirius’ name in the group chat to baby. Sirius throws a pillow at him across the living room.

The four of them crowd around to watch more Avatar. James and Regulus sit at opposite ends of the sofa, legs crossed in the middle. James had been sitting normally, legs propped up, and Regulus had curled up in a tight ball on the other side at first, like he couldn’t touch James for the life of him, but then his legs darted out sometime during the first episode and tangled with James’. James pretended not to flush. Sirius and Remus pretended not to notice from the other sofa where they were leaning on each other.

There are long moments of silence, but it’s not uncomfortable. Then there’s quick bursts of conversation, where Regulus’ posh voice filters through their words and James grins and Remus tries to explain something, and Sirius just sits through it all, grinning and triumphant and so, so, so very far from Quebec with the three people he loves most.

“No,” Regulus is saying, “you’re an idiot.”

“Okay, for one, I agree with you. But also, tell me more,” James tells him, smiling.

Regulus just rolls his eyes and does as he’s asked. Remus snorts and kisses Sirius’ neck, Medusa rolls from her spot between Regulus and James, Katara bloodbends for the first time, and life goes on.

“This is horrendous,” Regulus is saying, looking down at Sirius’ outfit.

They’re in a Goodwill. Sirius isn’t even sure how they ended up here. It’s six in the evening, on the first day of training camp, and instead of picking up takeout like they were supposed to when Remus kicked them out of the house to bond, they’ve somehow ended up in a Goodwill on the opposite end of town.

The Black brothers in a Goodwill together. The world may be ending.

“Okay, I can see that,” Sirius admits, looking down at the pinstripe neon green suit he’s got on. He’d tried, against all odds, to convince Regulus it would work.

It does not. And now Sirius has to eat his words. He genuinely doesn’t know if he’s ever won an argument against Regulus. He doesn’t know why he keeps trying.

“Okay, your turn,” he tells his brother, looking pointedly at the bright yellow, sequined ensemble Regulus claimed. Sirius thinks, under absolutely no circumstances, will Regulus be able to pull that off. They don’t have the skin tone for yellow, for one thing.

But by God, Regulus does pull it off. He’s apparently produced hair clips that he carries at all times in his wallet and pushed back his fly-aways.

Sirius glowers at him. “We’re still getting Thai.”

Regulus shrugs, grinning sagely, and they both put their clothes back on the rack before rushing to Sirius’ truck.

Regulus has got one of Remus’ ball-cap slung low over his forehead and long, over-large clothes on. Apparently, it’s a precaution they all take almost every time they leave the house. Sirius can’t imagine that the media would ever be so intrusive, but he doesn’t much care if he has to start doing the same.

He got Moony. He got Regulus. He’d wear ball-caps every fucking day at this point.

They do get Thai, Regulus letting him in on the top-secret information that Remus hates spicy noodles, and make it back to the house in one piece and with only one awkward lull in the conversation (Sirius asked Regulus about James. Regulus turned to the passenger window and refused to make eye-contact for a full thirty seconds).

Remus and James are sitting on the porch of the townhouse when they get back. Remus is smoking and James is laid out beside him, stretching his hamstrings. Both things are so in character that Sirius laughs a little as he and Regulus get out of the truck.

James follows after Regulus like a puppy when he walks by with the Thai bags, asking if he can help with anything, so Sirius stops in front of Remus, looking down at him.

Remus is sitting on the top step, legs stretched out long in front of him. He takes a long drag before looking up at Sirius through his lashes, smirking a little.

Sirius narrows his eyes at him. “What?”

“I hate to tell you, baby, but neon green really isn’t your color,” Remus says. Sirius glowers, leans down to kiss him briefly on the mouth- tasting tobacco and getting a little second-hand smoke, before marching inside.

Sirius puts Regulus into a headlock for the first time since they were thirteen and twelve two minutes later.

Pandora picks Regulus up after dinner, and he disappears back to the house on Cornelia Street. Remus stays, though, and thumbs through records with Sirius in the living room as James shows off the new sweatshirts they got from the apparel people today after training camp. Remus claps as James does a full modeling walk. Sirius’ heart is bursting.

After twenty minutes of all of them hanging around in the living room, though, James sighs dramatically and says, “Alright, fine, I know when I’m not wanted.”

“What?” Remus and Sirius say at the same time, considering James has said this in the middle of his own conversation about national parks with Remus.

James shrugs, doing his best to look understanding and enduring. “I’m just oh-so good at reading the energy, you know?” He shrugs dramatically and plucks Medusa up from the ground. “I’ll be in my room, loudly playing music.”

And he disappears.

“Regulus would never,” Remus says. “He’s, like, super into cockblocking. He gets off on it, I think.”

“Gross,” Sirius says, crawling over to Remus’ side of the couch and gently shoving his knees apart so he can collapse on his chest. “Okay, take your clothes off, now.”

Remus laughs. Then James, from the top of the stairs, calls down, “Not on my couch, Sirius, have some respect!”

They stumble up to Sirius’ bedroom after that, laughing and falling into each other with their tongues down each other’s throats.

That night, Sirius comes with Remus’ mouth around him, and Remus into Sirius’ cupped palm, both of them shaking and quivering and sweaty and spent.

They fall asleep like that, too.

“We need to work on speed,” Sirius is saying to Logan and Finn. “See here?”

It’s tape from last season- their game against Slytherin in the finals.

“You do realize we have four of the fastest skaters in the league on one team, don’t you?” Logan asks, narrowing his eyes.

“Yeah, well, with the way we played today, it’s looking more like they’re all on a different team this year.” Sirius rewinds the tape. “Look here-“

It’s sort of a thing, the guys point out. They point it out every year. Sirius in captain mode after a summer of spending time with each other. James calls it shock every time Sirius snaps at him to get his shit together on the ice.

“The thing is,” Pascal tells him later that day, when practice is almost over, “you’re kind of a prick.”

Sirius flashes him a winning smile. “Skate faster, Dumo.”

Later, the guys all want to go out for drinks and dinner. Sirius twitches his fingers over his phone, where he’s texting Remus. James is watching from his locker just beside Sirius’, his brows furrowed and smile playful.

The thing is… the thing is…. Sirius’ whole life used to be hockey. Once upon a time, he would never have even considered skipping out on a meal with his boys. Sirius’ family is the Lions. He made a name for himself- separate from Orion Black’s legacy. And he loves it. He does. He adores his team, his life, his own legacy.

But the thing is…. Remus and Regulus only have so many more days here. For weeks, months probably, they won’t be able to just… be. And if there’s one thing Sirius Black will give time with his team up for, it’s time with his little brother and boyfriend. He has his team, his boys, forever. For the whole season. Team dinners and group chats and bus rides. He only gets Remus and Regulus as long as they give him.

“Invite them, Cap,” James muses from his side. “The more the merrier. Tell them to bring the gang.”

And so Sirius Black texts Remus Lupin. And Remus Lupin comes.

“Okay, Finn, you’re done,” Remus says with a laugh, taking the margarita out of Finn’s outstretched hands. It’s sloshed a bit to the side.

“You’re so pretty, Moony,” Finn says, looking solemn and remorseful.

“Yeah,” Leo says, eyeing Finn, “you’re done.”

“Love,” Sirius whispers, leaning into Remus from the side, “he’s not wrong.”

“No, he’s not,” Logan chirps from across the table, “but I’d prefer my boyfriend keep it in his pants.”

“Tattoos,” Finn mourns, dropping his forehead to the table. It looks like it would be painful, had Leo’s hand not darted out and broken the thump.

“What if I get a thigh tat, Harz?” Logan asks, still across the table. “Will that appease you?”

Finn’s head pops back up, eyes wide. “Oh, Lo, would you?”

Logan’s eyes go soft. “Come on.” He stands, coming over to Leo and Finn to pull them both from their chairs.

“This will… end wonderfully,” Barty determines from the other side of the table.

“Shush,” Lily tells him, “let them get drunken tattoos. Everyone deserves at least five of them.”

“Do you have any?” Natalie, Kasey’s girlfriend, asks from her side.

“Oh, of course. I’ve got-“

Remus tunes her out (he knows all of the drunken tattoos Lily’s ever gotten. He was there for all of them) and looks back at Leo, Logan, and Finn- stumbling out of the pub.

“Will they be alright?” He asks no one in particular.

“Leo’s sober,” Pascal informs him. “He won’t let them be too stupid.”

“He will, however, not stop them from getting each other’s dicks tattooed on their thighs,” James puts in. “Actually, I think Leo would be all for it.”

“More power to them, honestly,” Evan chirps.

Remus huffs a laugh and turns back to the table at large. “Who knew hockey players drank so often.”

“Oh, we don’t,” Sirius promises. “It’s you guys. L.A. superstars.”

“We don’t drink that often,” Pandora says, but in a tone that proves she doesn’t really mean it.

“We drink multiple times a week,” Dorcas reminds her.

“We’re alcoholics,” Marlene says at the same time.

“I missed you all,” Remus says.

Regulus, silent on the other side of the table between Pascal and Natalie, scoffs.

“We should honestly be getting home,” Kasey points out, one arm around Natalie’s shoulders. “Or we’ll be here all night and hate ourselves at practice tomorrow.”

“Oh, fuck,” Sirius groans. “Practice.”

Every other hockey player in the vicinity echoes the sentiment.

Remus chuckles and lets his own head fall on Sirius’ shoulder. “You lot are hopeless.”

“Your Welsh is showing,” James mutters.

“His Welsh is always showing,” Regulus contradicts. “He’s Welsh.”

“Okay, Mr. French,” Barty drawls.

“French-Canadian,” Sirius corrects.

Barty blinks at him. Then nods. “Of course. How rude of me.”

“Your apology is accepted,” Regulus chirps. “But I still think you’re a dick.”

“Of course he is,” Evan allows.

“I’m sorry,” Sirius asks, scrunching his brows. “When did that enter the conversation?”

James, on the other side of the table, blows a straw wrapper at Regulus’ cheek. It bounces off and Regulus doesn’t even deign to glance his way. James’ eyes are a bit crossed.

“Baby,” Remus mutters into Sirius’ ear. “Can we go home?”

Sirius turns to him. “Now?”

Remus nods enthusiastically. Sirius grins and nods back, both of them giggling like schoolchildren.

“I’m calling you a cab,” Pascal insists, which is responsible of him.

“Are you going back to the house?” Remus asks Regulus, stopping by his spot at the table. There’s a second straw wrapper in his hair. Remus doesn’t point it out.

“I’m certainly not going back to Sirius and Potters’,” Regulus snarks, catching a third wrapper before it hit his neck without even looking. James breaks into delirious giggles.

“Oh, James,” Sirius says from just behind Remus, sounding defeated.

“Get a cab,” Remus tells Regulus.

“Fine, Mum,” Lily gripes. Remus flips her off.

“And no fucking on the dining table,” he calls out over his shoulder as Sirius tugs his hip to get him to follow.

“What? Why not?” Marlene demands. Dorcas lets out an affronted sound.

“We’re not having a repeat of that condo in Italy,” Regulus informs them without Remus explaining.

“Sex sweat goes very well with eggs,” Evan chirps with no explanation.

“I don’t know if I even want to know all the lore surrounding you all,” Natalie decides. “But tell me anyway.”

Lily launches into the story until Marlene stuffs her fingers in the redhead’s mouth. Pandora cheers. Remus finally lets himself be hauled away.

There’s something about Remus Lupin in the mornings, Sirius decides. His hair all sleep-mussed, his face still soft and eyes still hazy. Green linen curtains washing him in morning sunlight. Soft piano and espresso made from a coffee machine Sirius finally let James convince him they needed. Remus is wearing Sirius’ clothes. Socked feet tucked up under him on the piano bench. Head tilted to the side.

Sirius should have left for practice five minutes ago. He used to have a very strict schedule. He’d get to the rink two hours early to warm up and practice by himself as the other guys trickled in. So, technically, he’s not late for when he actually needs to be there. But he’s late in his mind.

He also doesn’t necessarily care.

James is on his run. Remus is drinking an espresso and playing soft piano.

Sirius doesn’t mind that he’s late.

“I can feel you watching me,” Remus murmurs into the soft music.

“I love you,” Sirius blurts out. He’s not surprised to find his voice hoarse with emotion. He’s having vivid flashbacks of that first morning Remus woke up in this townhouse.

Remus turns and looks over his shoulder, a slow sleepy smile creeping onto his face. “I love you too, baby.”

Sirius grins and drops his duffle bag in the doorway, taking the three strides to Remus swiftly before draping himself across Remus’ back- chin on Remus’ head, forearms on Remus’ shoulders. He’s liked finding all the ways they fit together.

“I can’t believe you tried to fuck off to Wales,” Sirius mutters into Remus’ hair.

Remus lets out a startled, amused sound. “I’m never going to live that down, am I?”

“Fuck no,” Sirius confirms, dropping a kiss on his forehead.

Remus plays a few more chords before asking, “Don’t you need to go?”

Sirius lets the silence hang for a full minute. Just closes his eyes and breathes Remus in. But they need to figure out how to do this. How to stay true to their jobs, their passions, while also staying true to each other.

So he sighs, drops another kiss onto Remus’ forehead, and steps back. Remus turns on the bench to face him.

“Yeah,” Sirius finally admits.

Remus gives him a soft, knowing smile. “Then go.”

“Will you be busy when I get out of practice?” Sirius asks, stepping close again and letting Remus wrap his arms around his waist and tuck his face into Sirius’ torso.

“No,” Remus says without even considering it. “I’ll be here.”

Sirius huffs a small laugh, tilts Remus’ chin up, and kisses him gently. “Love you,” he mutters against his boyfriend’s lips.

Remus just kisses him back with a grin.

There’s a party to be had. Sirius doesn’t feel much like celebrating anything, but James, Leo, Pandora, and Barty have it planned before he even knows about it.

The house on Cornelia Street becomes a hive of hockey players, their dates, and famous chart-toppers (in respective professions, that is).

There’s whiskey. Tequila. Sirius thinks he sees Finn double-fisting glass-bottled Smirnoff Ices at one point. Remus ends up with a dainty little baby blue cocktail made by Lily sometime near the end, too.

But Sirius doesn’t drink much. Neither does Remus. They’re both too aware of what happens tomorrow.

Tomorrow morning, Remus, Regulus, and their friends get on a plane. Tomorrow morning, Remus leaves.

Sirius isn’t handling this well.

But he’s not about to turn their last night all together into a fiasco. He’s not about to let his melodramatic feelings about his technically long-distance boyfriend leaving for what will only be a few weeks at most ruin the night.

He finds himself, at one point, outside on the porch swing with Regulus, who has been drinking heavily.

“He has very nice hands,” Regulus informs him when he sits down, with absolutely no preamble.

Sirius makes an educated guess. “James?”

Regulus scoffs. “Of course you’d have a hot best friend. Why can’t you even do anything half-way?”

“You have a very hot best friend, too,” Sirius points out.

“Yes, I’ve heard,” Regulus laments with a sigh. “It’s too bad you and Potter didn’t fall in love and Remus and I didn’t. It would have been much easier.”

“Easier for who?” Sirius queries, baffled. He’s not for that plan at all.

Regulus considers this. Then he decides on, “Distance.”

“Oh.” Sirius blinks. “You’re going to miss James.”

“Absolutely not,” Regulus bristles. His brows do a weird little scrunch-wriggle thing they used to do when he was a child. Sirius had thought he’d grown out of that. “Did you know he annotates his books with Tumblr quotes?”

“Yes,” Sirius informs him, because he did know this.

“Did you know he keeps a Pinterest board for his future wedding?”

“Yes,” Sirius admits. “But how did you know?”

“He showed me the board about thirty minutes ago.” Regulus sniffs. “Asked if I had any objections.”

“Speak now or forever hold your peace,” Sirius jokes.

Regulus reaches out and shoves his shoulder, which was also something Sirius had thought he’d grown out of.

“You could always visit whenever Remus does,” Sirius offers. “Stay at the house with us. I’d love to see you more.”

“You just want to get me together with Potter.”

“Well, yes,” Sirius admits truthfully. “But I’d also really like to see more of you, Reggie. It’s been a long time since we were brothers. I think we could make a good go of it.”

Regulus is quiet for a long time. Then, into the night air with the sounds of laughter and music echoing around them, he says, “Me too. I do love you, you know. And I missed you.”

“Love you too, baby brother,” Sirius informs him with a smacking kiss to his cheek. This is effectively too much for Regulus- he shoves Sirius off the porch swing.

At another point, Sirius finds himself squished between Lily Evans and Remus as they shout back and forth to each other (Lily, sloshed, and Remus, matching her energy).

“I’m so proud of you, babe!” Lily yells at Remus, throwing her arms up in a pirouette, even though they’re all sitting on a sofa.

“For what?” Remus shouts back.

Lily slaps what she can of Sirius’ ass with him sitting between them. “For this fine piece!”

Remus breaks into hysterical laughter and nods along.

They stumble into Remus’ room of the Cornelia Street house around four in the morning, neither planning on sleeping at wink.

“Wait,” Remus says, sober and soft, against Sirius’ rough lips as he pushes his boyfriend to the bed. “Wait. Wait, baby, I have- did I tell you?”

Sirius tears their faces apart and asks, “What?”

“I have a surprise,” Remus muses, falling backward on the bed. Sirius climbs atop him before he can get another word out.

“Oh?” Sirius asks, mouthing at Remus’ collarbone.

“A big one,” Remus informs him.

“Don’t keep me in suspense,” Sirius protests, sitting up a little to get at Remus’ neck.

And the next thing to come out of Remus’ mouth is a moan, and then, “I bought the house.”

Sirius stops. Sits up even straighter. Looks Remus in the eye.

“What?”

“I bought the house,” Remus says, hands under Sirius’ shirt, roaming his back. “I bought this house. For us. Eventually.”

Sirius’ stomach is about to fall out of his ass. He thinks there are tears in his eyes “…What?”

“About a year,” Remus is saying, breathy and a little rushed. “A year, maybe. But Minnie says it won’t be hard to work from here if I cut back on public appearances, which I would already love to do. And of course everyone would find out that I moved here, which would be annoying for a while, and we’d have to figure it out, but- if you… I thought, well. Once I get my base of operations transferred and this tour over with, and spend some time doing shows for the new album… I’d come back here. And you obviously can’t go anywhere else, ‘cause the Lions are here, and Gryffindor’s seemed to grow on me. I love it here. I didn’t want to tell you unless the owner was up for selling, and I guess I made an offer she couldn’t refuse, but-“

Sirius cuts him off with a hard kiss.

“Yes?” Remus asks when they come back up for air.

“Yes,” Sirius agrees immediately.

“Willing to give up living with James?”

Sirius laughs against Remus’ neck. “God, yes. Yes. For you. Yes, Moony. All the yeses.”

“Lord,” Remus laughs, petting the nape of Sirius’ neck, “you’d think I just proposed.”

“I’d say yes to that too, you know.”

Remus’ eyes go soft. “I know. I would too. But not yet.” A long, lingering kiss, and then he whispers, “Not yet.”

That night, they make love slowly. Remus pushing into Sirius gently, after a long time spent pulling each other apart and coaxing little noises from each other. It’s good. It’s wonderful, really. It feels like Sirius might die from it, too. Remus languidly moves in and out of him, and Sirius presses up into him, and all the while, their mouths find each other, their breath mingling and Remus touches and takes and takes.

They don’t sleep.

The private plane leaves at nine.

The entire team is there- having taken a late start to practice for the day per coach’s orders, not theirs. Which was nice of coach, as Sirius would have literally turned in his first ever day off had he not anticipated the team’s wanting to be at the sendoff.

Pascal and Finn made posters. Leo hands Lily a box of homemade cookies, and Natalie passes three bottles of Minnesota’s Vikre gin into Barty’s hands. Kasey, Thomas, and Olli chat with Evan and Dorcas until the bags have been packed into the lower part of the private jet. Marlene and Logan play rock, paper, scissors for time zone preferences for Skype calls to perfect a recipe Marlene wants from Logan’s mother. Pandora is holding a video camera.

Sirius and James stand slightly to the side with Remus and Regulus, watching, and all obviously trying not to cry- other than Regulus, who mainly looks bored.

Remus’ guitar is strapped across his back. Regulus has a tambourine hanging from one hip. Marlene has drumsticks poking out of her back pocket. They look like how Sirius imagines they did in college, when they still played on street corners. Ready to spend the flight chatting and brainstorming duets.

“Don’t be a stranger,” Sirius demands of his brother.

Regulus scoffs. “As if you would let me.”

“I’m not kidding, Reggie,” Sirius says stonily. “I will fly up there if you ghost me.”

“I know, Sirius,” Regulus snipes back, ever the petulant younger brother.

“Don’t have a tabloid scandal.”

“You’ve already had one for me,” Regulus quips, smirking. “I couldn’t possibly get into anything bigger this year."

"Don’t be too sure,” Remus says under his breath, eyes on James, who’s watching Regulus speak like he’s a god fallen to earth.

Sirius isn’t too sure about those two, either. But he turns to his boyfriend.

“Call when you land,” Sirius tells Remus, who’s got a hand on his waist and a soft, sad smile on his face.

“Of course,” Remus promises.

James and Regulus step slightly away. The others are climbing onto the plane.

No.

They’re not ready. Sirius isn’t ready.

“I-“ His words get choked back. “Remus…”

“Love you,” Remus says, stepping closing and dropping a kiss on cheek. “I love you, Sirius Orion Black. So much.”

“It’s just a few weeks,” Sirius says, more to himself than Remus.

“Just a few weeks,” Remus agrees.

“I love you.”

“I love you too, baby.”

Sirius lets out a heartbroken laugh and tucks in close, arms wrapped around Remus’ shoulders. Remus hugs him right back.

The kiss is salty- tinged with the slow trickle of tears escaping from both of them. But then Remus is smiling and waving, and following a pink-faced Regulus who’s doing everything in his power not to meet James’ eye.

The plane is in the sky before Sirius really realizes what this means.

Remus is gone. Remus won’t be on the porch swing in the morning. Or in the library, bathed in a soft linen green light.

But he’ll be back.

Of course he’ll be back.

Sirius is driving home from practice with James when he hears it.

“Hey, baby.”

His head snaps from where he was watching the stoplight to the radio so fast he hears a crack. James starts grinning.

“Surprise number two, Sirius Orion. Love you.”

The opening chords of a brand new song start playing. Sirius starts crying in earnest. James' grin broadens.

We were in the backseat
drunk on something stronger than the drinks in the bar
“I rent a place on Cornelia Street,”
I say casually in the car.

We were a fresh page
Filling in the blanks as we go.
As if the streetlights pointed in an arrowhead
leading us home.

And I hope I never lose you,
hope it never ends.
I’d never walk Cornelia Street again.

That’s the kind of heartbreak
time could never mend.
I’d never walk Cornelia Street again.

Author’s Note: The albums

Remus’ album is called a splash of milk. This is how, unsurprisingly, Sirius takes his coffee once he realizes Remus can truly make coffee. Unlike Remus, who takes his coffee with any and all sweeteners available. Below, you can find the nine songs that made up Remus’ personal album.

a splash of milk

1. Cornelia Street by Taylor Swift
2. Cruel Summer by Taylor Swift
3. You Are In Love by Taylor Swift (which, if you recall, uses the track Kasey made on their first movie night. Kasey loses his mind when he hears it.)
4. Delicate by Taylor Swift
5. get away by LANY
6. live it down by LANY
7. dancing in the kitchen by LANY
8. work song by Hozier
9. Say You Won’t Let Go by James Arthur

Regulus’ album is called Unsaid Emily. This name is taken directly from the song he sings that is from Julie and the Phantoms. The explanation, if you remember, is in a text chain from The Skittles in the story. Below you will find the nine songs that made of the set Regulus sang at the show and released a month later, as to not step on Remus’ moment with Sirius, just as Remus didn’t sing any new songs other than Cruel Summer in his opening set for Regulus’ show.

A little side note- some of these songs are considered love songs, but imagine them as Regulus Black singing to Sirius. I promise they don’t disappoint.

Unsaid Emily

1. Unsaid Emily by Charlie Gillespie
2. Hello by Adele
3. How Do I Say Goodbye by Dean Lewis
4. Family Line by Conan Gray
5. Matilda by Harry Styles ** but think of is just being called Emily
6. All In Due Time by Joshua Bassett
7. Need You Now by Dean Lewis
8. Summer Child by Conan Gray
9. Little League by Conan Gray

Chapter Text

James Potter has been halfway in love with Regulus Black for ages now. Honestly, no one objects to this development. Not even Regulus (not that he's admitting that.) James, looking into his fourth NHL season and (knock on wood) second Stanley Cup run, really just wants one prize:

Regulus.

Regulus Black is tired. He's exhausted, really. He's tired of the press. He's tired of sleeping with boys who don't know him. He's tired of touring. He's tired of appearances. He's tired of the press. He's tired of boys who don't know him. Rinse and repeat, really.

FaceTime calls. Pasta. Las Angeles apartments. Gin & tonics. A cat named Medusa. Red ties. Flights. A beat-up red Toyota Tacoma. Skates. Two best friends (and a brother). Twitter threads. Red carpets.

And somewhere between it all, forever slots into place.

***

The sequel to i call him moony, he calls me pretty. You don't have to read that to get this, but it would fill in quite a few gaps. Also inspired by (and a few characters pulled from) Lumosinlove's Sweater Weather fic. I HIGHLY recommend everything about that fic. Please do read. You don't have to to get this one at all, but please do.