F: Anyway (R/S, PG-13)
Anyway, PG-13, 600+ words. For Days 6 & 7 of wellymuck. I'm going to catch up, I am, I am...
Most everything is as it was when he left: folded newspaper pages with half-finished crosswords crawling out from between the couch cushions, tea cups stuck to their saucers clustered around the sink, stacks and stack of photographs of Harry's face contorting into squawls and displaying the ridges of new teeth.
Everything is the same but Sirius -- Sirius who takes him to the bookstore that evening, saying, "You missed your own birthday. I don't know what to get you." He stands at the ends of shelves while Remus searches the stock and looks away whenever Remus turns toward him, holding up some volume for approval.
"It's your gift," he says the sixth time. "Get what you want."
Remus smiles, and nods, and picks the one he knows Sirius would have.
They stop at the grocery on the way home and Remus follows after Sirius with his nose between the pages, reading lines aloud when Sirius stops to turn fruit in his hands. When they go to the cashier he walks ahead to the door to wait. Cashiers' funny looks and watching Sirius pay for his food still make his teeth clench. "Look," Remus says when he hears Sirius's boots behind him. "Rain."
Sirius stops beside him and looks
rain drip-p-ping
from his nose
through his lips
you're gonna
then turns back into the store to buy a hideously bright red umbrella. "All they have left," he mutters when Remus bites the bottom of his grin. He holds the bag against his hip and opens the umbrella.
"Do you remember," Remus begins.
"Yes," Sirius says too quickly, but Remus believes him, because it is not the sort of thing one easily forgets.
"That was a good day," he says.
Sirius doesn't say anything to that, just walks. Remus tries to keep up and under the umbrella, hip bumping up against Sirius, then gives up and drops his book into the grocery bag. "What are you," Sirius begins, cross, but stops when Remus steps out into the rain. "You're getting wet," he says instead.
"Yeah," Remus says. "It's nice." He licks his lips for the taste of England (too long to be away from something in your blood) and watches Sirius's determined strides (too long) and then asks, cautiously,
you're gonna
jump splash kick
soak his trousers
break that pretty face
"Is everything okay?"
He can see the line of Sirius's shoulders straighten, stiffen. "Why wouldn't it be?"
Someone in another time-place, Remus can hear, whispers, Because you've never fucked me with your eyes shut before. But Remus is Remus (is Remus is always) and so he says, shrugging, "I don't know. You seem off, is all."
"I'm fine," Sirius says -- Sirius who has always slept so that Remus had to choose between holding tight to his body or being pushed off the bed but last night, when Remus came in and dropped his suitcase on the floor, was curled still and clinging to his unused pillow.
"Mmm," Remus says, tilting his chin up so the rain hits his face instead of getting caught in his hair. "Really?"
"Really," Sirius promises, and that might be affection tucked into the corner of his mouth, hiding behind his stubble and the lines war has drawn on his face. Remus could kiss it out into the open, maybe, if he tried, if he...
Cold suddenly seeps through to Remus's socks, and he starts, ankle-deep in a puddle and Sirius now almost-smiling from his high ground. "Should watch where you're going," he says.
Remus gives his head a dignified shake to get his water-scraggly hair out of his eyes, smiles slow, hopes
wide open
with a laugh
you're gonna (oh no)
kiss him anyway
and jumps.
Most everything is as it was when he left: folded newspaper pages with half-finished crosswords crawling out from between the couch cushions, tea cups stuck to their saucers clustered around the sink, stacks and stack of photographs of Harry's face contorting into squawls and displaying the ridges of new teeth.
Everything is the same but Sirius -- Sirius who takes him to the bookstore that evening, saying, "You missed your own birthday. I don't know what to get you." He stands at the ends of shelves while Remus searches the stock and looks away whenever Remus turns toward him, holding up some volume for approval.
"It's your gift," he says the sixth time. "Get what you want."
Remus smiles, and nods, and picks the one he knows Sirius would have.
They stop at the grocery on the way home and Remus follows after Sirius with his nose between the pages, reading lines aloud when Sirius stops to turn fruit in his hands. When they go to the cashier he walks ahead to the door to wait. Cashiers' funny looks and watching Sirius pay for his food still make his teeth clench. "Look," Remus says when he hears Sirius's boots behind him. "Rain."
Sirius stops beside him and looks
rain drip-p-ping
from his nose
through his lips
you're gonna
then turns back into the store to buy a hideously bright red umbrella. "All they have left," he mutters when Remus bites the bottom of his grin. He holds the bag against his hip and opens the umbrella.
"Do you remember," Remus begins.
"Yes," Sirius says too quickly, but Remus believes him, because it is not the sort of thing one easily forgets.
"That was a good day," he says.
Sirius doesn't say anything to that, just walks. Remus tries to keep up and under the umbrella, hip bumping up against Sirius, then gives up and drops his book into the grocery bag. "What are you," Sirius begins, cross, but stops when Remus steps out into the rain. "You're getting wet," he says instead.
"Yeah," Remus says. "It's nice." He licks his lips for the taste of England (too long to be away from something in your blood) and watches Sirius's determined strides (too long) and then asks, cautiously,
you're gonna
jump splash kick
soak his trousers
break that pretty face
"Is everything okay?"
He can see the line of Sirius's shoulders straighten, stiffen. "Why wouldn't it be?"
Someone in another time-place, Remus can hear, whispers, Because you've never fucked me with your eyes shut before. But Remus is Remus (is Remus is always) and so he says, shrugging, "I don't know. You seem off, is all."
"I'm fine," Sirius says -- Sirius who has always slept so that Remus had to choose between holding tight to his body or being pushed off the bed but last night, when Remus came in and dropped his suitcase on the floor, was curled still and clinging to his unused pillow.
"Mmm," Remus says, tilting his chin up so the rain hits his face instead of getting caught in his hair. "Really?"
"Really," Sirius promises, and that might be affection tucked into the corner of his mouth, hiding behind his stubble and the lines war has drawn on his face. Remus could kiss it out into the open, maybe, if he tried, if he...
Cold suddenly seeps through to Remus's socks, and he starts, ankle-deep in a puddle and Sirius now almost-smiling from his high ground. "Should watch where you're going," he says.
Remus gives his head a dignified shake to get his water-scraggly hair out of his eyes, smiles slow, hopes
wide open
with a laugh
you're gonna (oh no)
kiss him anyway
and jumps.