Sirius was a light sleeper. He had been forced to become one, thanks to the house he grew up in. Nightmares haunted him ever since he was but a boy, and there were hardly any nights where he slept a full 9 hours, let alone deep enough that no noise could wake him.
So it wasn't strange at all, waking up at ass o'clock and finding himself staring at the ceiling, suddenly wide awake and brain whirring to life. What was strange, however, was rolling on his side and finding the bed of his best friend empty. James was gone.
Of course it could just be that James was off to the bathroom or whatever and would be back soon! However Sirius couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.
He waited anyway, rolling from one side to the other and alternating between staring at the window and watching the comforting rise and fall of Remus' chest. But when ten minutes passed and no James was in sight, Sirius grabbed the loose jacket hanging by his bed and got up.
He didn't get far. Just down the stairs, and already he found a certain someone sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace, legs crossed as he poked a metal rod around in the glowing logs. It looked like he had been there for a while now.
"Prongs?" Sirius said softly, watching as his friend flinched almost unnoticeably and turned towards him, dark eyes blinking.
"Why are you awake at four AM?" James frowned, as if he wasn't camping in the common room like a sad sack of depressed potatoes.
"Why are you awake at four AM?" the long haired shot back. James only rolled his eyes, but this wasn't his best friend for nothing - something was up, and Sirius could tell. So, he grabbed one of the many neatly folded blankets from the sofa and plopped down.
"One sec'," he muttered as he scooted close enough for their sides to touch, then draped the blanket across their legs. "Okay, what's up? What got your mind running high this time of night?" he smiled. James silently looked at him, then back at the fire.
"It's alright," he mumbled, but Sirius tss'ked and wrapped an arm around his friend's shoulders.
"No, it's not. Not when it's got you up like this, Jimbo."
"Merlin, never call me that again, please," James laughed, and finally something in his shoulders loosened up. Sirius laughed with him, then gently nudged against his shoulder.
"C'mon, man. What is it? You know you can tell me everything, I don't have enough fucks left to give."
James nodded quickly... A little too quick. "I know, I know, just... Uh."
Sirius sat up. With the only illumination being the fire, it was difficult for him to read his friend's emotions. The only thing he could spot was the hard lines on James' face, formed by the tension he couldn't quite let go of.
"...It's something serious?" he asked carefully, watching his friend from the side.
"Yes." the black haired nodded, then groaned, eyebrows furrowed. "No. Fuck, I don't know!"
"Hey, hey, easy there, prongs!" With a light tug, he pulled James against his side and patted his shoulder. "Whatever it is, we can figure it out, alright? It'll be fine."
Knowing each other for so long, the two of them had long crossed any physical boundaries. Hell, they even used to basically cuddle in bed before Sirius figured out his thing for... Before.
"Yeah, well," James sighed, hands locked tightly on his lap. "I don't think I like Evans anymore."
Sirius blinked.
Alright. That wasn't as bad as he thought. "Shit. Took you long enough, prongs."
James shrugged. "That's not it." he muttered and ran a hand through his hair which was more messed up than usual, and that was quite something. He took in another deep breath, then whispered. "I think I like boys."
Oh.
"And girls. Like, boys as well as girls."
Oh.
James stared at his hands like they were incredibly interesting, foreign objects he had never seen before. He didn't say anything else, but it was clear enough that he waited anxiously for a reaction.
"Alright." Sirius shrugged.
James' head turned sharply to the right, dark eyes staring at his friend like he had grown a second head. "Why you looking at me like that, mate?"
"Alright?" James asked, all wide-eyed. "You're fine with it?"
Sirius shrugged again, a sly smile creeping onto his face.
"Of course I'm fine with it," he said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I would be the biggest hypocrite ever if I wasn't."
James stared at Sirius for a moment, cogs clearly turning and ticking in his head before his confused expression morphed into realization.
"...Moony?"
Sirius grinned awkwardly at his friend and stared back into the fire. "Moony."
The atmosphere shifted as they fell into comfortable silence, leaning against each other in silent comfort and support until James broke the quiet.
"I mean," he began and leaned back, hands on the ground. "I once walked in on him changing and fuck, I can't blame you. If anything it's a wonder that he wasn't my gay awakening."
The air fell from a comfortable bubble into hilarity as Sirius erupted with laughter, shaking so hard that he fell into James' lap. "Shut up!"
"I'm just saying the truth!" James argued, catching Sirius easily. He was long used to Sirius' dramatic antics. "I mean, damn! He wasn't bad before, honestly, but he grew into his body really well!"
"James!" Sirius yelled, howling with laughter even when his cheeks grew a hot, feverish red. James only chuckled, continuing to stroke (mess up) his friend's hair as he waited for Sirius to calm down.
"What?" he teased, grinning down at his friend. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna go after him. I'm just saying he... well, he grew up... really... nicely."
"Oh for fuck's sake," Sirius panted and stared up at the ceiling. Images of Remus and his shirtless torso spilled into the dark haired's mind, coloring his cheeks an even deeper red. "I am never telling you anything ever again. You're awful."
"Au contraire, I'm absolutely fantastic." James smirked, before his face fell into an almost offended expression. "I should've been your gay awakening. Wait, why wasn't I?!"
"Shut the fuck up."
Tiny Bonus Scene
At some point, the need for sleep gripped them bith hard enough that they retreated back up the stairs.
Back in their first year, when Sirius had especially exhausting nightmares, he would sometimes crawl into James' bed and fall asleep next to his best friend. It had been a while, a couple of years actually, since the last time that Sirius had done it.
But tonight, for the first time in a long while, Sirius didn't even set a foot towards his own bed and went straight to James, who glanced at him but otherwise did not question it.
He even smiled gently as Sirius climbed into bed beside him, their arms brushing against each other in the small space. Nostalgia hit James as he watched Sirius sink into the pillow, eyes closing instantly as he relaxed into the old, familiar space.
James knew that his friend needed the rest, still as plagued as ever by his nightmares that Orion and Walburga Black, his so called parents, caused. But there was one more thing. One more thought that James had to get out, before he lost any courage to do so.
"Hey, Pads?"
Sirius didn't even move, only hummed a little. "Mmh?"
"I like someone else now."
Under the thick blanket, a hand found James' own and squeezed gently. "Okay, Prongs. Just make sure it doesn't turn into a disaster."
"Okay."
"Pads?"
"Yes?"
"...It's your brother."
Sirius opened exactly one eye, brown orb immediately finding James and examining him. "Reg?" he asked then, neutral voice giving nothing away.
James looked away, anxiety once again curling up in his chest as he scratched his head. "Yeah."
Sirius looked at his friend for a long time without saying anything. "Okay," he muttered and muzzled into the bed, eye closing again.
James blinked. "Okay?" he asked, absolutely baffled.
"Okay. I'd rather it be you, to be honest. Because I know you. You're the fool to my idiot, you're alright."
"...Okay."
"Prongs?"
"Yeah, Pads?"
"Don't hurt him."
"I won't, I promise."
"Okay. Now sleep."
"Okay."