Chapter 2
Sirius had been in the Wolf King’s lair for a few hours but was no further forward. The list given by Bellatrix was not a particularly tricky one. Most of the ingredients could be sourced relatively easy but they needed another Lupine petal – and that would be hard to find since Remus, the so-called Wolf King, had ordered all of the Lupines to be cut down. The karnabos tasked with collecting the materials would have to go quite a way in order to get a fresh petal.
“Your brother has been fed,” the Wolf King said, returning to Sirius in the Throne Room. “I had to sit with him for a moment so he wouldn’t sing.”
Sirius nodded, “Thank you, Remus.”
The Wolf King paused and stared at him.
“That is your name, isn’t it?” Sirius asked, watching the lycan’s reactions carefully. “I’m sure that’s what your mother called you earlier. It is a nice name. Not very common. I suppose ‘Wolf King’ is a bit more apt and certainly more intimidating but—”
“Sirius,” he cut in. “Nobody calls me ‘Remus’ and I would appreciate it if you didn’t do it in public.”
Sirius heard the words and understood what was being said without actually being said, and he decided to check: “Not in public... so I can call you that when it is just us?”
“If you like,” Remus muttered without looking at him. He cleared his throat and then said, “I have my best karnabos out scouting for elements, but it could be a while before they return.”
Sirius hummed in acknowledgement and glanced around the large room. There was an inglenook on one side and tall windows on the other with a throne sitting in the centre. The skylight seemed to have been fixed and close to the doors was a long table with a map of the Dark Forest and some other pieces of parchment on it. Other than that, there wasn’t much else to do, and Sirius couldn’t imagine Remus spending all of his hours in such a room.
“What do you do for fun around here?” he asked, and almost laughed at the frown Remus threw his way. “We can’t very well just sit here and wait in silence all evening.”
Remus huffed and glanced out of the window to where the sun was starting to set. After a second, he seemed to make a decision, and he left the room. Sirius followed behind curiously and was led into a cozier room with tall ceilings and bookcases lining the walls. There was an old desk in the far corner and a petite fireplace with a patchwork chesterfield sofa in front of it.
This was more like it.
Remus paused at the door and allowed Sirius to wander. Sirius immediately went to the bookcase and found tomes of all kinds: home-grown writings, classics, foreign stories from across the seas, history recordings and atlases of the worlds. He also found the book that he was currently reading and took it from the shelf.
“You’re a reader,” he noted, seeing that the pages were yellowed and well-worn, and noticing that a lot of the other books were in a similar state with broken spines.
Remus hummed in response, “I am. Are you?”
Sirius grinned, “You could say that.”
“We can wait in here, if you’d like. Until they get back with the ingredients.”
Sirius looked at the lycan and wondered if he and his brother would be allowed to leave the castle once Regulus was no longer infatuated. It didn’t seem like Remus would stop them, but one could never say for certain without asking.
“When the antidote is made, will you let me take my brother home?”
Remus stared at him for a long moment before he nodded. “Yes,” he answered. “Believe it or not, Sirius, it was not part of my plan to take your brother. I had been hoping to retrieve the potion and vent my frustrations at the trespassing and then go. But when I couldn’t find it, I just... It was an impulse decision, but I was always going to return him.” He sighed and moved to sit on the sofa. “You are both free to go now, technically. I just do not believe your brother will allow you.”
“No, he seems rather attached to you,” Sirius confirmed.
“All I ask, Sirius, is that you return the Amortentia so that it may be destroyed,” Remus requested. “Love is dangerous and potions to induce it are even more so. More than anything, I do not believe anyone should be forced to feel things that is not really in their hearts.”
“I have people out looking for it now, I swear it,” Sirius promised, sitting beside him on the sofa. “You should know that I don’t believe in love potions either. Love should be natural, not induced. But I don’t agree with cutting down all the Lupines.”
“If the witch makes the blood promise, I will not cut any more down,” he stated. “I will have no reason to, after all.”
The sun had well and truly set by the time Wormtail returned with an update. The karnabos would make their way to the south and travel overnight, he’d said. They would not rest until the petal was found, he’d said. Their king required it and so it would be done, he’d said.
“Send a raven,” Remus said. “They need to rest. We can wait until tomorrow.”
“Understood, sir,” Wormtail replied before hurrying off to do as tasked.
“Sirius,” Remus said, turning to the visitor reading on his sofa. His abdomen did a peculiar fluttery thing when the fae’s eyes met his own, but he ignored it. “We won’t have the antidote until at least tomorrow afternoon.”
“Oh.”
They were both silent for a moment, absorbing the information, and then Remus asked hesitantly, “Would you like to stay the night?”
Sirius looked shocked and asked, “Here?”
“Yes,” he confirmed. “Nothing can be done for now and I have a feeling you will not want to leave your brother behind.”
“You are correct,” Sirius replied. “If I am to stay, though, I will need to send word to my father. We don’t want him to think you have abducted me as well.”
Remus nodded and pointed to the desk. “Parchment and ink are in the second drawer. I will ask for a raven to be sent to you. Do you need anything else, before I leave you?”
“No, thank you.”
Remus nodded and said, “I’ll have the room next to your brother’s prepared for you.”
“Thank you, Remus,” Sirius said. “I appreciate the hospitality.”
Remus nodded, a little awkwardly. “I will see you tomorrow for breakfast.”
Sirius awoke the next morning to gentle sunlight streaming in through the windows. It served as a reminder that he was not in his usual residence. At home, his room was dark until he opened the drapes. In this strange room, curtains did not exist.
It was oddly freeing to wake with the sun.
After lying very still for several minutes, just enjoying the silence and tranquillity it all, he pushed himself up and stretched out his wings. His fingers absently stroked over the soft furs on his bed as he looked out of the windows. The view from his room was... something else. He could see all of the Dark Forest and beyond.
A knock on the door took his attention.
“Excuse me, sir,” said a small goblin. “Breakfast is ready. And there is a package for you.”
Sirius nodded and offered his thanks before he did his usual morning stretches and got dressed. He made his way to the Banquet Room where he found Remus, Remus’s mother, and Regulus.
“Good morning, Sirius,” Remus greeted, his hair especially and endearingly messy in the morning, followed by a place, “Bore da,” by Remus’s mother.
“Good morning,” he replied with a smile, taking the remaining seat. He glanced at his brother who seemed completely fine. “Regulus, how are you feeling today? Any... different?”
Regulus smiled, but it was not his usual smile – which only served to confirm all that Sirius needed to know: the potion had not worn off. “I am splendiferous, brother, thank you.”
“Prince, I hope you had a good night’s sleep?” Remus’s mother asked.
“I did,” he confirmed. “It was very good, thank you. I'm sorry, ma’am, but I haven’t properly taken your name. Mine is Sirius.”
“Hope,” she replied with a beatific smile. “Very nice to meet you, Sirius.”
“Likewise, Hope,” he returned, and ate his breakfast of berries and eggs which were delicious.
“You have a parcel,” Remus said, pointing to a bag wrapped in the corner.
Sirius opened the envelope and found a two-way mirror. The note attached said: FROM PRONGS. He sat by the window, away from the others but not too far away. He wasn’t too keen on wandering the unknown castle without permission.
“Prongs,” he said into it, and up popped his faun friend’s face.
“Sirius! Bloody Hell, where’ve you been? I sent the mirror hours ago!”
“Sorry, Prongs. I’ve only just woken up. Is everything all right?”
“Yes, yes,” Prongs said impatiently. “All’s well. Your father asked me to contact you and make sure you hadn’t been forced to write that letter.”
“I wasn’t forced,” he assured. “Regulus and I chose to stay the night voluntarily. The Wolf King very graciously allowed us to sleep in the guestrooms and we are currently discussing the future of our two kingdoms. Tell my father that we are working on a truce with the Wolf King.”
“You’re not joking?”
“One hundred percent serious,” he said. “Any news on the potion?”
“Not yet,” Prongs admitted. “Amos and I are working on it. There are reports of creatures being dusted in the east, so I’m on it.”
Sirius nodded. “Okay. When you have it, bring it here immediately.”
“Understood, Capitaine,” Prongs replied. “I’ll let your father know you both are fine and that you’ll be home... soon?”
“Yes. I’ll keep the mirror on me. If my father needs proof that I’m okay, tell him to contact me.”
Prongs nodded and said, “Okay. Stay safe, I’ll call you soon.”
And then he was gone, and Sirius returned to the table.
“I have some errands to run. Would you... like to accompany me? You can stay here, if you would prefer. My mother will be taking Regulus around the tower and yards, but um—”
“I’d love to join you, Remus.”
Remus didn’t know what had possessed him to ask, nor what had possessed Sirius to answer yes, but he and Sirius had spent the better part of the morning running errands around the Dark Forest. Fixing things, resolving arguments, making sure the orphans were all fine. It was a usual morning routine for him, but Sirius seemed to be bewildered by it. Remus wondered what life was like on the other side of the border. Perhaps they just left people to deal with things themselves.
“The people here respect you.”
Remus looked up from his pub grub with a frown. “Huh?”
“You are well-regarded here,” Sirius said, looking around the tavern curiously.
“Of course I am; I am the king,” Remus replied. “Are you not respected?”
“Well, yes, but that’s not what I meant,” Sirius replied.
“What did you mean?”
“I don’t know. I suppose I just thought you’d be a different type of leader,” he said, his wings waving slightly behind him. “A bit less... hands-on, maybe? I don’t know. You are just not what I expected.”
Remus knew that there were rumours about his ruthlessness, but he believed them to be greatly and unduly exaggerated. The truth was that he did not appreciate crimes on his land, and he was severe in his punishments, but he did not discipline unless he was absolutely certain of the crime and its committer. He liked to think himself a fair and just ruler.
Remus didn’t really know what to say to Sirius, so he didn’t say anything.
:: --- ::
They finished their food and, with Remus’s morning errands out of the way, they decided to head back. The karnabos would be back shortly, and Bellatrix would be able to make the antidote. They took the scenic route back to the castle since Remus wanted to show off the handsome parts of his country, and they talked the entire time – about the plants and their properties, about their countries and their families. They paused by a stream, but Sirius could feel eyes on him. When he turned, Remus did not look away.
“You’re staring,” he pointed out.
Remus blinked and apologised, though he didn’t particularly look sorry. He explained, “It is just – You do not look like the others. Your wings...”
Sirius offered a bitter smile and said, “They’re plain. I know.”
“They are beautiful,” Remus stated very earnestly.
Sirius paused because he’d been called ‘unique’ and ‘odd’ and ‘uncommon’ before, but never had he heard ‘beautiful’. “You think so?” he asked, feeling his wings flutter gently behind him.
“I do,” Remus replied, like it was obvious. “I am sure you hear that all the time.”
“No, I... I don’t,” he said honestly.
“Oh.” Remus looked confused, as if it hadn’t occurred to him that Sirius was not ordinary, as if it didn’t make sense that Sirius’s attributes could be thought of anything but appealing. “Well, they are. Magnificent, really.” He was silent for another moment before he said, “We should get back.”
Sirius nodded and they continued their journey back to the tower, and if their hands brushed now and again... well, neither of them mentioned it.
:: --- ::
It was when they were nearing the castle that Sirius, not for the first time, surprised Remus. One touch on his wrist was all it took to pause Remus, and he turned to the fae.
“I wanted to say sorry.”
Remus frowned. “What for?”
“For you calling you a ‘furry-backed freak’ yesterday,” he said, reaching up to touch Remus’s face. His thumb soothed over the cut there. “And for punching you. Your eye seems to be healing well.”
Remus flinched instinctively and reached up, pulling Sirius’s hand away from his face. “It is fine, Sirius,” he said. “There were mitigating circumstances.”
Sirius tipped his head in agreement, his blood-red wings swaying behind him. Remus realised that he was still holding the faerie’s hand, and he let go.
“Is your arm okay?” Sirius asked.
“Hm?” And then he remembered their fight yesterday, the sword catching his shoulder. “Oh. Yes, fine. It was barely a flesh wound.”
Sirius nodded, “Good.”
“I would like to extend my apologies as well,” he said. “For... well. Everything. Crossing the border in anger, and taking your brother when I thought I had no other options, and—”
“Remus, you needn’t say sorry. All is forgiven,” Sirius replied with a quiet smile.
An hour had passed since their return to the domain. Sirius and Remus were sitting in the Throne Room waiting for some news with Wormtail. Regulus and Hope were still wandering the grounds, but Sirius wasn’t worried. He could see them from where he was sat.
“You’re a lycan, aren’t you?”
“Hm?”
Remus looked up from his scrolls. He was lounging on his throne, one leg thrown over the left arm of the chair. He looked comfortable and relaxed, and it filled Sirius with a strange warmth to see the Wolf King so at peace.
“I know lycanthropes are incredibly rare,” Sirius said. “But that is what you are, isn’t it? I mean, we all saw you transform at the Ball.”
Remus appraised him for a long moment before he glanced at Wormtail. The domovoi held up his hands and mumbled that he knew when he was needed and when he wasn’t. Remus dismissed him with a nod of his head and waited until they were alone before he turned back to Sirius.
“I am,” he confirmed.
Sirius twisted in his seat so that he was facing Remus. “Does it hurt?” he wondered.
“It used to, when I was young and unpractised in it,” he answered honestly. “But I can do it with ease now. Like breathing.”
Sirius nodded, absorbing this information. “Can I see?”
“What?”
“Can I see? You can decline, of course. But it was impressive.”
Remus frowned but set the scroll aside and stood up. He rolled his shoulders, closed his eyes in concentration, and then transformed into the great wolf again. Sirius stood up and moved closer. It was certainly a sight to behold, and he desperately wanted to touch the grey fur.
“Can I...?” he trailed off, holding his hand out.
Remus seemed to debate it for a second before he moved forward and allowed Sirius’s fingers to glide through his thick fur. Sirius grinned, glad that his theory was proved to be true: Remus’s pelt was softer than any other in the castle. He stroked the wolf for a few minutes before Remus moved away and transformed back.
“Your turn,” he said.
Sirius frowned. “My turn?”
“You thought I did not notice?”
“Notice... what?”
“You have magic,” Remus said. “True magic.”
Sirius froze. “How...?”
“Takes one to know one,” Remus smirked. “You burned Yako the Ogre, and you didn’t utter a word. That kind of magic, the unspoken kind, it is true.”
Sirius’s magic wasn’t a secret, but he also didn’t advertise it. It wasn’t the sort of magic that could help others, so he saw no point in letting everyone know. He wasn’t ashamed of it, and he didn’t explain his accidental magic if it was unleashed for others to see, but it caught him off-guard that Remus had noticed and decided to ask him about it.
Sirius nodded and stepped back. He bit his lip and stretched out his wings fully in preparation. He raised his hands up and focused, feeling the energy burn through his veins to his fingertips. When he opened his eyes, his hands were afire, but Remus didn’t look scared. Instead, he looked intrigued. Impressed. Sirius felt his wings flutter in appreciation.
“That is... extraordinary,” the Wolf King murmured. “What else can you do?”
Sirius flicked his hands to extinguish the fire and placed them on his hips as he thought about it. He wasn’t trained, so he could only do small things for short lengths of time.
“I can sometimes levitate things,” he said.
Remus nodded and looked around the room. He grabbed a challis and placed it on the floor. “Try that,” he said.
Sirius raised his left hand and focused once again. It took a moment, but he was able to raise the metal cup to eyelevel. Remus laughed and grabbed it mid-air. He looked at Sirius in wonder and said, “Amazing.”
Sirius felt his cheeks heat up at the unbridled praise and he returned to the window seat. Remus looked like he was going to say something else but before he could, Wormtail came back into the room and confirmed that the karnabos had made it back with all of the relevant materials.
“I am going to make sure the Dragonfae Queen makes the antidote,” Remus said. “My mother and your brother should be back soon. I will bring the antidote to you.”
Sirius nodded and watched the Wolf King leave.
It took an hour for the witch to create the antidote.
Remus didn’t trust her, but he believed that she would keep her side of the deal. Her freedom was at stake, after all. Once the antidote was made, he took the blood promise and released her from her cage. She booped him on the nose, said there were no hard feelings, and then flew away. He sincerely hoped that he would never see her again.
When Remus re-entered the Throne Room, he found the usual individuals – his mother, Sirius and Regulus, a couple of troll guards – and someone else: a faun who looked all too comfortable sitting next to the fire. Sirius and Regulus noticed him at the same time, and Regulus rushed over to him. Before he could get too close, Remus pushed the blue potion into the faerie’s hands and ordered him to drink up.
Regulus accepted it without fight and drank up. His eyes went a little fuzzy before he collapsed. Remus caught him before he could hit the floor. He picked the fae up and deposited him carefully on the window seat. Sirius looked very worried as he sat beside his brother’s sleeping body.
“This reaction is normal,” Remus said. “The witch said it would happen like this. He should only be out for a short while.” He glanced at the faun and said, “Who are you?”
Sirius stood up and moved to stand beside the faun. “Wolf King, this is Prongs,” he initiated. “He is my closest friend.”
Remus stared at the tall faun and nodded. “Pleasure to meet you.”
“You too, mate,” Prongs replied with an easy smile.
“He brought the love potion,” Sirius explained.
Remus nodded, took the potion from the faun, and threw it into the inglenook without ceremony. It went up in flames and released a pleasant scent into the air. It was only a minute or so before Regulus stirred and when he sat up, he seemed baffled. Sirius took a moment to catch his brother up on the situation and Regulus grimaced with embarrassment.
“I am sorry, Wolf King,” Regulus said, barely looking Remus in the face. “I swear to you; I am not usually—”
“It is quite fine, young prince,” Remus interrupted. “We do not need to speak of it again.”
Regulus nodded gratefully.
“Wolf King, could I speak with you for a moment?” Sirius asked.
Remus nodded, and they moved to the other end of the room.
“I was hoping that we could discuss the forest,” Sirius said quietly. “Our two kingdoms have been separated for far too long, and I think we could, both of us, benefit from a peace treaty. We used to have an alliance, many years ago.”
“About a millennia ago, yeah,” Remus said.
“Give or take a few years, yes,” Sirius laughed. “My point is that we shouldn’t be enemies still, just because two egotistical idiots decided to go war a thousand years ago. I just don’t see the point, personally.”
Remus nodded because he understood the faerie’s point of view. It was rather dumb to still be at odds and not actually know why. Just because things had been bitter between the two kingdoms for a while, it didn’t mean things should stay that way forever. Comfort was the enemy of progress, surely that meant that change was an ally.
“Okay. What were you thinking?”
“Well, firstly, I think we should remove the border rule,” Sirius replied, referring to the unspoken but mutually decided rule that the residents of the Sundrop Realm and the dwellers of the Dark Forest stay on their own sides. “It is a foolish rule and halts any chance of alliances being made.”
“I agree,” Remus said.
Sirius grinned brightly and said, “Really? Oh, Remus, I think this is going to be very good for our citizens.” He looked at his brother and sighed. “I would love to discuss this some more, but I’d better get Regulus home.” He bit his lip and then produced a little handheld mirror, which he offered to Remus. “I want you to have this.”
“A mirror?”
“It is technically a mirror, yes, but it is also a communication device,” Sirius explained. “You just say my name into it, and it will call me wherever I am. It means that we can keep in touch. To, you know. Arrange meetings or agree to terms without having to trouble your ravens or our owls.”
Remus nodded and took the mirror carefully. “To arrange meetings?” he checked.
“Yes,” Sirius confirmed. “Or to talk. Whenever. About anything.”
Remus smiled and said, “Okay. I will... call you, to arrange a meeting. Or to talk.”
Sirius beamed and his blood-red wings started to flutter behind him. Remus wasn’t sure what it meant since it had been happening sporadically all day. He had wondered if it was a faerie thing, but he hadn’t seen Regulus do it, so he thought that maybe it was a Sirius thing.
“Are you okay?” he asked, just to check.
“Sorry?”
“It is just... Your wings. They are, um. They are... f-fluttering,” he stuttered.
Sirius’s eyes went wide and reached back to try and control them, but it just seemed to make the flapping worse. He eventually gave up trying the catch them with his hands and took a deep breath which seemed to slow them.
“My apologies, Sirius,” he said. “I did not mean to make you conscious of it.”
“No, it’s – I’m sorry. It is an involuntary thing,” Sirius said, without explaining why.
“Oh. Right. Well, it is quite alright,” he said. “So long as you are well.”
“I am.” Sirius gave one last smile and said, “I should be going. But please, call me.”
Remus nodded and then escorted the three Sundrop residents out of the building. He had intended to walk them to the border, but Prongs had brought a wyvern, and Sirius and Regulus were intending to fly home. He waved them off and watched until they were specks in the sky.
The next few months were a flurry of changes.
Orion had entrusted his eldest son with the new alliance which meant that Sirius and Remus had been left to do most of the work together. It was not without its challenges, but it was a new dawn for the two nations and both Sirius and Remus were determined to create a world of good will for their citizens.
The residents and the dwellers took to the changes more readily than either Sirius or Remus had been expecting. They had anticipated some pushback but were pleasantly surprised when it was discovered that most of their peoples saw the benefits and were onboard. Even Orion was happy with the changes, which had surprised Sirius more than anything because his father was an old-fashioned man and often said to be stuck in his ways, but he seemed completely agreeable.
When Regulus mentioned it at dinner one night, while the Wolf King and his banshee mother were in attendance, Orion smiled and said, “I want what is best for my sons, and for the kingdom, and this union seems to be it. I have rarely seen Sirius happier. Have you, Regulus?”
“No, Father,” Regulus agreed with a smirk. “Sirius does seem extraordinarily happy these days.”
Sirius glared at his family, but it held little heat. He knew what his family were doing but, for once, he was not upset with their meddling because they were right. He had never been as happy as he had been in recent months, and it was undoubtedly because of his new friendship with Remus. He had found someone who fascinated him and who made him feel good; someone that he could look at and not want to punch. It was love; that much was clear. It was just a case of figuring out whether his feelings were returned.
“It has been the same for my little Wolf,” Hope replied airily.
“Mother...”
“Never have I seen such contentment on his face as in recent days,” Hope continued, as if Remus hadn’t spoken. “It is certainly a new dawning. I look forward to this new partnership.”
Orion and Hope raised their glasses, and Sirius glanced across the table to find Remus’s amber-flecked hazel eyes already on him. He felt his cheeks heat up, but he did not feel embarrassed, especially not when he received a private smile from Remus. Sirius didn’t think that reciprocation was impossible.
When they were finished dinner, Sirius offered to walk Remus and Hope to the border. He wanted to discuss the Autumnus Gathering – the first party wherein residents of the Sundrop Realm and dwellers from the Dark Forest would get together to celebrate the new dawning and all of the hard work that had been put in – which was on the horizon.
“I was thinking that we could host the first Gathering here, in the Realm, but next year, it could be in the Forest, and then maybe we could alternate?”
“Yes,” Remus muttered, just as they were approaching the border. “Sounds good.”
Hope wandered across into the darkness, but Remus paused. Sirius waited for the lycan to speak – either to voice his true thoughts on the Autumnus Gathering or to arrange another meeting – but when Remus spoke, it was not to discuss work.
“There is a star shower tomorrow evening,” he said. “I was wondering if perhaps you would want to meet here and watch it?”
Sirius didn’t know what to make of the request, but he wanted to spend time with Remus without discussing their kingdoms, and watching a meteor shower certainly seemed like the opportunity.
“I’d love to,” he replied.
“You would?”
“Of course!” he laughed. “I’ll see you here tomorrow, before sunset? We could have a picnic.”
Remus smiled softly and said, “I will bring the berries.”
The Wolf King stood on the border between the Sundrop Realm and his Dark Forest with a satchel full of berries and a bottle of Goseflumph wine, waiting for Sirius to arrive.
He wasn’t sure what made him ask Sirius to view the shower with him. He had been planning on watching it from his tower, but he knew that Sirius would appreciate something beautiful, and he wanted to spend time with the fae prince. He enjoyed Sirius’s company – the fascinating insights, the boundless energy, the comfortable (albeit rare) silences – but he was beginning to suspect that the feeling in his gut whenever he spoke to or even just thought about Sirius was not solely companionable. It was something else. Something new. Something terrifying and exhilarating – and if his mother was to be believed, it was reciprocated.
“He must enjoy your company very much. It’s love – I’m telling you! Why else would be spend so much time talking to you?” she would say, often unprompted.
The dinner with Sirius and his family had only solidified the hope in Remus’s chest that he might not be alone in his feelings. When Orion and Regulus talked about Sirius and how much happier he had been since meeting Remus, it gave him confidence. He didn’t know if he was going to act on his feelings that evening – or ever – but he trusted the universe. If it was meant to happen, it would happen.
“Remus!”
Remus didn’t jump. He was a lycanthrope – his hyper senses meant that no one, not even Sirius with his light feet, could sneak up on him.
“Hello, Sirius,” he replied calmly.
Sirius tutted, “One day I’ll get you.”
“Maybe one day,” he said with a soft smile, and then he held up the wine. “I brought berries and wine.”
“Wonderful,” Sirius replied with a bright smile. “I brought everything else.”
It was an hour before sunset and the star shower, so they settled on the grass between their two kingdoms and spread the food out. They ate and drank and talked and laughed, and when Remus accidentally brushed over Sirius’s hand, he noticed Sirius’s wings flutter – just as they had been doing all evening.
“Your wings are at it again,” he pointed out.
Sirius laughed, his cheeks rosy from the wine and thankfully not from embarrassment. “I know.”
“It is cute,” he blurted, and then tried to do damage control. “Not like – I did not mean – Um. You, uh. You never told me what it meant. You said it was involuntary but...”
Sirius’s silver eyes were intense as they assessed Remus closely. After what felt like hours, Sirius cocked his head and said, “Do you really not know what it means, Remus?”
Remus felt like he had been caught in a trap because, sure, he had a theory of what it meant – but making assumptions and actually knowing the cause were two very different things that didn’t always marry up. He hoped it did in this case.
“I am not sure I know for certain.”
Sirius smiled gently. “Why did you ask me to come here, Remus?”
Remus stared at Sirius – at his silver eyes and dark eyebrows, at his prominent cheekbones and perfect mouth, at his dark cascading hair and his beautifully unpatterned wings – and he decided to lay it all on the line. If Sirius didn’t feel the same, he would just have to deal with it.
“Sirius, I have always been a pragmatic man,” he confessed. “I have always tried to be logical and reasonable, but you have made me defy that nature. I am not logical or reasonable when it comes to you. I am ruled by my heart, and I wouldn’t want to be any other way because you make me...” He hesitated for a second. “You make me feel things I have never felt before. I love... I love... I love you. And I hope you feel the same.”
Sirius’s face broke into a beautiful grin and his wings started flapping wildly. He pushed himself up and dragged Remus up to his feet as well. Remus was taller but Sirius used his enthusiastic wings to help give him some extra height so that he could stare into Remus’s eyes.
“I do,” he confessed, his hands settling so that one was resting on Remus’s neck, and the other was on Remus’s shoulder. “I do. I love you too.”
In that moment, Remus wondered if he had ever known what joy or jubilation had felt like until he met Sirius. He felt that he had never known what happiness was before Sirius. He allowed himself to be pulled closer until their chests brushed against one another with every breath. His hands automatically settled on the faerie’s waist and his eyes closed when their lips connected, and they both forgot – or perhaps purposefully ignored – the meteor shower overhead, and the Lupines at bloomed unhampered around them.