March 1978
And I've always lived like this
Keeping a comfortable distance
And up until now I had sworn to myself
That I'm content with loneliness
Because none of it was ever worth the risk
But you are the only exception
-The Only Exception by Paramore
There was no hiding his bump anymore unless he used a glamour, and Poppy had strongly advised against that. Over night it was if he had just popped, and there was absolutely no denying that he was carrying a baby. His prominent bump was likely due to the fact that he hadn't been equipped with a uterus and it had just been squished into everything else, so Remus was carrying quite outwardly. The baby was now the size of a cantaloupe, and with the added amniotic fluid and such he looked very much like he had swallowed one of those melons and it was currently hanging low on his stomach. So now, along with having to wear elastic pants, he was also stuck wearing the new shirts that Effie had bought him, and as nice as they were they weren't his worn and soft jumpers.
He defeatedly shuffled through and picked up a thin black sweater (he had been running hot despite it being March in Scotland.) He sighed when he looked in the mirror, he didn't even bother to fiddle with his school robes before he grabbed his book bag and headed off towards Transfiguration. The whispers and stares were immediate, he tucked his head down as his face flashed a vibrant red and he tried to use his book bag to shield his stomach, but it was all futile.
He was overjoyed to see Mary, Lily, and Marlene in their usual seats and he slid in quietly. They seemed surprised by the outfit, but mentioned nothing off it, however the whispers around them were undeniable. "Muffliato," Remus grumbled putting his head in his hands," I guess the whole bloody school knows," he said his voice filled with defeat.
Lily grabbed his hand comfortingly," It was going to happen soon Remus, you knew that."
"I just didn't want it to be today."
"You wouldn't want it to be tomorrow either," Marlene joked elbowing Mary.
Their laughs were stifled by an absolutely killer glare from Remus who found none of this funny. "We're still all here for you Remus, stares and all," Lily said reassuringly as she jutted her chin out.
Remus groaned before canceling the spell and trying to tune into McGonagall's lesson. All three girls walked him to lunch, Lily keeping a protective arm around him, and honestly he appreciated her greatly. The stares had only gotten worse in the Great Hall, and Remus could feel the eyes of every student glaring into the back of his head, he tucked it down and started nibbling on some chips looking defeated. Sirius couldn't stand it, a need to protect bubbling through him, and suddenly him and James were standing on top of the lunch table. Sirius placed his wand against his neck, his voice echoing throughout the entire hall," So I'm noticing some of you nosey nellies have a staring problem, so let's address that," his eyes were wild and Remus was pleading for him to get down," So me and Lupin here are a thing, alright, and he's up the duff and it's mine. If anyone has a problem with that you can take it up with us," he then gestured to James and the people sitting around Remus," Sound good?"
The entire Great Hall was silent, and for Sirius that was answer enough and he sat down, happily digging into his fish and chips. Everyone at the Gryffindor table was staring at him until a student finally busted out," To Black and Lupin's little tyke," as he raised a glass of pumpkin juice.
The table erupted in a loud array of cheering, other houses joined in as well, and that was that. Remus wanted to crawl into a hole and never come out, he face growing redder by the second. Lily calmly lead him out of the hall, but a smile was still prominent on her and the other marauders faces as the cheering continued.
They two hadn't been aware of the visitor trailing behind them.
Lily had grabbed Remus by the waist and they were walking towards the kitchen in silence, when a hand reached out and grabbed Remus's shoulder, he turned, and to his surprise, it was Regulus. "Regulus," he said dumbfounded.
Regulus' expression was blank, the boy was always too hard to read, unless he was pissed and even then it was still challenging to know. Remus had little clue what Regulus could be wanting, but he tried to keep an open mind, especially with how much Sirius cared about his little brother. "Is it true," he asked, his accent was so proper.
Remus had forgotten how Sirius had sounded back in first year, the mix of a strong French accent and a posh British accent eventually becoming something more casual, of course when the French came out he sounded terribly proper and boy how Remus loved mimicking him. Remus nodded slowly, gazing down at Regulus and trying to understand what the boy was searching for," Would you like to find somewhere private to eat?" his voice was soft and inviting though his facial expression was nothing short of confused.
Regulus glanced behind him, and scanned his surrounding before nodding in agreement, following Lily and Remus as they grabbed food and headed towards Remus's and Sirius's room. When they entered Remus quickly transfigured a bench and three chairs and nodded them towards the seats. Regulus was hesitant, but he stayed, taking a deep breath as though he was bracing himself and sitting down, and he kept glancing at the door. "Sirius has aclass right after lunch, he won't be back," Remus said offering a small and what he hoped was a reassuring smile.
Regulus nodded," So I'm going to be an uncle," it wasn't a question, just a statement, his tone was always so neutral Remus found him completely unreadable.
Remus nodded," I'm due sometime between the end up June and beginning of July."
Lily took this as an opportunity to chime in, her nervousness making her chatty," With a little girl," she said awkwardly.
"We're naming her Stella," Remus offered gently, "Sirius did want to keep with the star based tradition."
Regulus just sat and stared, the plate of food untouched," How is he?" he finally asked after a long bit of silence.
"Sirius is good. He misses you Regulus, he's too proud to admit it, but especially around the holidays you can tell."
"He's the one who left," Regulus hissed crossing his arms, presumably pouting.
Remus sighed," I'm not here to defend him or argue with you, but Sirius is happy now, and if you wanted to leave he would support you indefinitely," Regulus went to say something, but stopped, snapping his jaw shut and taking a deep breath and nodding," I understand that you're still angry, and you have some things you need to sort out, but just know both Sirius and I would love to have you in our daughter's life."
Regulus's eyes opened wide for just a second, before he caught himself reacting and lowered them, he stood up, he was so quiet," I'll be in touch Remus," he said before quietly exiting, the door not making a peep.
The air in the room immediately returned to that of something more inviting, and both parties relaxed immediately," Bloody scary that one," Lily said standing up and laughing.
Remus nodded, his face slightly frowned. How had Sirius and Regulus ended up so differently? Sirius rarely talked about his childhood, but Remus knew the memories were bleak. He would randomly wake up from nightmares, screaming for someone to "Get away." James used to be the one that calmed him down from those, but that had become something Remus quickly learned to deal with. Sirius would almost instantly calm down when he realized he was safe in Remus's arms, and he would trace his scars until eventually falling back asleep. Remus hoped this was a beginning of an end, for Sirius's sake.
.....
"Happy Birthday," Sirius said softly, kissing him gently on the cheek.
"What time is it?" Remus groaned, burying his face in Sirius's chest.
"It's nearly 8, come on you've bunked off enough this year. Plus I really want you to open your gifts," he was way too cheerful for 8 in the morning.
"You try growing a baby, it's exhausting," Remus said as he rubbed his eyes, desperate to feel somewhat alert, before stepping out of bed and putting on his clothes," Do you think they're going to sing the birthday song at breakfast?"
"They wanted to wake you up so they could do it a fourth time, but I swayed them otherwise," Sirius said with a big grin.
Remus sighed before putting on a thin red sweater and a worn pair of jeans.
Sirius's gifts had been quite thoughtful, he had thrifted Remus some lovely grandpa jumpers and had installed cooling charms in them," I know you've been running hot Moony," he said with a small grin.
Remus could have sworn that Sirius was fidgeting, as if he was wanting to do something but stalling for it, he decided to pay it no mind, he would likely find out about it later. The marauders did in fact sing at breakfast, then lunch, and then finally dinner which went on for way too long, and by the end Remus wanted to bury himself under the table and never leave.
......
Remus was attempting to walk back towards the common room, but honestly it was more of a limp, pelvic pain had been a bitch. Pomfrey had assured him that it was normal, and had given him a pitying glance for treatment. There wasn't much she could do, which Remus understood, but it didn't make the whole thing any less frustrating.
"Can we stop somewhere first?" Lily asked linking their elbows together.
Remus wanted to protest, but Lily wouldn't be asking for this if it wasn't somewhat urgent. He also did not want to be alone, a newfound clinginess being one of his symptoms, anytime he was left alone he had a tendency to have a nervous breakdown, so with Lily he went. He had assumed it was his stupid wolf brain desperate for a pack, but he tried not to worry about the why too much, no one seemed to mind. Sirius, James, and Peter claimed they were heading off towards detention," I accidentally dropped some slime bombs in the corridors. Quite a few first years were slimed, and these two didn't want me to go down alone," Peter had squeaked when Remus had asked what they had done.
He realized quickly they were heading towards the astronomy tower, he didn't understand what Lily's business was there, but he assumed he would soon find out. He could swear he was hearing music as they slowly ascended upwards, his hips protesting with with every step.
He was in fact hearing music, which was strange, he looked back at Lily who gave a knowing smile and continued to usher him upwards. As he stepped up he noticed there was a line of rose petals, he continued on. The room suddenly got brighter and he could now make out the lyrics to the song, Sirius's record player sitting in a nearby corner on a small table.
Sweet, wonderful you
You make me happy with the things you do
Oh, can it be so?
This feeling follows me wherever I go
Paper birds flew from behind Remus and suddenly the room had lit up to reveal Sirius, standing in the middle of the room, the constellations twinkling above him. Remus stepped forwards, a curious expression plastered on his face. Sirius suddenly sank down to one knee as he pulled a small velvet box out of his pocket," Moony, I know we're young, and our lives are just now getting started, but I also know that to me, the sun rises and sets with your smile. You're the only thing in this world worth worshipping. I promise you that with every breath in my lungs, I will do everything I can to make you and our daughter happy, so veux-tu m'épouser?" he said and despite his clam looking demeanor, his hands were shaking wildly.
Remus stood with his mouth agape, was this real life? He started nodding his head softly, as tears flowed down his cheeks," Yes you bloody wanker," Remus said attempting to wipe his tears away as Sirius put the golden ring on his finger, it magically tightened to fit him perfectly.
I never did believe in miracles
But I've a feeling it's time to try
I never did believe in the ways of magic
But I'm beginning to wonder why
Suddenly buttercups fell around them gently, and Remus kissed Sirius with such vigor that whistles and hoots of joy were heard in various corners of the common room. When Sirius pulled back he had the dopiest smile on his face," Je vous aime," he whispered to Remus.
And despite Remus not knowing much French, he did know that one," I love you too you big wanker," he said as Sirius decided to attack his neck in soft kisses.
"Oi, get a room you two," James said from somewhere behind Sirius.
Remus squeaked in surprise, and suddenly Sirius was carrying him away, towards their shared bedroom bridal style, hoots and hollers of approval as the crowd made way, Remus's face could not have been a brighter red. Despite Remus being larger than Sirius, and carrying a good bit of extra weight in his middle, Sirius did not struggle a bit, still Remus gripped on to Sirius's next tightly, scared of being dropped. He was grateful his hips didn't have to deal with the steps again, he allowed the very obvious display of affection, just this once.
Sirius so very gently laid Remus on the bed, carefully peeling away every layer of clothes, until he was left in nothing but his birthday suit, his belly full of the life that Sirius had helped create was beautifully displayed and his cock was half hard. All Sirius could do was stare at how beautiful his fiancée was, the scars that etched over his skin telling a beautiful story that Sirius wanted so desperately to read, wanted to share with the world, but this sight was only for him, no one else. "Mine," he whispered before tenderly sucking on one of Remus's tender nipples that had grown just a bit more round.
Remus hissed at the feeling, but as Sirius started toying with his other one, lightly squeezing and massaging, his body erupted in tingles, a weak whine escaped his lips. Sirius moved his mouth to other places, brushing his lips down Remus's bump, he tenderly kissed every bright red stretch mark that had appeared near his lover's lower abdomen, "Beautiful," he had whispered before every kiss, still teasing Remus as he placed his swollen chest.
Remus whimpered at every touch of his lips, so desperately wanting more, as Sirius's mouth moved closer to his now twitching and erect cock, and the shorter boy had carefully spread Remus's legs, before plopping himself in between them. Sirius was still, by and large, a massive tease. He softly kissed the indent of Remus's hips, before licking in between his inner thighs. Remus whined pitifully, grabbing a fistful of Sirius hair and bucking his hips in want. Sirius slowly wrapped his perfect lips around the head of Remus's cock, his breath hitched at the feeling, of the warmth. Sirius licked the tip gently, fondling and lightly squeezing Remus's balls as he did so. "Sweetheart sweetheart, fuck," Remus groans as his entire body envelops in tingles.
Sirius stops, instead he moves up to start kissing the soft park of Remus's neck and nibbling softly on his ear as he whispers," Ride me, I want to rub my hands up and down your lovely body while you bounce up and down on my cock."
"Fuck," Remus moans as he shakily sits himself up, making room for Sirius to lay down and maneuvering his slightly larger form to where he is sitting on Sirius's chest.
Sirius lays down on his back, his hair fanned across the pillow like dark sun waves, not even groaning at Remus puts all his weight on him," Finger yourself," he growls before gripping the hand that now wears the golden band.
He starts sucking on Remus's fingers slowly, taking his time to savor, giving him soft kisses across his knuckles. Remus mutters the lubrication spell, and starts fingering himself, starting with two fingers, he bites his lip as the pleasure starts overtaking him. "I want to hear your pretty noises Moons," Sirius whispers, eyes fixated on Remus's face.
Remus releases his lips, and as his fingers brush against that magic spot he whines slightly, before adding his third finger, gasping at the fullness. Soon he wants more and he is looking at Sirius waiting for permission, Sirius nodded slightly and Remus takes it, slowly lowering himself on Sirius's cock.
A deep whine erupts from Remus's throat as Sirius started tweaking with both of his nipples, he throws his head back in pleasure, trying to keep a steady pace. Sirius felt so good, he was happy Sirius had become more dominant, because Merlin his cock felt so good as he bounced on it.
Sirius's hands didn't stay in one place for long, he trailed them down Remus's back and onto his ass that was spread wide as he took Sirius's cock so perfectly. "Mon amour," he groaned throwing his head back as Remus whined in pleasure," Look at me," he commanded breath husky.
Remus did, his pupils were blown, and his mouth was open, drool spilling out of his mouth. Sirius's grey eyes pierced through him, the look was nothing short of pure adoration, "You're beautiful Moons," he groaned before moving Remus's hips up and down, Remus's belly and chest jiggling slightly," So hot," he gasped eyes struggling to take in all of his lover.
Remus was babbling," Sirius, Sirius, oh Merlin, Sirius," 'on repeat while aggressively pounding himself on Padfoot's cock.
Sirius could tell Remus was gone, the only thing he was focused on was his own pleasure, and Sirius enjoyed that beautiful sight. He grabbed onto Remus's length, carefully stroking it," Oh fuck, give it to me please," the pregnant boy begged, his bouncing becoming more erratic, Sirius sped up," Oh Sirius, I'm gonna cum, I'm gonna-" he let out the most animalistic whine as his entire body trembled and his load spilled out all over Sirius's chest.
The beautiful sight was all it took for Sirius, and he ejaculated, gripping his fingers tightly onto Remus's beautiful hips as he tossed his head back shivering as he moaned to completion.
Remus shakily managed to flop down on his side rather clumsily. Sirius joined him, pressing their foreheads together. "Je suis raide dingue de toi," he sighed happily.
"I don't understand what you're saying, but I can tell from your eyes and that silly grin that it was really sweet," Remus said with a smile, getting lost in the grey abyss of Sirius's eyes.
...........
Since Remus's and James's birthday were in the same month, and Remus couldn't really party much anyway, so they had decided to share a birthday celebration. Of course James was more than happy to share," Anything for our Moony," he had said with a big grin after Remus had suggested it.
They were celebrating it the Friday right after Remus's birthday, seeing as the next one was the fill moon. It seemed as if the entire castle was bustling with the excitement of the double birthday party. Remus wasn't particularly excited, he couldn't really drink, and a night of excessively loud noises didn't sound all that appealing, but there would be cake.
It was a classic Gryffindor party, Remus had insisted Sirius have fun, and so he did. Remus sat in a corner, Marlene who was stoned out of her mind was insistent on keeping him company, as Mary was shimmying her way through the group of rowdy teens, most who were already well past tipsy, you could occasionally see her dark wrists and the pale green sleeve of her flowy top over the crowd. She moved his legs to where they were placed on her lap, their bodies close, and happily smiled into the crowd, lost in her own mind. Remus joined her, thinking about the small thing that kept fluttering inside him, he absentmindedly placed a hand on his bump, he was content.
Him and Marlene were even more content when a massive chocolate cake was brought out, though Remus hated the birthday song, the drunken room singing entirely too out of tune it was laughable, and the encores didn't seem to stop, but he was the first to get a slice of cake.
........
The next evening, as hangovers had faded, and they had gotten a late start on the day, Remus and Sirius were laying back in bed, his hips only feeling somewhat better when he was lying on his back with a pillow tucked underneath him. Remus felt something, different, it was stronger than the flutters he had grown accustomed to. His face scrunched in confusion as he started poking at the spot, he felt something under his palm. He gasped before grabbing a concerned Sirius's hands and putting it on the same spot. After a beat they both felt it, Sirius's face lit up," I can feel her!" he said with so much excitement in his voice," That's bloody amazing Moony, that's our daughter in here!"
Remus leaned his head back and stared at the ceiling, his hand running through Sirius's black waves," Yea," he said softly his eyes growing heavy.
"Does it hurt?" Sirius asked his eyes wide.
"It just feels weird," Remus said his voice sleepy," It's like light tapping from the inside."
Sirius nodded, poking on Remus's stomach trying to feel their baby again with minimal luck. He ended up giving up and snuggling himself close to Remus," Shower then bed?" he asked softly after they had laid there for a while, Remus must of dozed off for he jolted quickly upward, before groaning.
"Sirius in 4 months we're going to have a baby," it was as if the reality of that situation had just hit him all at once.
"I know," Sirius said smiling.
"No, like a real baby in just 4 months. We don't have anything, how are we supposed to prepare here," his voice grew high as anxiety started bubbling up under his skin.
Sirius sighed and started gently rubbing his back," Let's take this one step at a time okay. Andromeda has offered me a lot of Tonks' hand-me-downs, so big things like a crib and a stroller are already taken care of. Effie has been going crazy buying baby clothes, and it was supposed to be a surprise, but she has already renovated one of the guest rooms as a nursery. We're more prepared than you think for when she comes, and we still have plenty of time."
Remus relaxed," I didn't realize you were dealing with those things," he said quite amazed by Sirius's initiative.
"Well I just thought you had enough on your plate," Sirius said giving Remus's bump a slight glance.
Remus grinned and nodded," And with pregnancy brain, Merlin my thoughts are all over the place."
"I still can't believe you lost your wand, I'm still unsure of where it accioed from," Sirius said with a soft laugh.
Remus blushed slightly," My memory is bloody shit right now I know, I'm amazed I still know my way around the castle."
Sirius pulled him closer and gave him a kiss on the forehead," I think that means Stella will be smart, she's taking all the Moony brain juice."
Remus started full body laughing, the muscles in his back spasming as he gripped them groaning," Don't make me laugh Padfoot," he said rubbing his sore back.
"I can't help that I'm funny," Sirius said moving Remus's hands so he could massage his back for him.
"I suppose not," Remus said melting into his touch.
.....
The full moon wasn't great on Remus, but the wolf had a fantastic time running throughout the forbidden forest. When he turned back he had vomited all over the Shrieking Shack floor, the blood and guts of some random animal causing his stomach to flip even more. He didn't know if it was Sirius or James, but they quickly dissapparated it, but that didn't stop him from dry heaving and groaning at the migraine that was quickly forming,
He leaned heavily on Pomfrey all the way up the hospital ward," This is bloody bullocks," he groaned.
"I know love,"as he laid down she did a quick gasp, his shirt pulling up slightly," You've popped dearie!"
Remus grunted annoyedly, pulling down his shirt, and then taking the sleeping draught and dramatically rolling himself over, the blankets pulled tightly around him. "I won't miss this attitude," she muttered as she walked away.
Remus slept most of the day away, and awoke to a dry throat and full bladder. He sleepily got up to relieve himself, when he came back both Poppy and Sirius were waiting. The checkup was fine, Remus was a bit grumpy, the ligament pain getting the better of him along with his hungriness. Sirius knew him so well though, after the checkup he pulled several cauldron cakes out of his pockets, Remus could have sobbed from happiness. Stella was starting to measure where she should, and everything looked great according to Poppy.
Remus happily climbed into bed when they made it back to Gryffindor tower. Of course, everyone wanted to keep an eye on him so they all piled into his and Sirius's room. Peter and James ended up sneaking down to the kitchen and they had dinner in bed. It was full of giggles, and Lily of course snapped so many photos. Sirius even connected the projector and they watched The Rocky Horror Picture Show. It was a great night, however Remus enjoyed it with his eyes closed and head laid on Sirius's chest, his light snores filling the room, as the dark haired boy rubbed circles into his back.
You are the reason I went through it
The only meaning as I knew it
And I can only do my best
I do not do this for myself
I'd walk through Hell on living feet for you
-Hymn to Virgil by Hozier