April
A silvery heart-shaped balloon
Prompt: Airport AU
No warnings
Major tags: Teenagers, pining, angst
Remus sat down at the back of the bus. He had told his mom that he was going to the airport to greet a classmate who had been abroad. It wasn't a lie exactly. But he and Sirius were more than classmates. At least Remus hoped so.
In secret, Remus had counted the days until Sirius would come home from his language course. Mom sometimes asked how he was doing, but he never knew how to answer. She didn’t need to know it had taken him two weeks without anyone to talk to before he dared text Sirius.
He had framed it casually. Asked how Sirius liked France. Received a postcard-like text in response.
Three days later, he had texted again. That he looked forward to Sirius coming home so he wouldn’t be alone during breaks. Sirius had called him that evening. After talking about all and anything for hours, Remus had admitted that he missed Sirius so much that he could barely sleep at night. Sirius had been silent for a moment, then dismissively said that he would be home soon. Remus had felt a pang in his chest of unanswered longing and cursed himself for ever believing anything else. Then Sirius had mumbled that he also ached for a hug and Remus' hope had woken again.
They had talked every night since, but never approached the subject again. There was nothing explicit. No promise of what would happen when Sirius finally came home. But Remus couldn't bear the thought of just pretending like nothing had happened.
He got off the bus at the airport with half an hour to spare. A bouquet of helium balloons caught his attention, and he bought a silvery one shaped like a heart. It was now or never.
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A good day
Prompt: Bookshop AU
No warnings
Major tags: Meet cute, young adults
Remus was having a good day. He’d chosen to spend a free afternoon and some well-earned money in his favourite bookstore. Having picked up a few books he'd decided on beforehand he was now peacefully browsing. As he moved from English classics to international ones, a man in skinny black jeans and a black leather jacket was blocking his way. Remus didn't mind waiting. In fact, he could watch an arse as fit as that all day.
"Keep looking, I'm cute, I know."
"No, I... I'm not..." Remus stuttered, "I'm waiting to look at the books behind you."
"Sorry, I didn’t realise."
The stranger immediately stepped aside, giving Remus full access to the shelves, but staying close by. Remus found his eyes dancing over the titles without taking in what they said. His mind was fully occupied with the annoyingly good-looking, and apparently well aware, man behind him.
"Sorry, were you not done? I'll let you finish."
"No", the stranger dragged his finger through bouncing black waves with an exasperated smile "I'm looking for a gift for my little brother, but it's seeming more impossible the more I look. I was actually hoping to see what you'd choose. You look like a guy with good taste."
Remus chuckled nervously and hid the covers of the books he was holding against his side. He wouldn't call cheap romance novels good taste, even if he loved reading them.
"What does he like then?"
"Everything? I don't know. He loves to read, though. And he likes real books. Hardcovers."
Like any sane person. Not much to go by.
"Hm. How old is he?"
"He's 21. Just two years younger than me. You'd think we'd be close, but... it's complicated."
That meant Remus and the stranger were both 23. Which of course didn't mean anything. Remus just found himself liking it.
"You're not giving me much to work with here. But something clearly brought you to the international classics?"
"Well, our parents are kind of racist and I guess I wanted to show him..."
Remus stared into pearl-grey eyes and couldn't help guessing: "That you're not the same?" because he couldn’t be, right? Not if he was trying so hard to find a gift for a brother he was for some reason not on the best of terms with. Not with these breathtakingly beautiful eyes.
The stranger nodded, but still corrected: "That I know he's not the same."
"Yeah? Well…” Remus worked hard to focus on something useful, “what about The Book Thief? Not a classic per se, buts it’s about the love of reading, and set in Nazi Germany.”
"Sounds perfect.”
“Really? I think I saw it over there, I can show you the way.”
The stranger held out his hand as for him to lead the way. And smiled when Remus pulled out a copy and put it in his hands.
"Thank you. May I see what you've picked?"
Remus hesitated. But the stranger had been generously opening up about family matters in their just a few minutes of conversation. And Remus would most likely never meet him again. He might as well return the generosity.
"All right. This is the last two books in a series called The Seven Sisters. The dialogue is a bit over the top, like little girls having a tea party and pretending to sound like adults, but I enjoy the stories and the historical settings."
The stranger smiled. "Sounds like the kind of book he'd claim not to like, then buy the rest of the series in secret.”
Remus showed the way again. He had to turn around several times to assure himself that the good-looking stranger was actually following. Not only was he taking Remus' advice, he asked interested questions and listened carefully as Remus told him more and more about books he read and wanted to read.
The stranger who didn’t feel like a stranger anymore eventually decided he was done. Remus slowly and reluctantly led their way to the counter. He didn’t want their brief meeting to be over, but he couldn’t force more books on the poor man, could he?
“Thank you for helping me out”, he said and turned to put his books down on the counter.
“It was nothing.”
He turned back at Remus with a smile that made his knees go weak. “No, really. I appreciate it. You didn’t have to walk me around. Especially after I embarrassed you first, accusing you of staring at my butt.”
Remus felt his cheeks heat. The teasing smile widening on the man’s lips told him he understood the accusation wasn’t entirely false.
He finally held out his hand. “I’m Sirius.”
“I’m Remus.”
“Remus”, he tasted the name, “may I buy you a coffee after this?"
"Yeah. Yes. That’d be lovely. Yes,” he rambled, unable to conceal his excitement.
Remus was having a good day indeed.
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Take a hint
Prompt: Bar AU
No warnings
Major tags: Established relationship, jealous Remus
Remus used to laugh at girls hitting on his obviously gay boyfriend. Other men approaching him better watch out, though. You’d think he’d have less trouble with that once they got engaged. Not that he was any less handsome, of course. But the ring ought to be a hint, didn’t it?
The way this big blond dude leaned close on the bar counter suggested otherwise. Sirius being Sirius just stood there and sipped his drink with an amused smile, neither backing away nor reciprocating the body language. The blond joked, laughed, and moved in a way clearly intended to flex his muscles as if the sleeveless shirt wasn’t enough.
A part of Remus realised he could not take this giant in a fight. And realistically, why would there need to be a fight? Another part was fully prepared to bring one on, despite not being a particularly good fighter even if the scars gave him the look for it. Paired with a slightly lifted jaw and an unforgiving stare he’d learned to apply, they let him scare away most anyone.
He put an arm around Sirius' shoulders and glared. The blond stopped mid-sentence and gaped at them. Sirius lifted his left hand and played with his fingers in the air, showing off the ring.
“Oh”, the blond ducked away with his gaze lowered, “have a good night, then.”
Sirius chuckled and softened into his side. “My big brave hero saves me again.”
Remus huffed at the joking tone and felt his cheeks heat. “I overreacted again, didn’t I?”
“Kind of looked like you were about to kill him, yes.”
Remus closed his eyes and bit his lip in embarrassment.
Sirius reached up, planted a kiss on his cheek, and whispered: “Don’t stop. I love it.”
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Stairs
Prompt: Royal AU
No warnings
Major tags: Teenagers, new meet
The tinkling laughter startled Prince Remus. Wasn’t the foreign Prince afraid he would be heard? They were not supposed to be out of their chambers this late.
“What do you mean, you don’t know any secret passageways? Haven’t you lived here your whole life? I just got here and I’ve already found some.”
Remus stared at fair skin and ebony waves. Sirius sure looked like a Prince. Maybe even more so than Remus himself could ever do. But from the day his family were taken in as war refugees from the neighbouring kingdom Remus had doubted if he really was one.
Whit their parents present he appeared impeccable. But when not he would act silly or blow kisses at Remus, who had no idea how to respond.
“Come on, I’ll show you one. These stairs lead to a tower perfect for looking at the stars.”
“Stairs…” Remus hesitated, “would… would you hold my hand?”
“Oh, you want to turn this into a romantic date, then?”
“N-no”, Remus' cheeks heated, “I just… I have never claimed stairs alone. There’s always a servant holding my hand so I don’t trip.”
“You’re joking?”
Remus shook his head.
“Look at me. You can walk up a few flights of stairs. I’ll be right beside you.”
Remus didn’t want to disappoint those stormy grey eyes that looked at him with so much confidence. He took one step and then another. He didn’t trip. Soon they reached the half-open platform Prince Sirius had mentioned.
The star-speckled sky really took Remus' breath away.
Looking into the eyes of the smiling boy beside him Remus began to wonder what other things he had never considered doable that in reality were. And if there was more to life than excelling in his studies and seeing his parents pleased.
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Long night waiting
Prompt: Hospital AU
Warnings: Attempted suicide
Major tags: Adults, first meet
Sirius' footsteps echoed in the empty corridor. He just needed to be alone. To get away from it all for a moment. A vending machine whirred low and spread a sliver of light in the abandoned entrance hall. Stray leaves and paper trash rustled at the feet of the automatic doors that slid open to let in crisp night air.
The feeling of being the only sorrowful soul awake was so strong that Sirius jumped when he saw another man leaning against the wall just outside. The other quickly put his foot in the gap to stop the doors from closing.
"Sorry to startle you. I was locked out.”
Just as the man got in, he turned and took a second look at Sirius' lack of jacket and belongings. "Are you going back in? The doors apparently don’t open from the outside at this hour. I can hold it for you."
"Thank you."
Now that he got a better look at his face he realised he was not as old as Sirius first took him to be, more like Sirius own age.
Sirius crouched with his back to the wall and lit a cigarette behind his cupped hand.
As his thoughts slowly caught up with him through the latest hours of chaos he turned towards the man again. "Sorry. You thought I was going to the smoking area and I'm just sitting here like an idiot. I can hold the door myself if you need to go somewhere."
The man smiled blearily at him. "I'm in no hurry. The nurse told me to go home. My mother's operation won't be finished in at least a few hours and then she will have to wake up before I can see her."
Sirius nodded. "It's good of you to be here for her."
The man made a sound between a laugh and a sob. "I don't know if I'm here for her or me to be honest." He sat down on the paving, clasping his arms around his knees, still holding the doors open with his body.
"My little brother tried to drown himself", Sirius said and blew a cloud of smoke into the night, "and our mother hasn’t even bothered to show up."
"I'm sorry, what?!" The man looked indignantly at him.
Sirius shook his head. "Said his behaviour was a disgrace to the family."
"Jesus Christ."
"Yep."
Sirius stubbed out the cigarette against the ground. He should be getting in. The crowded room where Regulus lay attached with wires and tubes to loud machines did not appeal at all. But what if he woke up?
None of them got up from the ground. Sirius felt a strange kind of brotherhood with this man he would never meet again. He eventually took out a cigarette for himself and held out the package to Sirius. He took another one. The man held his out so Sirius could light them both at once.
They shared the silence as the horizon slowly lit up.
An approaching watchman broke the spell. Sirius got up on cold stiff legs and stumbled inside the entrance hall. His companion held out his hand.
"Remus Lupin. I'll be in the waiting room outside the operation ward, second floor. Let me know if you and your brother need anything at all. Or if you want to share a smoke."
“Sirius Black. Thank you. Take care of your mother.”
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Mr. Dangerous
Prompt: Neighbour AU
Warnings: Domestic abuse, violence
Major tags: Adults, first meet
The yelling wakes Remus up. The voice is distant, but loud enough that he can make out some words.
“Fucking whore! Fucking bitch!”
And, oh. That is definitely a woman crying.
Remus pulls the pillow over his head and tries to think of an excuse. He doesn’t know which apartment it is coming from. Maybe it’s even just someone passing by outside?
No. He can't ignore this. He refuse to be that kind of person. With dread pooling in his stomach, he pulls a cardigan over his worn-out T-shirt and pyjama pants and wearily steps out into the staircase.
He freezes as he spots Mr. Dangerous, as Remus has named him in his mind. The neighbour with long black hair and tattoos winding up his neck, whom Remus lets play loud music late at night because he doesn’t dare complain. For a moment he thinks the yells must have been him. But then he fixes Remus with a concerned look.
“Did you hear it too?”
“Y- yeah. I don’t know where it’s coming from.”
As on cue, they hear a new tirade of curses.
“It must be from above.”
Remus silently agrees and follows Mr. Dangerous up the stairs. They stop in front of a door and look at each other. Mr. Dangerous knocks hard. The voice gets silent. The man that opens reeks of alcohol.
“What do you want?”
“Is everything ok?”
The grumpy man grunts. “Trying to sleep here.”
That’s hard to believe as he is fully dressed. Remus waits for Mr. Dangerous to say something more, but he doesn’t. Remus suddenly realises he looks scared and not dangerous at all, so he puts a foot forward.
“Can I come in? I lost my cat and I think I saw it through your window.”
The man grunts dismissively and starts closing the door.
“Let us in!” Mr. Apparently Not Scared Anymore springs forward. “I know karate and I –“ He gets a punch in the face and stumbles backwards.
“Jesus fucking Christ! Are you ok?” Remus grabs his shoulders and pulls him back, but the door is already closed.
“Fine. It’s fine.” Mr. Stupidly Brave presses his hands to his face.
“I’m calling the cops.”
“Already done.”
And sure enough, Remus can hear sirens in the distance.
After an hour of drama, both of them having been questioned by police officers, both the wife-beater and the poor woman having been escorted out by police and all nosey neighbours that suddenly did hear after all having withdrawn again, Remus finds himself in the staircase alone with Mr. Hero.
They look solemnly at each other. Until Mr. Hero smirks. “I lost my cat?”
Remus rubs his neck with heating cheeks. “Worth a try, wasn’t it?” He laughs along. It's liberating after all they have just been through.
Remus raises an eyebrow. “I know karate?”
It’s Mr. Hero's turn to huff and squirm, but they both laugh loudly again.
“I will not be able to sleep any time soon.”
“Me, neither.”
Remus jerks his head in the direction of his door. “Do you want to come in for a cup of tea?”
Suddenly the good neighbour who Remus had started to relax around looks like Mr. Dangerous again, sizing him up with his eyes squinting and arms folded.
“Only if you don’t want to come to mine for a shot of whiskey.”
Remus laughs again. “Sure. I could use one.”
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Just think how far we’ve come
Prompt: Dystopian AU
No warnings
Major tags: Established relationship, raising Harry
“Don’t stay too long in the sun! We don’t have any sunscreen and there are no doctors anymore and I don’t know how to treat cancer…” Remus cations. Harry has already run off, not hearing more than the beginning.
Sirius sighs and open his eyes, shielding them from the sun. He could easily stay irritated that Remus is ruining the moment. But he chooses to look fondly at his thin frame, hunched back and ever-present furrow between the brows. He scoots closer and puts an arm around Remus shoulders.
“Just think how far we've come, love, when that is what you worry about.”
They were safe in the secluded home they had built. They didn’t have to worry about monsters anymore. They had food and clean water. They didn’t have to worry about freezing to death in the unnaturally long winters.
That Remus would stop worrying altogether were probably too much to ask after everything they had been through.
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Hotel breakfast
Prompt: Modern AU
No warnings
Major tags: Adults, meet cute
Remus followed the crowd out of the elevator and got in line for the coffee machine right away. He yawned and looked around the breakfast buffet for something his stomach could muster. Thankfully he would not be expected to do much more today than show up and listen to the yearly mandatory update course. He decided on toast with jam and put his plate and cups down on what was probably the last empty table. The room was crowded with people in suits, just like himself.
Soon enough a man asked if he could take the opposite seat. An extremely handsome man with alluring eyes and black hair tumbling down his shoulders.
“Sure.” Remus moved to gather his things closer to his side of the table and tipped one of his toasts with the jammed side down on the table.
“Ugh, my coordination today…”
“What about it?” the man sat down with a dazzling smile.
“I just enjoyed the town a little too much last night, is all. I don't travel that much so I thought I'd take the chance now when work is paying. Not that we don’t have a pub where I’m from, but that’s… yeah, one pub.”
The man laughed a friendly laugh. “I’m from London.”
“Oh. You must think this is a one-horse-town?”
“Pretty much. I’m here to have a lecture for some backwater company called Modern Marketing who apparently can’t find anyone who knows anything about social media algorithms around here.”
“That’s my company.”
The man clasped his mouth with a horrified expression.
“I’m joking!” Remus laughed and his tablemate joined in.
Remus reached out for his cup of coffee but tripped it over. The coffee flowed across the table and splashed down the other side. The man jumped up fast enough to save his trousers, but the shirt was ruined.
“Oh, shit! I’m so sorry!”
“It’s ok!” His tablemate quickly reassured, then made a face “They are going to think I’m the idiot now.”
“You don’t have a clean shirt? Do you want to borrow one?”
He thought a moment. “Yeah, actually, that would be really nice of you.”
He followed Remus to his room. Remus caught himself thinking this was a guy he’d gladly take to his hotel room for another reason. As the man stripped to try Remus' shirt on he couldn’t take his eyes away.
Fit muscles, fair skin interjected with sharp black lines of a star-shaped tattoo in the centre of his chest that Remus suddenly felt a need to put his lips against.
“Maybe one size too big, but it’ll do. Thank you!”
“It’s all my fault to begin with… You look good. I mean… in the shirt... on you.”
The man smiled his dazzling smile again and reached out his phone to him. “Can I have your number?”
Remus felt a ridiculously big smile spread on his face.
“So that I can return your shirt.” The man clarified.
“Oh. Right. Of course.”
Remus put his number in with blossom cheeks. The man said something about an Uber and left. Remus leaned his forehead against the closed door and whimpered. He was so stupid. Why would a hot guy from London ask for his number? Especially after he spilled coffee on his shirt?
A message dinged in Remus' phone.
> How long are you staying? /Sirius your shirt-borrower <
> My train leaves at 18:07 tomorrow. <
> That’s one more night in "town" then. Fancy making it a date? <
Remus decided he needed to travel more. To London, perhaps?