December
A stupid tradition
Prompt: Mistletoe
No warnings
Major tags: Hogwarts, pining
“Oh, look!”
James' voice made Remus stop and look around. He was standing under the mistletoe. Sirius, who had walked behind him, had stopped right under it as well.
“You know what that means.” Peter teased and James grinned widely.
Remus hesitantly faced Sirius. He looked a little taken aback and opened his mouth to protest, but was immediately shushed by James. Remus had dreamed about kissing Sirius, but not like this. Not with him being bullied into doing it.
“You don’t have to.”
“It’s all right,” Sirius chuckled uncertainly and made a grimace resembling an encouraging smile.
“No. Not if you don’t want to.”
James sighed heavily. Peter shrugged. Remus took a step forward and glanced at Sirius who looked relieved.
Sirius was walking a little bit behind the others and Remus slowed down to match his pace.
“Everything okay?”
“I… It’s not that I didn’t want to kiss you. I’m just not a fan of being forced, you know?”
“Yeah. It’s a stupid tradition,” Remus agrees, “if I kiss someone I want it to mean something.”
They kept walking a safe distance behind the others. Remus smiled at Sirius who smiled back.
“You want to know something?” Remus asked, “I’ve always imagined my first kiss somewhere romantic, like that cliff by the lake or the astronomy tower at midnight.”
“Yeah,” Sirius hums and gnaws his lip, “do you… do you want to go with me to the astronomy tower at midnight?”
Remus gapes. Sirius is walking with his eyes downturned and cheeks red. Remus grabs his hand before answering.
“Yes. I do.”
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The office’s Christmas party
Prompt: Party
Warnings: Alcohol
Major tags: Muggle AU, pining, flirting
“What are you having?” Sirius asked and pinched a drink menu from the counter.
“A beer,” Remus answered, already dreading the evening. But he had paid in advance for the buffet and it would have been a waste not to go.
“Try this Czech dark beer – it’s really good.”
Remus looked at the menu over Sirius’ shoulder. They had some ordinary lagers that were cheap enough.
“Nah. I’ll have something lighter to start with.”
He, Sirius, James and Peter got their drinks and returned to the others from their office, who were at the Christmas party together. They went to get food next. It was good. Remus helped himself to a second plate as soon as everyone seemed to have taken their first. There was water at the table. Remus silently wondered how often he could refill his water glass before drawing attention.
“Time for another round?” James asked and raised.
“I’m good. I have some of my beer still,” Remus quickly declined.
“You have hardly touched it. Are you pregnant?" James smirked.
Remus rolled his eyes and chuckled:
"Yes, I'm pregnant. You caught me."
They all laughed and Remus was a little proud that he had dodged the subject smoothly. For now.
Eventually, the food was eaten, the tables cleared away to make room for dancing, and Remus finally finished the last of his beer. His friends took this as an opportunity to go down to the bar again, for the fourth time. Remus excused himself to the loo.
It was occupied. While waiting Sirius turned up behind him.
“Everything all right?” he asked in Remus’ ear over the music.
“Yeah. Fine. You?”
“You’re not drinking. You don’t have to of course, but… Are you not feeling well?”
Remus looked at the floor. "I just don't have that much money, is all."
"Why didn't you say so? I can buy you a drink."
"No! That’s exactly why I didn't tell you. I don't want you to buy stuff for me. It's not fair!"
A door opened and Remus took the opportunity to sneak in and end the conversation. Until they both washed their hands at the same time.
“I really don’t mind buying you a drink.”
“I do.”
Sirius looked at him as if waiting for him to change his mind, then shook his head. “Fine. Just make me company to the bar.”
Relieved to finally drop it, Remus went with him. But he didn’t like the mischievous glint in Sirius' eyes.
"I want one of whatever she got.” Sirius pointed at the girl leaving with a drink in hand.
"A piña colada?"
Sirius waved his hand dismissively in the air.
"Yeah, whatever she got, it looked yummy."
Remus protested:
"But, you don't even like-"
"Oh! Look at that." Sirius drowned him out.
"What?"
"The... Uhm... decorations?"
Remus sighed.
Sirius got his drink, sniffed it - he didn't even taste it - and grimaced.
"Ew, pineapple! I don't like that. Silly me. Here, you can have this."
Remus reluctantly accepted the drink from Sirius' hand and took a sip through the straw with a scowl he hoped emitted 'happy now?'. Sirius beamed and turned to order a Mojito for himself.
"You're a devious little shit."
"And you love me." Sirius smiled cheekily.
"And I love you," Remus admitted so low Sirius didn't hear as he was already on the way back to their table.
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Staying safe
Prompt: Snowed in/blizzard
No warnings
Major tags: New relationship, fluff
Sirius woke to lanky limbs detangling from his, leaving his bed suddenly cold and lonely.
"Don't go," he whined.
"I'm supposed to go home today," Remus said apologetically and gently secured the cover around Sirius to keep him warm. Sirius knew Remus had to go, Christmas break was almost over and he had promised to visit his parents before they went back to school. The daily train left at noon and the flat that Sirius had managed to get was a fair way from the central station.
He could still feel Remus' weight on the bed, though. His hands carded softly through Sirius' hair and gently caressed his cheek. The sigh made him think Remus was just as unwilling to leave as Sirius was to be left.
It was silly, when they would see each other again in just a few days. He shouldn’t be so clingy when they had just been together a month, and admitting it felt daunting.
“You know”, Sirius drawled with half his face still pressed into the pillow, “I heard the weather was going to get really bad today.”
Remus chuckled and ruffled his hair a bit.
“No really”, Sirius continued, “we wouldn’t want to risk you getting caught in a blizzard. That train could get snowed in.”
Remus laid down behind him, stroking a hand over his side through the cover. “Honey… I promised Dad I would help clear out the attic.”
Sirius opened his eyes and rolled over to face him. “And if I drove you? We could go later today and I could help carry the boxes…”
Remus’ hand stilled on his shoulder. “W-would you do that for me?”
Sirius nodded. Remus' lips pressed into his in a laughing kiss and he quickly joined him under the cover again.
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Christmas shopping
Prompt: Hot chocolate
No warnings
Major tags: Established relationship, Christmas fluff, emotional support
Soft white snowflakes were falling over the picturesque Christmas market. A perfect day to go Christmas shopping if you asked Sirius. Remus, the overly organised dork that he was, had all his presents ready and wrapped, but had opted to come with and keep him company.
"What's the matter?"
"Nothing."
Sirius hesitated. He could clearly see Remus stiff walking and tense jaw. But had anyone ever felt better for someone insisting something was wrong with them?
"Sweetheart?" he tried and put an arm around Remus' shoulders.
Remus sighed deeply. "I'm all right."
"You don't have to go with me, if you rather go back -"
"What? No! I want to be here with you, it's just... I'm being childish."
Sirius looked expectantly at Remus who sighed again and explained: "One of my socks is wet. This hat is itchy. My lips are dry - and I have lip balm in my pocket but I don't want to take it out because then I have to remove my glove and then I might get snow inside the hem and then I'll be wet there too. My bloody hip hurts and I know I should have taken my pain potion this morning but it felt all right then and I thought I'd manage without."
"You're cold?"
"I'm cold," Remus agreed grumpily.
"Let's get in here." Sirius gestured at a coffee shop.
"No! We got here so you could do some Christmas shopping. I don't want to ruin that. I said I was just being silly."
Sirius dragged him inside and found a nice corner table with a couch full of cushions.
"Really, Love," Remus protested, "I'll manage. I wouldn't have come with you if I wasn't all right."
"You're missing the point," Sirius said and removed Remus' hat, carded his hands through his hair, took off his gloves and warmed his hands between his own. "If the goal is only to get by the day, I'll be just as fine without finding any presents, you know? My goal is for us to have a good time shopping."
The way Remus stared at him as if that was an entirely new concept made his heart ache.
Sirius chuckled, "I'll go buy us each a hot chocolate and if - only if - you think you'll enjoy shopping afterwards we'll continue."
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The one Hope knitted
Prompt: Jumper
Warnings: Disease and aging
Major tags: Established relationship, emotional hurt/comfort
“We need to go.”
“Just a moment.”
If Remus hadn’t been so anxious, he would probably have noticed the strange tension in Sirius' voice more. His mother was released from the hospital today and they needed to be there and pick her up.
Sirius finally emerged from the bedroom only to lock himself in the bathroom instead.
”What’s taking so long?” Remus yelled annoyedly.
Sure, they would hardly kick Hope out if they were ten minutes late, but he didn’t want to keep her waiting. He’d done everything he could for her, first with the slowly but surely advancing dementia, then the breast cancer and now the blood clot in her lungs.
Sirius had been a big help through it all. He had driven her to as many appointments as Remus had. He had been his shoulder to cry on for countless nights. He even followed Remus to his childhood home yesterday to discard every bad item in the fringe, restock and put on clean sheets for her to come home to.
They hurried down the stairs and towards the parking lot. Sirius crossed his arms and raised his shoulders in the chilly wind. Remus rolled his eyes and pulled out Sirius’ jumper that he’d made a habit of packing.
Sirius stopped.
Remus looked quizzingly at him.
“T-that’s the one Hope knitted for me.”
“Yes. Do you want to go back after another one?”
“No!”
Sirius grabbed the jumper, pulled it on and started walking again. A sniffling sound made Remus look at him, but he held his head turned the other way.
“Sirius?”
“Hm?” he said in a high pitch with his head still turned away.
“Love?” Remus put a hand on Sirius' arm.
“Sorry”, Sirius sniffled and wiped his eyes as he hurried on towards their car, “I’ll get it together.”
“It’s ok,” Remus mumbled a bit caught off guard.
“I should be stronger than this. We’re in a hurry. And it’s your mother”, Sirius sobbed.
Remus caught up to him and forced him to stop by pulling him into a hug.
“I think you have been strong for long enough.”
Sirius squeezed him tightly and pressed his forehead into Remus' shoulder. He gulped and whimpered, with breaths too quick and tears and snot wetting Remus' neck. Remus held him securely, smoothed his hand soothingly over his hair and pressed small kisses to the temple and top of his head.
Sirius cleared his throat and straightened up again. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.” Remus wiped Sirius' tear-stained cheeks with his fingers. “I should have stopped to ask how you were doing a bit sooner, shouldn’t I?”
“But it’s your mother,” Sirius protested.
“Maybe. But we’re in this together. Now let me drive today, yeah?”
“Please.”
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Terrifying
Prompt: Cookies
No warnings
Major tags: Established relationship, emotional support
Sirius was waiting for Remus outside a shabby-looking muggle office building. Admittedly, he had no real reference to what those looked like, but he didn’t like the look of the people walking past.
Remus didn’t know he was there. Since they graduated from Hogwarts and Sirius began his healer training he had seen Remus fill in hundreds of job applications and gone to a handful of interviews, all without luck.
When Remus first talked as vaguely as possible about this new interview and then only gave him the location on a direct question and with an awkward grimace, Sirius understood. He too, would have been humiliated if he had to resort to seeking muggle jobs.
That’s when Sirius decided to come meet him.
Remus stepped out through the door, spotted Sirius and jerked, then shook his head and greeted him with a kiss.
“What are you doing here?”
“Walking you home to keep you safe”, Sirius smirked tentatively, “How did it go?”
“She said they’d let me know,” Remus shrugged and then added in a lower voice, “It’s just a muggle job though.”
“I figured. That’s no big deal.”
“Yes, it is”, Remus sighed. “But that’s okay. It’s cute that you think you are the one of us that would keep me safe, though.”
“What?” Sirius asked indignantly “I’m scary. I look intimidating.”
“Sure, baby. Real intimidating with your punk boots and all. What’s in the bag?”
“Cookies”, Sirius admitted petulantly. If playing offended cheered Remus up he would continue the whole way home.
“How scary.” Remus struggled to hold back his laughter.
“Well, now you’re not getting any!”
“No! Please, baby!” Remus laughed and tried to kiss Sirius' cheek but missed as he dodged. “You are terrifying. Now give me a cookie.”
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Expectations of a father
Prompt: Fireplace
No warnings
Major tags: Christmas fluff, established relationship, wolfstar girldads
Neither Remus nor Sirius had been much for Christmas traditions. Sure, Sirius had put some strings of lights around the windows and Remus had taken out the porcelain angel he’d got from his mother, but that had been that. They were never home for the actual Holiday anyway. Christmas day was spent with Hope and Lyall in the cottage and the rest of the week visiting various friends and relatives.
That was until the first Christmas after they adopted Anna, the four-year-old abandoned by her parents after being bitten by a werewolf.
Remus surprised Sirius by coming home with a big box of baubles and garlands from the thrift store. Sirius surprised Remus by proudly displaying a gingerbread house (much too well made to really have been put together by the excited little girl he claimed made it).
They agreed to make a day out of getting a tree, brought sandwiches and hot chocolate and took their time walking through the forest and picking one out.
The night before Christmas, Sirius sneaked up to fill the stockings hanging by the fireplace only to see a figure standing there in the dark.
“You got her presents too?”
Remus spun around. “Of course, I did! Do you mean you…?”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“I just assumed… You’re not that much for Christmas and you have already gone out of your way to make it special for us with the baking and the tree and all…”
“As have you. I’m so grateful for that. My father never cared much about such things and I guess I just thought…”
Sirius gave Remus an apologetic look. Remus smiled sympathetically.
“My father certainly never bought the presents, he had no idea what was in the packages supposedly from him. Sorry I thought you’d be like that.”
“She deserves better”, Sirius nodded.
Their combined presents did nowhere near fit in the stocking. They couldn’t help to laugh as they stood with one arm around each other watching the beautiful clutter on the mantlepiece.
“Wait a minute”, Sirius exclaimed, “I’ve been wondering why the tree is hardly using any water. Does that mean you are watering it too?”
“Every night”, Remus chuckled. “Who would have known you were such a homely dad?”
“Who would have known I’d be so lucky as to marry the best dad there is for our child?”