Chapter 2
Sirius Black had walked into Remus' life and stomped on his beloved routine. He was loud, obtrusive and perfectly insufferable. Worse than James by a tenfold.
Remus had assumed the other boy would be staying for a couple of weeks at most. James had been there for over a year and this prized comrade had never bothered with checking in before.
Alas, after nearly a month he showed no signs of going anywhere.
James and Lily's house was perfectly sized for a couple, perhaps a small family. But no, even in silence Sirius seemed to take up half the house.
He was everywhere.
Remus hadn't realised how much he'd taken advantage of the space James had given him. Now, when Remus parked up in the mornings to let the sheep out, Sirius would come out with a cup of coffee to watch. And Sirius could spare all the goddamned words in the world for James and Lily, but all he offered Remus was that piercing grey gaze behind his mug.
Then when Remus came in to help James with breakfast, Sirius disappeared to walk Moony. That was Sirius' wolfhound. She too lacked the spatial awareness of her father, and at least twice now had gone after the chickens.
He'd come back in time to see Lily off for work. Lily loved Sirius. He'd joke and laugh arrogantly knowing everyone loved having him there so much. Lily would rush out the door flushed and giggly, complaining he'd made her late.
James would offer him breakfast and Sirius would turn it down, stating-
"Don't worry about me, you've done plenty. Pretend I'm not even here."
This is what Remus meant by no spatial awareness.
What did that even mean?
Could Sirius not see the way the household had immediately shaped entirely around him like he was the centre of the fucking universe?
Remus would bet a kidney he was an only child, not even aware people treat him like a deity. Or worse, maybe he did know and just didn't care.
Sirius would take off into town on his motorbike for a few hours, so lunch at least had stayed sacred. With most of his contact hours with the Potters viciously stolen from him he'd even caved and started waiting for James to come back so they could eat lunch together.
Padfoot seemed blissfully unaware that there'd been any change at all, sleeping soundly till noon. Good for her, Remus wasn't sure how she coped with a stranger splayed out on the sofa metres away. He was relieved she was handling it well. In fairness, Sirius seemed quite taken with her, so the princess was getting even more attention than usual. She was probably fairly happy with the new arrangement.
It was late July when Remus finally felt he'd found his footing again despite the stranger. He'd started coming into work earlier, walking as quietly as he could past Sirius as he slept soundly on the sofa so he could let the sheep out in peace, then greeting Lily when she came down for breakfast before rushing out the door before Moony's walk was up. They never saw each other at lunch. The only issue was when Remus brought the sheep in before dinner. Sirius would come out while Remus shouted commands at Padfoot. Maybe it was because Remus never spoke much to anyone, but the whole thing felt invasive. At least it was brief.
A person often meets his destiny on the road he took to avoid it.
Remus would have known Sirius' bike was broken if he'd kept to the original routine, despite how warped and distorted it had become. Instead, when Remus showed up to the house and made himself and James' lunch he'd expected James to return, the boy never did, and Remus had no indication as to why. After Padfoot woke up on her own, grumpy that she hadn't been served her usual breakfast in bed, Remus realised James was meant to get back an hour prior.
So he grabbed the two sandwiches, opened the gate to the path to the river and called for Padfoot. She fussed a little but when Remus lured her with a treat, she warmed up to the idea of a breach of routine. Spoiled girl.
Maybe James had gotten distracted at the river, but he'd be getting hungry.
Remus found it curious the way James was pulled to the stream. North Uist was an island, a small one at that, but instead of soaking into the sands of the vast beaches, James chose the water running humbly between the rocks and reeds.
Maybe he preferred the higher ground.
Remus heard laughter and splashing from between the bushes ahead, and he felt that familiar annoyed buzz under his skin. Of course.
"Sirius, what are you doing? The water's bloody freezing!" James called laughing. Remus had stopped walking, and Padfoot cocked her head. But Remus didn't move, listening to the conversation unfold. Sirius never spoke to Remus, just that small curious smile.
"Oh come on, mate! Not at all tempted, are you?" The words shimmered like silver through Remus' bones.
"You're gonna catch a cold you idiot! Come on, let's go back!"
Sirius snorted out a laugh. "Alright. I should go take the bike to a shop anyway."
"Shop? Sorry, you'll have to take it to the mainland on the ferry."
"You're kidding me."
"Sorry, London boy." James snickered. There was a splash. "Oi!"
Sirius laughed bright and easy. "Alright, I'm coming. Haven't laid eyes on that farmboy in a while."
Remus' blood heated.
"Oh fuck's sake Sirius, don't torture him."
"I can't help it, why didn't you tell me about him?"
"I did tell you about him, and you're scaring him off." James sounded exasperated, though Remus was finding it harder and harder to make out the conversation over the sound of blood pumping in his ears.
"I haven't even spoken to him and he hates me. A real shame too, he's bloody gorgeous."
Despite it being the Scottish Isles, Remus suddenly felt rather hot under his jumper. Unable to withstand the conversation any longer he decided to alert the two boys of his presence. Scratching Padfoot behind the ear did the trick as her barking resulted in their conversation coming to an abrupt halt.
Remus then took strong intentional steps to the river bank, digging his wellies into the gravel as if it would ground him.
James, who was sitting stiffly under a small tree, was already staring at Remus as he peeled through the bushes like a deer caught in headlights. Padfoot trotted happily over to the boy and lay her head on a set of clothes by James' lap.
"Alright, Remus?" He asked innocently, though his tone was dripping with nerves.
Remus shrugged awkwardly, forcing a small smile. "Yeah, fine."
"Are you joining us?" An all too familiar voice called from the river. Remus swallowed the lump in his throat before turning to face Sirius, who'd decided it would be sensible to paddle in near-freezing waters.
To avoid getting his clothes wet, Sirius had rolled up his trousers above his knees and lost his shirt and jacket which Remus realised Padfoot had claimed as her temporary dogbed. Remus sighed in frustration.
"Padfoot! That'll do." The dog whined, annoyed, but left Sirius' clothes and returned to Remus' side, she rewarded with a pat on the side. "Good girl."
James huffed. "She's so obedient with you."
Remus' chest clenched with pride, but his expression didn't falter. "It's not her fault. You let her walk all over you." He looked down at the dog who was watching Remus' coat pocket with beady eyes, having sniffed out the treats. He smiled, then looked back at her alleged owner.
"She can smell the weakness on me." James sighed. There was a soft glint in his eye, and then he spotted the paper bag in Remus' hand, and his eyes widened.
"Oh fuck, what time is it? Sorry, mate."
"It's... just gone one." Remus suddenly found himself feeling quite petulant. James could do whatever he liked for lunch. Technically, James was Remus' boss. There was a gentle splash of water, and Remus' attention shifted away from a guilty-looking James.
Sirius climbed onto the riverbank and dusted his hands on his trousers, before standing to his full height. He was tall. Not taller than Remus, but Remus was sure he'd be able to spot Sirius in a crowd... well, maybe that wasn't just down to his height.
It's important to note that Remus had done his best to ignore Sirius' appearance the last month, but the conversation he'd overhead seconds earlier had left the poor boy rattled and a bit flustered, so when Sirius strode over with that soft signature smile he saved for those afternoons when Remus took the sheep in, Remus didn't know what to do with himself apart from staring at the boy dumbfoundedly.
The sunlight was harsh this time of year. It lent an icy sheen to Sirius' gaze, turning the grey into a silver that glittered in the cold light. His features were etched with clarity, the contours of his jaw and cheekbones sculpted like marble. Remus didn't dare look at his torso.
Sirius' smile widened, and his eyebrows were arched with questioning. He must have said something.
Remus swallowed... again. A croaky "...hm?" was all he could manage. Sirius thought Remus was attractive. Surely not. Not like James, not like him. Remus was doing his best to get a fucking grip but was failing miserably.
"Are you joining us?" Sirius asked, his demeanour entirely composed despite Remus being in obvious shambles.
He blinked before looking at James, who looked bewildered.
"We'd better be getting back," James interjected, and when Remus glanced back at Sirius, he was glaring ferociously at the other boy. James only seemed to relax under Sirius' wrath, picking up Sirius' clothes and chucking them at him.
Remus let his gaze wander to the stream as Sirius reluctantly pulled his layers back on. He could feel the blush on the back of his neck, but thankfully no one else seemed to notice. Thank God Lily wasn't there. She always seemed to pick apart what he was feeling in record time, and Remus was sure he didn't want anyone to know what he was thinking about at the present.
"Lunch?" James asked cheerfully, walking over.
Remus glanced at Sirius. He hadn't known Sirius was stranded. He usually stayed in town for lunch doing God knows what for five hours a day.
"I've already eaten." He heard himself say, passing the paper bag to James. James smiled gratefully and poked around inside.
"There's two lunches here." He said, brows knitting together in confusion.
Remus scratched the back of his neck anxiously. "Lily told me about the bike, I brought them for you both." Sirius straightened. James' eyebrows shot up in surprise as he pushed the rims of his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. He'd just have to pray that if James enquired she'd back him up and then wind him up later.
"You didn't have to, I can just get the bus to town-"
"Well it's made now, isn't it?" Remus stated bluntly. Sirius stared wide-eyed, and for the first time in over a month, Remus realised he finally had the upper hand over the most beautiful boy he'd ever laid eyes on. He decided to bathe in it while he could. "Besides, public transport here isn't quite what you're accustomed to, London boy."
James burst into a fit of coughs and Remus snickered softly before catching himself. "I'm going to take the sheep in, enjoy your lunch."
Remus whistled and Padfoot's ears sharpened in attention before he began his walk back to the house. She immediately shot off in front. Remus was about twenty metres away when he heard the cool and collected Sirius Black finally realise what had just happened.
"Fuck! "
He was delighted.