It was hard for Remus to believe but this was his reality now and it was all because of his hard work. What surrounds him was his making; beautiful soft carpets, stunning city views through high ceiling windows, marble countertops, immaculate kitchen appliances, a luxurious bathroom, a spacious bedroom, endless storage and a cosy living space. There was more to the apartment than what you first see after the entrance and hallway but from what he’s seeing now, Remus feels a bubbling of pride from deep within his chest.
“You like the new place Cocoa?” he asks in a soft voice, looking over at his ragdoll cat with the most striking blue eyes to compliment her chocolate-brown fur. The somewhat lazy feline yawns and slowly blinks at him before curling up inside a box that was one of the first to be emptied. “I’ll take that as a ‘yes’,” Remus chuckles to himself with a fond shake of his head. It was just him and Cocoa, as always – quaint and warm. They were each other’s best friend and trusted secret keeper – she knew of his chocolate addiction and he knew of her obsession with chewing plants.
The future is unknown but Remus will fight for the peace and security he’s been able to acquire for himself on the foundation of his blood, sweat and tears. All for the sake of himself and Cocoa, it was them against the world.
Looking towards the rest of the sealed boxes stacked up around him, Remus set out to unpack his entire life and filter its contents into the rooms, drawers and cupboards of his new apartment. It was going to be exhausting but the smile on his lips wouldn’t let that exhaustion slip past his wrists to infect the rest of his body. Maybe he’ll be tired but his heart will remain full.
☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ
“Eclipse! Down boy!” Sirius lightly scolds as he raises the potted plant higher than his beloved canine friend could reach, “This isn’t for you, buddy. It’s a gift from Pandora,” immediately recognising the name, the black labrador retriever begins to wag his tail, “yeah, we like Pandora, don’t we?” Sirius laughs, nodding along as he walks over to his balcony doors and pushes them open, “this is her gift so we should be gennntleeeewith it,” stressing out the key behavioural word manages to get the message across and Eclipse drops back to a safe distance. And, being the dog lover he is, Sirius has to resist the urge of launching himself forward to coo and awe at his best friend being ‘the bestest boy in the whole world’. Patiently, the lovable canine watches his owner secure the potted plant onto an additional apparatus (also gifted by Pandora) so that it was able to hang from the balcony railing. As the valerian flora faces the apartment from it’s elevated perch, the large pooch finally approaches to closely inspect the tiny flowerettes.
With adoring eyes, Sirius watches patiently as his dearest companion noses at the small plant with miniscule, frail blossoms of pink and white hues. The potted flora had an interesting smell, pleasant and calming – Eclipse liked it instantly, expressing his appreciation with a gentle wag of his tail and an assuring shake of his head.
“Good boy,” Sirius coos, petting Eclipse’s soft head of fur as the large dog looks to him with big, round eyes. When Sirius kneels down to press a kiss into his furry companion’s head, the act is wetly reciprocated onto his stubly cheek and draws out a delighted laugh. It was a nice sound so Eclipse eagerly repeated the action.
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Remus was hesitant to allow Cocoa onto the balcony, fearing that his precious darling would slip between the railing and be subject to the worse demise possible. However, he knew that fresh air was important for his baby’s health so he invested in a cat-proof pexiglas to eliminate as many hazards as possible. He even furnished the space to keep her occupied with other things. There was a cat bed for her with a little table and chair for himself so that they could appreciate the outdoors together. And, of course, the balcony wouldn’t be complete without some greenery. To add the final splashes of colour, Remus arranged a small assortment of herbs for home cooking along the railing as well as a tall Fragresia Bamboo plant for some shade in one corner – all cat-friendly plants that livened up the space. Only then was Remus comfortable with Cocoa stepping out onto the platform.
The balcony was the final space in the apartment that needed decorating so Remus was finally able to relax his shoulders after successfully embellishing the area. As the tall brunette sipped at his tea propped up on his seat, Cocoa explored the open space, pawing at the plexiglass and fragresia bamboo leaves before eventually deciding to sunbathe in her cat bed. That was all Remus needed to finally conclude on officially making the new apartment flat his own.
It didn’t take long before the balcony became Cocoa’s favoruite area to spend time in, usually Remus would find her sunbathing in her cat bed or cosying up in his seat, where she could bite at the readily available plants and herbs. Oftentimes the fantasy writer would find his eyes wondering over to the balcony just so he could jump into action if Cocoa ever decided to aspire becoming the world’s first herbivore cat, although he’s sure she’s already achieved that status for notoriously gnawing at all of his previous houseplants. The plants he kept were all safe for her but excessive indulgence wasn’t recommended.
Remus tends to look over from his perch frequently but, just as he was beginning to settle into his routine, Cocoa suddenly disappears from sight entirely. Jumping into action, Remus abandons his novel notes and rushes to the balcony where he proceeds to throw the space about in his desperate search, “Cocoa!” he calls out, beginning to hyperventilate as panic consumed his thoughts and shrunk his chest, rendering him unable to properly breathe. Consumed by terror, Remus rushes out of his apartment and runs to the ground floor hoping to god that the worst reality he could think of doesn’t come true. He takes the stairs, fearful of the elevator’s enclosed space and subconsciously wanting to delay the potential reality he dreaded to face.
“What the–?” Sirius comments just before Eclipse jumps to attention and barks angrily beside him. No amount of shushing can calm the territorial canine down as the two watch a chocolate-brown cat stretch up and swat gently at the potted Valerian plant Sirius had put up last week. He resists the urge to take out his phone and record the mysterious feline but ultimately decided against it; not all events had to be recorded for his social media, “Stay here, Eclipse,” making his way to the balcony, Sirius manages to keep his canine companion from rushing through the open balcony door and shuts it just in time to prevent a potentially violent altercation between the opposing pets. It only takes a few seconds for the brown feline to drop down from its hind legs and hiss at him, a stranger who is almost always a danger.
“Rude,” Sirius comments brazenly, “you’re the tresspasser here and you have the audacity to hiss at me?” despite his sassy words, Sirius softly shushes to calm the tense feline down. As soon as he manages to calm most of the brown furball’s hissing, he reaches out a closed, tattooed hand for the feline to meet him half way – a sign of goodwill. It took some time but the mystery cat eventually stopped hissing and stretched forward to sniff at his hand, where it decided he wasn’t so bad and gently headbutts his knuckles. “You’re a cutie aren’t you?” Sirius coos, unclenching his fist so he could lovingly comb his fingers through the feline’s fur, “but how in the world did you get here?”
He didn’t need to wait that long for his question to be answered, however,. Moments later, the balcony door beside his own slams open and out steps the most gorgeous looking man – besides himself – that Sirius has ever laid eyes on. Covered in a light sheen of sweat and panting up a storm, Sirius could easily imagine the portrait of someone so beautiful in a more intimate position.
“Cocoa… where are you girl?” the stranger mumbles to himself, his voice smooth and delectable despite the trepidation in his tone.
“Cocoa?” Sirius speaks up before he could think twice, immediately stealing the brunette’s full attention. However, Remus’ focus doesn’t remain solely on him; his warm eyes quickly travel down Sirius’ tattooed arm and fixes onto the brown cat meowing softly as it indulges in Sirius’ scratches.
“Cocoa!” Remus calls out in relief, the tension in his shoulders dropping as Sirius smiles to himself; he can only imagine what he was thinking this entire time.
“Devious little thing suddenly appeared on my balcony,” Sirius chuckles softly, picking up the cat in question and safely handing her over to the gorgeous brunette, who immediately begins baby-talking his purring cat – thankfully their balconies were relatively close to each other, “I think she likes my new plant,” looking up from his gentle cooing, Remus secures Cocoa further into his arms as he smiles gratefully towards his neighbour.
“Thank you for taking care of her even though she only seems to have caused you trouble,” Remus chuckles in embarrassment on behalf of his cat-daughter – of course Cocoa would find a way to abash him in front of a handsome stranger.
“It was no trouble,” Sirius grins, suppressing a blush and completely missing the way Remus’ eyes lingers too long at the way his hands perch onto his slim waist, “just make sure she keeps on your side because I have a hyperactive dog,” Sirius reasons, reaching over to get in a few more pets with Cocoa. Remus understands the urge and encourages the interaction, smiling at Sirius’ soft, loving utterances, “and, as much as I’d like for them to get along, I don’t think they like each other very much,”
“That’s a shame,” Remus sighs and Sirius shares the same sentiment but knows deep down that he wasn’t going to let that get in the way of him becoming friendly with his new, hot, soft-boy neighbour.
“I’m Sirius by the way,” the man finally introduces, outstretching a hand to shake, “you must be my new neighbour,”
“Yes, I am. Remus,” the writer introduces smoothly, offering a soft smile as he silently awes at how soft Sirius’ skin was against his own, “it’s nice to finally meet you, Sirius,”
“And you as well,” Sirius isn’t a romantic but feeling Remus’ hand holding is own just felt… right.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
Valerian. It had a soothing effect on anxious dogs like Eclipse and worked as an alternative to catnip for Cocoa. The plant was the one thing that connected the two pets, both Cocoa and Eclipse adored it, smelling it and basking in it but… they didn’t want to share.
“I think Pandora gifted me the plant intentionally,” Sirius huffs in slight humour, grimancing ever so slightly from the volume of Eclipse’s barks through the balcony door, “Eclipse has separation anxiety and, apparently, Valerian offers relief for that,”
“She’s a good friend,” Remus comments, wanting to appear convincingly happy for Sirius having a thoughtful friend but he can’t help but feel a pinch in his chest. It’s absurd that he feels so attached to his neighbour when they’ve barely held more than a handful of conversations.
“Yeah, she is,” Sirius smiles at the thought, Pandora was one of the few people along with James and his brother that accepted him as is when he finally came out to liking men over women. He’s thankful to her for so many things. Sirius almost misses the hurt in Remus eyes at the mention of Pandora but it was noticeable enough that he rushes forward to place his hand over the brunette’s, staring deeply into his eyes with slight panic, “a good friend! Just a good friend! Haha! Good ol’ friend Pandora haha! That’s who she is, a good friend!” Sirius could have slapped himself for his embarrassing speech… multiple times.
Surprised by the outburst, Remus soon falls into a soft smile as a shy pink hue blooms over his cheeks. He can’t hold Sirius’ gaze for long so he turns his focus down to their connected hands, where he proceeds to turn over his own so that they can interlock their fingers. It was a very intimate gesture but Remus skillfully passed it off as a thoughtless, natural action to take.
“I’m glad…” Remus comments ambiguously as the two share a smile, both equally trying their best to calm their racing hearts and flushed cheeks.
☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ
“What did he mean by ‘I’m glad’?!” Sirius stresses increduously, his arms flailing about as he paces back and forth in front of a yawning Eclipse, “Was he glad we held hands?! Or was he glad that Pandora was my good friend? But is it like, he’s glad I have a good friend like her or he’s glad she’s just a friend?” his spoken thoughts only serve to make him panic more, “he does know she’s just a friend right? Pandora’s just a friend! A good friend! That’s Pandora!”
Just as Sirius was going stir crazy over the earlier balcony encounter, so was Remus.
“Why did I say that Cocoa?!” Remus groans and falls back onto his bed sheets, sacrificing all grace to land haphazardly. Cocoa swats at his ruffled hair with a scolding ‘meow’, clearly not appreciating his lack of caution. Apologising softly to his dearest companion, Remus kisses the back of her swatting paw to express his sincerity before grumbling again, “I didn’t even clarify anything! I’m glad he has such a good friend and that she’s just a friend to him… right? She’s just a friend, that’s why he…” Remus smiles fondly at the memory of Sirius’ somewhat panicked speech, “...that’s he was being soadorable,” grinning widely to himself, Remus folds his arm over his eyes and sighs dreamily.
Oh what he would do to be able to see Sirius that adorably flustered again…
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
It was a good excuse, that’s why they kept it up for weeks and weeks. Having to separate their feuding pets was a good and easy excuse for the two of them to interact and get to know each other more so they didn’t do anything to stop it. Breaking up their hissing and growling pets has led to many long talks, lingering looks, flirty exchanges and stolen touches across their balcony railings and, for a time, it was bliss. That was until Remus’ conscience finally caught up with him. Cocoa was his daughter and, even though he was madly in love with his next door neighbour, Remus always had a small heart attack whenever she crossed boundaries and endangered herself just to hop over the balcony rails to nuzzle the Valerian plant Sirius kept in view of her.
“Maybe I should get a Valerian plant to,” Remus casually mentions, his heart sinking at the prospect of not having the same encounters with Sirius anymore, “as agile as she is, I don’t want to suddenly find that she’s fallen from such a height one day,” Sirius nods in understanding as a pang of guilt makes his chest constrict. He’s come to adore Cocoa despite her rivalry with Eclipse, the same way he knows Remus has come to love his canine companion. Sirius doesn’t know how he would feel if Cocoa got hurt or if Eclipse go hurt trying to attempt what Cocoa does multiple times a week.
“I think that’s a good idea,” Remus’ shoulders relax in relief when he catches sight of Sirius’ kind eyes. The cool, grey pools swam with deep understanding and Remus couldn’t help but feel his heart flutter from the fact. Sirius knows the implications of Remus’ suggestion as well as the fantasy writer does and, although he enjoys having a perfect excuse to interact with him almost every day, he can’t continue it in good conscience for Cocoa’s safety.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
As soon as Remus got Cocoa her own Valerian plant, there was peace. Eclipse and Cocoa have been much less combative. In fact, they often see each other from their perches whenever they go to nuzzle their favourite plant and, despite seeing the other, they no longer hiss or bark, gradually getting accustomed to one another’s presence. Maybe the other isn’t so bad now that they’re not forced to share anything. It’s much more peaceful now, yes. Giving Cocoa her own Valerian plant was a successful endeavour, very successful, in fact, that in the following days and weeks, Remus was only able to talk to Sirius a small handful of times.
The revelation draws out a frustrated sigh from the writer; if he wasn’t such a coward, he’d have already spoken up about meeting outside the boundaries of their neighbouring balconies.
Maybe at a cosy cafe for a to-go cuppa so that they can have a peaceful walk by the river and, as much as Remus and Sirius adore Eclipse, the canine would be absent so that the two could fully indulge in one another’s company. They would finish their cups but they would make up every excuse under the sun and moon to continue the date, maybe they happen upon a picturesque scene that they want to savour for hours on end. And, maybe on the way back, they come across a charming little bookshop at a street corner where they can immerse themselves in.
“Don’t dream it if you can’t even make it happen,” Sirius grumbles to himself after saying his final goodbyes to Eclipse. It breaks his heart having to leave his anxious pup for long periods of time but with the Valerian plant and the little home camera he has set up in the space, Sirius has confidence in leaving his dog-son for work at the parlour. The main distraction for his worries over Eclipse happen to be daydreams of impossible date scenarios he can have with Remus. The man was a tall glass of every thing fine and delicious to Sirius but having him as a neighbour and bonding with him over their two antagonistic pets had Sirius feeling more attached than he usually did when having ‘crushes’.
So…this wasn’t just a crush, he realises.
Sirius bites his lip and lets out a shuddering breath, trying to calm his racing heart from the romantic thought. When Sirius thought of Remus, it’s the ‘L’ word that comes to mind first. And Sirius usually flees as soon as that happens but there’s a difference this time. The tattoo artist might not know why things are different and, even though he’s afraid of the ‘L’ word, knowing Remus, knowing the type of person he is and knowing the types of exchanges they’ve had, Sirius feels safe — he feels secure in his feelings for the tall brunette with the warm eyes, the big hands and the lingering chocolatey smell.
Sirius laughs to himself at the thought. The scent of chocolate always seemed to follow around the fantasy writer; perhaps it’s an indication of how lovely he is.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
“Not again!” Remus stresses, his hands clutching and pulling at his hair, dropping his bags of grocceries in the process. Taking a hopeful chance, Remus leans over his balcony railing to examin Sirius’ balcony only to find no trace of his beloved cat, “Cocoa! Where are you?!” she has her own valerian plant so she no longer has any reason to hop onto Sirius’ apartment balcony. But that leaves only one logical and absolutely terrifying answer. “Please please please–!” Remus prays in his panic as he rushes to the ground floor and out onto the surrounding areas, where he begins his frantic searching, his mind spiralling and his racing heart deafening his ears.
That was how Sirius found him, frantically rifling through the decorative shrubbery surrounding their apartment building. He looks like a madman on a search for some hidden treasure that doesn’t exist to anybody else but him.
“Remus?!” Sirius calls out, thick concern dripping from his exclamation, “What’s wrong?” the tattooist asks in panic as soon as the writer turns to him, revealing tearful eyes and a dishevelled appearance that would otherwise be incredibly hot disregarding the current circumstances.
“Cocoa,” Remus’ voice shakes from the terror and anxiety, “she’s not at the apartment–” the statement spikes fear within Sirius, not just for Cocoa but also for his own furry companion. There’s no question that he was going to help Remus in his search but Eclipse had anxieties on being left alone for long periods so needs to be checked on first. Without missing a beat, Sirius takes out his phone and opens the app connected to his home camera, where he keeps track of Eclipse’s condition. He’d usually get alerts of troubling and unusual movement patterns but he hasn’t had a single alert nearing the end of hsi work day. It was unusual but he coudln’t fully question the anomaly as he was busy working with a client. Checking the cameras, Sirius panicked heart immediately settles and he releases a relieved sigh before turning his phone screen over to his panic-stricken nighbour, who cries from the same sweet relief.
“So she did hop over,” Remus chuckles to himself, examining the two cuddling fur balls as they peacefully asleep against each other. Cocoa is curled up against Eclipse’s middle as the large pooch coils around her, somewhat nuzzling his nose into the fur of her small head.
“Yup,” Sirius laughs fondly, “at least Clipse has something better than a valerian plant to keep him calm while I’m out,”
“Ah yes,” Remus nods in understanding as they both make their way back to their apartments, “the separation anxiety,”
“Yeah, I don’t think I’ve told you but Eclipse is a rescue,” Sirius explains once they’re in the elevator, “he was abandoned by his previous owners when they moved house. I don’t know how long he was left on his own but when I found him we just clicked, and we’ve been as thick as thieves ever since,” Remus feels his heart swell with love at the display of Sirius’ kindness. He looked like a devious, good for nothing trouble maker, even his job added to his, otherwise, delinquent front. However, the love he has for his pup and the story they shared together shows Sirius’ greater character, one that Remus isn’t ashamed of admiring.
It might have been the relief at seeing Cocoa’s tangible figure curled up beside Eclipse that made Remus do what he did but he didn’t care. He’ll care when the adrenaline fully subsides and he’s out of his beautiful tatted neighbour’s sight. Thankfully, Sirius doesn’t complain and, instead, instantly reciprocates the embrace Remus pulls him into as soon as they step into his flat.
“I can babysit Eclipse while you’re out if you want,” Remus whispers into Sirius’ hair, not wanting to let the man go any time soon and disguising the prolonged embrace with his relief from the ordeal.
Surprised by his thoughtfulness, Sirius stares wide-eyed up at the already smiling writer, “A-...are you sure?” Sirius can’t help but stutter when his heart won’t stop fluttering from being engulfed by Remus’ luscious scent, locked securely in his arms.
“Admittedly, I’m also being selfish here. Having him over will save me from developing a heart condition if Cocoa decides to make a habit of hopping balconies,” the two laugh before Sirius nods in agreement.
“Sounds like a good plan,” the tattooed man utters as they stare into one another’s eyes warmly.
…would this be a bad time to finally kiss him stupid or…?
Sirius sighs inwardly. It appears as though this really isn’t just a crush; Remus has him acting not quite like himself. For now, Sirius can be patient, however long that patience will last is questionable though. At least their pets were finally on board.