Chapter 1
Sirius Black was lying on the sofa, on that drizzly winter evening, in his usual apartment in the centre of London.
Working the whole day was exhausting, and he knew it.
But it was all he had, his work.
He had no family and no hobbies.
Just his work.
Being a graphic designer for the most important advertising agency in London, was like the realization of his dream.
But sometimes he felt bored, sad, and lonely.
God, if he felt lonely.
Looked at his Instagram homepage where his brother put a photo of his beautiful wife and their newly-born child.
He missed them.
He missed his brother so badly.
Tears moistened his face, followed by all the old memories.
His brother and he walked around the little town where they spent their childhood, kissing that handsome boy he had always dreamed of and his brother slowly getting close to his historical crush.
But it was the past.
And the past can't come back.
You can just go on.
Smiling bitterly at the screen, he liked the photo and then, finally, decided to go to bed.
On the following day, he woke up a little late, so couldn't eat his usual healthy breakfast at home.
He wore his favourite black bomber jacket and brushed his hair quickly.
Going out of the house, he realized that it was pouring.
Shit.
He forgot the umbrella.
But he had no time to come back home.
Commenced walking briskly with a weary expression on his face.
Why was life so shitty with him?
Arriving at work, he had just dropped his bag on his desk when Emmeline called him.
The boss needed to talk with him.
And when Dumbledore calls, you must go.
He followed the lovely Emmeline through the hallways, thinking of what could have happened.
He had not done anything wrong.
The last time he dated a colleague was last year so he had broken no rules.
The last time he forgot to ask permission and stayed at home was two years before.
Maybe it was the moment.
That moment he waited for years.
A promotion.
Grinning at Emmeline asked her «It's finally arrived the moment where everybody found out how essential I am? »
She rolled her eyes with an annoyed expression on her face.
«Of course not, Black»
“Lovely like always”, thought he.
Arriving at the entrance of the office, he took a whiff.
«Quickly Black, I have other things to do today».
Glancing fiery at Emmeline, Sirius took courage and came to the office.
Dumbledore was sitting in his comfy swivel chair, looking at the window, and when Sirius put a foot in the room, he said «Welcome here, young Sirius, come on, sit».
Sirius didn't pay attention to the fact that the old man already knew that it was him before he saw him.
It was Dumbledore, a genius of marketing but a weird man.
«Emmeline told me that you wanted to talk with me».
«Oh right, Emmeline is a sweet girl, isn't she? ».
Sirius tried to not laugh.
Emmeline and Sweet were two words that Sirius had never thought could stay in the same sentence.
She was strong, sometimes mean, incredibly determined but definitely not sweet.
«Ugh, yes, I think…»
«She just needs to be loved. You should understand her, you need to be loved too, right?»
Was his boss getting crazy? Why was he talking about love? Christmas has always been weird in this place, but never like that.
«Everybody needs to be loved but it doesn't matter, my career is my love and I like it. Are we here to talk about it?»
«Certainly we are! You come from Candle, do you?»
Hearing the name of his town, Sirius lifted his head.
«Yes, I do, why? »
«I want to send you there. There is this important business with the advertisement of the annual Christmas festival. We have to obtain that job and Riddle wants to take this job too. But we are playing at home, you know these people, you know how to convince them, right? »
Remembering the last time he was in that place, he sighed intensely.
«Umh, I dunno, can we send anyone else? I don't know, I think Alice and Frank would enjoy it…»
The man shook his head.
«And then? They will not come back or come back three? I need someone I can trust, someone who lives for this job.»
Looked strongly at him and continued.
«And of course, you will obtain your promotion to assistant director… »
Sirius froze in his place.
Assistant director!?!
On one hand, he had to come back to a place where everybody hated him because of how he acted and it hurt so bad, and on the other, he had the job he had always dreamt of.
Another time, career, or feelings?
It reminded him of that day when everything changed.
He had chosen to not say anything to anyone about the announcement to the journal which he replied to. He didn't think he would be taken to that job. A job in London, 35 km away.
And then the letter arrived.
But he was not there and it was Remus, his beloved boyfriend who opened the letter.
When Sirius came back home from his job, in a small bakery his family, Remus was waiting for him sitting on the sofa.
Sirius knew something was happening something wrong, he could hear in the air a terrible feeling.
He has always lived his life with these sorts of sensations, without the ability to understand what was about to happen.
Like every time he used to look at his gorgeous boyfriend, Sirius beamed like a child on Christmas evening.
But Remus was not smiling.
He had an expression of hurt on his face, he looked betrayed.
His cheekbones were more pronounced than usual and he looked older.
Sirius tried to come near to him, putting a hand on his shoulder, and coddling his arm.
But he pulled back the arm and glanced at him with pain.
«So, are you moving?»
«I'm what?»
Remus looked away as quickly from him as if Sirius's eyes were fired.
From behind the back, he pulled out a letter. A letter from someone Sirius knew well.
«I found this letter out... You are moving to London without telling me anything. »
«I-I can't believe I took on this job...- Sirius couldn't avoid smiling, not understanding why Remus was not smiling back- Omg Moony, imagine us living our London dream, like on TV! »
«I don't wanna come to London! You didn't ask me anything! You just tried to apply for this job! Go to London, but alone. »
Sirius's expression muted into a pout.
Why was Remus being so mean? Why could he not understand how important that job was for him? For a person who has never had something good in his life.
Tried to move next to him another time, trying to put a hand on his pale face and sweetly beaming.
«Moons, I love you but I'd like to find my happiness in London, I've always dreamt of living there and you know it... ».
Remus budged to him, shoving Sirius.
«Stop calling me, Moons, I've always dreamt of living in Costa Rica, but it doesn't mean that I'd apply for a job without telling you anything. We should be a couple! We should make decisions together!»
«Uff, Remy stop being so mean, what's the problem with you? You are a fucking moody and arrogant man who only wants to decide everything but you know what? You could never decide for me!»
And his tears fell thick and fast, he hated to fight against Remus but that time he was full.
«I don't wanna decide for you, but I don't wanna you to decide for me too! God, Sirius. Are you asking me to leave all my things and go to London with you?»
«Yes! Because the only thing I care about is you and just you! Fucking arsehole!»
Remus reddened his cheeks and punched Sirius with a shove.
Sirius shoved him too.
«I have worked here, I have a family for the first time in my life and I don't wanna lose it.»
«I'll go to London with you or without.»
And then he got upstairs and went to bed.
Their bedroom reminded him of all of their memories.
How many things they did do there?
But now he was full, he wanted to change something and it didn't matter if Remus wanted to be with him or without.
Remus slept on the sofa.
This was the beginning of the end.
The day before they broke up and two weeks ago he was looking for an apartment in London.
Alone.