Chapter 8
THEN: February
“Are we actually doing this?” Remus looks at him, not with shock or confusion, but excitement.
Anticipation. As if they have been waiting their entire lives for this moment. And not just a few minutes since the idea was proposed. Sirius wouldn’t call it a proposal, at least not in a formal way. Neither of them got down on one knee, there are no rings. But everything else? Yeah. They’ve got all the love in the world and the utter devotion to each other that they need to go through with this.
It wasn’t even his idea. Remus said it. Perhaps as a joke initially, but it stuck. When the word marriage went in one ear, Sirius couldn’t get it to leave out the other. Not that he tried. He heard marriage and immediately jumped to the thought of husband. There was no turning back.
“Yes. You said it, so we’re doing it. Next week? Tomorrow? What about tonight?” He blurts out.
Remus places a loving hand on his cheek to calm him down. “We don’t have to rush it. Why don’t we plan something? I would have thought you would want a party and all that.”
“I mean, I would. I do. Just the thought of not being married to you already is making my head spin.”
He leans in and lightly kisses his lips. Not to shut him up, never to shut him up. It is a reassuring kiss to tell him that Remus is there. Out of love and support. That’s how it has been for them. Since the start, but even more so in the last three months. The two of them have barely left each other’s side. Everyone is sick of it, but in the best way possible.
What started as their incessant phone calls turned into tagging along to everything. No one ever uninvited either of them, it was just expected at that point. The more skeptical of their friends, or specifically Regulus, seems to think it is just a honeymoon stage of their relationship. Except it hasn’t ended and it isn’t going to. Sirius loves spending time with Remus and he feels the same way. And besides, Regulus is just being a little brother.
It hasn’t just been spending all of their free time together. Times when they are busy, are also now shared. Since Sirius can paint whenever he feels like it, and the next gallery event he is working towards isn’t until April, he can sit in the cafe every day that Remus has a shift. His boss has commented on the amount of free coffee or pastries he had been giving out, so Sirius started to pay for them. He also has the means to tip very well, so he does. May as well pay for the inconvenience of his constant presence.
Remus on the other end of things, sits in the studio any time that Sirius is painting. If he’s really in the zone, Pandora will entertain him if she’s around. Otherwise Remus is content reading a book while watching him paint. It has started taking him longer to finish every painting he starts, but he has been more inspired than ever. No more struggling to start a painting. And no, not every piece has been of Remus, though a few have been. Those are his favourites.
“So we are going to get married. You’re really ready, right?”
“Stop asking. The answer is never going to change. Let’s do this. I can figure out the details, why don’t you plan a honeymoon.”
So that is what they did. Sirius, who never really knew how things would work out in life or if he would get married ever, goes very quickly into wedding planning mode. They decide to wait a week or two, since this week is Valentine’s day and they don’t want their anniversary to be then. That’s only in a few days, and next week is too soon to get it all together. So around the last week of February it is. That way they can go off on whatever trip Remus plans and be back before his birthday. The timing is perfect. As perfect as it can be on such short notice.
“We should also figure out moving.” Remus mentions like an afterthought from his end of the couch.
They both have their computers in their laps and are in the midst of planning, so Sirius tilts the screen down to peer over at him. “Would you want to move in here?”
“I was thinking… What about seeing if that flat in the building by the pizza place is being rented anytime soon.”
“The one with the flowers?” He questions.
Remus nods, and both of their eyes light up. That would be perfect and they both know it. Better than turning either of their current places into a home for both of them. They should start fresh and with something nicer. Not to mention it is in a gorgeous building, so there is no doubt the inside will be nice too.
Now that that is agreed upon, Remus adds it to his list of things to plan for now. The list is growing, but it makes them both incredibly excited for the future. Everything is looking up. Not that it wasn’t great already, but to be able to see a real future, a full life ahead of himself, nearly leaves Sirius speechless.
There’s quite a few things that bring Sirius unprecedented amounts of joy. At the very top of that list is Remus Lupin. But everyone already knows that. Another thing that makes the list, not quite as high, but on the list nonetheless, is surprises. More specifically, surprising other people. He likes to know everything so surprises can be hit or miss, but planning them for other people? Oh yeah, he loves it.
Today he can take an opportunity he may never get another time. Surprising all of their friends simultaneously. No one knows about them being engaged yet. It was spur of the moment. But they do want them to be at whatever wedding they have. It won’t technically be eloping, but it’s also not a full blown wedding. On top of the conversation having come out of nowhere, it has only been five months. No one would expect it.
A devious smile lands on his lips, earning an eyebrow raise from Remus. “Just wait.”
He grabs his phone and quickly types and sends what’s everyone up to on the 22nd? to the whole group.
The group chat is silent for a bit before any responses come in. Granted he didn’t provide much context or stress any urgency. But slowly everyone pops in. James predictability answers first saying, nothing! or whatever you are about to plan i guess. Shortly after Lily texts back, I’m around! and then adds, Cas too - she’s just too lazy to grab her phone , a moment later. Mary, who is likely working now, gives a quick thumbs up. The messages from Pandora and Peter come in as well saying i’m in! what are we doing? and count me in too , respectively.
Which leaves his little brother as the last to answer. He rarely says anything in this group text, but Siirus is just happy that he is willing to be in it at all. Even still, he pesters by sending reggie??? until he gets an answer because he wants everyone to respond before the big reveal. It shocks him how quickly Regulus sends back Fine. Tentatively I will join.
He looks one last time to Remus, who nods to tell him to go for it. Time to end the suspense (that he only created moments ago). great :) you are all invited to our wedding! With that he locks his phone and tosses it to the center of the couch. He knows that it is inevitable that it will blow up in less than a second with more messages and congratulations and everything of the sort. But going back to planning now that a date is picked sounds more fun to him. Looking through his phone and answering all of the messages will be a later activity. Remus seems to agree and he takes one glance at his phone and then drops it down next to Sirius’. Now it’s just them and planning their future.
-
It’s a miracle how easily everything worked out. Once their friends all knew, many offered to help out however they could. Knowing they wouldn’t be able to accomplish everything on their own, they accepted. James, because of course it was James, found essentially a castle that was free up in Scotland on the date they had decided to get married. So they booked it. Not caring at all how much it costs or the logistics of anything else.
That is how most of the planning went. Since it was less than two weeks away and Sirius would not be content with getting married without some theatrics and celebration, as soon as they liked something, it was booked. The venue, train tickets because those were necessary, food, a cake, decorations, everything. Except Sirius did put extra thought into his outfit. It would be easy to just throw on a suit he already owns, but where’s the fun in that?
So with the help of Lily, Dorcas, and James, they went shopping. He’s really not that picky with clothes, but he does know what looks good and what doesn’t. The extra eyes are to get extra opinions to make sure Remus will like it. And because he knows that Lily helped Remus pick out his outfit already and she can make sure they will look good together. That is the most important part. Their wedding photos, though not professionally done, will look amazing with the two of them next to each other.
Another thing he did for the sake of pictures, was make sure everyone was wearing similar colors. When that text was sent to the group, he could almost hear groans form across the city. A few people complained they already picked out outfits and packed them. Which is nonsense because he gave at least a week’s notice of the color scheme and no one packs that much ahead of time. Besides, it was just said to wear cool tones. And if anyone needed clarification, they could run their outfits by Sirius before making a decision. In fact it was encouraged for them to do that.
Now, they’re on the train up to Scotland and the wedding is tomorrow. The venue has rooms that they can stay in overnight and luckily there were enough for everyone to stay tonight and tomorrow night. Some shuffling around will have to occur because Sirius said it was bad luck to stay with Remus the night before the wedding. So he will be bunking with James tonight. He’s even separated from his soon to be husband on the train. But that is just because he doesn’t want him to see how absolutely insane he’s being.
He doesn’t think he’s being insane, but everyone else says he very much is being insane. They all think he could calm down a bit. This is everything he wants with the best guy he has ever been with. The best guy in the entire world. There is no reason for him to freak out, and he’s not necessarily freaking out in a way that is over the actual getting married part, but more so the wedding part. Sirius just doesn’t want the wedding to go badly. That is another thing that would be bad luck for their marriage. Even if he isn’t typically a superstitious type, this is absolutely not the time to be risking it.
Tonight will be the last night he’s ever apart from Remus. He’s decided that. Sure many couples spend nights away because of holidays and what not, but Sirius doesn’t want that. This is already going to be a pain to not be in his arms the night before they get married, but he can deal with that. Most people would have a rehearsal dinner or bachelor party or something of the sort the night before the wedding, but that’s not the plan they have.
Instead, at least for Sirius, he will be having his side of the friend group to his and James’ room each with a bottle of wine. It was Regulus’ job to pick out the wine and the others just needed to show up. Having this time with just the five of them excites Sirius. He doesn’t always get that much any more since he’s constantly with Remus and if he’s not, then the entire group is together. So as much as he hates not being with him tonight, this is just as good.
“Are you ready?” James asks as they settle into the room.
“Silly question. Of course I am. I’ve never been more ready for anything. It’s Remus.” He says with the dumbest smile on his face.
From the doorway Mary calls out, “Heard that… Drink!”
Already having his bottle next to him, he does it with ease. The wine Regulus picked is nice, probably a bit expensive, but hopefully won’t leave him utterly and completely hungover tomorrow. With a distinct lack of manners, Sirius wipes the traces of wine from his mouth with the sleeve of his shirt. This earns him an eye roll from his brother, who then pours some of his bottle into a glass that he pulled from nowhere.
“Why did I get told to drink?” He asks belatedly.
“Oh, Mare and I decided on the walk over here that anytime you mention Remus tonight, you have to drink. Should be fun!” Pandora supplies the answer and settles on the floor in front of the bed.
They pull down blankets and pillows to make one large comfy spot to all sit together on. He leans his head on one of James’ shoulders and smiles. These are people who have stuck by him through so much and are here just to celebrate him. Sirius has quite literally no idea what he did to deserve his friends, but he’s glad they’re here. None of them have gotten married nor are they in long term relationships right now so this is the first wedding any of them have really gone to. At least in terms of friends.
If you had asked any of them a few months ago who they thought would get married first, Sirius would not be the answer. He isn’t sure who would be, but that’s not the point. No one expected them to be here. Not to mention if they had been asked what Sirius’ wedding would be like, this is not what they would describe. Mostly due to the fact that this was planned in about two weeks.
Even still, he’s more than happy with how it’s turning out. He would be happy entirely eloping and just coming back to their friends and announcing they’ve gotten married, but having a celebration is better. This way he gets to share it with them.
And one day he’ll be glad they all have the memories too. That way they can remind him of the little details.
It doesn’t take long for him to bring up Remus again. And again. Oh and at least ten more times. So suffice it to say, he’s drunk out of his mind. His friends don’t seem to be helping, and he’s almost positive they are asking him questions that essentially require him to mention Remus. Most of those seem to be coming from Regulus, who is living up to being a little shit of a brother. Not that he minds talking about him, Sirius would just rather not be violently hungover for his wedding day.
The five of them spend the night talking and reminiscing and it’s just great. Most guys have a full blown bachelor party, but this is much more his speed. Sirius has no need for a long drunken night hopping from club to club. Sitting here he does wonder what’s happening down the hall in Remus’ room. Or whichever of his friend’s rooms they settled in for the night. Likely something similar, and he’s sure he’ll hear about it eventually.
And even though being apart was his idea, it doesn’t mean he likes it. He misses him and it has quite literally only been a few hours. It will be a disaster if they ever need to be apart for much longer than this.
Late in the night, once Sirius is slurring his words a bit and laughing at everything that anyone says, someone decides to start telling stories about him. Not even secret ones. All people present right now know about these, but they all also find them hilarious. It is a good thing that Sirius is drunk because it makes him laugh through them all the same.
“Remember that time he fell out of the cab when trying to get in?” Mary asks.
James, who was definitely present for it, counters. “Which time?”
“It has happened more than once?” His little brother stares at him.
When Sirius said that everyone knows about all of these, he left out that Regulus is sometimes the exception. Not because he thinks he needs to keep things from him, but because Regulus simply doesn’t want to know everything. It’s how brothers are. As many embarrassing stories they know of each other, there are at least the same amount unknown. However they each have the special privilege of knowing things that the other’s friends do not.
Tonight however reveals many of his embarrassing stories to his younger brother that otherwise would have been forever unknown. He doesn’t actually mind that much, since they are funny when he looks back. It’s also known to everyone how utterly ridiculous he is, so a few more stories won’t change his reputation even slightly.
Slowly they all start to grow tired as the night goes on. With the ceremony tomorrow in the afternoon, it would be wise to sleep. Regulus is the first to excuse himself, saying he has to do something before going to bed. The girls head out shortly after. Once it’s just Sirius and James, everything starts to hit him. He’s getting married. He isn’t exactly nervous, but he also isn’t not nervous. It’s a big day, it is normal to be jittery. Right?
“I’m getting married…” He says not entirely on purpose.
“That you are. How do you feel? Do I need to create an escape plan?”
He laughs. “No no. None of that. Remus is the one. I knew from the second I saw him that I wanted to spend forever with him. Even if I had only gotten to have him for a minute it would be enough.”
“Good thing you don’t have to worry about that. You get him forever.” James holds him as he drifts off to sleep, dreaming of the life he and Remus will live.
-
Getting ready for the ceremony is a blur. In the sense that Sirius is only partially aware of anything happening and the fact that everything is moving fast. He hasn’t heard or seen Remus at all since arriving and it makes him anxious. All he wants is to be with him right now, that would calm him down.
Mary and Pandora help him get ready, while James and Regulus ensure that everything is set up. He assumes that a similar thing is happening down the hall. If he had to guess, Lily is running interference with James and Regulus, while Dorcas is helping Remus get ready. Peter is likely sitting around with him keeping the mood light.
It’s only ten minutes until he’s going to be walking down the aisle. There isn’t much of an aisle since the only guests at the wedding are all technically in the wedding. The whole thing is very small and will just be a circle of them standing around Remus and Sirius who will have the officiant between them. Aisle or no aisle, Sirius is set to walk to meet Remus at the front in less than ten minutes and he feels like he might faint.
He was never one to get this nervous. The outfit he is wearing, picked out by him and Pandora, is a gorgeous white suit with a skirt as the bottom. It’s simple and elegant and he can’t wait to see Remus’ face when he finally sees him. Standing in the room he does a final twirl and checks his hair in the mirror for the thirtieth time in the last five minutes. He just has to check, it has to be perfect.
“You look amazing, don’t worry.” James says coming back into the room.
“Yeah?” He smiles. “Have you seen him? Does he look good? Oh I bet he looks incredible.”
“Yes and yes. You two are the hottest couple in all of Great Britain. Now, let’s go. Reg is going to meet us at the entrance and then I’ll go in and see you up there.”
They leave the room quickly, but not before Sirius checks himself in the mirror one last time. He just wants to look his best today. This is his wedding day, the best day of his life, he has to look good. No one can blame him for wanting that. Just as promised, Regulus is standing at the doorway to the courtyard where the ceremony is taking place. It wasn’t something that was discussed much, it was just decided. Regulus is going to walk him down and give him away. He would do the same whenever his brother gets married, but it is really special to him to know it’s happening before he ever made the gesture first.
The two of them are their own family and have been for years now. Maybe they always have been, but now it is really only them. Their parents have been out of their lives for a long time now. Sirius smiles at the thought that this is a full chapter of his life, hell it’s the rest of the book, that his parents will never see. He doesn’t want them to. They don’t get to taint this part at all. And now his family, the one he has chosen, is expanding.
“Ready?” Regulus asks going for the door.
“As I'll ever be.” He swallows down any of the anxieties that were present. This is something he is so sure of. Nothing could change his mind. He wouldn’t have done all of this so quickly, or even fallen in love with Remus so fast if this wasn’t what he wanted.
When the door is pushed open and they lock eyes, it is magic. That however is also when he stops processing and just seems to lose control. Everything just happens and Sirius experiences it, but he can barely take any of it in. He wants to savor every moment and store it away forever, but he just lets himself be whisked through the magical day. It’s out of his control.
Standing at the front, Remus’ eyes light up when he sees him. It’s perfect. Contrastingly, he is in a black suit but it perfectly compliments Sirius’ white one. They will look amazing next to each other in pictures. He smiles at him and then it’s just the two of them. Sirius has no idea what anyone else is wearing or what their faces look like. He doesn’t even care. Of course he’s glad they are all here to support them, but in this moment Remus is all that matters to him.
Regulus takes him by the arm and has to pull him slightly to get him to walk. Once he’s moving he practically runs. As they walk, Sirius wants to look over and meet his brother’s eyes. Just to see what he’s thinking. Even if he’s hard to read, he’s sure he could make something out. Maybe he would even see Regulus smiling, or looking fondly. Is he proud of Sirius? Is he happy for him? He knows he is. By being here, he’s showing it. Without saying it, Sirius knows.
When he gets to the front, to the rest of his friends, to Remus, he feels like he’s floating. He’s honestly not sure how he got here, but his feet must have carried him. Not even just to the altar of the ceremony, no. Sirius also isn’t sure how he ended up here, getting married, with Remus. The most beautiful man he has ever seen, and he’s his! God he is so beyond happy right now. Nothing could mess this up.
“You-” He starts, but is swiftly cut off.
“Beautiful…” Remus gasps. “Come here, you’re the most gorgeous man to walk the Earth.”
His hands are grabbed, Regulus has since let go of his arm, and he’s pulled in. The man officiating the wedding takes a step back to avoid the crossfire. From everything he knows about weddings, this isn’t the time where they are meant to kiss. But it also is not one of the superstitious things that people say will doom a marriage. So far they have avoided all of those, thanks to Sirius, but this isn’t one. So when Remus pulls him in, he doesn’t hesitate to tilt his head up and meet his lips between them.
Distantly he can hear someone telling them to hold off until that part of the ceremony, but neither of them care. They lean into each other, it’s tender and soft. After a moment their lips part and he flicks his gaze up to meet Remus’ eyes again. He knows that this is it, this is his life, his world, his everything. There is nothing more he needs with Remus in his arms.
“Ready?” The officiant looks between them before continuing. “We are gathered here today…”
That bit drags on. Well, maybe not. Maybe it’s only thirty seconds before he’s asking them who will be saying their vows first. Remus takes that role, which is great because Sirius doesn’t have any thoughts other than his love for him. That wouldn’t make the best vows. And he really put in effort with this. He’s proud of the vows he wrote, Remus will probably cherish them forever. Just as Sirius will do the same with the words about to be spoken to him.
“Sirius,” He starts and well Sirius is ready to lose it. “You are not like anyone else I have ever met. You’re better. Every single day for the last five months has been special because of you. When you came up to me that first day and we exchanged numbers, I knew there was something there. I didn’t know that you would be the love of my life. But I remember thinking that I just wanted another minute with you, even if that was all I could have. Loving you for a minute is better than anything else I have ever experienced. And now I get to love you for a lifetime. I get to love you, and to be loved by you. For ever and ever my love.”
He’d like to say he held it together and made it through his own vows. But that would be a lie.
Instead Sirius bursts into tears. Not in the way people typically cry on their wedding day, soft and pretty and sweet. It’s not a single tear rolling down his cheek. No, it's full on waterworks. His nose sniffles and his chest heaves. Sirius really never thought that this would happen to him. And here he is, getting married and starting a life with someone he loves. It’s all too perfect. Before now he wasn’t much one to cry for happy reasons. That was never him. Remus is worth it though.
“I, I love you.” He can’t manage much more than that through the tears.
Taking the hint that Sirius will not be able to make it through his vows, the ceremony continues. He’ll give the vows to Remus another day. Right now he just wants to be married. Officially.
“Do you, Sirius Orion Black, take Remus John Lupin to be your husband?”
“I do.” He says, wiping his eyes so he can see clearly.
“Do you, Remus John Lupin, take Sirius Orion Black to be your husband?”
“Of course I do.”
Less than a beat goes by, certainly not enough time for the officiant to tell them they can kiss their now wedded partner, but that’s what they do. Sirius pulls him in with much more ferocity than their previous kiss. This is deep and hungry and even more perfect. Simply because he is now kissing his husband.
His tears invade the kiss but neither of them seem to mind. They just pull each other closer and closer until their bodies seem to become one. Everything around them fades away, including their friends clapping, cheering, and playfully mocking them. It’s just the two of them and that’s how he wants it to be forever. Just holding each other. He is Remus’ forever, and Remus is his. It’s all he could ask for.
The rest of the day carries on as a true celebration of the two of them. Sirius never once leaves his side. He barely drops his hand for more than a second. There is no reason to think that he would disappear or float away or anything of the sort if he lets go, but Sirius won’t risk it. Remus doesn’t mind, he seems just as content to be connected to him at all times. Maybe they will be one of those insufferable married couples, but perhaps they were already that without the title. At least they have an excuse now.
It’s a perfect day that is a perfect start to their life together.