Romantic Homocide

The police had been there for close to an hour questioning him on that night. Remus kept telling them that he didn’t remember. That one moment he was on 57th street and the next he was in a hospital bed. This was a stretch, as he did recall most of the night, but he wasn’t going to delve in the details. Considering half of it was extremely illegal. This way he could blame it on the city and the stress of the wound. Who were they to know the difference?

“What were you doing on 57th street?” 

He shrugged. “Oh nothing really. I think I was gonna go on the subway for fun.”

Dorcas’ expression did not falter. “You willingly went on the subway for fun?”

“Yeah, good people watching.” 

Evidently, the police weren’t completely clueless after all. They brought in Dorcas to question him. The same officer that ran the investigation for the Black’s ‘suicide’. She wasn’t old enough to be picking her duties and therefore someone above had carefully selected her. Because someone believed these events were connected. 

She shifted her seat on the couch and began to open a folder she had been holding onto the entire time. Revealing a flash photo of the knife, focusing on the detailed engravings on the handle. “Do you recognize what that symbol means in the middle?”

Of course Remus recognized it. He had spent hours going over those documents from Walburga and Orion. Every single paper pertaining to the Death Eaters held that mark. In the corners. In between paragraphs. Cover Pages. That symbol was everywhere. The skull and snake. “No, no I’ve never seen that before.”

Once Dorcas and a few other officers left, it took Sirius less than thirty seconds to enter the room again, and that’s when it all fell into place. Sirius wasn’t worried about him, he was scared. His eyes always on the small gap in the window’s blinds. 

“Sirius?”

“Hmmh?” He distractedly hummed. 

“Sirius.” Remus said more sternly, catching his attention. “Sirius, look at me.”

He was startled, but followed as he was told. Perhaps from his polite training. 

“Your parents didn’t kill themselves did they?” 

Sirius looked like deer in the headlights, but only slightly if someone were to focus on his eyes. The rest of his face kept composure as it always did. He gave a small nod. 

“Get me out of here.” Remus went to rip the tubes out of him, but Sirius was faster, blocking his hands. “Sirius, get me out of here.”

“I can talk to the nurses, but you can’t rip that out of you. I know you’ve been to a hospital before, the doctors weren’t exactly discreet about your history.”

“What? They told you?” 

“Well I did tell them we were in love. They probably assumed.” 

Remus’ breath caught in throat. “How much did they tell you?”

Sirius fingers tightened their grip. “Just overheard past surgeries… I can assume what it was.” 

“Get me out of here!” He aggressively shook Sirius’ hold on his wrists, reaching to call the nurses. Pushing himself off the bed, not expecting the heaviness of legs. Sirius desperately swooping in to catch him. Remus pushed him off and grabbed at the IV stand, taking it with him to the couch with clothes that Sirius had brought for him. He stuffed the paints on, then haphazardly his trousers. Ignoring Sirius’ pleas for him to slow down. Rethink. “Are you kidding me? I’m gonna murdered here!” 

“You’re not.” Sirius stressed. “If they wanted you dead you would be.”

 He bitterly laughed, as he struggled to put on his shoes. “Gee, how comforting.” 

“Well at least you know you’re not going to die.”

“For now!” Remus gave up on his shoes. “What happens tomorrow when they decide otherwise? Either get out of my way or give me an address. Or don’t ‘cus I still have the fucking files and will figure it out myself.”

“Lower your voice!” 

“They’re here?” 

Remus didn’t have time to digest that piece of information as the nurse was running into the room. Taking in the situation of him trying to leave. Immediately going to rush him back into bed. “You need a few more days of rest, then physical therapy. You need to get back into bed.” 

“No, I’m leaving. Take the IV out and give me my medication. Charge the bill to my card, just hurry.” 

“Remus, listen to the nurse, she knows what she’s talking about.”

He gripped his hair, frustratedly. “I am an adult. I can choose what I want to do. This is what I want.” 

The nurse nervously blinked a few times. “Let me talk to the doctors.” 

“No, there’s no need. Take it out now.” Remus raised his hand covered in tubes, begging her to do what he said. 

She reluctantly complied and carefully started to undo the needles and taping. When she was done she stood and awkwardly hung around the door. ‘I’m still going to call the doctor.”

“Do as you want, but I’ll be gone.” He waved her off and focused on Sirius once she had left. “Where are they?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You said they’re here and you keep watching the window. Where are they?”

Sirius bit his lip so hard it could have created a new scab. “No, no one’s here.”

Remus ripped the hospital gown off of him to replace it with his shirt, and was going to throw on his shirt when Sirius froze. He was going to accuse him of withholding more information when he noticed what Sirius was staring at. His scars. 

There was a map of them splaying from his torso to his arms all the way to the nape of his neck. They were his surgery scars, precise and clean cut. But enough to knock the wind out of anyone who saw them for the first time. 

“Remus…” Was all he said.

“Where are they?” Remus reminded him. 

His eyes were still trained, tracing each line. “I can’t, I can’t.” 

“Fine, I’ll find them myself.” He found his wallet and cell-phone, and pushed the door open, grimacing at the soreness from his side. Remus stood in the hallway, searching every nook, only half registering Sirius behind him. 

Spotting a blonde with sunglasses, a mask, and airpods, terrified staring at the from the side of her glasses. Her mask moving so finely as she was most likely whispering something underneath it. 

Remus pointed directly at her. “You.” 

Sirius was rushing behind, trying to stop him, but Remus was quicker. Stalking down the hallway, until he was right in front of her. Pulling her by the collar, muttering directly in her ear to not make a scene. Dragging her into the nearest empty, which happened to be a supply closet. Sirius cursing under his breath as he followed him in and locked the door. Remus pushing her against the wall, and held her neck in place with the side of his arm. Ignoring the screeching pain in his stitches. 

The girl struggled, but Remus kicked her shins and covered her mouth. Moving his lips to say so low, she would have missed it if she wasn’t paying attention. “Make a sound and you’re dead.”

She instantly calmed, closing her eyes to control her breath. Someone on the other line frantically called out. “What’s going on? What happened?”

Remus gave her the deadliest, most animalistic, look he could summon. She swallowed deeply and answered them. “Everything’s fine… tripped getting some coffee.”

“Don’t let it happen again.” The other line warned. 

Digging in her pocket, Remus found the phone and muted the call. A call that had apparently been going on for seven hours and thirty four minutes. 

“Where are they!” He spit in her face.

Sirius went to hold him. “Stop this, she’s just a kid.”

“She knows exactly what she’s doing. Now where are they?” Remus shoved her further into the wall.

Tears began to well in her eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about!” 

“The Death Eaters! Where are they?” 

“I don’t know!” She choked out. “They don’t tell me those things, I swear. All I know is that it’s run by some guy who calls himself Lord Voldemort.”

“What type of fucking name is that?”

“It’s weird, I know.” She nodded helplessly. 

Remus lowered his chin to stare at her directly. “And you? What’s your name?”

“My name is Agnes Warfeller, this is my first time completing a task for them, please don’t hurt me!” The girl broke into a sob. 

“I’m not going to hurt you.” He lowered her from the wall and frowned at her. “How old are you?”

“I’m sixteen.”

When Remus was going to keep questioning her, he saw Sirius out of the corner of his eye only watching now with an understanding turned up brow. He had seen this before. Probably been her before. “Go back out there and tell them that the doctors have issued me to leave, as I’ve decided to fly home. Tell them I left calmly, by myself.”

Agnes nodded rapidly. “Yes.”

“And give me your phone number, you're going to give me updates on everything you see.” Remus opened the contacts in his phone. 

“I can’t, I can’t.” She sounded just like Sirius.

“You got into this organization and you don’t even have a burner phone?” 

Her face lit with recognition. “I do, I do that.”

“Good, give me that number.” 

Anges scrambled to type it into his phone. Remus called it, waiting for the ring to hear if it was the correct number. A low muffled buzz was faintly heard throughout the room and Remus unlocked the door. 

“Go first and tell them what I told you.”

7:45 P.M. 

Remus was running as fast as his legs would allow him back to Grimmauld, and even injured, Sirius wasn’t doing a good job of keeping up. He was already booking the tickets on his laptop when the insistent knocking started. Clicking it open, Remus waited for Sirius to realize and stop his banging. Which took longer than the other would probably care to admit. 

“What the fuck are you doing?” Sirius finally managed to get past the front door, ripping the laptop out of his hands. “You’re actually booking the tickets?”

“I’m not gonna go, but they need to think I left the country.” He pulled the laptop back into his hold, raising just above Sirius’ reach. 

Sirius grumbled underneath. “Then what? They’re going to see you here.”

“Well, thanks to you, now I know there’s secret tunnels in the building.”

“That they know about and have been using, so please lower your voice.” Sirius hushed him by attempting to cover his mouth with his hand. 

Remus bit the hand. “What do you expect me to do then? Sit here and wait for them to kill me? And everyone else involved in this?”

“You’re not technically involved in this.”

“Not involved my arse! I was stabbed for fucks sake.”

Sirius vividly stilled. Allowing Remus to place the laptop on the counter and continue with his tickets. “My apartment has all the peep holes sealed. We’ll put an alarm on the tunnel entrance.”

“What?” He looked up from the screen.

“You’ll stay at my place.”

Remus was awakened by Sirius rummaging through his cabinets. The clattering of the dishes that ended up falling on him. More specifically, Remus was woken by a long string of curses from Sirius. 

When he groaned, cracking his neck against the couch cushions, Sirius suddenly turned extremely apologetic. “Sorry, sorry!”

Muffled by the fabric, Remus mumbled. “S’alright.” 

“Do you want cereal?”

“Yeah.” His breath hitched as he pushed himself off the couch. The pain on his side so potent. Feeling the bandages soaked with dried blood. “Sounds good. I’m just gonna use your bathroom.”

Clicking the door shut, Remus pulled out the first-aid-kit he had brought from the living room. Letting its contents splay on the counter. Firstly, taking off his shirt with a hiss. Inspecting the damage. 

Yesterday Remus was a tad too active for a recent stab wound victim. He will admit he was hysteric when it came to Agnes, but it feels justified in his mind. Remembering just how cornered he felt, and he will never feel that again.

He rips the bandaid off to see the stitches loosened on the wound. Fisting his shirt into his mouth, Remus seethes undoing the medical thread. It had been decided that Remus would live with Sirius as he hunted the Death Eaters, which meant that he wasn’t to leave his apartment, especially not for medical reasons. Remus had to close this wound himself. Obviously he knew how after years of being in and out of the hospital, but it still hurt like a motherfucker. 

His teeth clenched on his T-shirt, and he redid the stitches. Poking his flesh, hole by hole. In the midst of it, he couldn’t help but wish his back wasn’t also sore from a night on the couch. It’s not as if Remus was a stranger to sleeping in odd places, but damn did he miss his mattress. However, he would have overcome that because Remus would never admit  he’s changed from the money. That would be even more painful than tying the knot over his bloody skin. 

Going through the motions, Remus disinfected the wound, patted it dry, then placed another bandage. Wrapping a gauze around his waist to hold it in place. Forcing himself to maintain a composure as he walked back towards his living room. Only to hear James rambling his head off over… over something Remus couldn’t make out because he was talking so fast. 

He was aggressively tapping the buttons on Sirius’ microwave, waving his hands around in exaggeration. “Do you think it’s weird, I don’t think it’s weird, but what if she thinks it’s weird- hey Remus- it’s so weird!”

Remus lifted a hand to gesture hello to him, taking a seat at the small counter. Noticing Sirius smiling, he poured his cereal. “Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Hope you like it.” Sirius slid it towards him from across the kitchen. 

Fortunately, he caught it, but James didn’t seem to see the light in that. “Can anyone respond to what I’m saying?”

“Are you British?” Remus asked through a mouthful. 

“Uh I-I was raised in london. Moved to the states around middle school.” James blinked. 

Never learning the terms for the American schooling system, Remus only nodded along. “Makes sense… So what’s weird?”

“And please so down this time.” Sirius laughed to himself, catching Remus’ eye with a wink. A wink that made the world of his vision turn into slow motion. Caught on the skip of a heart beat. Living in that moment before his neck burned with blush. 

“My date with Lily!” James all but yelled. “It was last night and we had a good time, but I was so nervous, but mostly I was fidgety ‘cus Midnights was coming out at midnight and I needed to be home before that of course. But then she mentioned it and we spent the rest of the night talking about it, which led to a very heated make out in the booth- which was incredible by the way- but is it weird that that was the best part of the date? It sounds weird right?” 

“Breathe.” Sirius reminded.

He huffed a loud breath, sucking in until it reached his lungs. The microwaved beeped and took out his cup of tea, with a hand in his hair, making it stick out in the back. “She probably thinks I’m so weird, and is never gonna go on another date with me. Like what type of guy talks about Taylor Swift for an hour.” 

Remus almost died smelling the sweetness from James’ tea. “Don’t worry Lily could go on for days about her. It’s something you have in common, that can’t be a bad thing.”

“Yes! You know Lily!” James gasped. 

“No, no. Uh uh. I’m not getting in the middle of this.” 

“No, just maybe you could ask her about her thoughts?” 

“Make me a tea and I’ll think about it?” 

James flew to the cabinets retrieving ten mugs before he decided which one suited his personality, then began the process. “You got it man.” 

Sirius leaned against the counter and tilted his head to the side. “I don’t see the issue. If you had a heated make-out obviously she didn’t think it’s weird.”

“That was yesterday Sirius! Who knows what she’s thinking today.”

“Okay.” Remus entertained. “But what did she say when you dropped her off?”

“Sirius’ stovetop sucks so I gotta use the microwave.” He told Remus from over his shoulder. “And I did the thing where I pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, you know - sexy things - and then she kissed him and it got a little hot and heavy before she pulled away and told me goodnight.” 

Sirius hummed in thought. “No talk of a second date?”

“That’s what I’ve been saying!” James clenched his fists with wild eyes. 

“Maybe she just doesn’t like curry.” 

James frowned and hit Sirius on the back of his. He yelped and hit back. In moments they were full on sprawling on the kitchen floor. Remus continued to munch on his cereal when his phone buzzed with a text on the couch. 

Slowly he padded his way towards it and unlocked the screen to see Lily spamming him with texts, very similar to James’ ranting. 

Lily: 

HES A TAAYLOR FAN HES THE ONE I SWEAR
HE LOVES FOLKORE AND REP HE EVERYTHING EVERYTHING
REMUS REMUS HES THE ONE

BUT IM NEVER GONNA SEE AGAIN CUS MY DUMBASS FORGOT TO BRING UP A SECOND DATE AND I CANT DO THAT NOWW AND WHY DIDNT HE BRING IT UP
DO YOU THINK HE DOESNT LIKE ME?? 

WHAT IF HE DECIDED HE DOESNT LIKE REDHEADS

Remus stared at his phone with wide eyes, taking a moment and aneurysm to read through the texts. Faintly hearing grunts from the kitchen. 

Hours after James had left, Remus received another text, but instead from an unknown number. Agnes. 

(646)555-2501: 

I’m going to my first meeting tonight

They’re sending it an envelope that burns once I read it

I’ll send it once I get it

Throwing his phone onto the couch, Remus went into Sirius’ room to retrieve the trash bag filled with the files. Carefully separating every page marked with the Death Eaters from the rest of the papers. Folding out the corners to neatly organize them on the counter.  

Remus’ fingers were running along the edges of a paper when Sirius walked out of the bathroom with a towel loosely wrapped around his hips. Leaving foggy footprints on the floor. His angelic body taking up the room. Every muscle finely toned. Skin gliding over them like oil on a painting. He was gorgeous. So gorgeous it caused Remus to earn a harsh papercut. One that drew blood from his fingertips. Making Sirius roll his eyes and grab miniature bandaids from the first-aid kit. 

“Huh.” Sirius stared blankly at the kit. 

Trying to ignore the other’s half naked body, Remus went back to smoothing out the papers. “What?”

“There’s a lot of blood in this.”

“Is there?” Remus tried to keep his voice leveled although he couldn’t follow the conversation.

Sirius took the kit in hand and placed it on the stacks of paper. “Remus, did your stitches rip?”

Unable to ignore him, Remus took a small breath meeting his eye. “What?”

“Did your stitches rip?”

Oh. “Yeah, just came a little lose.”

“When? Do we need to go to the hospital?!” Sirius furrowed his brows in obvious frustration. 

Remus shook his head of worry. “I redid them, it’s fine.”

“You what ?!”

“Yeah, it’s fine.” He shrugged.

3:02 A.M.

The meeting would begin in thirty minutes and Remus had to start getting a move on. Delicately living the bell Sirius had placed on the portrait and pushed in the needed buttons. Running his fingers through the sides, feeling for the latch to silently click it open.

He was about to crawl through when he heard shuffled footsteps coming from within. Freezing, Remus whispered despite himself. “Sirius!”

The shuffling stopped. But no response. 

Remus ran to his bedroom, finding Sirius under a thick crumpled black bedding. Sleeping peacefully. The fabric stuffed between his legs below his hips. He was completely bare besides a thin set of boxers. Remus swallowed hard, trying to remain focused by failing as he noticed those raven locks spread across the white pillows. So soft like silk. There was a small frown on his scabbed lips, but it framed him so perfectly. 

Stop. Focus.

It was a muted fall onto the couch behind him that finally sorted his thoughts. Turning to find a masked figure standing in the darkness of the living room. 

Remus finds himself screaming. Screaming and pointing as if that’ll do anything. Searching the room for any weapon and landing on a pair of silver chopsticks. Charging at the figure before it could get away. Piercing them on their calf as they desperately tried to pull themselves onto the ledge to the passageway. 

The figure was yanked further down by the other leg, and Remus turned to find Sirius in his boxers angrily fighting to keep them from slipping away. 

But the figure kicked Sirius right in the balls, causing his full body to curl in pain. Remus rushed to pull him back but they were gone. 

Once he had recovered, Sirius stared at him helplessly. Remus didn’t know what to say. Instead he pushed himself onto the couch, fitting through the frame and chasing the figure. The footsteps and shuffling. To no end, he ended on the 14th Floor completely out of breath with Sirius comfortingly by his side. 

When Remus started to lower the lever to lower levels, Sirius confusingly gaped at him.

“There’s a meeting I need to get to.” He informed. 

Sirius made a small ‘o’ with his mouth. 

“Of course you know what type of meeting it is.” Remus rolled his eyes. 

“Sorry, it’s not like I lived through it.”

“You know you would make my life a lot easier if you just gave me that information.”

Sirius sighed heavily. “How can I? You’re walking to your execution without it.” 

“I’m stopping anyone else from getting hurt.”

He looked as if he was about to pout like a dog when he refrained his expression. “At least take me with you.”

Remus looked him up and down. “Not when you’re dressed like that.” 

Choking on his breath, Sirius rubbed the back of neck. “Okay let me pull us up and I’ll change.” 

Eventually on the bottom floor with a fully clothed Sirius, he led Remus through the back door and forced a hoodie over his head. “Ahh! What the fuck Sirius!”

“You can’t leave for an open wound, but a midnight stroll is okay? Nooo, you need to be covered.” He reached in pocket, drawing a black mask and handing it to Remus. “Put this on and pull the hood over your head, I’ll do the same.” 

They sought out the directions address, leading the two of them to an abandoned building. The meeting was supposedly on the 19th floor, but as it was abandoned there was no way for them to get there without being seen. They stood behind the building contemplating ideas, when Sirius noticed the fire-escapes. 

“Alright, roll those dumpster bins over here.” Remus instructed as he went to help.

With a staircase of boxes, they stood on top of the most horrendous dumpsters, now within reach of the first fire-escape. 

Although it put stress on his stitches, he had to do it. It was the only way.

Finally on the nineteenth story, they crouched to lay down by the window peering inside. To the large room of falling walls and rotten floors. The most elaborate long table placed in the middle. With a thrown at the end. Where a man sat proudly. Voldemort perhaps. 

He was a short man with white skin and brown hair. Pushing into his elderly years. He moved slowly and purposely. It was terrifyingly similar to Walburga and Orion.

The table was full of well-dressed wealthy people, sitting with their backs straight. To the side of them stood a line of teenagers with their hands crossed in front of them. In the middle, Agnes stood tall, only her eyes giving away her anxieties. 

Struggling to hear against the window, Remus found a broken bottle and quietly chipped away at the glass for an opening. Sirius turned to face him, but lost his balance in doing so. A stray slab of metal flying loose under him. Instinctually he clung to Remus, lying on his back. Breathing heavy on his neck. 

Remus didn’t have it in him to shove Sirius away.

“What exactly do you want to gain from all of this?” Sirius murmured too close to his skin. Making it impossible to listen. They had never been that close before.

Straightening out his neck and continuing to chip at the glass he responded. “I’m gonna take their whole operation down.” 

“You really got a lot of balls.” 

“Yeah, huge like my dick.” Remus slapped the back of his head, blindly behind him. “Pay attention.” 

Inside Voldemort rose from his throne and sauntered towards the new recruits, guiding them to a wall of metal gates. “I think we should go.” Sirius whispered.

“No, I have to see what happens.”

Sirius nudged his body harshly. “I can tell you what happens. Please, let’s just go.” 

“No. I’m staying.” Remus stated finely. 

Each new recruit was being led to their own section on the metal gate. Being tied with restraints. Until all of them were hanging by their arms. Sirius hid in the crook of Remus’ neck. Remus could feel how tight he was squeezing his eyes shut. Turning back slightly, he could see the picture of horror painted across his face. Remus brought a hand to card through his hair, soothingly. 

“What's wrong?” Remus tried to ask sweetly.

A harsh breath ripped out of him, shy of a sob. “Can’t you see.”

He frowned. “What are they gonna do to them?”

Sirius shook his head viscously. “Let’s go.” 

“Okay.” Remus began the careful steps to maneuver their way down the fire-escape just the way they came. Slowly guiding Sirius who was shaking like a dog. Once they were on ground level, a dam in Sirius broke. He fell limp to the world and would’ve hit the ground if it wasn’t for Remus. Heaving heavily. Wailing to no end. 

Sirius and his father had always had a complicated relationship. Orion did all his duties necessary as a father but was never his dad. This idea solidified when Sirius was invited to his induction meeting at thirteen. He didn’t want to go. He begged not to go. But that didn’t matter. 

He was dragged by tooth and nail to the meeting. Standing in that line, waiting for Tom to command his worst. But an itch grew inside of him.

His body physically couldn’t stand to see it anymore. Sirius noticed the barbed wire and electricity shooting through it. The zippo that he had been fiddling with in his pocket was suddenly calling his name.

Just before Tom could sit, Sirius threw the zippo at the wire, hard enough to burst the cheap metal. The lighter fluid popped, spilling all onto the ground, slowly reaching the electricity. But nothing was happening. Instead, everyone was staring at Sirius. Faces of pure disgust, except his parents. They stared tiredly at him. As if they assumed he would do such a thing. 

With wide eyes, all Sirius could think was, in for a penny in for a pound. 

He ran to the metal gate standing tall and heavy. Pushing with all his might. Tom stood, motioning to call for the guards. But Sirius was already turning the up temperature, letting the butane finally mix with high electrical current. The spark tsked. Once more. Then a fire lit before their eyes. Painting the entire image orange. Spreading rapidly.

The guards went to put out the fire first, and Sirius ran past. Step after step. Stumbling over his own feet until he pushed the doors open into the cold air. Never stopping for a second. Never looking back. 

Almost thirteen years later, however, he was back. Holding Remus, as his legs gave out in a numbed pain that Sirius so desperately wanted to take away. But there wasn’t time. There were footsteps that could be heard tracing their way to the back. The guards must’ve heard them. 

“Remus, we have to go.” Sirius gripped him by the waist, leading the other’s arm to rest on his shoulder and he began to move through the darkened alley. 

Clenching his jaw tightly, Remus nodded.

Painfully slow, they made their way onto the street, still trying to get away. Remus’ hand that had been holding his side on the stitches, came away bloody, and Sirius began to move faster. Readjusting, Remus’ grip on his shoulder to lean more weight. 

Sirius didn’t even know he was hiccuping from a tear-stained face until Remus’ fingers gently carded along his hair, rubbing circles into the scalp. Such a delicate gesture compared the fastness he felt in his heart. That’s when he noticed the weeping pooling at his collar bones, dampening his hoodie. When Remus screeched in agony, Sirius thought he put his emotions away to help, but it seems as though they never left, he just didn’t notice them anymore. 

“Come on stay awake.” He whispered harshly as guided Remus down into the subway. Slipping under the gates and down the stairs, Sirius found a bathroom and propped him against the wall. “Look at me.”

Remus swallowed before he straightened his back. 

Sirius grazed his fingers over the wound, looking up into those golden eyes. Raising his chin and hovering closely. “I’m going to fix you up, and then we’re riding the subway home.” 

Pushing off the wall, Remus scrunched his nose as pulled the hoodie over his head. Sirius suppressed a gasp as he saw his pajama shirt colored red. Motioning for the other to lift his arms over his head for Sirius to take it off for him. Then peeling away the bandaid, they could both see the stitches were not only loose but a useless thread. 

Remus grumbled tiredly. “No hospitals.”

“Okay.” Sirius shook off his own hoodie and t-shirt. Taking the fabric and wrapping it around Remus’ lower waist. He was about to remove his belt when someone else walked into the bathroom. They jolted in fear.

The guy took one look at two of them and huffed in annoyance, walking back out. Mumbling something about New York and the gays. Thankfully Remus found the humor in it, weakly laughing as Sirius continued to undo his belt. He firmly tightened it on Remus’ waist, then proceeded to help in putting his hoodie back on. 

Waiting for the train, nobody gave them a second glance. No one frowned at the bloody shirt Sirius was clutching. It was just another night for them. 

Sirius all but carried Remus into the train when the doors opened, immediately going to sit them both down. When they did, Remus sighed so beautifully. His back sagging in the seat. His jaw slack. Lips parted perfectly. Sirius couldn’t fight the urge to push his mousy brown hair out of his eyes. Noticing the quirk on Remus’ lips as he did so. 

The hiccups slowed, and his face grew cold from his dried tears. 

Remus rolled his head to instead lean against Sirius’ shoulder. Using his arm to push Sirius closer. With Sirius’ head on his chest, they remained like that for the rest of the train ride. Encompassed in each other’s warmth. 

Until the last stop when someone hopped through the doors.

Black hood and sat only a few seats down from them. Sirius could feel Remus’ breath shorten. He had thought it was to do with his wound, but he nudged Sirius to follow his eyeline back onto the man. 

Ducking his head to match his lips to Sirius’ ear, Remus whispered. “I stabbed the guy in the calf… exactly where that guy is bleeding from.”

Sirius wasn’t following until he noticed the blood pooling in the man’s Nike’s. He could have sworn he’d seen the logo on the man that broke into his apartment only a few hours ago.

“It’s him.” Remus assured. 

“Put on your mask and pretend to be asleep.” He whispered back.

Remus gripped him tighter. “No, what are you going to do?”

“Just do it.” Sirius hushed and carefully untangled himself from Remus. Raising to stand directly in front of the man in the black hood. Ironically they were all wearing black hoodies, but he guessed that’s what made it all the more obvious. “Hello.”

The man turned his head away from Sirius, hiding his face. Sirius reluctantly followed where the face turned to find there was a ski mask under his hoodie. 

“What are you doing wearing a ski mask at four in the morning?”

The man didn’t speak. 

Sirius crouched down in front of him. “No need to be shy.” 

It was then that the train stopped and the doors opened. The man stood, attempting to push Sirius aside, but he had stuck out a leg and tripped the man instead. Shoving him by the shoulder to the ground and knocking a hard punch to the back of his head. 

The man scrambled to get up and Sirius didn’t catch him in time. The doors would be closing again in seconds, and he needed to get Remus out before they were stuck on the train for an hour longer than needed. Sirius let the man run as he rushed to hall Remus to his feet. Remus groggily complied and shuffled awkwardly to get through the doors. They made it onto the platform with a second to spare. 

“You’re quite lovely when angry.” 

Sirius rolled his eyes.

The sun had begun to slowly rise, the gold peaking through the curtains and onto their skin. Remus was nodding off and Sirius disinfected his wound, redid the stitches, and tightened the gauze around him. 

Remus had been watching him with a funny look on his face. One that Sirius couldn’t read. As if he could ever read Remus. He was always one step ahead, alway knowing what was to come. Sirius envied him for it. But it also made his cheeks flush.

Who would have thought that in two weeks, Sirius would be licking the wounds off his apartment crush at the crack of dawn. Because as much as he hated to admit it, Sirius had known of Remus since he moved back into Grimmauld. And whenever he saw him in the elevator or in the lobby, his heart skipped a beat. James and Mary had been teasing him for it for months now, and while the teasing grew old quickly, his infatuation for the mysterious hottie on the twenty-seventh floor did not. 

But he wasn’t the mysterious hottie anymore. He was Remus, and he was here laying before him. Watching him closely through heavy lidded eyes. 

“Sirius.” He rasped out so quietly.

“Remus.”

“Go to bed… let’s deal with this in the morning.”

Sirius was already shaking his head, knowing that wouldn’t do. He lifted Remus’ legs and sat to let them lay on his lap. “I’m fine right here.”

 “You need proper sleep.” Remus pursed his lips.

“Well alright.” He stood and lifted Remus by his knees and the nape of his neck. Carrying him bridal style and waltzing into his bedroom. “Then you will too.”

Remus groaned. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’ve slept on far worse than a couch.” 

“While recovering from a stab wound?”

“While recovering from worse.” He flashed his golden eyes with a tired smile. 

Sirius smiled back. “I’ll sleep on the foot of the bed if it makes you feel any better.” 

His jaw was working out an equation while Sirius dropped him onto the bed as gracefully as he could, but it was difficult given how tall Remus is. “Just sleep in your bed like a normal person and let me go back to the couch.”

“Oh no, the living room is suddenly unavailable.” 

“How so.”

Sirius shrugged making way to his usual side of the bed. “Someone broke in.”

Remus turned on his good side, facing him. “How is bedroom any safer?” He pointed lazily towards it.

“I'm there.” 

“Mmmh.” He hummed. “Never thought of that.”