Sirius
“Prongs. Your cabinets are still white.”
Lily had kept the downstairs light on before she left, and in the dim, yellow wash, Sirius could see the outline of James reaching for the firewhiskey. Firewhiskey that was nicely tucked away in a stark white cabinet.
James laughed nervously. “Oh, mate, you’re hilarious! They’re green.”
Sirius flicked on the lights above the sink. “They are definitely white.”
James paused, pretending to inspect the cabinets under the harsh lighting. “Well, that’s fucking weird. I told the painters to do green. I’ll have to ask for a refund.”
Sirius groaned, throwing his jacket down on the counter. “There weren’t any painters. This is the same white that the cabinets have always been.”
James didn’t respond. He twisted the cap of the firewhiskey bottle and poured two glasses.
“James,” Sirius repeated. "James! You took advantage of my excitement about Lily’s green kitchen and used it against me! That’s cruel.”
“Hey, come on!” James snapped, turning around and handing Sirius a glass. “No need for that. Yeah, oh-kay, me and Lily thought forced proximity would be funny. Not even funny, beneficial for all our friendships, I mean.”
“You don’t even know what happened, ” Sirius hissed. He knocked back the firewhiskey in one sip and grabbed James' collar.
James’ eyebrows furrowed in concern. “What?”
Sirius pressed his forehead to James’. “He didn’t give me a blanket.”
James choked on his drink. “Couldn’t you just turn into a dog?”
“I was a dog! That doesn’t mean I don’t get cold! I had to use books as a blanket. Did you hear that? That was the consequence of your fun little game, Prongs. Because of you, I had to use seven Welsh history books as a blanket.”
James untangled himself from Sirius’ grip and poured a second glass for each of them. “Okay, I’m sorry about that. But do you know how hard it is to deal with two Marauders who dislike—”
Sirius cut him off. “Hate’s the word you’re looking for. We hate each other.”
Which was a peculiar thing to say, because he didn’t hate Remus Lupin.
In all honesty, there was no one else Sirius would rather start a Children’s Society (and Auror Training Center) with. Remus was level-headed and intelligent and understanding and the perfect role model for kids who had people like James Potter or Alice Longbottom for parents. With the alcohol coursing through his veins, Sirius couldn’t remember exactly why he hated Remus, except for the fact that he’d just pulled a knife on the rest of the Marauders and had let Sirius sleep without a blanket.
(Those were capital offenses, but still.)
“Do you think Lily and I always get along?” James asked, swirling his glass.
Sirius shrugged. “Kind of. I mean, I’ve never heard you fight, and I basically live here.”
James gave him a small smile. “Well, we do. But we don’t let the problem sit there and grow. We fight, but then after a while, we talk it out. Sometimes, Lily makes me sit next to her while she does her Potions research so I don’t go off and overthink it. I do that a lot.”
“Oh, really?” Sirius raised his eyebrows, voice dripping in sarcasm, but James didn’t seem to realize.
“Yeah,” James sighed. “I go off by myself and the situation gets all warped in my mind. We fight about the laundry, and the next thing I know I’m panicking because I’ve convinced myself Lily doesn’t love me anymore. But what I’m trying to say is that you and Remus need to talk. When you have a problem, talk it out instead of leaving.”
Sirius regarded James coldly, glass frozen on his lips. “Don’t lecture me about leaving, James.”
James’ shoulders fell. “Padfoot, that’s not what I meant.”
A moth flitted around the light above the sink, and Sirius watched it continually land on the light bulb, startle at the intense heat, then go right back to try again.
James sighed. “All I’m saying is that it might be beneficial for you and Moony to talk. Especially considering the fact that you tried to kiss him today.”
Sirius slammed his glass down on the counter. “Prongs, it was habit, that’s all—”
The front door opened and Lily tried not to stumble into the kitchen table. She blinked against the light, which illuminated the gruesome cuts and bruises that were gouged into her face.
James dove to catch her. He slipped an arm around her waist and carefully brushed her red hair from her eyes. “What happened?”
Lily gestured towards Sirius. “You missed your family reunion.”
Sirius' blood ran cold.
The room went silent to make room for a response. "I'm sorry," he said, and his voice came out thick and heavy.
Droplets of blood had dried on Lily's cheeks like tears. She turned her face up to James and whispered through her exhaustion, “James, could you help me… I don’t want Harry to see my face like this in the morning.”
James nodded, but Sirius noted the way his jaw twitched. James Potter was livid.
Lily paused as they passed Sirius. She squinted up at him. “Aren’t you supposed to look after my son in the morning?”
Sirius quickly downed the last of his drink, ruffling Lily’s hair. “Yes. Get some sleep. I’ll see you bright and early.”