Saturdays

Saturdays

    They had a routine for Saturdays. It was always the same; Lily and James would finish the house chores while Harry played nicely in his room. When all was done, Lily would brew some tea for James and a cup of coffee for herself before curling up on the couch reading a book.

    At some point in the early evening, Sirius would barge in and plop between James and Lily on the couch and go on a rant about his latest conquest. The stories were always the same. “Talks too much. Doesn’t talk enough. Lils! They don’t know me like you guys.” Always the same. When all was said and done, Harry would come down and jump on Uncle Paddy, Lily would excuse herself to clean up and James would watch his best friend play with his son.

    Not this Saturday though. This Saturday was different; Starting when Harry woke up at 4 in the morning sick. After getting his fever reduced and the kid back to sleep, they crashed on the couch.

    Neither parent heard the door slam shut- announcing Sirius’ arrival. Once again storming in all pissed off about the latest date.

    “It’s like he doesn’t know me at all! This is the third blind date he has tried to set me up on thinking they were the one!” He flops down on the couch in his usual spot between Lily and James, not realizing they were asleep. Sirius continues as his two best friends groggily wake up. “Why isn’t there someone out there who doesn’t just want me for the Black name or who actually wants to know me?!” Sirius continued to huff and lay his head down in James’ lap with his feet in Lily’s

    “Mate, you’re going to have to start at the beginning. Lils and I have been up since four in the morning with a sick prongslet.” James wiped the sleep off of his face and turned to his best friend who was watching his wife slowly wake up as well. James knew that smile. He got the same one watching Lily. What Sirius refused to realize though, is that James got that smile for him as well.

    Lily sat up and readjusted on the couch. “What happened?” she asked while watching James’ face shift into one of longing and adoration. The same one she got every Saturday whilst listening to Sirius bitch about all of the unworthy men or woman Remus keeps setting him up with. It’s ridiculous to her. He obviously already knows what he wants, or who for that matter. He just needs to stop being a prat about it.

    “Remus keeps setting me up with duds! That’s what!” Sirius growls back at her.

    Lily whips her head around and glares. “Excuse me?”

    Sirius cowards back closer into James. “Sorry. I’m just fed up.” He sighs

    Lily softens and looks at James who nods. “Have you ever thought that maybe all of the people you keep getting set up with are duds to you because you actually know what- or who you want but are just too much of a prat to do anything about it?”

    She knew she was playing with fire. Lily didn’t care; she was done with the rehashing of bad dates! She was done sitting back when Sirius belonged with them! He tutored HER in Transfiguration! Sirius was not a dumb man. Farthest thing from it. He was just so incredibly obtuse.

    Sirius stared blankly back at her. “Uhh… What?” He turned back to look at James who just rolled his eyes.

    “You’re on your own Padfoot, I agree with her.” James and Lily had many a talk in regards to how they felt about their relationship and their mutual feelings for Sirius, whom they know better than it seems he knows himself.

    “You always agree with her! What is this? An intervention of some sort?!” Sirius was affronted.

    Lily shoved his feet off her and stood up. “You think this is an intervention?” She rolled her eyes. “No! This is a fucking wakeup call! I thought you were smarter than this, Siri.”

    Sirius’ eyes snapped to hers. Only she called him that. Only she used that name because it brought comfort to him when he needed it. Not this time though. This Saturday was different after all. “What the hell are you talking about, Lils?”

    “If I have to spell it out for you, then maybe I don’t know you as well as I thought. I’m done.” She turned to James, “I’m going to check on Harry, you deal with him.” With tears welling up in her eyes, she stormed off up the stairs.

    James looked from his wife’s back to his best friend, “Mate, you fucked up. If you keep fucking up, you’re going to lose her. Is that what you want?”

    Sirius crinkled his brow in confusion, “I don’t even know what I’m doing to fuck up supposedly!” He stared pleadingly into his best friends eyes. “Help me out mate. She hasn’t been that serious with me since our graduation.”

    James sighed, “What is it that you want to find in love Padfoot?” James placed his hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently.

    “What are you talking about Prongs? You know what I want! You both do! I want someone who understands me for me! Someone who accepts every part of me despite my flaws and mood swings. Someone I don’t have to ask if I can talk to them- they’ll just know what I need! Even if that means I need space occasionally! I want someone to call mine and can come home to our family no matter what idiotic thing I’ve done and know that I can still take care of them and they me.” Sirius paused for a breath.

    “Sound familiar yet?” James continued to stare in his eyes. “Have you ever thought that maybe you can’t find someone else because you already found your family? Haven’t we given you everything Sirius? Are we not enough for you? Or are you just scared to admit to yourself that Lily, Harry and I are all you ever needed?”

    Sirius’ jaw dropped open as James stood up. “Yes you heard me correctly. Don’t think that I don’t know how you feel about us. I’ve seen the way you watch Lils and I. It’s the same way we look at you. This can be yours. You just have to decide if you are ready to be happy or not?” James turned and went up the stairs to his wife and son.

    Sirius sat in silence for a minute. He reflected on the last few years with two of his closest friends. When did things change for them? He had always had a strong pull towards them- even before Lily and James started dating. He loved them, he always had. James was like his brother since they were eleven. Lily always seemed to know what was going on in his head before he even did. She did that with James too though. Was he just their friend? When did they start to feel more than friends?

    Is Lily right this time? Did he just mess up his blind dates because he really wanted James and Lily?

    Sirius’ head snapped up when he felt a tiny finger tap his head. “Hey kiddo, I hear you haven’t been feeling well.”

    Harry pouted at his padfoot, “You ‘eed to ‘top pullin the ‘trings!”

    Sirius looked back at him confused, “What strings are you talking about Harry? Do you mean with your parents? We are fine kid. Nothing to worry about.” Sirius tried to put on a smile to ease the kid, but it was to no prevail.

    Harry thunked Sirius again on the forehead, “No! You are pullin the ‘trings so dat dey don’t glow anymore! Fix it Padfo’!” Harry continued to pout

    “Glow? Wha-?” Sirius snapped his mouth shut as an old tale Andi once told Reggie and him as a kid surfaced to the front of his mind. “Harry, do you see the heartstrings?”

    Harry’s head tilted to the side, “Whas dat? I mean the red ‘trings on you and mummy and daddy! They glow! But you keep ‘oing away and they keep going out! I wanna see the pwetty ‘trings!”

    Sirius took Harry’s head in both hands and kissed his little forehead. “Thanks, Prongslet, you just answered all my questions!” Sirius stood up and ran up after the other two thirds of his heart.

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    “I can’t feel this pull and pain much longer either Lils, but give him time, we just dropped the bomb on him.” James held Lily close and kissed the top of her head.

    “I just don’t understand why he can’t see that we are right in front of him! He’s ours, James! Nobody else can understand him like we do, or love him like we can! He’s our Padfoot!” Lily had clearly been crying from the looks of things when Sirius walked into the room.

    He strode across the room confidently and grabbed James hand and pulled Lily from James into him, “You bet your damn ass I’m yours!” Sirius didn’t care what else was going on around him, he did what finally felt right. He pulled Lily’s face to his and kissed her with everything he had. He felt her give into him.

    James grinned from ear to ear and watched on as their family was finally whole. He tugged Sirius’ hand and pulled Sirius to his chest “Finally.” He whispered before stealing a kiss for himself.

    The three of them stood embraced for a few minutes in silence, just soaking in the warmth of love that finally felt like freedom. They all looked up though when they heard an excited giggle and clap. From the bed behind them.

    “Yay! Pwetty!” Harry clapped and smiled when he looked at his parents and his Padfoot.

    Lily wiped her eyes. “What’s pretty baby?” She wiped her eyes and smiled at Harry

    Sirius looked up, “He can see heartstrings Lils. He’s the one who made me see what I was missing.” He smiled at her and then at Harry.

    “I thought those were a myth?” James walked over to Harry and picked him up.

    “I did too. I thought that Andi just used that as a story to tell Reggie and I when we were little, but Harry described them right down to the glowing. That’s what he is seeing when we are happy and together.” Sirius still held Lily next to him.

    Harry giggled, “Padfoo’ fixed the ‘trings!” the little man through his arms up in celebration with the biggest smile.

    Lily and Sirius walked forward, “Yes baby, we are whole now.” She kissed her son on the crown of his head and looked between her three favorite men. She imagined what their future would look like: Another bonding ceremony with Harry dressed in little formal robes, another little tyke or two with grey blue eyes and red curly hair running around with Harry…but of course the most important thing, they would always have Saturdays still together.