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August 11th, 2013
The bell on the front door rings when Harry enters Remus’ store and approaches the counter. Remus looks up from the book he’s reading and takes his glasses off.
“Hey Remus, how are you?” Harry smiles as he leans his body on the counter to look down at the older man. He has a smile on his face that is so familiar to the grin Jame and Sirius have when they’re in a mischievous mood. A smile filled with some sort of excitement.
“I’m alright. It’s nice to see you here. What’s the occasion?” Remus raises a brow with suspicion.
Harry puts on an offended expression but then grins wider. “What? Do I need to have a reason to visit my dear old uncle in his workplace?” he asks.
Remus shakes his head with amusement. “Well?” he asks when Harry doesn’t elaborate his intentions in visiting.
Harry breaks his offended expression.
“Alright. Is Padfoot here? I need to order a customized ring.” Harry explains to the other man.
Remus nods and then raises his brow once again. “A ring?”
Harry tries to suppress a smile - but fails. “An engagement ring, yes” he replies. His green eyes shine behind his glasses.
“Oh?” Remus is a bit surprised. He doesn’t recall Harry having a girlfriend.
“Well…who is the lucky girl? You haven't mentioned her before, have you?"
Harry’s grin flickers for a moment. It's so subtle Remus barely notices.
“No I didn’t mention her... ” he says, “It’s Ron I'm gonna propose to.”
That leaves Remus surprised yet again, because he could have never predicted something like that.
“What? Come on! Don’t tell me you didn’t notice-!” Harry says with disbelief.
“I didn’t! I thought you two were best friends!” Remus answers. How could this boy think it was obvious??
Harry laughs. “Yeah, like you and Pads.”
“Wha- what’s that supposed to mean?” he replies with confusion, but Harry just shakes his head with a grin and disappears in the back room where Sirius’ studio is.
August 13th, 2013
“Did you know about this?” The question is directed at Sirius, who sits in front of Remus by the kitchen table as they eat their dinner.
“Subconsciously, yeah.” Sirius shrugs as he tops his toast with fried egg. He looks up as Remus and narrows his eyes.
“You know, I don't really get why you're so startled by that news.”
“I thought they were best friends!” Remus throws his hands to the air before dropping them down on his knees.
“So? We're best friends and people still think we're married.” Sirius points out nonchalantly, eyes still fixed on the other man.
“We're not though! We aren't married!”
“Well they will get married. So grow up and stop acting all weirded out." He gets up from his seat, puts his dishes in the sink and gets out of the kitchen.
Remus gulps as he watches the other man leave. It’s not the first time Sirius gets super defensive over the topic of Homosexuality… Remus needs to be a little bit more careful.
October 3rd, 2013
Remus and Sirius were at the local Kosher grocery store, walking through the aisles and adding things to their cart.
They always went grocery shopping together, because Remus couldn't carry all the bags alone, but if Sirius went alone he would buy everything but the things on the list.
“Hey Mr Lupin, Mr, Black. How are you?” the lady at the checkout counter, Sarah, asks them with a kind smile.
“Good, very good. Thank you Sarah.” Sirius replies with a kind smile as he puts the groceries in bags.
“As I heard!” she says knowingly and looks between the two of them. Remus looks up from the cart to look at the lady, confused.
“Heard what? From who?”
Sarah is quick to reassure. “Oh don’t worry Mr. Lupin, I’m not judgmental! I am very happy for you both!” She keeps smiling as she checks out their groceries.
“I fear I’m not following,” Remus admits sheepishly.
“I met your son a couple of days ago! I asked him how were you doing because the store was closed this whole week, then he told me you’re a little busy with the wedding planning!” Her smile is wide and bright and Remus wants to bury himself and Teddy right now.
She continues before Remus has the chance of correcting her, “So yeah, Congratulations! Can I see the engagement ring?”
As Sarah looks down at both Remus’ and Sirius’ hands in the hope to find a new ring, Remus clears his throat awkwardly.
“The wedding is my godson’s,” Sirius clears out calmly. Like always, he is unbothered by the false assumption about the nature of their relationship.
“Oh,” Sarah takes a moment to process that. “Well this is still very glad news!” She says kindly, “But really, don’t you think it’s time to take that step too? I heard it became legal a couple of months ago.” Her voice is quieter and sincere now.
Remus can feel his face burn as he clears his throat again. “We’re not a couple.” He says with an embarrassed smile as they head to the exit. It’s not the first and probably not the last time people mistake them for a couple, and apparently his son - like Sirius - doesn’t bother to correct them.
October 27th, 2013
In the last few weeks everything was a mess.
Remus had to navigate between managing the store, occasional lectures as a holocaust educator, help with the wedding plan, parenting a teenager, and dealing with Sirius, who acted a little bit weird lately.
The weight of it all led to a crash out a couple of days ago, and now Remus is stuck in his bed, a warm dim light from his desk lamp is the only thing keeping his bedroom from being in complete darkness.
Sirius was in the room with him. He always did when Remus had an episode. It’s part of the reason they are in their 50s and live together, no wives in sight.
Well, Remus had his chanse with Dora, but for those three years before they had split Sirius lived alone and didn’t have any significant woman. Sometimes Remus wonders if he’s holding his friend back.
Right now, Sirius sits on the chair next to the desk while he sketches some customized jewelry designs, using the lamp as his light source.
“Sirius,” Remus calls weakly and the other man looks up immediately. Remus wonders again why this man is still single.
“Would you… get me a cup of…?” He tries to dig out the word he is looking for, but fails.
Sirius immediately stands up and leaves the room with a quietly mumbled “of course" Remus can barely hear. It’s like he knows what Remus meant to ask for.
After a few minutes, he’s back with a steamy mug and puts it down on Remus’ bedside table before taking the chair and moving it closer to Remus. He helps him sit up and only then sits down.
Thank you,” Remus whispers, his throat is so sore and his brain is filled with fog like the weather outside.
As mentioned before, Sirius still acts odd. He smiles at Remus with what seems like a genuine smile but also like he forces it on his face.
“Anytime,” a polite and casual reply. No jokes or sarcasm.
Remus sips carefully from his mug and then looks up at Sirius.
“Are you… upset about something? Did I do…it?” He struggles again to form his words properly.
Sirius nods his head reassuringly.
“I’m not upset, Remus. And even if I was, It's really not the time for this. You should rest.”
It doesn’t convince Remus. Something is definitely wrong…or not? He isn’t sure. Sirius is right, It’s not the time for this. His brain hurts from thinking.
A few days pass and Remus feels better. He’s glad the crash wasn’t for long this time.
Although he is alright now, he still stays another day at home so his body could fully recover.
It’s evening he sits in the living room while Sirius washes the dishes.
“how come I never saw you in a relationship before?” Remus asks him.
Sirius turns around to look at him, a puzzled but calm expression on his face. “That’s a random question to ask a 55 year old.”
Remus shrugs. “I Just wondered…did I hold you back? Did you give up on your love life because of me?”
He’s not sure why he decided to bring it up, but he just did.
“What on god’s earth made you think that?” He asks back’ his voice is a little bit hurt and angry and Remus isn’t sure why exactly.
“I just said what.” He replies, “You never dated anyone, not anyone significant enough for me to meet her.”
I just never felt the need to.” Sirius says with a sharp edge to his tone.
“Ok. Fine.” Remus replies back, although he still doesn't quite get it.
There is a tense silence as Sirius gets back to the dishes and Remus tries to understand why someone would spend about 30 years of his life without dating anyone longer than a week.
“But why would you ask that?” Sirius asks suddenly, and his voice is so hurt all of a sudden. Is he crying? He sounds so angry, too.
“What? What do you mean? I just wandered..” He says immediately and looks at Sirius with a little bit of panic at the sudden change of tone.
“Are you thinking of moving out or something? What’s the deal?” He looks at Remus now, angry expression and hands covered with bubbles.
“There’s no deal!” Remus shoots back, "why would I move out? I like living with you!”
Sirius laughs dryly. Remus really hates it when he does that.
“Oh yes, you like it so much!”
“Yes, I do!”
“Until someone thinks we’re dating, and then you hate it so much that you run to deny that!” Sirius is upset, Remus can tell. Does it have anything to do with the weird way he acted in the past week?
“What do you expect me to do exactly?!” Remus shouts back, “WE AREN'T DATING!”
“And why is it so important to correct them? What is it that is so bad about being seen as a gay man? Please, lighten me!” Sirius finished with the dishes and was now closer to Remus, who can’t remember when he stood up.
“Because I’m not - we are not - homosexuals!”
Sirius is taken aback, and it looks like his soul shatters.
“Oh, don’t make me laugh, Remus.” He says bitterly.
Remus is confused and upset too, now. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Oh I don’t know, you tell me! Why didn’t you date anyone after Dora?” Sirius says it like he knows something Remus doesn't. Why didn’t he date anyone?
Well, it was just suitable that way… Remus was already used to Sirius and Sirius knew how to deal with him. He knew how to take care of Remus, why would he need some new lady for that?
“I just…I never felt the need to.”
It was true.
Now that he thinks about that, it isn’t just suitable, it’s comfortable. Living with Sirius was the best part of his life. It’s not just at home when Sirius takes care of him when Remus is sick, it’s also the workplace and customers they share, It’s the day to day activities they do together like eat dinner or watch TV or take a short walk on Shabbat night.
It’s how they laugh together and visit James and Lily together or walk together to the clinic to get Remus’ medicine.
Remus realises that it’s not just that he didn’t feel the need for a girlfriend or a wife for all those years, it’s that he doesn't want it. He can’t imagine his life without Sirius in every single second of it.
“That’s because you already have a partner, Moony.” Sirius says, a little less angry this time. Remus looks at him, and suddenly his beauty isn’t just observation or awareness that he is a good looking man, it’s more than that.
“You know those old couples that do everything together because they are both too old to do it alone? That’s what we are. Everyone else can see that but you.” This time Sirius' voice is softer, but still with frustration.
But Remus starts to see that now, too. And he also feels it.
So he gets a little closer to the man in front of him. He hesitates, but he does it anyway.
He kisses Sirius with a soft kiss on his lips.
Sirius recovers from the shock quick enough and kisses him back.
Sure, Remus still has things to figure out. He still does not fully understand it. Discovering that part of yourself is not something that happens over night, but he knows Sirius wouldn’t mind waiting a little longer, now that it’s no longer in full denial.