CHASING PAVEMENTS ⇒ wolfstar

THIRTY FOUR

Glumly, Remus trudges back into his dormitory. Peter, nowhere to be sighted. James, reading Quidditch Weekly, crossed legged on his bed. Sirius, napping, if his closed eyes are anything to go off of.

James' brown eyes shoot up from his magazine as soon as he hears the door open. "Moony! Hiya, how'd everything go?" James chirps, closing his magazine.

Remus just nods, sullenly. "Yeah, it was okay," He pauses as his eyes meet James', tears already welling in Remus' that he just can't help right now. He'd read somewhere that with postpartum depression, often comes bouts of random tears.

"Oh, Moony, I'm sorry. Was he awful? Everything you thought he would be?" James softens.

Remus shakes his head, tears bluring his vision. "No," He manages. "H-he-" He corrects himself. "They were lovely,"

James' eyebrows furrow and he opens his mouth to speak but before he can, Sirius raises his head from his bed. "Moony, you're back," He smiles sleepily but his smile quickly fades when he notices Remus' wet eyes. "Oh, love, c'mere what's up," He offers gently.

"I'll give you two a minute," James decides to make himself scarce and leave towards the common room, magazine in hand. "Hey, mind if I bring Elliot? I need some company, I'm sure she'd like Quidditch Weekly, eh?"

Remus laughs wetly as he watches James gently lift Elliot from her crib. She stares at him, blinking at the shaggy haired man. "C'mon, beautiful, uncle Prongs is gonna show you just how good a game quidditch is." James says softly to the small baby in his arms.

As soon as James disappears with their baby, Sirius shuffles over in his bed before pulling his blankets off of him and patting a space right next to him. "Come on, babe, get over here," He says softly and watches fondly as Remus' face completely crumbles into tears as he drops down beside Sirius, letting the older boy nestle them inside his duvets.

Sirius wraps his arms around Remus, cuddling him from behind. He opts to let Remus weep before trying to talk. Sometimes its better to allow somebody time to cry, to empty themselves dry of all tears, before engaging in conversation.

Sirius gently shushes his boyfriend as Remus shakes slightly. "It's alright, s'just us, Moons. Just me and you. Just breath, talk whenever you're ready. Or don't, whatever suits you best," He mumbles quietly.

After a long period of time, Remus is reduced to nothing, he has no more tears to cry, entirely sapped dry, void of any emotions.

"I have siblings," Remus whispers breathily with clenched eyes. "A sister and two brothers," He mumbles as Sirius squeezes him tighter.

"Remus, I don't know what-"

As if knowing exactly what Sirius was going to say, Remus interrupts, "It's fine, you don't have to say anything," He turns around to face Sirius, pressing a soft kiss to his nose. "Letting me cry is enough. I think I'm over it now. It just just a shock, I think,"

"Its alright to be shocked, love. I'm sure it wasn't easy to see Lyall again and to find out you've got siblings," Sirius says soothingly, grading his knuckles against Remus' tear stained cheek.

Remus leans into Sirius' touch. "I didn't mean to get so worked up. I read somewhere that my hormones are going to be pretty crazy for a little while, what with the uh....." He trials off. They both know what he's referencing.

"S'okay, Remus. Cry whenever you want to," Sirius replies. "It's only natural to cry," He applies a soft kiss to the top of Remus' hair. "What're their names, eh? Were they nice kids?"

Remus smiles softly. "Samson's the eldest, he's almost fifteen. Florian," Remus wrinkles his nose. "I don't know what it I with Lyall and silly names, but he's thirteen. Rosetta's nine, all rosy cheeked and bright eyed, she's kind of adorable," Remus finds himself grinning, almost proudly as he describes his younger siblings.