Heart of the Music

Intro

(!!TW!! Slight mentions to child abuse!!)

As the door to the apartment closed behind him, Remus felt like he could finally take a deep breath and relax for the first time in years. He closed his eyes, leaned back against the door, and dropped the bag he had been holding to the ground. Remus was finally free. He had been saving up for years to escape his house and his father. He couldn't stay another moment in that house with that hate-filled man; it felt like he was being suffocated. The constant belittling made him realize he was just his father's verbal punching bag, the only reason he hadn't been thrown out. Things had been fine at home until the only person who truly cared about him passed away: his mother. She was the only thing that stood between Remus and his father. Once she was gone, everything came in torrents, and he couldn't take it anymore. He had had enough of his ableist father's abuse. He was safe, free, and alone. He finally had his own space; it wasn't much, but it made him feel at home.

Moving everything in was tricky with his crutches, but fortunately, today wasn't a bad day for his knees. He knew tomorrow would be hell, but that was fine—he could just take the day to rest and settle in. Remus spent the day moving all his things into his apartment and making it as homey as possible, which wasn't hard since he could decorate to his liking. Hours passed as he finished what he could for the day, planning to leave the rest for another time.

He walked into the kitchen, his knees finally starting to catch up with him. He limped a little as he started the kettle to make himself a cup of tea. Leaning on the counter, he dipped his tea bag in and out, watching it steep. Once it was to his satisfaction, he took a long sip and exhaled through his nose as the warmth spread through his chest. A smile crossed his face as he enjoyed the peace. He set the empty cup in the sink, slowly made his way into his room, leaned his crutches against the wall, and sat on his bed. He picked up a book, leaned back against his pillows, and began to read.

He didn't know how long he had been reading until his focus was interrupted by a voice singing along with the sound of a shower running:

"People stared at the makeup on his face,
Laughed at his long black hair, his animal grace.
The boy in the bright blue jeans
Jumped up on the stage.
Lady Stardust sang his songs
Of darkness and disgrace."

Remus recognized the song instantly; it was by his favourite artist, David Bowie. He had a record of this exact song. He leaned against the wall and continued to listen to the mysterious person's rendition. The voice fit almost perfectly, and he found himself softly humming along—if he tried to sing, he would likely butcher it. His fingers drummed along his legs as he listened, relaxing at the sound of the voice.

Hours passed, and Remus woke up still in the same position, he must have fallen asleep listening to the singing. He slowly got up to change out of his jeans and pull on pyjama pants, then got back into bed, slipping under the covers and quickly falling asleep to the sounds of the singer still echoing in his mind.

Remus woke to the light streaming through the crack in his blinds. He blinked a few times, rubbing his eyes as he slowly sat up, his joints creaking as he pushed himself off the bed. He reached for his crutches and headed into the kitchen to prepare breakfast. Luckily, he didn't start his new job at the bookstore until later that week, so he had some time to get comfortable in his new space. He made his way to the cupboard, pulled out a loaf of bread, and stuck two pieces into the toaster, retrieving some peanut butter and jam. While he waited for them to toast, he set the kettle on to boil again to make himself some tea. His mind wandered back to the mysterious person who had been singing last night. He let out an exasperated sigh.

"Get a grip, Remus," he murmured, leaning back against the counter. "I can't just show up out of the blue and say, 'Hi there, I'm your new neighbour. I heard you singing last night; you were amazing.' That's what a creep says." He ran a hand through his hair. "And now I'm talking to myself. Great."

His self-talk was interrupted by the toast popping up from the toaster. He gingerly pulled it out to avoid burning himself, set it on a plate, and covered it with peanut butter and jam. He poured himself some tea, sat down at the table, and began to eat his breakfast, mumbling a little to himself. Once he finished eating, he leaned back, sipping his tea, closing his eyes a little and enjoying it. If he could, he would purely live off tea. It reminded him of the times he and his mom would drink tea together, bringing him a sense of comfort that he hadn't felt since she passed.

He got to his feet and headed to the sink to clean his dishes. He set the mug on the counter and put the plate into the sink. As he began to wash the plate, he went to grab the mug but bumped it, and it fell to the ground, shattering.

"Shit," he cursed, slowly kneeling down with difficulty to pick up the ceramic shards. One particularly sharp shard sliced his finger. He winced and pulled his hand away, inspecting the cut as crimson blood began to appear. "Of course, just when I have no bandages."

Just then, there was a knock on his door. Confused, he got up and slowly made his way to the door, opening it to reveal a gorgeous male. His dark hair fell over his shoulders, and his stormy grey eyes fixed on Remus with concern.

"Hey, is everything okay? I heard a crash and someone swearing?" the male asked, his slight French accent evident. Remus struggled to form words as he admired him.

He cleared his throat. "Yes, I'm fine; just dropped something," Remus said, embarrassment taking over. He noticed the other's eyes drift down to his hand. The male stepped forward and gently took his hand. "Clearly, you are not fine; you're bleeding," he said.

"I've realized that," Remus replied, his heart rate picking up at the touch. "I haven't got any bandages."

"Well, wait right here; I'll be right back," the male said. Remus watched as he walked into the apartment next to his. His eyes widened, wondering if this was the person he had heard singing the other night. He was so busy thinking about it that he didn't notice when the male returned. He only snapped back to reality when a hand waved in front of his face. "Are you alright there?"

"Yes, sorry, just realized that we are neighbours," Remus said, though he knew that was a terrible excuse. He watched as the male cleaned the cut with an alcohol wipe and covered it with a bandage that had stars on it. "Well, thank you..." he paused, looking up at him.

"Sirius," the male said, holding out his hand for Remus to shake, which he did. Sirius's hands were soft and dainty; Remus felt himself holding on a bit longer than usual.

"Uh, Remus... Remus Lupin," he said, stammering a bit before letting go. He had never been good with social interactions, but he tried his best.

Sirius smiled warmly. "Well, it's good to meet you, Remus Lupin," he replied. "If you ever need anything, I'm right next door." He gave a small wink, waved, and retreated back into his apartment.

Remus stood in the doorway, watching Sirius disappear. He exhaled, then went back inside, leaning against the door. He looked down at his hand, seeing the star bandage. He smiled a little and exhaled softly, walking over to his living room and sitting down on the couch.

His mind raced over the interaction he just had with Sirius. He got up, walked to his room, sat down on his bed, picked up his guitar, and began to pluck away at the chords, humming softly. He wasn't a fantastic singer, but he loved writing melodies, though he didn't know what to do with them, so he just had a bunch written out. He often dreamed of producing a song; he had so many ideas, but he just needed someone to sing with him. Maybe he could ask Sirius to help, but only once they got to know each other better. Now would just be odd to ask, as far as Sirius knew, Remus didn't know anything about him except for his name. But Remus would change that.