Boy Meets Boy

Family F*cking Sucks

Sirius had received another letter from home. It was from his mother. Of course, it was from his mother. His father didn't bother to write him anymore. Walburga Black must have heard of how friendly Sirius and Remus were. It was bad enough for her that Remus was a guy, meaning there could be no heir, but he was a werewolf and a Half-Blood. Sirius had written back, telling her they weren't together and that she was unreasonable. That earned the boy a Howler. All about how she wasn't stupid, how terrible of a son Sirius was, and a few choice insults slung at her eldest son.

"Sirius, where are you? You never came down for lunch, and you missed class." Sirius could hear Remus coming up the dormitory stairs and closed the curtains around his bed. "Sirius, are you ok? I know you're in there." The curtains on his bed pulled back, and Sirius could see his friend there.

"How'd you know I was in here?" Sirius refused to look anywhere but the hole in his jeans he'd been staring at for hours.

"Well, you never close your curtains unless you're hiding." Remus sounded like it was evident. "Now, why are you hiding? Was it your family?" Sirius just nodded before tears prickled his eyes. He got up off the bed, heading to the bathroom so Remus couldn't see him cry. Remus grabbed his arm and spun him around.

"Remus, let me go." The last word came out cracked, betraying the emotion about to spill over. Remus did not, however, obey his friend, but instead pulled him closer. Sirius lost all composure when embraced, and the sobs were drawn heavily and painfully from his chest. As he collapsed, Remus dropped to the floor with him, and just held the grief-stricken boy, allowing him to sob into his jumper.

"Sh, Sirius, it's ok, I've got you. Just let it out." Remus stroked the overgrown black hair.

"Remus, did you find-" James burst into the dormitory but stopped short upon seeing the two boys on the ground. Sirius didn't notice between hysterical cries, but Remus just shook his head, and James understood he'd be better to come back later. Sirius didn't like to look weak in front of the others, and James and Sirius were a different type of best friends than Sirius and Remus.

Sirius cried until he had no tears left. Remus stood the other teen up, walked him to his bed, and attempted to lay him down. Sirius refused to let go of his friend, however, and so Remus made the decision to lay with him, not without a sigh of course. It wasn't long before Sirius' breathing evened and Remus knew he was asleep.

Thrashing woke Remus, and at first, he forgot where he was and with whom he was there with. After a second, he got his bearing.

"Sirius, love, wake up." Remus gently shook the boy in his arms. "Sirius," hiss voice grew louder as he tried harder to wake the other teen. "Sirius, you need to wake up."

Sirius' eyes opened wide with fear and shock, and he began flailing his arms. Remus caught Sirius' arms, not wanting a black eye for his efforts.

"Sirius, it's ok, it's me, it's Remus. It's just me." Remus kept his tone soothing, not wishing to scare Sirius more.

"Remus, oh Merlin, Remus. I'm so sorry; I thought you were-"

"It's ok, I know. Come here; I've got you." Remus had cut off Sirius and pulled him in. "You're ok now. I've got you." Remus had an inkling of what Sirius dreamed about. He'd seen some of the letters Sirius received; he knew all about the terrible things his family said about him, the things no child should have to hear from their parents. Remus didn't get back to sleep that night. Neither did Sirius. 

"Remus," Sirius croaked.

"Yes?"

"I think I love you," Sirius' voice was low, but his words clear.

"I know, love." Remus smiled against Sirius' hair.

"You do?" Sirius seemed genuinely surprised. 

"You're an open book. I see it in the way you look at me, the way you are different with me than with James, letting me in, letting me see how much you are hurting. I see it in the way you always brush my arm, press your knee to mine during class, lay against me in the common room. I see it in how, with James, you seem chaotic, but with me, you are calm, at peace. I see it every day, and I love it," Remus began to blush.

"Remus, I don't think we should be friends, I think we should be...more." Sirius was so nervous as he said this, thinking Remus would probably reject him. 

"I think I'd like that." Remus was positively beaming as his stomach fluttered.