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CHAPTER THIRTEEN. . . Somebody To Love
"And I start to pray, 'til the tears run down from my eyes. Lord, somebody, ooh somebody. Can anybody find me somebody to love?" Queen, Somebody To Love
It's dark, is the first thing that August notes as he furrows his nose, blinking the sleep from his eyes. He stretches out his legs beneath the blankets, and pinches the bridge of his nose, a sigh releasing from his lips. Without realising he's awoken August from his deep slumber, Sirius raises from his place next to the Darlington teen and steps carefully towards the door, manoeuvring around James, Remus and Peter who are sprawled out on a spare mattress. The door falls closed behind Sirius and August rises into a sitting position, hearing the bones in his lower back crack with satisfaction. Tiredly, he rubs his face before looking out the window where the moon is still relatively high in the night sky. The bed creaks as he rises, flicking his gaze at the empty space where Sirius was, and he picks his way across the floor, closing the door softly behind him.
August finds Sirius outside, legs pulled to his chest in the grass clearing at the bottom of the Potter's gardens, surrounded by Mrs Potter's rose garden. Grunting, he drops into the space beside Sirius, leaving a careful gap. August can't think of the right words to utter into the space between them. Are you okay, seems to raw, a question that Sirius won't be ready to answer. What are we, is another filled with temptation but he doesn't want to press too hard against an open wound. So, the teen chooses silence. August lets a quiet fall between them, waiting for Sirius to make the first move as he watches an owl swoop past with a shrill cry. Wand in hand, he whispers a spell and lets a faint light bloom between them, leaving his wand on the space between them. His thoughts churn, finger tapping against his thigh before the question eventually slips from his tongue without permission.
"What are we?"
Though surprised by the question, Sirius raises a careful brow in the white light-his expression cool and steady compared to August's pinched expression. "Whatever you want us to be."
August hums thoughtfully, feeling his muscles relax slightly. "Why me?"
"You understand." Sirius says, as if it's the most simply thing in the world. "Nobody else does."
Softening, August's gaze travels along the ground to Sirius, chewing on his lower lip. The movement is slow but sure as he inches closer, taking his wand from the space between them and clutching it tightly in his fingers. He's careful to not let it snap underneath his tight grip, and shuffles towards Sirius. The boy meets him half way, pressing a gentle thumb against his cheek as he cups August's jaw and pulls him in. He smiles into the kiss. For the first time since stepping out of 12 Grimmauld Place, Sirius almost feels content, happy. It's not hesitant like the first kiss they shared; it's bruising, two boys unsure of their place in the world, finding themselves slotted together like pieces of a puzzle-completed. The tension bleeds from his figure as August pulls away, leaning his warm forehead against Sirius' and grins. He ducks, stealing a kiss before collapsing backwards against the ground, arms spread out over his head. August looks to the side, catching Sirius' gaze with his own.
"Boyfriends?" He asks softly.
"Boyfriends." Sirius leans over, curls tickling August's cheeks, and he seals it with a kiss.
When they seperate once again, August's watches Sirius from underneath his eyelashes-hand moving through the cold air to cup their jaw. "I'm here."
"I know." Sirius says, rocking back to sit. "Obviously."
August shakes his head. "I mean I'm here for when you want to talk about it."
Sirius nods slowly.
"Like you said," August leans up, a breath away from Sirius. "I understand."
Without wasting time, Sirius slots them back together and smiles.
It takes an hour for the cold night air to bite into their bones; for them to stumble their way inside, quiet laughs exchanged like a golden currency, warm smiles become treasured pictures and fingers are knotted like vines, intwined in every way possible. Though they felt as if the world was theirs, the stolen moments are never enough, and they found themselves separated except for a hand reached between them, laid against the sheets like an offering. One that August's happily takes.
It's a letter that wakes August the next morning, his body drenched in the liquid calm of blossoming love. White parchment lands softly against his face, a fluttering of the corner against his rosy-apple cheeks which bunch with the sleepy smile gracing his features, pressing a dimple into the soft skin. August opens his eyes, hazel greeted by the golden sun shining through James' window. Sirius is tucked carefully within within the comforter, legs star-fished and sprawled out against his side of the bed, a single hand acting as a bridge between him and August, long fingers knotted within August's shirt. Taking a few moments, he looks down, running his fingers through the wild stream of curls that brush against August's jawline as Sirius turns in his sleep-elbow knocking against his side. His t-shirt is wrinkled, tugged up over where the dip of his hip and joggers meet. August presses a careful thumb into the space, rubbing a soft circle lightly over the skin as his mind wanders. The weight against August's chest would usually cause him stress-chest constricting as he tries to pull in the deepest breath that he can; a wave crashing against a sinking ship-but as Sirius wrinkles his nose, August can't help the way he feels calmer than he ever has before.
Below them, sprawled out on a spare mattress James sighs sleepily, stretching out his tired limbs and listening to them pop with an expression of mild satisfaction. August watches him for a few moments, eyes slowly falling closed as a dream plays on the backs of August's eyelids like a Muggle silent film and he nuzzles closer to Sirius, and feeling himself slip away once again.
The enchanted letter prods his cheeks once again and August swipes it from the air. He has no choice but to open it this time as it squirms, aiming for his eyes. Reading it with sharp eyes, August carefully analysing the content and loaded gun behind each word that his mother has scrawled onto the page, a harsh sigh emitting from his chapped lips as his frustration moulds, and continues to grow. Sirius shifts, breathing sightly changing as he moves, signalling that he's now awake. August's nose furrows as he reads, forehead pinched with annoyance.
"Takes as much time as you need turned out to be a fucking lie." August muses absentmindedly, curling a stray hand through Sirius' hair as he whispers quietly.
Sirius hums, the sound deep and gravelly, vibrating through August's entire being. "What are you talking about?"
"Last night," August says softly, "my dad told me to take as much time as I need here." He waves the letter around slightly. "But here, however many hours later, is a letter from my mother demanding my presence back at the manor and an explanation."
Sirius snorts. "Just ignore them. They can speak to you when you're ready."
August chuckles. "Brilliant idea."
And he lays his head down to fall back asleep.
authors note: yes, this is really fucking short, but i needed to get back into the groove of things. so i really hope you enjoy what we've got going on here and get excited for it to go to shit in the next chapter !!
