Chapter Eleven
Series title: Runaway: A Story About Sirius Black and Remus Lupin
Series summary: During the sweltering summer of 1976, Sirius Black leaves one family, joins another, and falls in love.
Series authors: The Runaway Writers
Installment title: Chapter Eleven: Not A Date
Installment author: closet_zebra
Word count: 1,049
Prologue | One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven | Eight | Nine | Ten
It’s twilight, and Remus, leaning on the stone wall near his house, hands shoved roughly into pockets, wonders if Sirius will ever come and meet him. It’s not that Sirius is always late. Not really. He gets too bored to be late. But it isn’t as though the idiot is ever early, either.
Remus can’t help but curse his own damn punctuality.
“Hey, Moony!” Sirius suddenly jumps out behind him and hits him with a flying tackle, knocking him so hard that he has to reach out and clutch at the wall beside him to stop himself going down like a tonne of bricks.
I’d end up a pile of goo, he thinks tragically. The only thing they’ll find will be a pair of shoes and a grinning maniac named Sirius Black.
“Sirius,” Remus says calmly, extracting himself gently from the other boy’s firm grasp. “If you wouldn’t mind, I quite enjoy breathing. A favourite pastime, shall we say.”
Remus looks up to see Sirius watching him carefully and laughs a little, rolling his eyes.
“Oh, I’m fine,” he mutters. One of these days his friends might actually stop treating him like a porcelain doll. “You didn’t break me, you oaf. Though I’m sure you bloody well intended to.”
“I did not,” Sirius gasps, a hand clutched to his chest, his face positively scandalized.
“Anyway,” Remus laughs, firmly putting across the point that this conversation is getting away from them. He cocks his head at the path leading in toward town, and they fall into step beside each other. “Where are we going? Because I don’t want to get in really late. Some of us work, you know.”
“What time do you start tomorrow?” Sirius frowns, eyes showing sympathy and worry and annoyance. Remus isn’t sure if he’s annoyed that their fun will be cut short or because Remus has to work; it’s difficult to tell.
“Early,” he says shortly.
“Well, hmm,” Sirius scratches at his chin and Remus realises that whatever Sirius had planned had involved a late night and possibly trouble with their parents when they arrived home.
It’s funny, he thinks, just how easily Sirius Black can be read. But then Remus is used to reading his friends. He just peels back pages until he can see the thoughts within.
“Well, I don’t know, Moony,” Sirius finally says, a little laugh bubbling from his lips. “I’m afraid our date is left to you then.”
“Do not say date, you freak,” Remus says. “As though I’d date you!”
Sirius suddenly frowns, eyes drawn down, slightly dark, not quite hurt.
“What?” he demands.
“Well, come on,” Remus laughs. They have stopped at a small pub on the outskirts of town, with neat flowerboxes and tables outside. “Here, maybe?” They can’t stay out all night.
Sirius flings himself down at a table, scowling. Remus remains standing, uncertain whether he wants to finish this conversation before going for drinks.
“Why wouldn’t you?” Sirius asks, taking everything to heart, the way he always has done. “I’m not good enough for you?”
“You’re a boy,” Remus points out, feeling his face begin to burn. He shifts from one foot to another, beginning to feel anxious.
“And?”
For a moment, the word hangs in the air, and something in Sirius’ expression changes to a look that Remus doesn’t think he’s ever seen before.
This is a new page in the book of Sirius Black, he thinks absently, frowning at the other boy with a little twist of confusion.
“But what did--”
“Ah!” A voice speaks up not far away. “Finally, some help.”
A middle-aged witch walks out of the pub and shuffles over towards them, luxurious fat barely concealed beneath her robes. She’s looking at Remus with an expectant expression and Remus just gapes at her.
“Mr. Malfoy needs more wine. I don’t believe I had to come out here to ask for it.”
“I’m not...” Remus begins.
“Good. Hurry yourself up, lad,” she says, dismissing him with a wave of her hand. “And you, Sirius Black, you should be getting home. I’m sure your mother’s worrying about you.”
She turns on her heel and makes her way back inside. “Honestly,” she says to herself, not quietly enough, “they really should stick with House Elves.”
And then she is gone, back inside the pub.
Remus stares at the door for a moment, a little frown appearing above his eyes before he laughs beneath his breath.
“You know,” he says out loud, still staring at the door. “I don’t envy you your parents’ friends. This lot are absolutely insane.”
He turns and looks to find Sirius glaring at the door. Remus knows it’s because he hates them all, because he hates when people treat Remus badly. It makes something in his stomach heat gently, like he’s just swallowed a mug of hot chocolate into an empty stomach.
“Sirius?” he says gently, just beneath his breath, wanting to shake Sirius out of it.
It’s not worth it, after all.
He places a hand ever so gently on Sirius’ shoulder, feeling the pressed shirt beneath his fingers, trying not to run his hands a little further along it, wanting to feel more beneath his palm. He can feel the tension in Sirius’ shoulder, the tightness of the muscles just beneath the shirt, the heat of Sirius’ skin.
“Ruddy bastards,” Sirius swears beneath his breath. Remus hears it as though he’d shouted it, his whole body tuned to the boy beside him.
“Let it go, Pads,” he says soothingly, part of him not sure if he wants Sirius to let it go. He thinks about this, this anger on his behalf, and then dismisses it. It’s just nice to be thought of over James for once, that’s all. “Really. Let’s get drinks and have fun.”
Sirius is silent for a moment and Remus smiles, feeling the tension leave the boy’s shoulders beneath his own fingertips. “Much better. Come on, I’ll buy you a drink.”
And that’s all it takes. Sirius jumps up and laughs, refusing at once that Remus pay when he has so much pureblood money to get rid of.
The arm that slings companionably around his shoulder as they walk inside the pub makes Remus’ ears burn.
Series summary: During the sweltering summer of 1976, Sirius Black leaves one family, joins another, and falls in love.
Series authors: The Runaway Writers
Installment title: Chapter Eleven: Not A Date
Installment author: closet_zebra
Word count: 1,049
Prologue | One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven | Eight | Nine | Ten
It’s twilight, and Remus, leaning on the stone wall near his house, hands shoved roughly into pockets, wonders if Sirius will ever come and meet him. It’s not that Sirius is always late. Not really. He gets too bored to be late. But it isn’t as though the idiot is ever early, either.
Remus can’t help but curse his own damn punctuality.
“Hey, Moony!” Sirius suddenly jumps out behind him and hits him with a flying tackle, knocking him so hard that he has to reach out and clutch at the wall beside him to stop himself going down like a tonne of bricks.
I’d end up a pile of goo, he thinks tragically. The only thing they’ll find will be a pair of shoes and a grinning maniac named Sirius Black.
“Sirius,” Remus says calmly, extracting himself gently from the other boy’s firm grasp. “If you wouldn’t mind, I quite enjoy breathing. A favourite pastime, shall we say.”
Remus looks up to see Sirius watching him carefully and laughs a little, rolling his eyes.
“Oh, I’m fine,” he mutters. One of these days his friends might actually stop treating him like a porcelain doll. “You didn’t break me, you oaf. Though I’m sure you bloody well intended to.”
“I did not,” Sirius gasps, a hand clutched to his chest, his face positively scandalized.
“Anyway,” Remus laughs, firmly putting across the point that this conversation is getting away from them. He cocks his head at the path leading in toward town, and they fall into step beside each other. “Where are we going? Because I don’t want to get in really late. Some of us work, you know.”
“What time do you start tomorrow?” Sirius frowns, eyes showing sympathy and worry and annoyance. Remus isn’t sure if he’s annoyed that their fun will be cut short or because Remus has to work; it’s difficult to tell.
“Early,” he says shortly.
“Well, hmm,” Sirius scratches at his chin and Remus realises that whatever Sirius had planned had involved a late night and possibly trouble with their parents when they arrived home.
It’s funny, he thinks, just how easily Sirius Black can be read. But then Remus is used to reading his friends. He just peels back pages until he can see the thoughts within.
“Well, I don’t know, Moony,” Sirius finally says, a little laugh bubbling from his lips. “I’m afraid our date is left to you then.”
“Do not say date, you freak,” Remus says. “As though I’d date you!”
Sirius suddenly frowns, eyes drawn down, slightly dark, not quite hurt.
“What?” he demands.
“Well, come on,” Remus laughs. They have stopped at a small pub on the outskirts of town, with neat flowerboxes and tables outside. “Here, maybe?” They can’t stay out all night.
Sirius flings himself down at a table, scowling. Remus remains standing, uncertain whether he wants to finish this conversation before going for drinks.
“Why wouldn’t you?” Sirius asks, taking everything to heart, the way he always has done. “I’m not good enough for you?”
“You’re a boy,” Remus points out, feeling his face begin to burn. He shifts from one foot to another, beginning to feel anxious.
“And?”
For a moment, the word hangs in the air, and something in Sirius’ expression changes to a look that Remus doesn’t think he’s ever seen before.
This is a new page in the book of Sirius Black, he thinks absently, frowning at the other boy with a little twist of confusion.
“But what did--”
“Ah!” A voice speaks up not far away. “Finally, some help.”
A middle-aged witch walks out of the pub and shuffles over towards them, luxurious fat barely concealed beneath her robes. She’s looking at Remus with an expectant expression and Remus just gapes at her.
“Mr. Malfoy needs more wine. I don’t believe I had to come out here to ask for it.”
“I’m not...” Remus begins.
“Good. Hurry yourself up, lad,” she says, dismissing him with a wave of her hand. “And you, Sirius Black, you should be getting home. I’m sure your mother’s worrying about you.”
She turns on her heel and makes her way back inside. “Honestly,” she says to herself, not quietly enough, “they really should stick with House Elves.”
And then she is gone, back inside the pub.
Remus stares at the door for a moment, a little frown appearing above his eyes before he laughs beneath his breath.
“You know,” he says out loud, still staring at the door. “I don’t envy you your parents’ friends. This lot are absolutely insane.”
He turns and looks to find Sirius glaring at the door. Remus knows it’s because he hates them all, because he hates when people treat Remus badly. It makes something in his stomach heat gently, like he’s just swallowed a mug of hot chocolate into an empty stomach.
“Sirius?” he says gently, just beneath his breath, wanting to shake Sirius out of it.
It’s not worth it, after all.
He places a hand ever so gently on Sirius’ shoulder, feeling the pressed shirt beneath his fingers, trying not to run his hands a little further along it, wanting to feel more beneath his palm. He can feel the tension in Sirius’ shoulder, the tightness of the muscles just beneath the shirt, the heat of Sirius’ skin.
“Ruddy bastards,” Sirius swears beneath his breath. Remus hears it as though he’d shouted it, his whole body tuned to the boy beside him.
“Let it go, Pads,” he says soothingly, part of him not sure if he wants Sirius to let it go. He thinks about this, this anger on his behalf, and then dismisses it. It’s just nice to be thought of over James for once, that’s all. “Really. Let’s get drinks and have fun.”
Sirius is silent for a moment and Remus smiles, feeling the tension leave the boy’s shoulders beneath his own fingertips. “Much better. Come on, I’ll buy you a drink.”
And that’s all it takes. Sirius jumps up and laughs, refusing at once that Remus pay when he has so much pureblood money to get rid of.
The arm that slings companionably around his shoulder as they walk inside the pub makes Remus’ ears burn.