Bewitched | wolfstar au

Forty-five

"I want to sleep forever," Sirius grumbles as he practically throws the groceries on the floor of his kitchen. Remus laughs at him, carefully setting his own bags down.

"We were out for an hour, Sirius," he rolls his eyes, starting to put the vegetables in the fridge.

"An hour too long," Sirius mutters as he kneels down to empty the bags. "And I can't believe you paid for all this."

Remus turns to him, giving him a rather smug smile. "Well, it's what money is for, isn't it? For buying things."

Sirius gives him a look, and starts handing him things to put away. They've barely finished when they hear a knock on the window.

"Must be an owl," Remus says, closing a cupboard.

"Oh, we should go see, then," Sirius practically runs into the living room. By the time Remus gets there, Sirius is already on his way back, and almost crashes into Remus.

"Whoa, there," Remus grabs Sirius by his elbows before they collide.

"You appeared out of nowhere, Remus," Sirius huffs, handing him the envelope.

"Thanks," Remus mumbles, taking it. He opens it quickly, and reads the short letter.

He looks up to find Sirius carefully watching him.

"It's the Aurors," Remus smiles a little, "They're going to start an investigation again."

***

That evening, Remus watches Sirius try to water Dorothy.

"If you spit at me," Sirius wags a threatening finger at the Spitflower, which—or is it who?—is already leaning forward and swinging its—her?— only two leaves at the glass case, "I'm going to switch this water out for bleach. You hear me?"

Dorothy gives one last swing before slumping in, presumably, defeat. Remus watches on curiously.

"Good girl. See, we could get along so well if you just kept your spit to yourself," Sirius reaches out to open the door of the case, a good three or four feet away, just in case. What happens next is a blur. Remus sees the flash of the metal watering can, and within what feels like two seconds, Sirius has already slammed the case shut.

And sure enough, with a truly sickening thwack, a string of slime lands on the glass as soon as it's shut.

"You little shit," Sirius glares at the flower, "No fertilizer for you. Have fun living on water."

Remus can't help his laughter. Sirius turns to him, looking rather unamused.

"This isn't funny," he points a finger at Remus.

"I beg to differ," Remus starts laughing even harder at how genuinely offended Sirius looks.

"Keep begging, peasant," Sirius rolls his eyes.

"Why don't you just try being a bit nicer to it, er, I mean, her?" Remus jumps off the stool he's been sitting on and walks over to glass. "Hey, Dorothy," he waves. He's not sure what he's doing right now—he never learnt how to talk to genetically engineered sunflowers at school—and so he doesn't really know what to expect.

Whatever it is, it's definitely not Dorothy waving back at him.

"What the fuck?" Sirius gasps.

"Dorothy, you... you—" he turns to Remus, mouth agape in mock horror, "—And you, I thought we had something special, Remus," he shakes his head dejectedly, like a heroine in a play who's found out that her lover is dead.

"Sorry, Sirius," Remus grins, playing along, "But look at her. How could I say no?"

"You came into existence because of me, Dorothy," Sirius tsks, still shaking his head. "I have been betrayed in the most inconsiderate fashion. I am now going to lock myself up in my room and never return."

"Please don't do that," Remus says, "Where will I sleep?"

"Glad to see you've got your priorities straightened out, Lupin," Sirius rolls his eyes again. He picks his watering can up and pours some water into his palm before flicking it at Remus.

"That was uncalled for!" Remus protests, jumping back, but Sirius doesn't seem to be done. He throws some more water at him, and the cold droplets land on Remus' face.

"Stop it," Remus groans, but in vain.

Sirius ends up chasing Remus with the watering can in his hand. "Stop running and face me like a man, you coward," Sirius laughs, and Remus feels more water on the back of his neck.

Realising that he's trapped between Sirius and the workable, Remus turns around with a sigh.

"Stop," he leans against the table, panting, but his face betrays him because he can't stop grinning.

Sirius raises a challenging eyebrow, a cheeky grin on his lips. "Make me, Lupin."

Remus doesn't imagine they'll end up so close together when he grabs the watering can with one hand and Sirius' arm with the other, spinning them around so that it's Sirius pressed into the table.

"Oh," Sirius says softly, his chest rising and falling rapidly. Because he was running, surely. Not because... this.

Remus carefully puts the can on the table. He goes to step back, because he's sure that Sirius can hear the violent thrashing of his heart inside his ribcage. But Sirius doesn't let him, gripping his jumper with one hand, so tight that his knuckles are white.

Remus looks into his eyes, and then everything just stops. The plants, the setting sun, the vials and the shelves. They all blur into one vague background and fade away, and Remus can't breathe anymore. He can count Sirius' eyelashes like this, and God, nothing curves more beautifully. And his eyes are so clear. Clear and shining, dark with feeling and so alive.

Remus opens his mouth to say something, but all he can manage is a name.

"Sirius," he whispers, just to break the silence because it's too much. Any more of it, and Remus is going to explode.

"I'm here," Sirius replies, and his lips stay parted ever so lightly even after he's done speaking.

And they're trembling.

When Remus looks down at Sirius' hand on his jumper, it's trembling, too. So he reaches for both of Sirius' hands and holds them, tugging him a bit closer. His hands are warm. Sirius' eyes fall closed at Remus' touch, and a small crease appears on his forehead, almost like he's in pain.

"Remus," Sirius says, opening his eyes, and his voice is barely even there. He lifts a hand to the back of Remus' neck, his fingers burning hot. "I'm here."

And with the gentlest push on his neck, Sirius brings Remus closer, and kisses him.