Flowers At The Door

NYC, 9

Remus loved his new Bon Iver t-shirt. It was cropped and boxy and his favorite brown color. The calendar was almost turning on August and while it wasn't cold, there was enough chill in the evening that Remus could easily justify the creamy mock neck sweater he layered under it and the thick corduroy pants he paired it with.

He was on a double date, except only he knew that was what it was. They were playing it off as four friends hanging out- Sirius, Regulus, James, and himself, but Remus knew better. 

"I feel like such a tourist," James laughed at himself as Regulus took pictures of him across their brunch table.

Sirius laughed too, "you look great, babe," he teased James before knocking back a tall flute of mimosa.

"Want yours taken, Sirius?" Remus asked him. Regulus' smirk at him wasn't missed. Sirius just looked at him and shook his head. "Come on," Remus pouted at Sirius, "please?"

"Fine," Sirius huffed and immediately struck a pose, "but I'm doing yours next." 

Remus grinned and snapped a few pictures of Sirius that he would cherish forever. Probably.

When Remus was done taking his pictures, Sirius dug his phone out of his pocket. "Ready?" he waved it towards Remus.

"Here use mine," Remus offered his phone across the table, but Sirius shook his head. "No, I need my leverage. You have pictures of me, so I should have pictures of you."

"Uhh," Remus narrowed his eyes briefly at Sirius before he schooled his face, "sure, just give me a second." Remus started to move his half-eaten breakfast plates out of the frame.

"Woah, woah, hey," Sirius interrupted him, "this is supposed to be a brunch picture, Remus. That means that the brunch is supposed to remain in the picture."

Remus knew that Sirius didn't really mean for his comment or his desire for Remus' partially eaten meal to be in the picture to be triggering, but it was. He looked nervously at Regulus who nodded, understanding. 

"Nah," Regulus chimed, "the brunch doesn't work with the aesthetic of your outfit."

Sirius rolled his eyes, "okay, fine," he conceded while Remus finished removing the plates from the shot. "Strike a pose, babe." 

After taking his pictures, Sirius leaned over the table to show Remus the pictures. Remus tended to dislike seeing himself in pictures, but this one was different. There was a healthy flush painted across his cheeks and he was smiling genuinely. The plates probably would have looked fine and Remus felt guilty for making such a fuss about it. "I like them," he said quietly to Sirius while James and Regulus were wrapped up in their own conversation.

"Me too," Sirius smiled at him.

"Can you send them to me?"

Sirius smirked at him now, "perhaps, if you earn it."

"Mhmm and what exactly would that entail?" Remus raised an eyebrow at Sirius and sipped from the straw in his drink.

"I would love to show you later."

Remus nodded slowly but didn't meet Sirius' gaze. This time, these amazing times with Sirius were making Remus happier than he'd been in a long time, but there was something missing- a part of him that he didn't think would ever come back to him. It scared him and excited him that he was actually aching for that again.

What would Sirius think?

Remus was pulled from his thoughts by a kiss on his cheek; he looked over to see Sirius looking back at him. "What's going on in that pretty head of yours?"