Wolfstar AU

The Fight

Sirius had lived in his flat ever since his parents kicked him out. He was always disappointing them, he had befriended the school troublemakers, he was gay, he didn't want to marry his cousin. He was everything they were against. So he moved out. And he got the cheapest flat he could find, wanting to stay as far away from them as possible. This left him in a crappy flat for two years. There were only two other people who lived in the unit with him, one was an old lady with far too many cats and one was a newlywed couple that was always fighting. No one lived near him.

As always, Sirius was sleep deprived and couldn't stay focused on his school work. He got up to get himself coffee and as always, checked the flat across from his. It was still empty. He got the coffee and sat back down, desperately trying to finish the lengthy essay Professor McGonagall wanted completed by tomorrow. He sipped his coffee and pulled another all nighter finishing it.

The next day at school, his seat was taken. Sirius blinked at the girl who'd taken it, a redhead studiously ignoring the boy next to her. The boy had wild black hair and wire rimmed glasses and kept tapping on her desk.

"Lily? That's my seat."

"Peter's sitting in mine. I don't have the heart to tell him to move." James threw a piece of paper folded meticulously, it hit her on the head. "Stop it!"

"James give her a break." James has been pestering her the whole time they've been at school. Sirius and James were best friends, and James had even offered to take him in when his parents kicked him out. He and Lily were friends too, they studied occasionally, when James wasn't there.

"I'm sorry Sirius, but I'm sitting here today. There's a spot next to Lupin, though." Of course. Sirius had called him cute once last semester and now Lily has been trying to match them up. Probably because Sirius hadn't shown anyone else any interest. But it was true. Remus was cute. Scruffy honey-brown hair and eyes wide as the moon when he asked questions. Not that Sirius was looking or anything. His handwriting was neat and small and he always completed work on time. But Sirius was sure he wasn't gay, and even if he was he'd run away once he got to know Sirius. Sirius wasn't exactly what he would describe as sane. He was easily excited and close friends with James Potter. James was going places, probably jail. He can meet Sirius there. Sirius pushed away everybody but James and Lily, and he only liked her because James was obsessed. James is extremely jealous of their easy friendship. But now was not the time for thinking of her or James. Now was the time for his heart to slow down and his mastered walk that portrayed confidence he wasn't feeling.

"Remus, right?" The boy nodded, not taking his eyes from the book. "Can I sit here?"

"Go for it." He still didn't look at Sirius with those eyes he'd memorized. Amber. They practically glow.

"I'm Sirius. Black." Now he glanced up, out of the corner of his eye. But not at Sirius, to his immense displeasure. He looked at James and Lily, at where Sirius usually sits. Thoughts were flying behind his moony amber eyes, but he looked back at his book without saying anything. "What're you reading?" He asked, trying to make conversation. Remus huffed.

"Why do you care? Clearly you're only sitting here because your seat is taken so we can sit in silence."

"If you want to sit in silence we can." Sirius said awkwardly. No one had the power to make Sirius Black awkward. Except this random and beautiful boy. Sirius drummed his fingers against his thigh and willed Lily to look back at him. Or James. Anyone. No one did, so he sat in misery for the first half of the lesson. Professor McGonagall said the worst thing a teacher can ever say.

"Group project." Sirius held onto the sliver of hope he had because they might get to choose their groups. "Groups of no more than four. All the information is here." She gestured at a stack of papers on her desk. Sirius was elated that he would be able to work with James and Lily instead of the amber eyed boy who obviously hated him. "Find your groups and sit down with them. Two minutes."

Sirius raced to James and Lily and they started talking about what they'd learned. Lily had been listening avidly while Sirius was trying to figure out a reason to talk to Remus again and James was writing notes to throw at Lily. Lily knew exactly what to do. Sirius went back to where Remus was still sitting. He doesn't know what came over him, and, apparently, neither did Remus with the look he gave Sirius.

"Do you want to join my group?" Remus looked at him with a range of emotions, pity, a little bit of sadness, some anger but not enough to classify as angry, and quite a bit of shock.

"We aren't friends, you know?"

"I never said I wanted to be your friend." Sirius was nervous, and when he got nervous defensiveness came too. However his statement was true, Remus would not interpret it that way. Sirius meant he wanted to be more than friends, but Remus will assume he pities him. Dammit.

"What, am I supposed to agree after that charming proof that we despise each other equally?"

"I don't despise you," Sirius said as calmly as he could. Yelling made him feel like his family.

"So I'm not even worth your despisities now?"

"Despisities isn't a word."

"It is now, Black. It is now." Remus gave a poor sneer at Sirius' cringe from the use of his last name. "I didn't ask you to be my friend or to sit with me. I was fine on my own. You just expect everybody will like you. It's that big ego you inherit from your family."

"Don't speak of my family!" Sirius didn't mean to yell, and he definitely didn't mean to pounce on Remus and push him out of his chair and onto the floor, littering his chest with punches. Remus was much taller, and stronger. He pushed Sirius away, muttering about how he was a lunatic, and stood up. "Don't talk about things you know nothing about."