The Marauders: Year Six Part 2 #Wattys2017

Adustio

Adustio

Neither Remus nor Sirius dared bring up what Sirius had asked.

The evening was awkward at best, James quiet and seeming almost sullen, Remus anxious and trying to clean everything he could get his hands on, Sirius quiet and brooding, while Dora and Charlus tried to talk their way through the uncomfortable silences. Charlus would crack a joke and smirk and none of the boys would laugh, and he'd chuckle uncertaintly and look at Dora with a plea in his eyes.

"I think we're all very tired and should go to bed," Dora announced. "Long day for the lot of us. Off you go -- pip pip."

And so they climbed the stairs.

In the hall, Sirius paused to look at James, who kept his eyes diverted and hurried down the hallway, rubbing his left arm as he went. "Hey. Prongs." He didn't turn around. "Prongs!" Still didn't turn around. "Oi. James."

James paused and looked back.

"What do I gotta do, mate?" he asked.

James hesitated, his eyes darkening. "Just leave me alone," and he ducked into his bedroom and slammed the door.

Sirius closed his eyes, letting the pain wash over him.

Then he turned to look at the door to Remus's bedroom, which they'd been sharing, and he felt a wave of nausea join the painful twist in his stomach. He tugged on his t-shirt and he sort of wished he'd worn a different one that day... one that wasn't the Please Return to Remus Lupin shirt because he had a feeling the sight of it would just freak Remus out even more than he'd already done.

Stupid big dumbarsed mouth, Sirius admonished himself, smacking his forehead with the heel of his hand. Idiot that can't think things through. James is right, I don't think about stuff before I do it. I am always sorry for something. Why am I a bloody idiot?

A shiver went through his chest.

Not now Achlys, he thought.

There was a whisper. Just reminding you that I'll always be here for you... and he felt his throat tighten.

Taking a deep breath, Sirius pushed his way into the bedroom.

"Moony," he said, "We need to talk about before, about what I said in the living r---" But Remus wasn't in the bedroom.

The window was open.

Sirius went over and stuck his head out. Remus was sitting on the roof of the porch, his back against the outside wall of the house, his wand lit and laying on the roof tiles beside him. He was holding Sirius's cigarettes, stolen out of his leather jacket, and he had one lit and hanging from his mouth.

"You know that's a filthy habit, babe," Sirius declared, climbing out the window.

Remus looked over. "I'm the one that told you that."

"It doesn't look as sexy when you do it as I do." Sirius held out his hand and Remus took the cigarette out of his mouth and handed it over. Sirius promptly stuck it in his own mouth and took a long drag, puffing the smoke out into the sky.

"I choked when I tried to do that," Remus confessed.

"Of course you did, darling." Sirius inched closer and slid his arm over Remus's shoulders.

Remus stiffened.

Sirius sighed. "Don't be like that."

Remus looked over. "How am I supposed to be?"