#*beat*

…Because the Reapers could’ve had a field day with all those temporal paradoxes.

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The way Sirius’s eyes lit up with mischief.

The way he climbed onto the chair, almost slipping off, and pushing his hair out of his eyes, and grinning at all of their exasperated faces. 

Before taking a deep breath, and shouting the words horribly out of tune (intentionally; because it was pretty much physically impossible to do so naturally).

“Whether you're a brother or whether you're a mother- you're stayin' alive, stayin' alive-” sang Sirius on the top of his lungs.

That was the worst accent Remus’d ever heard.

“That’s the worst accent I’ve ever heard.”

“Thank you,” replied Sirius almost ecstatic. “I love it too!”

It was times like these that he wondered why the hell he was head over heels for Sirius.

“Feel the city breakin' and everybody shakin', ‘nd we're stayin' alive, stayin' alive-”

“Thank you very mu-”

“Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!”

“Very nice,” started Lily loudly. “Could you please not-”

But whatever Lily was trying to say got cut off by Sirius intentionally vocalising in an extremely unsteady and out-of-tune voice. 

Before today, Remus would’ve thought it impossible to find a perfect mix between whiskey-aged coarse and elegantly operatic. 

Yet here Sirius was.

~~~

“Please don’t,” muttered Remus, trying to fight back a small smile.

“Please do,” retorted James, mimicking Remus.

“Oh I will,” said Sirius, the grin wide on his face.

And before further adieu, Sirius stepped up onto the Gryffindor table, attratcing the stares of everyone around them, including a reluctant, irate professor McGonagall. He took a deep breath, before shouting out what must’ve been the worst choice.

“I WANT TO BREAK FREE! I WANT TO BREAK FREE! I WANT TO BREAK FREE FROM YOUR LIES, YOU’RE SO-”

“Please, Mr Black, get down from that table,” shouted Professor McGonagall, in a dismal manner. Remus thought she ought to be paid more for this job.

“SELF SATISIFIED! I DON’T NEED YOU!” Shouted Sirius at the top of his lungs, pointing straight at McGonagall.

Remus could’ve sworn he saw the corner of her mouth twitch up into an almost-grin.

“I’VE GOT TO BREAK FREE! GOD KNOWS...”

Looking pointedly down, Remus felt the stares of other people slowly falling on them. James basked in them. Peter exchanged an almost pitiful look with Remus.

It was around then that the horror of the next line dawned upon him.

He looked up swiftly, only to see Sirius grinning right back at him. Crouching down, Sirius gave an almost sloppy kiss on Remus’s lips, before jumping back up and pointing to a very red-in-the-face Remus.

“I’VE FALLEN IN LOVE!”

“Oh god.”

“I’VE FALLEN IN LOVE FOR THE FIRST TIME!”

“MR. BLACK! GET DOWN FROM THAT TABLE IMMEDIATELY!” Bellowed Mcgonagall, her wand against her mouth. The voice echoed across the great hall, so loudly that several students slammed their hands over their ears.

A contagiously sheepish smile took over Sirius’s blushing face. 

“Sorry, professor,” he mumbled, before slumping into his chair and bursting into silent fits of laughter with James. 

“As if,” muttered Remus, trying not to catch Sirius’s way-too-contagious grin.

“The part about falling in love wasn’t a lie.”

Remus’s heart skipped a beat. 

Suddenly, he wouldn’t mind such a performance again, no matter how much it hurt his ears.

~~~

Everything ached.

Remus pulled his knees closer to his chest, and looked up through the crack in the curtains, to face a growing moon barely a strand away from full. Sighing shakily, he pulled his legs closer.

But nothing he did could steer away unwanted thoughts or the stabbing pain in his stomach.

Except for one person.

Careful not to make noise, Remus slowly crept out of his bed and tip toed over to Sirius’s bed, almost tripping over a bag of what looked like Zonko’s. For a split second, he hesitated on disturbing Sirius- he looked so peaceful!- but remembered Sirius would probably be worse off knowing he was asleep rather than helping.

“Pads?”

Sirius stirred quietly.

“Pads, I can’t sleep,” mumbled Remus quietly, climbing into the bed and snuggling under the blanket.

Rubbing his eyes, Sirius got up.

“Moons?”

“Mmh,” mumbled Remus, head buried in his chest.

“Can’t sleep?”

There was a tinge of sorrow in Sirius’s voice that Remus didn’t want to hear. But he couldn’t deny, it felt really nice to have someone care.

“Nope.”

“‘M sorry love. D’you want to sleep here?”

“Mhmm.” His voice was muffled and already sounded sleepy. “It’s comfier.”

“Move in with me,” chuckled Sirius, only half joking.

“Will, when we leave.”

“Promise.”

But Remus seemed too sleepy to answer, as his breaths got steadier and sleepier.

And slowly, unconsciously, Sirius began to hum.

Remus could hear it quietly, and feel his voice against his chest. He probably thought Remus was asleep, but there was no way Remus was going to risk stirring and quietening Sirius.

The tune was recognisable- the one piece Sirius was always playing on his guitar- and somehow just managed to go so well with his voice. It was so different from the out of tune rasp he usually used.

In a way, Remus was growing sleepier listening to it, his body aching less.