Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter character.
One day, Remus brought a thousand sheets of silver colored paper home. When Sirius asked what he was going to do with them, Remus said that he would fold a thousand paper cranes.
"What for?" Sirius asked.
"If you fold a thousand cranes and make a wish, your wish comes true!" Remus stated happily.
Sirius doubted that paper birds could make wishes come true, but he kept quiet. Remus had seemed so excited about his new project that he didn't want to ruin his fun.
Over the next few days, Sirius would always find Remus sitting at the kitchen table, folding a piece of silver paper. Silver birds were scattered all over the kitchen counters. "How many do you have so far?" he asked two days later.
Remus smiled, "I almost have a hundred!" To which Sirius smiled back and nodded.
A week later, Remus was still going at it. Sitting at the kitchen table day and night, surrounded by a flock of paper birds.
"Come to bed, Remus." Sirius called.
"Just after this one." he replied.
"You said that three cranes ago. Why don't you come take a break? You've been folding all day."
"I don't have a job, Sirius. I don't have anything else to do." But Remus stood up and joined his lover in the bedroom.
The next day, Sirius woke up to find Remus' side of the bed empty. When he went down for breakfast, he saw Remus sitting at the table, folding.
"How many now?"
"Nearly three hundred." Remus said, proudly.
Two days later, Remus had five hundred. He stopped folding at the halfway point and joined Sirius on the couch. Sirius looked up from his newspaper and asked, "Taking a break?"
He yawned a "mhmm."
Sirius lifted his arm so Remus could nuzzle in his side. Remus fell asleep to soft kisses on the top of his head.
The next morning, Remus woke up in bed alone. It was nearly noon and Sirius had left for his job as an Auror. He left a little note at the kitchen table for Remus: "Morning love, you looked so adorably peaceful sleeping there. I decided not to bother you. Remember to eat at least once while I'm gone. Love you darling. -Padfoot"
After Remus finished a bowl of cereal, he went back to folding cranes. He charmed the cranes so they would hover above their heads in the kitchen. But soon, the kitchen ceiling space wasn't enough, and they fluttered into the living room.
At dinner time, Sirius walked in their house, running into a bird. Ducking his head, he crouched and made his way to the kitchen to find his Moony.
"Remus."
Remus looked up and exclaimed happily "Sirius!"
"Hello darling. How many so far?"
"Seven hundred." He said smugly.
"Do you have a deadline?" Sirius sat down across from Remus.
"The end of the month." he replied curtly before returning to his work.
Sirius glanced at the calendar hanging on the wall behind Remus. There was only two days left. The end of the month was circled multiple times in red marker. He noted silently that there was a full moon that night.
For the rest of the night, Sirius watched Remus fold a hundred and fifty birds until he fell asleep at the table. Quietly charming the last bird to hover along with the rest, Sirius carried Remus up to their bedroom. That night, Sirius fell asleep holding Remus more tightly and closely than usual.
The two of them woke at the same time. Gold amber eyes looking into silver. Remus smiled sleepily at Sirius and muttered, "Morning." before pecking him sweetly on the nose and getting out of bed. Sirius didn't even need to look to see he was heading down to the kitchen.
"Are you going to tell me what you're going to wish for?" Sirius asked when he joined him in the kitchen.
"Can't. Then it won't come true." Remus smirked lightly. "But you'll find out if it does come true."
Sirius chuckled. "I'm going to take the entire day off tomorrow."
Remus paused and looked up. "Ok." he looked like he wanted to say something else so Sirius waited.
"I love you." Remus finally said.
Sirius kissed him goodbye and replied cockily, "I know." Remus shook his head humorously as he left.
The minute Sirius came home, Remus tackled him and captured his lips.
"Well hello to you too." Sirius said as soon as his mouth was free.
"I'm done." he smiled. "All one thousand cranes." he gestured to their ceiling. The air above them was filled with silver birds fluttering around.
"Did your wish come true?"
"We have to wait." he said simply.
When he woke up the next morning, Remus didn't want to get out of bed. He felt tired and weak. And Sirius didn't make him. He brought breakfast to Remus' bed and fed him. At lunch, Remus fed himself. But by dinner, Remus' appetite faded.
Sirius and Remus slowly went down the the cellar. After locking the heavily warded door, Sirius wrapped his arms around Remus.
"How are you doing Moony?" he asked quietly.
"Just fine, Pads." Remus' reply was muffled in Sirius' chest. He suddenly pulled away, "You should change now."
Sirius nodded, and turned into his animagus form. The black dog sat patiently, waiting for the wolf to come out.
Remus turned away from Sirius and yelled in pain. His back arched the wrong way as his legs grew longer and larger. Claws were taking place of his fingers as razor sharp teeth pushed their way out of Remus' gums.
When the wolf had fully transformed, the first thing he did was claw at himself. He clawed at his arms, and at his chest.
Sirius growled and leapt at the wolf. He tried to pin him down, but was pushed away by bloody arms.
The dog fell to the floor with a thump. He quickly got up to try to make the wolf stop hurting itself but when he looked back, the wolf slumped to the floor. Arms placed in between legs. He howled. It was a pitiful howl; a cry of sadness.
Padfoot strolled over slowly. He nudged the wolf's arm before sitting down beside him. Licking the werewolf's scars, Sirius tried to calm him down. The wolf's body was shaking as he cried. Sirius whined and licked his face.
The wolf finally acknowledged the dog and nuzzled his nose in the black fur. Sirius felt tears running down his back. He licked at the scars worryingly. The wolf was always either violent or playful; it never cried before.
Sirius laid down and Moony followed. Moony fell asleep to Sirius soft tongue on his scars.
The next morning, Sirius woke before Remus. Examining the deep wounds, Sirius gently carried him up to their bedroom. He healed him to the best of his abilities. The bleeding stopped, but there would always be scars. He wondered what happened for the wolf to act this way against himself. He looked up from bandaging his arms to find tears leaking out Remus' eyes. Sirius got up and kissed the tears away.
He watched as Remus' lovely golden eyes fluttered open. "Hey there." he whispered.
"Hi." Remus replied hoarsely.
"It was a bad night."
Remus tried to sit up, "Did I hurt you?" He lifted his arms to feel for any scars on Sirius' body. Remus froze when he saw the bandages that wrapped around his chest to down his arms.
Taking Remus' hands in his own, he shook his head, "I'm alright. You're going to be alright."
Remus hung his head and started shivering.
"What did you wish for?"
"It didn't come true." Remus trembled.
"Remus what did you wish for?" Sirius lifted Moony's chin up.
Looking into watery amber eyes, Sirius repeated, "What did you wish for?"
"I don't want to be a monster." Remus said. "I don't want to be weak." Tears flew freely down his face.
"You aren't a monster." he wiped the tears away with his thumbs. "You are Remus John Lupin. Also known as Moony to us Marauders. You are a former Gryffindor who graduated at the top of the class. You love chocolate with a great passion. You also love a shaggy black dog called Padfoot. You are not a monster."
Looking into the silver eyes, Remus was searching for a sign that Sirius was lying. He found none.
"You aren't weak either. Not everyone can go thought what you go through every month." he went on.
Remus sniffed and wiped the tears away with the back of his hands. "Okay."
"Okay?"
"I love you Pads."
Sirius smiled, "I want to show you something." he gently pushed Remus back to lean back on the backboard of the bed.
"What is it?"
"You'll see." he opened the door to their bedroom. Golden paper cranes gracefully floated in.
"You folded them too?" Remus watched in awe from the bed.
"I started a day after you. But I managed to make it to a thousand." With a small wave of his wand, silver birds flew in as well.
"Did you get what you wished for?" he asked quietly.
Sirius laid down beside Remus and whispered just as quietly, "I already had what I wished for."
Sirius leaned in to kiss Remus as the silver birds above mingled with the gold.
A/N: Just something I thought of. Review please!