Family is Important
"Family is important," Remus said.
"How dare you say that! After what my family did to me, you have the nerve to look at me and say that?" Cried Sirius, fists balled up, tears streaming down his face.
"It's exactly because of your family that I can say that!"
Remus didn't know what reaction he'd wanted from saying that, but not this. Not the whipped, shocked look that screamed the fact that he'd maybe crossed a line somewhere.
"Explain yourself, please," said Sirius. His voice was painfully quiet, barely above a whisper.
Remus swallowed. Thought. Spoke. "Sirius, I'm not saying that your family is "good" or that you have to love your family. I'm saying that your family has a profound effect on who you are and on your life. They're important because they shape who you are, whether it's intentional or not. Whether it's for your good or not." Remus gripped Sirius's shoulder tightly, trying to pass comfort through that minimal contact. "Padfoot, I know that your family hurt you, and I hate them for it. But you would not be as angry as you are now if you family didn't have some impact on your life."
Sirius's shoulders slumped, but at least he didn't shrug Remus's hand off. "It's just that- Remus, I hate them so much," he whispered. Then he got louder. "It's not fair… they were supposed to be my family and they weren't and what was so wrong with me that they couldn't be?" He raised bruised eyes to Remus's face before flinching and looking back down at the floor.
Suddenly, Remus understood why being disowned had Sirius so conflicted. He knew his family didn't accept him, who he was, and what he believed in. He hated that they were so intolerant. He even grew to hate them. But Sirius also knew that if family was so important, and he suddenly found himself without a family, he somehow was lacking.
"Sirius," Remus said. "Listen, family is more than just blood. You and James are brothers. His parents love you and treat you like their very own. You have family, and it's better than anything you had before because we love you, no matter what." Remus gently cupped Sirius's chin and drew his head up until he was facing Remus. "I love you, Sirius," he whispered fervently, putting all that he felt into his words. He tried to communicate through the tenuous physical contact how much he cared for, admired, and loved the other man.
He thought he saw hope flicker for a moment before being suppressed. "Remus- no. You don't- not really. I have nothing to offer you. At least before I had fabulous wealth to keep you close to me, but I'm nothing now. I'm the disgraced former scion of the Most Noble House of Black," he sneered. "Why would you love me? I mean, James has to because we're brothers, but you have so many other options…"
Remus growled, frustrated by Sirius's lack of belief and trust. He placed his hands on both sides of Sirius's face, "Sirius, I want you, not those 'other options,'" and he pulled Sirius into a soft kiss. He kept it gentle on purpose, letting Sirius know that there was no pressure. That he wanted Sirius, not for his body, but for his heart.
Breaking the kiss, he pulled Sirius into an embrace, offering his love as a shield for all the painful emotions that assailed his lover.
"Remus," Sirius whispered, leaning into Remus. "Thank you. You always know what to say."