Inspired by another story written by the amazing NeonDomino, First Impressions Aren't Always Right, chapter eight of her collection Fifty Shades of Wolfstar. All WolfStar fans should definitely check out her works - you will not be disappointed!

This is a soulmate story, where you have the first words your soulmate says to you written on your arm (and vice-versa). While I personally don't care much for that version of soulmates, it worked the best for the storyline, so I went with it.

In case you missed it in the summary, this is a Remus/Sirius pairing story, also featuring Alice/Frank as a sub-pairing.

Non-Magic AU

The concept of soulmates was something that always intrigued Remus Lupin when he was a child. He often fantasized about the day he would finally meet his soulmate, hoping it would be one of those cliché coffee house moments he often saw in those romantic comedies. Or perhaps he would run headfirst into his soulmate while jogging in the park, and they could laugh and reminisce about their meeting when they were gray.

He spent many hours trying to visualize just what his soulmate would look like, inventing several potential personas in his mind. Would they be a tall sporty brunette girl or a chubby boy with a face full of freckles? Would they prefer to stay inside curled up with a good book, or would they be a risk-seeker always looking for that next thrill? Would they enjoy going to every restaurant they find to discover new delicacies, or would they be the sort that prefers home cooking?

Remus always believed that, no matter what this person looked like and no matter what their interests were, he would accept them unconditionally. After all, they are his soulmate and that's what soulmates did.

When Remus turned fifteen, the long-awaited words finally appeared on his arm. The words he intended to commit to memory so he wouldn't miss it when his soulmate spoke to him for the first time after this birthday.

As he read his arm, a scowl quickly appeared on his face. While the words did make it appear as though he would get that random encounter he'd always dreamt about, it was obvious his soulmate had a foul mouth, and now Remus was stuck with obscenities printed his skin for the rest of his life.

Nonetheless, Remus waited for his soulmate. The days easily turned into months which eventually turned into years. Over time, the novelty of finding his soulmate began to wear out when this mysterious person failed to enter his life. It was unintentional, but he found himself no longer fantasizing about his fateful meeting of souls, and Remus found himself pushing the anticipation he originally felt to the back of his mind.

Because of this, when one of his friends from college began flirting with him, he willingly gave in to her advances. His relationship with Nymphadora was pleasant enough. She was a fun girl with plenty of pizzazz for the both of them. While they both knew they weren't one another's soulmate, Nymphadora was the impatient sort and never saw a point in waiting around. As for Remus, well, he always had those lingering doubts that, while he knew he would be willing to unconditionally accept whoever his soulmate was, who's to say that they would be able to return the favor? Remus was average looking at best, and most people didn't appreciate his know-it-all personality.

Their relationship advanced quickly, and soon he had a wife on his arm with a son on her hip. They moved into a cozy three-bedroom cottage on the outskirts of London, just a few minutes from his parent's house. Everything was perfect in Remus' life; he had a beautiful family, a great home, and a stable career with plenty of opportunities for advancement.

Unfortunately, not all good things last, and shortly after his twenty-fifth birthday tragedy struck the Lupin household. A vicious case of pneumonia took hold of Nymphadora and claimed her life after only ten days.

As much as Remus mourned the loss of his wife, he could only be grateful their son Teddy was still alive and well. He would certainly miss Nymphadora, but he would have died if anything happened to his precious son.

Over the next year, Remus led the role of single father, the wound in his heart mending over time. He pondered if the lack of intense heartache was due to her not being his soulmate. Perhaps if she was, the loss would have been much harder.

He brushed the thought aside, however. He needed to let go of the fantasy of a soulmate. He had heard plenty of stories of soulmates that met later in life and families that were torn apart because of it. No one was willing to take in someone else's child and, even if they were, there would always be strife in the household. Not waiting for your soulmate was generally frowned upon.

It was because of this that Remus had completely given up on the fantasy of living happily ever after with his soulmate whenever this mysterious stranger decided to show up. No matter how much his best friend Alice pestered him about it, he knew that there was no hope.

His soulmate wouldn't be able to accept Teddy. They wouldn't want a man with a small home and a kindergartener underfoot.

Alice shook her head in exasperation, once again brushing Remus' flimsy argument aside. "Remus, you're being ridiculous. It's a soulmate. Whoever they are, they'll love you and accept you with all your flaws. Not that Teddy is a flaw, of course. You know what I mean."

"I can't expect them to just accept everything about me, Alice." Remus took a long drink of tea. He was growing tired of these arguments. Alice was the kind to wait for her soulmate. She had no romantic history to distort her soulmate's view and therefore couldn't understand what it was like to have that burden. "I have a son. What if they expect me to get rid of him? I can't just abandon Teddy like that."

"They won't ask that of you," she insisted, grasping Remus' hand in her own.

He let out a sigh, setting down his empty cup with a clink. "I should be going. I need to pick Teddy up from mum's house before it gets too late."

"Don't think I don't know what you're up to," she said, her blue eyes staring at him sharply. "You're just trying to run away from love."

Remus smirked, shrugging as he stood up from their table in the coffee shop. "You see right through me," he replied sardonically.

Alice shook her head. "Fine, be stubborn."

"I'll see you at work, Alice."

"Yeah," she sighed, pulling her coat on. "But Remus?"

He turned around, his hand resting on the exit door. "Yes?"

"Just – when your soulmate does turn up, give them a chance, yeah?"

Remus frowned, dropping his gaze to the red and brown speckled carpet.

"You can at least try to get to know them, can't you? Even if it's just as friends?"

He chewed on his lip nervously. As he opened his mouth to give a non-committal reply, a pointed cough sounded from nearby. He glanced over to see a group of middle-aged women trying to leave through the door he was currently blocking.

He smiled apologetically at the women before turning back to his friend. "See you later Alice," he said before slipping out the door into the crisp evening spring air.

Alice's pleas were nothing new, and Remus had long grown accustomed to her ludicrous fantasies of true love and romance. If there really was some perfect person out there for him, why hadn't they shown up yet? Why had he been allowed to be with someone else and start a family, only to have her leave him on his own? Certainly a soulmate would have arrived into his life before now to prevent him from having to suffer like that.

Not everyone even gets to meet their soulmate anyway, and perhaps Remus would be one of those unlucky few. While you will always naturally be drawn to the person you are meant to be with, accidents happened all the time that could prematurely claim your soulmate's life, and you would be none the wiser. Perhaps this was the reason it had been so easy for Remus to find love with someone else? Perhaps that was also why he had stopped feeling that exciting anticipation about finding his soulmate?

He nodded to himself, satisfied with the conclusion. That had to be what changed. His soul knew of his soulmate's departure and was trying to help him move on so he wouldn't be miserable. He should be grateful that he didn't have to feel the gut-wrenching ache of losing a soulmate, he supposed. It was better this way.

Remus sighed as he continued the walk to his mother's house. Despite himself, he couldn't help but feel disappointed as he remembered his old anticipation about meeting his soulmate. This was for the best though; he had Teddy to take care of. Teddy was all that mattered now. He needed to move on from these foolish fantasies and just focus on giving his son the love and support that he so desperately needed as he grew up.

As he passed one of the local biker pubs, Remus quickened his pace, making sure to avert his eyes for fear of angering one of the local gangs. While Remus certainly wasn't scared of the clientele, after a few years of passing this way, he had long grown accustomed to the less than pleasant customers that littered this particular establishment. He turned sharply around the corner where he collided with something hard, causing him to topple over, landing most ungracefully on his wrists.

"Fuck! Oh shit, man. My bad."

Remus groaned as he shifted onto his bum, rubbing his wrists gingerly. "No, it's my fault. I should have been watching where I was going." He looked at the man he had stumbled over, taking the offered hand as he lifted himself up.

There was a curious expression in the stranger's gray eyes, and it was then that what the man said clicked.

His own amber eyes narrowed marginally. "Was that – I mean – are you -" He felt at a loss, unsure how to ask the question.

Understanding what Remus was trying to say, the stranger shrugged off his leather jacket one fluid motion, revealing well-defined muscles and several tattoos his tight-fitting sleeveless shirt did nothing to hide. He then offered a clear view of the underside of his left arm where there, as plain as day, were the shimmering navy-blue words, 'No, it's my fault. I should have been watching where I was going.'

Remus gaped at his arm. He had just finished convincing himself that he didn't have a soulmate and now, without reason to doubt, stood a man with his words written on his arm.

"Erm-" the stranger started awkwardly, subtly chewing on his full lower lip in an obviously nervous gesture.

Remus shook his head as he brought himself back to the present. "Right, sorry," he mumbled.

He certainly wasn't going to practically strip on cue as the stranger did, and instead pulled up the left sleeve of his well-worn cranberry cardigan. As he unwound the fabric bandage he used to hide the offending words, he noticed an embarrassed flush grace the stranger's cheeks. Once exposed, he showed his words to the man, 'Fuck! Oh shit, man. My bad.'

After reading Remus' arm, the man's face split into a beautiful grin. The expression was so full of joy it was almost contagious, and Remus struggled to not mirror it, carefully keeping his face as stoic as possible.

The man allowed his eyes to thoroughly rake across Remus' body, causing Remus to stiffen under the intense gaze. He certainly wasn't dressed to impress at all, and now his soulmate was going to turn away and run from his haggardness. His cardigan was faded and fraying at the ends, with several worn down holes that he half-haphazardly stitched together. Remus was wearing loose-fitting camel colored slacks that were anything but flattering and, despite Alice's constant mocking whenever he would wear them, brown strap sandals with a pair of white socks. His tawny hair was unkempt from a hard day of work and he was certain his eyes had heavy purple rings from the lack of sleep his most recent case had brought about.

Despite this, when the stranger's eyes met his own again, his mouth held a wicked grin, and Remus was fairly certain he did not imagine the man licking his lips with a satisfied moan. "Well I appear to have gotten the luck of the draw," he purred, a hungry glint shimmering in those stormy gray eyes. "You've got to be the sexiest man I've ever seen."

Remus felt his mouth go dry at those words. This man had to be joking. There was no way someone like him would find Remus even remotely attractive.

The stranger was a few inches shorter than him, but definitely made up for the smaller stature with a much firmer build than Remus' own. His exquisitely soft-looking raven black hair was tied in a loose ponytail that rested at the nape of his neck. Every feature on his face looked as if he had been sculpted with the finest care; perfectly aristocratic eyebrows, thick eyelashes, straight nose, prominent cheekbones, full kissable lips, and a strong jawline. Were it not for the numerous facial piercings, heavy eyeliner, and plum colored lipstick, this man would not look out of place on the cover of a high fashion magazine.

The man's shirt was emblazoned with the words 'August Burns Red', which, judging by the decorations, was no doubt a heavy metal band of some kind, and it was clear that the stranger had torn the sleeves off the shirt himself. There was a thick twisted chain necklace around his neck, heavy studded bracelets stacked on his right arm, a wrapped leather bracelet on his left, and gaudy over-sized rings on several of his fingers. His black trousers were no doubt two-sizes too small and fit extremely snug, leaving nothing to the imagination and eliciting a rather loud gulp from Remus. He had on black leather boots that came to his mid-calf and were elaborately decorated with multiple unnecessary buckles and studs. Moving his eyes back up, he noticed the man's belt buckle appeared to be a snarling wolf. He peered closer. Yes, definitely a wolf's head. And were those garnets in the eye sockets?

The man's skin had a healthy tan, showing that he spent more time outside than in, and Remus briefly entertained the thought about whether there would be any tan lines on his body. He sincerely doubted there would be. On his right upper arm he could see an image of a stag standing proudly with what appeared to be a rat of all things perched between it's antlers. Below the animals was the word 'Marauders'. Just above the crook of his elbow was a fawn nestled between the legs of a spectral doe that looked like a more recent addition to his tattoo collection. The man's left arm was startlingly empty in comparison, with only the image of a large black dog taking up his left shoulder, it's tail wrapping around his tricep.

Clearly pleased by Remus' thorough evaluation, the man gave a seductive smile as he lifted his leather jacket over his right shoulder casually. "Like what you see?"

"I, uh-" Remus brought his gaze back up to meet the stranger's eyes once more. Breathing suddenly felt more laborious than it should. The man certainly was attractive, but it didn't change the fact that Remus had a blemished history.

"Here I was thinking tonight was a complete bust," the man continued, clearly not needing affirmation to know that Remus did indeed like what he saw. "My bloody contact never showed up," he said with a sigh. "I was about to head home, but decided to have a fag first. I'm glad I chose to linger since you practically fell in my lap."

He chewed on his lip nervously. He knew the moment this man found out about Teddy, he would bolt. Judging by the man's attire, preference of hang-out spots, and vulgar language, he certainly was not the kind to want children. Remus didn't know if he would be able to handle being rejected by his soulmate, so it would be better to stop this now before it went too far.

The stranger took a small step forward, extending a hand for Remus to shake. "My name is Sirius, by the way. Sirius Black."

"Serious Black?" Remus couldn't stop the disbelief in his voice. "What kind of name is Serious?"

Serious threw his head back as he barked a laugh, revealing a tongue piercing much to Remus' dismay. Working in law enforcement, Remus knew all about profiling suspects, and it was usually the ones with multiple piercings and tattoos that were up to no good. There was definitely no way he could afford to associate with someone like Serious without dragging his reputation through the mud. He'd worked hard to get where he is now, and he'd be damned if he let some stranger ruin it for him.

"Not Serious like the word," he laughed. "Sirius like the star. S-I-R-I-U-S." Sirius pointed up at the night sky in illustration. "My family is big on astronomy names. I'm named after the dog-star. Brightest star in the sky." He offered a bright smile that was punctuated with a wink.

"Oh," Remus nodded. That at least made more sense than Serious.

"So, um," Sirius took another small step closer to Remus, decreasing the distance between them to little more than two feet. In the dim light the street lamp offered, Remus could almost make out a slightly nervous expression on the man's face. "What's your name?"

His eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Me?"

"Of course you," he said as if the question was obvious. "Not only are we alone right now, but isn't it clear I only have eyes for you, soulmate?"

As the word 'soulmate' passed through Sirius' lips, the intimacy in the man's voice sent shivers down Remus' spine, causing him to involuntarily moisten his lips.

"So?" Sirius rose one of his finely trimmed eyebrows expectantly, a soft smile on his lips. "What may I call you?"

This man was hypnotic. Had Remus simply seen him in passing, he wouldn't have spared him a second glance, but now that he had Sirius' undivided attention, he found it hard to look away. It was as if those storm-colored eyes could bore into his soul, taking away all of his insecurities and fill him with emotions he never knew he wanted. If he ever thought he was attracted to Nymphadora, it was nothing compared to just how much he wanted to tell this stranger he could do absolutely whatever he wanted to him.

He opened his mouth to respond, but was stopped as he remembered Teddy. His precious little boy that meant more to him than anything else in the world. He had to think of his son, and a future with this man would not be able to include Teddy. There was absolutely no way a foul-mouthed biker with a penchant for piercings and heavy metal would want anything to do with a five-year-old boy that wasn't even his.

Remus took a step back, shaking his head. "I'm sorry Sirius, but this just isn't going to work."

Confusion was clear on Sirius' face as he tentatively followed Remus' retreat. "What's not gonna work?"

"This," he said, gesturing between them. "Us. Sorry, but I have to go."

Sirius took in a sharp breath, his expression akin to betrayal. "What do you mean?" he whispered, clearly fearing the answer.

He pursed his lips in response, believing it best to leave now before the man was able to change his mind by tugging at his heartstrings. As Remus turned to leave, Sirius grabbed at his wrist and Remus violently shook the other man's hand off, not bothering to look back.

"Wait," Sirius called after him, desperation tinging the voice that had been so confident moments before. "Please don't go."

Remus kept his head down, quickening his departure.

"At least tell me your name!"

He didn't respond, trying to ignore the hurt in Sirius' pleas as he called after him. Remus continued his hasty retreat, somehow managing to arrive at his mother's house in half the time it normally would have taken him.

Word Count: 3382

Ta-Da! Chapter one of my very first soulmate story is complete!

This is not finished yet, but I do have quite a bit written and I am actually actively working on this story, so hopefully it won't take me too long to get it all nice and updated for you.

Please review!