Disclaimer - I own nothing you recognise.
Challenges listed at the bottom.
Word Count - 3555
Beta'd by Grandma
Written for Liza, for GGE18. Must be a full moon, since I fluffed :D Enjoy!
On A Wing and A Prayer
The gates of the cell clanged together loudly and the guard looked smug as he locked it, never taking his eyes away from Sirius'. Sirius was left alone in the cell, a threadbare blanket his only companion.
He wasn't supposed to be here.
He hadn't done anything wrong.
…
"You're out, Black."
Sirius looked up at the guard, raising his eyebrow. "Out where exactly?"
"Out of here. Judge has called for immediate release. Seems you've got a guardian angel."
"Oh, someone finally did their job and worked out I'm not actually guilty, did they?" Sirius asked, sitting up slowly. He wasn't quite sure he trusted the prison guard to be telling the truth.
The guards were as horrible as the other prisoners.
He stood up, gathering the few meagre belongings he'd managed to collect during his time in the cell and moved to the gate as the guard pushed it open. As they walked past the other cells, prisoners called out, jeering and cruel with their words.
Sirius ignored them as he'd done since his arrival. They weren't worth his time, and he wouldn't give them the satisfaction of showing fear or anger.
He was led through many a locked gate until the were finally in the main office, through which Sirius had been brought on his arrival.
The guard on the desk went through a host of procedures and questions, and had Sirius sign line after line of paperwork.
Eventually, he was buzzed out of the building into the sunny street.
Free. He was free.
Sirius laughed, a slightly maniacal laugh as it dawned on him that he was actually free. He'd given up hope of anyone finding proof that he'd been set up, so the freedom tasted extra sweet.
With nowhere else to go, he started the long walk back to Grimmauld Place and the townhouse he'd grown up in.
It was like swapping one prison for another in a way, he mused to himself as he walked. But then, at least in the prison he'd grown up in, he could escape occasionally. That was better than nothing.
…
"What are you doing here?"
Sirius blinked. "They didn't tell you that they found proof of my innocence?"
"We got a phone call," his mother replied, rolling her eyes. "That doesn't answer the question, Sirius. What are you doing here?"
"Where else was I going to go?"
"Well you can't stay! Dear Lord, boy, I thought you were bright! No worthy, well bred Omega will touch you now, and no son of mine will settle for a Beta. Plus, we can't have you tainting Regulus. You're going to have to leave, Sirius."
"You can't just throw me out!" Sirius shouted, disbelief colouring his words. "What the hell am I supposed to do?"
"You're an Alpha, and you're not unattractive," Walburga shrugged. "You'll work it out. You've an hour to get your stuff, and then I want you out. And don't let the neighbours see you either."
She left Sirius alone in the hallway gaping after her.
What the hell was he supposed to do now?
…
The small amount of money Sirius had been able to scavenge from the house before he left had kept him in a hotel room with small meals for almost three weeks. He had to admit that, no matter what he'd always believed of himself, he didn't have the first clue about going it alone.
When he was down to his last few notes, he bought a warmer coat from a charity shop on the high street, along with a wool hat, scarf and gloves. If he was going to be on the streets, he'd at least make sure he was warm.
He walked for miles, searching for a place he could hole up and stay safe. He knew that the homeless community in London could be territorial, and he really didn't relish the idea of fighting for a doorway for the night.
He managed to get to the outskirts of Chelsea before night really fell and thankfully found a small alcove to try and get a little rest.
That was the first night Sirius cried for himself. It wasn't the last.
…
"Padfoot, stop pulling!"
Sirius looked up, smiling when he saw a large black dog tugging on it's lead. He loved dogs, he loved all animals really, but dogs especially.
Holding the lead was a pretty redhead. She was clearly very pregnant, and he winced when 'Padfoot' gave a harder tug and the leash slipped from her hand.
"Padfoot," she cried out angrily. One hand on her sizable bump, she tried to run after him. Sirius dithered over if he should help. On one hand, the lady clearly needed it, but on another, he knew how he looked.
Unkempt and probably dangerous to the Omega.
When she cried out in pain, leaning over with both of her hands on her bump, Sirius made his decision. Whistling loudly for the dog, he grinned when it bounded over, leaping up at Sirius and licking his face.
Sirius got a tight hold on the leash and slowly approached the woman.
"Are you okay, Miss?"
"I… thank you for that," she murmured, panting. "I'm fine, I should have known better than to try and take the beast for a walk alone."
Sirius smiled down at the dog, who was now sitting between them, docile, his lead still in Sirius' firm grip.
"Do you have someone you can call to meet you. I don't feel right letting you try and walk off with him yourself. I'd hate to see you be hurt."
The woman smiled at him and nodded. "My husband, James. Oh. I'm Lily, by the way."
"Sirius."
Sirius nodded to an empty bench. "Can you make it to that bench?" he asked, gesturing with his hand without touching her. She nodded again and slowly walked over to the bench, sighing in relief when she was sitting comfortably.
"You can just tie him to the bench," she offered. "Thank you so much for your help."
Sirius nodded and did as she asked, offering her a small smile before he walked away. He could hear Padfoot yapping behind him, but he didn't look back. Instead, he returned to the statue he'd been sitting against.
It wasn't like he had any plans to get back too.
"Padfoot!"
That was all the warning Sirius got before he was being pounced on by the playful dog. He laughed, wrestling with the animal for a few moments before he calmed him down and looked up to see Lily watching with a smile on her face. He shrugged to her.
He was quite happy to keep the dog occupied for her.
He played with Padfoot until he looked up and saw a familiar looking dark haired man sitting on the bench with Lily, his hand rubbing her back as they talked. Tugging on the lead, he got to his feet and ambled back to the bench.
He offered the man the lead, eyeing him curiously. He thought he knew the man, but he couldn't quite place him.
"Sirius? Sirius Black?"
Sirius nodded slowly. "You… have me at a disadvantage, I'm afraid," he admitted.
"James Potter," the man introduced himself with a wide smile. He held his hand out for Sirius to shake. "We met at one of those god-awful high society parties when we were about sixteen."
"Right," Sirius said, nodding. "Sorry, those things all tended blur into each other, they were so terrible. Oh. Oh! We… oh, we got drunk and puked in the Prime Minister's bowler hat!"
James laughed heartily. "We did indeed. I tried to call your house a couple of times to arrange a night out but your mother didn't take kindly to our antics, and she's a formidable woman."
"She's something alright," Sirius replied darkly. He still had scars from the day after that particular party. Not that he regretted it of course. That had been one of the most fun nights Sirius had ever had.
"Well, it was good to see you," he murmured, before glancing at Lily. "I hope the rest of your pregnancy goes well, ma'am."
"You should come back with us, eat, catch up," James offered. "As thanks for helping my pretty little Lily-flower."
Sirius blinked when the Omega hit James soundly in the chest, making the Alpha wince.
"You don't have to do that," Sirius muttered. He couldn't take the embarrassment of being fed and watered out of pity.
"But we want to, so," James trailed off with a shrug.
Sirius hesitated. Padfoot chose that moment to bark and leap up at Sirius, his paws scrambling for purchase on Sirius' coat. Sirius grinned down at him and chuckled, stroking his head gently, before he nodded slowly. "Okay. Thanks."
…
There was no other word for James and Lily's home but adorable. It even had ivy trailing the walls around the front door. This was the kind of home that Sirius had always dreamed of having himself.
As they entered the hallway, Sirius caught a sweet scent lingering. It smelled like an Omega, but it was sweeter than Lily's scent, and somehow more pungent than James' strong Alpha scent.
Knowing it must be one of their friends or relatives, Sirius tried to shake it off, but it got stronger the further into the house he went, until they reached the kitchen.
At the table was a man reading a book, his hand wrapped around a steaming mug. Sirius could only stare as Lily and James greeted the person happily.
"Sirius, this is Remus," James said, waving a hand between them. Remus, Sirius."
"Nice to meet you," Remus murmured, offering his hand shyly. Sirius continued staring until Remus moved to lower his hand uncertainly. Realising how rude he was being, Sirius moved forward, capturing Remus' small hand in his own larger one before he could drop it to his side.
"The pleasure is mine," Sirius replied honestly. The sweet scent in the hallway was almost certainly coming off the man, and as strong as it was, Sirius was somewhat surprised to find it wasn't cloying.
It was comforting, almost like… home should smell, Sirius thought.
"Sit, sit," James said, waving Lily into a seat and then Sirius. "Remus, did you bring one of those chocolate cakes with you?"
"Of course I did," Remus replied, turning to grin at Lily. "No meal is complete without chocolate cake."
"Good man. How about you entertain our guest while I get the cooking going?"
Remus nodded, turning back to Sirius. Sirius almost shied away from the look Remus gave him. He hated that he'd met someone that smelled better than any before had to see him looking like he did.
He wished he could have met Remus before. When he was still the heir to the Black Lordship, when he was still a someone, when he had the means and opportunity to court Remus the way he surely deserved.
Remus stared at him for an uncomfortably long time, looking at him as though he was a puzzle waiting to be solved. Eventually, Lily cleared her throat and Remus started to make small talk.
Sirius thought he almost preferred the staring.
…
"So, how did… this come about?" James asked, once they'd finished eating the absolutely glorious pasta feast he'd cooked up. An accompanying wave of his hand at Sirius' attire cleared up what he was talking about.
Sirius swallowed hard.
"You heard about Marlene McKinnon being murdered?"
James nodded, frowning. "Yes, they arrested the wrong person -" He cut himself off. "No. Really? That arrested you for that?"
Sirius nodded. "They did. I.. they locked me up for almost twelve weeks before they found evidence that pointed to the real murderer. When I got home… you said earlier that my mother is a formidable woman? You don't know the half of it."
"Your parents threw you out, even though you were innocent?" Remus asked, frowning. "That's ludicrous! Where's the justice in that?"
"You're not from the same background as us, are you?" Sirius asked wryly. "My mother cares only for the best connections, and how she could use me to make them. Once I was 'ruined', she wasn't interested in me any longer."
Remus shook his head. "That's barbaric."
"You're not wrong," Lily agreed softly. "So you've been living rough since then, Sirius?"
"I had enough money for a few weeks in a hotel, but yeah. It's… it could be worse."
"You… you could stay here for a while?" James offered tentatively. "We have a spare room and-"
Sirius cut him off by shaking his head. "Really, thank you but I can't do that. You're about to be a family and… I won't ruin that."
"You wouldn't ruin it," Lily argued.
Sirius smiled at her. "You're going to need time together, just the three of you. Really, I'm okay. I'll get myself together one way or another."
Neither Lily or James looked happy, but they accepted his refusal.
"I should go," Sirius said after a long moment. "Thank you so much for dinner, it was delicious."
"Come back and see us," Lily demanded softly. "Anytime."
"Thanks," Sirius grinned. "No more walking that daft dog alone until you have the pup, okay?"
Sirius offered Remus a quiet goodbye and stood up to leave, James following him out. When they reached the door, James stopped him.
"This isn't charity, and it isn't pity," he murmured, holding an envelope out. "But my Lily really likes you, and you helped her today, without expectation. There aren't many Alphas that will do that these days."
Sirius eyed the envelope suspiciously.
"Seriously, take it," James muttered, rolling his eyes and shoving it into the pocket of Sirius' coat when he still didn't take it. "Look after yourself, and don't forget about us, okay? Come back and see us."
He reached out and squeezed Sirius' shoulder.
"I… thanks."
"Anytime."
…
It felt colder than it usually did it at night. Sirius thought it was the effect of leaving a nice, warm home, but whatever it was, it made him pull the zip further up on his coat, pulling it up around his neck.
Every step away from the house was harder to take. It was like something was pulling him back. The feeling started easing when Sirius heard a voice calling up the dark street.
"Sirius! Sirius, wait!"
Sirius turned, surprised to see Remus jogging up behind him, panting from exertion. He stopped and waited for the man to catch his breath, letting his sense fill up on his delicious scent, stronger as his blood pumped faster.
"You, uh, you should come stay with me," Remus finally managed to say, his hand still resting on his chest. "I just have a flat, and you'll be on the sofa, but it's better than wherever you're staying now, right? And I don't have a pup on the way so you don't really have any excuse."
"I…" Sirius shook his head. "I can't ask you to do that."
"Well, it's a good job you're not asking then, isn't it?" Remus replied airily. "I'm offering. Let's go, it's not too far from here."
Remus walked off, leaving Sirius to trail behind him like a puppy.
…
Living with Remus was an experience.
Sirius, though he knew it must, never wanted it to end. In the small flat, he was surrounded by Remus' scent, and even better than that, they often ended the night cuddled on the small sofa for warmth while they watched movies.
They huddled under the red and blue woolen blankets Remus had given Sirius for the sofa and laughed at the terrible nighttime movies on tv.
It was practically perfect.
Except Sirius knew he couldn't keep it. The money that James had given him was enough for a deposit on a small flat, and Sirius had been looking.
He just… hadn't been looking that hard. Remus seemed to enjoy his company just as much as Sirius enjoyed being around Remus though, so Sirius didn't feel too guilty.
They settled in to watch Titanic, each of them reciting some of the more popular lines from the movie. Sirius reached over to grab a bag of crisps just as Remus sat up and they met in the middle, almost nose to nose.
Sirius hesitated, but he knew he hadn't been reading the signals wrong. He pressed their lips together gently, the kiss chaste and almost innocent.
Remus kissed him back, one of his hands snaking up into Sirius' locks.
Internally preening with pride, Sirius deepened the kiss, letting himself get lost in the taste of the Omega. His hand skirted around the Remus' back, tugging at his shirt. The movement seemed to wake Remus up and he pulled back.
"I can't."
Sirius let go of him immediately, but he stayed close. Remus looked… well. He didn't look alright.
"What's wrong?"
"I'm not… I'm not what you want. I'm not good for you," Remus stuttered out, recoiling into the corner of the sofa. Sirius could only be grateful that he didn't run away entirely.
"Can you, I mean, I beg to differ. You're exactly what I want. I… don't understand, Remus."
Remus sighed. "When I was younger, my dad, he angered a man that worked in the Scientology department at the local university. He was one of those radical scientists that thought if he could understand the Omega gene, he could recreate it. I don't know what exactly happened, but I was supposed to be in one of the studies of the Omega gene and. Well. The man, Fenrir Greyback, he injected me with something.
"Nobody knows what it was that he injected me with, but there has been so many attempts to reverse it and nothing has worked."
"What… what did it do?"
"From what he said when he was on trial, it was supposed to make me a Beta. Ordinary, you know? It was Greyback's greatest fear, to be ordinary and unknown, so he tried to do that to me. Except it didn't work. I'm still an Omega. Sort of. I can't… I don't have heats. And I can't carry pups. But I still draw Alphas the way Omegas do."
Sirius shook his head, reaching out to gently stroke Remus' hair from his face. "None of that stops me from wanting you, Remus."
"I'm scared," Remus whispered.
"Of what?"
"You. You make me feel things. I can't… Sirius, I can't give you anything. He made me an abomination. I shouldn't exist."
"Hey. You're not an abomination," Sirius comforted. "Not even close. You're the kindest, most sweet and sincere man I've ever met, and honestly Remus, I'd be honoured to call you mine."
"What can I offer you?" Remus asked sadly, shaking his head.
"You listen to me," Sirius demanded, using a gentle hand on Remus' chin to keep their eyes locked. "You gave me a home when nobody else would have. I know James and Lily offered me a place in their guest room before you say that, and it was amazing of them, but you gave me a home. A place I could be myself. I'm free here with you, Remus, and I love to be free. No expectations, no demands. Just… the safety of knowing you're there, with me. You offer me a life I could never have expected."
"And when you want pups?"
"Remus, you matter, and your voice matters, you know? Do you want pups? I'd be the happiest man if you gave me you, but there's always ways to have pups. Adoption, surrogacy, whatever. I'd still want you even if Greyback's shitty plan had worked. It isn't that you're an Omega that I like, it's you."
"I don't deserve you," Remus protested, but it was weak, and Sirius could see the longing in his eyes.
"How about you let me be the judge of that, hmm?"
…
"Prongslet!" Sirius cried happily, holding his arms out for the squirming baby in Lily's arms.
Harry, Lily and James' eleven month old son, held his arms out for Sirius immediately, squealing when Sirius spun him around.
Remus rolled his eyes at Sirius' antics and passed him to press a soft kiss to Lily's cheek. "Where's James?"
"Cooking," Lily replied, nodding her head to the kitchen. "Pasta feast, the same as last year."
"It's an anniversary!" James called from the kitchen.
"It's not our anniversary for nearly a month, James," Remus called back. "You're early."
James entered the room, a towel over his shoulder and pasta sauce on his shirt. "I didn't mean you two," he replied, rolling his eyes with a grin. "It's Sirius and I's best friend anniversary. Stop trying to butt in on it, oh my god, you don't own him!"
"Actually, he does," Sirius said, leaning over to press a kiss to Remus' lips. "But I'm sure he'll share me for one night, since pasta is involved."
"Uh huh," James replied. "Did you bring chocolate cake?"
"Of course I did. No meal is complete without chocolate cake!"
Sirius looked around at his makeshift family and grinned so wide it hurt his cheeks. He'd never believed he could be this happy, but whatever he'd done to make it happen, he could only pray that he kept on doing it.
Also Written for;
Character Appreciation - 21. Eldest Son
Disney - T4. Someone overcoming hardship
Lizzy's Loft - 6. Write about a dog lover
Book Club - April - Justice / Radical / "You matter, and your voice matters."
Showtime - 6. Red
Amber's attic - 15. A romance with a happy ending.
Lyric Alley - 15. "I'm free and I love to be free."
Ami's Audio - 12. Statue
Emy's Emporium - 1. Comfort
Angel's Arcade - 9. Ripper Roo - Abomination / Blue / Dog
Build a Zoo - Bear Enclosure - Finding a place to stay / Marauders / Together
Fantastic Beasts - 9. Mermaid - Pretty / 22. Bosnia and Herzegovina - Romance
Marauders Map - 193. Omegaverse / 216. Ludicrous
Princess Day - White - Animal Lover
Around the Board - 3. A member of the Black Family
Days Of The Year - 49. World Kindness Day - Someone being kind
Autumn - "I'm scared." / "Of what?" / "You."
Element - Gemini - RemusSirius