Advent Gift!Fic for: Liza
Scenario: My mother said I needed hobbies and I'm not big on sports so I joined this embroidery class and you're weirdly passionate about this and I didn't know my type included 60 year old grandmothers stuck in teenager bodies but apparently it does because at this point this class is my favourite part of the week. (This is only for Wolfstar, and it'd need to be Remus joining the class and Sirius already there)
Word Count: 3539
Sixty Year Old Grannies In Sexy Bodies
"Remus, can I come in, darling?" his mother requested, knocking quietly on his door.
The teenager sighed and placed his book to one side. He already knew what was coming. His mother had the same conversation with him at least once a week now.
"Sure you can Mum," Remus answered, shifting himself into a seated position.
His door opened with a creek; Remus smiled at his mother as she made her way over and sat down next to him on his bed.
"Remus, you've been spending an awful lot of time in your room recently," his mother began, not beating around the bush as she had been the last few times they'd had this talk. "Don't you ever want to go out and do something?"
"I'm perfectly content with my books," Remus answered, holding up his battered copy of The Hobbit.
"That's all well and good, Remus, but there's more to life than just books," Hope told him, offering her only son a smile. "Have you ever thought about taking up a hobby? Like cricket or football?"
"Mum, you know I suck at sports," Remus told her.
"It doesn't have to be a sport, it could be anything you like," she said. "And I'm not going to take an 'I'll think about it' for an answer this time. You can't spend all your time in a fictional world in your bedroom. You need to get out there and spend time with people your own age."
Seeing the look on his mother's face and realising she was completely serious, Remus nodded in agreement. "Okay, I'll see what the local community centre has to offer in the morning. Can I get back to my book now?"
"Of course you can, dear," Hope said. "Dinner will be ready in about half an hour."
~o~o~o~
True to his word, the next day Remus made his way to the local community centre. The smile that graced his mother's face as he grabbed his coat and left made whatever torturous activity he signed himself up to do more than worth it.
He lowered his head as he walked inside, avoiding eye contact with everyone around him and made his way over to the activity board. He scanned it, noticing that almost every activity there seemed completely unappealing to him. And, it wouldn't come as a surprise to him to find someone from his school at the ones which seemed mildly interesting.
Mondays
Toddler Group: 9am to 10am - Open to all, no sign ups required
Chess: 3pm to 4pm
Line Dancing: 4pm to 6pm
Spanish for beginners: 6pm to 8pm
Tuesdays
Coffee Morning: 9am to 10am - Open to all, no sign ups required
Weight Watchers: 3pm to 4pm - Open to all, no sign ups required
First Aid: 4pm to 6pm - Sign up in advance
Alcoholics Anonymous: 6pm to 7:30pm - Open to all, no sign ups required
Wednesdays
Computers for beginners: 9am to 10:30am - Sign up in advance
Intermediate French: 11am to 12pm - Sign up in advance
Zumba: 3pm to 4pm - Sign up in advance
Cheerleading: 4pm to 6pm - Sign up in advance
Grief Support: 6pm to 7:30pm - Open to all, no sign ups required
Thursdays:
Intermediate Spanish: 9am to 10am - Sign up in advance
Pilates: 3pm to 4pm - Sign up in advance
School of Rock: 4pm to 6pm - Sign up in advance
Dog Obedience School: 6pm to 8pm - Sign up in advance
Fridays:
Tai Chi: 3pm to 4pm - Sign up in advance
Embroidery: 4pm to 6pm - Open to all, no sign ups required
French for beginners: 8pm to 9pm - Sign up in advance
Remus paused as his eyes rested on the word embroidery; he couldn't imagine anyone his age being there, or anyone from school. It would probably be full of old ladies. And strange as it sounded, Remus had always wanted to give embroidery a chance.
He briefly looked over his shoulder to make sure no one from his school was lurking in the shadows, before picking up a leaflet, shoving into his pocket and exiting the community centre.
~o~o~o~
"So, Remus, how was your trip to the community centre this afternoon?" his mother asked as they sat down to dinner that evening. "Did you sign up for any activities?"
Remus took in the hopeful look on his mother's face. He knew she was hoping he had signed up for an activity where he would be surrounded by people his own age. She would probably be disappointed if he told her he had signed up for embroidery.
"Yes, I signed up for School of Rock," Remus lied, knowing the truth would only hurt his mother. "It's on a Friday at 4pm so I can go straight there from school."
"That sounds great, darling," Hope said as she cut up her chicken. "You'll have to tell me all about it, and I can't wait to hear about all the new friends I just know you're going to make. Perhaps you could even invite them round for tea one day?"
"Mum, let's not get ahead of ourselves," Remus chuckled. "I haven't attended a session yet. Can we wait a few weeks before you start trying to invite everyone round?"
"Of course, dear," Hope said, smiling, before changing the subject. "Have you done all your homework for tomorrow?"
Remus nodded his head, remembering just how much of a pain it had been to get his essay for History completed. His teacher had given them all five sources to analyse and incorporate the connotations of into an essay about Women's Suffrage.
"Excellent," Hope commented. "Well, once you've done the washing up, you can watch what you like on the television, or you can finish your book… even if you have read it a thousand times."
~o~o~o~
The following week passed by in a blur and soon it was Friday. Nothing of note had happened through the week aside from a new student starting in his year. Remus hadn't met him yet, but he had caught a glimpse of the back of his head as he passed the Mathematics classroom earlier that day. Rumour had it that the new kid had been expelled from his last school. Each and every story relating to his expulsion differed; some people said he had been dealing drugs, whilst others said he had caused extensive damage to school property.
Remus wasn't quite sure what he believed, but he knew he wasn't about to go judging this new kid based on a few unsubstantiated rumours. The odds were their paths would never even cross so why should he spend his time thinking about him?
With that thought in mind, Remus hitched his rucksack back onto his shoulder and made his way into the community centre.
A quick glance at the clock behind the desk told him that he was already ten minutes late for the start of his class. He internally cussed his form tutor for keeping him back to talk about his slipping grades, and in the process ruining his hopes of slipping in unnoticed and sitting near the back where he could read his book if he got bored. Thank you Mr Slughorn… you pervy git, Remus thought bitterly.
"Excuse me, would it be okay if I slipped into the embroidery class?" Remus asked quietly.
The young woman behind the desk glanced up from her magazine and looked Remus up and down, a smirk forming on her lips.
"Sure, go right through," she said in a nasally voice. "You will have to stay back after the class has ended to pay Mrs Sprout."
Remus nodded his head, walked past the desk and down the small, narrow corridor. He reached the white door at the end and paused outside, wondering what the best way to go about this would be. Should he knock? Or just slip in?
"You can come in, dear," a voice called from the other side of the door.
Remus glanced up, looked through the narrow, rectangular window and saw a kindly old woman smiling warmly at him, beckoning him to come inside.
He placed his hand on the door hand and pushed it open.
"Hi," he said quietly. "Sorry I'm a bit late."
"No worries, dear," the woman, Remus assumed was Mrs Sprout said. "Why don't you go and take a seat next to Sirius? You look about the same age as him, and I'm sure you'd rather be sat with someone you share common interests with than one us old ladies."
The woman chuckled quietly at her own joke as she pointed him in the direction of a dark haired boy with the most captivating stormy grey eyes. No sooner had Remus offered the boy a small smile, he had lowered his head and covered the side of it with his hand… almost as though he would rather be anywhere else but there.
"Hi, I'm Remus," he said as he took the seat next to the boy. "You're Sirius, right?"
"That's what the woman said, isn't it?" he replied, refusing to look at Remus and turning so all he could see was the back of his head… and it was a vaguely familiar sight.
"Do I know you?" Remus asked. "I feel like I've seen you somewhere before. Do you go to St. Wilfred's?"
Sirius' head snapped towards him. "How—don't you dare tell anyone you saw me here," he said fiercely.
"My lips are sealed," Remus promised, placing his forefinger and thumb together, raising them to his mouth and 'zipping' his lips shut. "So what's the deal? Why don't you—wait, never mind, I wouldn't want anyone to know I was here either."
The edges of Sirius lips twitched and Remus smiled.
That first class passed too quickly for Remus' liking, and all too soon the hour was over. He had enjoyed Sirius' company immensely and found that they shared so many common interests, the most important of which being: they both shipped Barduil.
To his complete and utter amazement, Sirius had a talent for embroidery and whenever Remus had asked him a question he received the most passionate responses. Sirius' eyes completely lit up as he spoke about the best technique for embroidering the t-shirts.
At one point, Sirius had stood behind him and placed both of his hands on his, and guided them in the 'correct' embroidering method whilst he whispered in his ear. Sirius' breath had been so warm on his neck, his voice silky smooth, but Remus hadn't registered a word he said. He had been too focused on the feeling of Sirius' hands on his as his mind drifted to other places he would like to feel those hands.
"Which way are you heading?" Remus asked as they exited the community centre, hoping to spend a little more time with Sirius.
"I'm this way," Sirius answered, pointing to the left.
"So am I," Remus replied with a smile, wanting nothing more than to take the other boy's hand in his own as they turned the corner.
On the journey home, Remus discovered that Sirius' expulsion had nothing to do with anything he had done, and everything to do with his crazy cousin attempting to blow up the gymnasium. To his surprise though, Sirius explained that he was happy to be as far away as possible from her and was glad when the head teacher had excluded him. It had been "the best thing that ever happened" to him.
All too soon, they reached the point where they had to part ways with each other, and Remus found that he didn't want to leave him now; he feared that if they parted, he would wake up tomorrow and discover it had all been a dream.
Remus shoved his hands into his pockets and rocked back and forth.
"I had so much more fun at embroidery class than I thought I would," he said, breaking the silence that had fallen between the two of them. "I thought I would simply sit at the back of the room and read my book if I got bored."
"You never told me why you came," Sirius murmured.
"My mum," Remus said quietly. "Ever since dad passed away, she has been pestering me to go out and get a hobby. She seems to think I spend too much time reading."
"Oh, Remus," Sirius whispered sadly. "I'm so sorry."
"We knew it was coming," Remus said, wiping away his tears with his sleeve. "Dad was ill for a long time before he passed. Mum thinks I stopped socialising and spending time with people my own age around that time to help care for Dad."
Remus felt two strong arms wrap around him, and he buried his face in the crook of the other boy's neck as the tears began to flow thick and fast. He hadn't cried this much since the day his father died over six months ago.
~o~o~o~
As time passed by, embroidery class quickly became the highlight of Remus' week, mostly because he would get to spend time with Sirius. In school, they acted like perfect strangers; they didn't share any classes together and their lunch periods never seemed to be at the same time.
Remus knew he was falling hard and fast for Sirius Black, which was strange to him because he never thought his type included sixty year old grandmothers stuck in teenager bodies… no matter how gorgeous they were.
Soon, Christmas was just around the corner and Remus knew exactly what he wanted to get for Sirius. For the weeks leading up to the time of year, he had been saving up all his earnings from his part-time job at a store in town which specialised in selling cardigans, and he had finally earned enough to buy what he needed.
With a skip in his step, he walked into a store one town over which sold quality, second hand embroidery machines. He wished he had enough to buy a brand new one, but they cost over two hundred pounds each and it took him over three months to earn even close to that.
"Excuse me, Ma'am," Remus said to the woman at the counter. "My name is Remus Lupin. I'm here to buy an embroidery machine. I believe you have some in stock."
"Shopping for your mother, are you?" she asked, smiling at him kindly.
Remus nodded his head, not quite willing to admit that it was for him or what he intended to do with it. Whilst society had progressed a long way, he knew that there were many people who were prejudiced and he wasn't quite sure he wanted to endure that at moment.
"Well, lucky for you, I have the perfect selection," she told him. "Follow me."
The woman walked out from behind the counter and led him over to the shelving at the right hand side of the store, and began to explain the pros of each embroidery machine they had in stock. Remus listened eagerly, hoping to discover which one would be the best for his intended purpose.
~o~o~o~
It was the last class on the year before the community centre closed for two weeks over the Christmas break - only staying open for the support groups they ran.
Remus felt as though he was carrying a tonne of bricks in his rucksack as he walked through the doors. His stomach felt as though it had been twisted into knots. The nerves he was feeling building as he caught sight of Sirius leant against the wall by the door.
What if he didn't like his gift?
What if it was too much?
What if Sirius realised the meaning behind it and didn't want anything more to do with him?
Remus didn't think he could cope if that happened. Maybe giving Sirius this gift was a bad idea.
"Hey, Remus," Sirius said, greeting him with a brief hug. "Can you believe it's Christmas next week?"
Remus shook his head as he grabbed the handle and pushed the door open. "No, I can't."
"How are you holding up?" Sirius asked, following him through the door. "I know this is going to be the first one without…"
"Mum's putting on a brave face, but I know she's hurting," Remus replied, taking his usual seat at the back of the room.
"And you?" Sirius pressed, sitting down next to Remus and placing his hand on top of his.
"As well as can be expected," Remus answered, smiling as he looked down at their joined hands. "Enough about me. How about you? Are you all set for Christmas?"
Remus removed his hand from beneath Sirius', immediately missing the warmth of his touch.
"More or less," Sirius replied. "Christmas is more of endurance than a celebration for me. You know what my family is like. I would give anything to be anywhere else."
"You should come to mine," Remus said quickly, instantly regretting his words. "You know… if you want to. You don't have to. I just mean that, Mum won't mind one extra for dinner."
"Are—are you sure?" Sirius asked, his face seeming to light up like a Christmas tree.
"Yeah, if you want," Remus replied, noticing the teacher entering the room out of the corner of his eye.
"I'd love that," Sirius told him. "You know… so long as your mum really doesn't mind."
"She won't," Remus informed him with a smile, before turning his attention to Mrs Sprout and deciding he would wait until Christmas Day to give Sirius his present.
~o~o~o~
"Remus, can you go and get the door please?" Hope called from the kitchen as she checked on the turkey. "That must be your friend from The School of Rock class you've been going on about."
"Sure, I can," she heard Remus answer.
Hope smiled to herself as she heard her son get up, walk to the door and begin talking animatedly to his new friend. It warmed her heart to know that he was finally socialising with people his own age again… even if he wasn't being completely honest with her about where they had met.
She pulled the turkey out of the oven and basted it, before placing it back in for another half an hour.
"Who's ready to exchange presents?" she asked, walking into the living room where she found the two boys laughing. "The turkey won't be ready for a while yet."
Remus and Sirius glanced up at her with broad grins on their faces as they nodded their heads. Hope noticed that her son looked happier than he had been in months, and it was all thanks to the boy next to him.
"Sirius first, I think," Hope said, reaching under the tree and pulling out a small box for him. "This is just a little thank you for all you have done for my son."
"Mrs Lupin, this is too much," Sirius whispered.
"I will hear none of that. You put a smile back on my beautiful son's face," Hope told him. "And we'll have less of the Mrs Lupin nonsense. You can call me Hope. Now open it."
She smiled brightly at the dark haired boy as he tore the wrapping paper off, revealing a mint in box Mr Spock.
"Thank you, Mrs—" Hope raised her eyebrows at Sirius. "Thank you, Hope. You really didn't have to."
"Remus mentioned you have a fondness for collecting Star Trek memorabilia," Hope said. "I was passing by a second hand store when I saw it, and I immediately thought of you."
"It's great. Thank you."
"Remus, do you want to give Sirius your present?" Hope asked, eager to know what her son had been working so hard on over the last few weeks.
Remus reached under the tree and passed his present to Sirius. "I hope you like it," he mumbled.
"I'm sure he will love it," Hope told him.
"So am I," Sirius said, tearing the wrapping paper off.
There was an audible gasp as Sirius pulled out a black leather jacket and held it up.
"Remus, I love it!" Sirius exclaimed, turning it around in his hands and seeing a large embroidered 'S' on the back. "And… did you do this embroidery?"
Hope noticed how shyly and subtly her son nodded; she realised he was hoping that she wouldn't notice.
"It's wonderful, sweetheart," Hope commented, offering her son a smile.
"It really is," agreed Sirius, leaning forward and kissing her son on the cheek.
Hope pressed her lips tightly together to hide her growing smile whilst her son blushed a deep crimson.
"I'm just going to check on the turkey," Hope said, standing up and hurrying to the kitchen to give the two boys some 'alone time'.
She closed the kitchen door but left it open a crack to watch them interact. She watched them converse quietly, and the innocent touches they exchanged as they subconsciously leaned closer to one another until they finally kissed.
Hope closed the door fully, back away from it, and started jumping up and down on the spot.
"Lyall, our son is happy," she said quietly when she had calmed down. "And he is in love."