Meetcute: Person A is a superhero and is in love with their superhero partner/sidekick/nemesis, Person B. (optional: But Person B rejects them since they have a crush on Person A's civilian-self and neither of them knows who the other is at first.)
Assignment 3 - Mythology - Write about someone making a wise decision
Gobstones - Orange stone: injustice, Accuracy - (emotion) scared, Power - (word) express, Technique - (trait) loner
Snake Challenge - California King Snake: Superhero
Scavenger Hunt - Write a fic featuring the item: The mirror of Erised
Library Lovers - The Supernaturalist: "In comic books, people with gifts become superheroes; in real life they become outcasts." Developing a new ability. (word) ditto
Disney Challenge - Word set: Hypnotised/short/happy
Book club - (word) outcast, (emotion) jealousy, (action) betraying someone
Character Appreciation - (word) family
Showtime - "It's clear we deserve each other."
Days of the Month - Write a fic featuring two or more Order members
Count Your Buttons - Take Us Home - Alan Doyle, "You can't hide forever." Character: Minerva, word: fruit
Lyric Alley - The weight's off my shoulders
A Year in Entertainment - (object) cane
Liza's Loves - Write about someone in a hospital ward
1000 - Shapeshifter!AU
365 - Superhero!AU
A collection of 28 meet cutes for February
Six
Meet Cute Marathon - Prompt:
Person A is a superhero and is in love with their superhero partner/sidekick/nemesis, Person B. (optional: But Person B rejects them since they have a crush on Person A's civilian-self and neither of them knows who the other is at first.)
As a child, Sirius knew the Mirror was an important item to his family. His parents - infamous for their deeds - practically worshipped the item. When they looked into it, it told them what they wanted to steal next. It told them how. The Mirror of Erised (or the mirror that reflected desire) showed what you wanted and his parents wanted to become the greatest villains in the world.
At thirteen, Sirius' powers finally manifested themselves. His parents had brought him up, telling him that his powers would be great. Just like Orion and Walburga, his powers would compliment someone else's, leading him to find his sidekick or partner - just like his parents found each other.
But with his powers - well, the first power to appear, came disappointment. Instead of something he found awesome, Sirius' power was to disable that of other people's powers. Living in a house with two super-villains and his younger brother whose powers were soon to be manifesting, this was a very unwelcome power and his parents made sure to tell him whenever they could.
Their powers were useless whilst Sirius was there, and as his seventeenth birthday approached, his father approached him with a large amount of money and a request never to see him again - for him to stay away from them. Sirius reluctantly took it - the reluctance was because he didn't want to leave.
There was no reluctance when he took the mirror with him.
...oOo...
"We've been watching you, you know."
Sirius spun around, his eyes falling on the man standing, waiting to have his order taken.
"I'm sorry, I don't understand," he replied. "What would you like today?"
"Two teas, two pieces of whatever cake you like and ten minutes of your time."
Oh. The guy probably thought he had a chance. Sirius would let him down gently. "Just ten minutes," he replied. He glanced at the other girl working with him. "Kayleigh, can you cover so I can take my break in a few?"
She nodded her head, moving to the counter to ring up the order as Sirius went to get the teas ready. It didn't take him long to pick out some banana bread that had been tempting him for the last two hours and a couple of pieces of fruit from the bowl, and he headed over to the table in the back corner.
"I'm James," the man said, his eyes following Sirius' movements as Sirius sat down and lifted each cup from the tray, followed by the plates with cake. "It's nice to finally meet you, Sirius."
"You know my name," Sirius said, frowning slightly. "How?"
"I've been watching you. For a few months. This isn't a social call unfortunately, though it is good to meet you. A relief really… "
Sirius leaned back, his gaze narrowing as he took the man in. "So it's business. Clearly not about my job here so it's about… my parents."
"No. Actually, it's all about you."
"Liar," Sirius sighed. "Whenever you people look for me, it's about my parents. Do I want to tell you all their secrets? Do I know where their latest lair is?" He rolled his eyes. "This is getting old. I'm trying to make a life for myself - trying to reinvent myself and each time, someone thinks it's okay to disrupt my life because of someone I'm unfortunate enough to be related to."
James smiled. "It's not like that," he replied. "In fact, I'm glad you're reacting this way. I was worried when reading our report on you - I considered you could be like your parents."
"Yeah? Well, I'm nothing like them," Sirius said. "Get to the point, James, what do you want?"
James reached for his tea, taking a sip out of it, before setting the cup back down. "You haven't chosen a side."
"Like I said, I'm reinventing myself," Sirius replied. "I don't need to choose a side because I'm useless in your world. In mine, I go to college and I'll get a good job. I can make something of myself out here."
James nodded. "That's understandable. A lot of heroes and villains go and do their own thing - they want out of this life. But I was tasked in meeting with you. You didn't respond well to other other agents."
"You mean Snivellous?" Sirius said with a snort. "That greasy-haired bat came to my last job acting like he was better than me."
"From what the report said, you managed to disable his power for six months."
"It's the most I could manage without physically touching him," Sirius replied. "It took a lot out of me though and I lost my job."
"Was it worth it?"
"I didn't like his attitude, his hair, or his face. I didn't like the way he walked into the other cafe and started ordering me around - telling me to wipe down the table, making me rush around after him and then expect me to sit down and do what I was told. He didn't like that I wasn't impressed by him. I don't like people like that."
James snickered. "Snivellous. I like it," he said. "I've had a few run ins with him."
"You work for the Order too, right? Why do you have a file on me?" Sirius demanded. "James, I don't have a lot of time so get to the point."
"Because we keep track of everyone with powers. Those that haven't picked sides are priority because we have to plan what'll happen if they pick the other side. You're Sirius Black, the son of two of the most infamous villains, though they are being overshadowed by a new villain calling himself Voldemort."
"What kind of name is that?" Sirius scoffed.
"Yeah I know. People don't have imagination anymore," James said, rolling his eyes. "Your cousin Bellatrix is one of his team."
"Wait. A team?"
James nodded. "But we need you for something… special. We need your help and you might be the only one able to do what I need you for."
"'We' or 'I'?" Sirius asked.
"What?"
"You said 'we' need your help, then you said: 'I' need you'. So which is it? We or I?"
"There are reports that one of Voldemort's men has the power to create wolf-shifters. The man is known as Greyback. We've seen a few in the army Greyback has been building, but the latest one has gone rogue from them. We've attempted to stop him, but this shifter is out of control. I've been told that we have one more chance to stop what he's doing - if he refuses, we have to stop him in a less humane way."
"I thought the Order didn't kill," Sirius pointed out.
"We don't," James sighed. "But they believe there may not be any other choice. It's why I'm here."
"What can I do?"
"You can take his power away long enough for us to talk to him. With you there, he's only a man."
"And you're only men and women too," Sirius pointed out.
"Exactly. There is no threat and perhaps that's enough to garner his attention."
Sirius considered it. James was there to save a life and… and for once, Sirius' power would come in handy. He could actually help someone.
"I work."
"We'll pay you," James replied swiftly. "Put you on retainer - each job you help with, you get paid."
"College."
"You have a half-term coming up. I checked."
Sirius sighed. "How do you know I won't go rogue and betray you?"
"Because we've never faced you before. If you were to explore your power better and be taught how to control it, expand it, focus it, you'd be a force to be reckoned with."
"What do you mean?"
"Come on, Sirius. You don't really think that you were born with one power, do you? You have two powerful parents - which means you have at least one more power hidden somewhere. You are so focused on the way you block powers that you've subconsciously blocked your own."
"Or I'm faulty and have one power. But why am I a force?"
"Because if you could focus your power, you could choose who it works on. You could make it so it doesn't just affect those that are around you - you can make it linger. You could learn to switch it off."
"I've tried."
James smiled warmly. "You know, from the age of thirteen, my parents could barely see me. My invisibility started. I went into training. I'm not overly controlled over it - I mean I'm nineteen - it's taken six years to get a handle on it, but I worked hard."
"How did you manage it?" Sirius asked, curious.
"I was trained to think of the power as a cloak," James explained. "Now when I want to be invisible, I imagine it as though I'm putting a cloak on. When I take the cloak off, I'm visible."
"Do you think…"
"We can train you," James insisted. "Come with me. Do this job and let me train you, you can't hide forever. You don't truly belong to this world - we belong to ours. This bloke - whoever he is - is going to become a part of Greyback's army - a part of Voldemort;s forces. We're not asking you to fight Voldemort - we're asking you to find this guy and save him before Voldemort can use his mind tricks to look into his mind and change his perception of things. Voldemort can put fake thoughts and memories and even visions into minds. He can cause people to be hypnotised by his words alone. We need you."
Sirius reached for his banana bread, taking a bite and considering the offer. Not once had anyone mentioned that his powers could be refined - or believed that he could have more. It all made so much sense. James waited patiently, drinking his tea and eating as he allowed Sirius to consider his options.
"Sirius, it's been almost an hour," Kayleigh complained, storming over.
Sirius glanced around. There was one customer approaching the counter. He frowned. He had always arrived there early, always worked harder than anyone and didn't say anything when she went on about twenty cigarette breaks a day. Some days, Sirius didn't even take a break.
"It's been thirty-five minutes," he replied frostily. "If I add up all your smoking breaks, I'm sure that they come to much more than that, so you might want to get back to work."
She stared at him and Sirius stared right back.
"I'll call Paula."
"Go ahead," he replied, before turning back to James. "You know, your offer sounds better and better, though there's a chance my boss will be a bitch about this week's pay if I walk out. So let's talk payment. Leaving today means I have no job."
"I'm sure we can work something out. Come with me, I'll bring you to headquarters."
"You mean you'll show me where it is?"
James laughed. "Of course. You're one of us now… right?"
"You trust me?"
"Oddly enough I do."
...oOo...
The first thing Sirius saw when he walked into the Order's secret base was a stern woman. She held a file in her hand and walked over, assessing the group.
"Professor McGonagall. She's one of the Professors here," James muttered.
"Really? I'd never have guessed by your use of the word Professor," Sirius replied.
"She's second in command. She reviews cases and she might look strict but she's lovely… even though she can transfigure things."
"Why is that scary?"
"Because when a boy was constantly late to class, she turned him into a clock for a few hours. Another was turned into a map when he insisted he got lost six times."
"Ah," Sirius murmured. "She can't do that to me."
"Yeah I know, but she's still scary. Fair but scary."
"Mr Black, we were hoping to see you one day, though that day wasn't supposed to be today." Her gaze moved to James. "You went out to find him?"
"I think he's an asset."
"I don't disagree," Minerva replied. "But you know the rules. You're not allowed to bring people in here without authorisation - and Mr Black's mind can't be altered considering his powers."
"James said you needed my help. He said someone here could help me with my powers," Sirius replied. "I want to help. I… I would like to find out more about myself - if I have any other powers."
"He was working in a coffee-shop," James said.
"I was building up work experience whilst I go to college," Sirius replied with a frown. "But James told me that you need my help before… something bad happens to someone. I'll do what I can."
She nodded. "Alice will fit you for a costume."
"I don't need…" he trailed off at the stern look that was fixed on him.
"Mr. Black, there are many ways for this situation to be explained. Someone could let slip that the man inside of the monster managed to break free. Your family do not need to know of your involvement. You don't have a commitment to us and therefore you could end up in danger if they know what you did. However, a costume will hide your identity."
"And if you did make a commitment to us… well, we'll help you with your powers to the point where they wouldn't even realise it was you. After all, your parents know you as someone who just blacks out all powers around him. What if you were fighting and only disabled one person? Would they know it was you or… or would they suspect a new hero?"
"They tried to teach me how to use my powers. It didn't work so they wouldn't think it was me," Sirius replied. "But they tried and failed, what makes you think you can?"
"Because you did it with Severus," Minerva explained. "His power was gone for months. Before, we've only noted that your power affects those that are close-by and when they leave, they aren't affected anymore."
"I refuse to work with him," Sirius warned.
"Severus' talents aren't required for this job," Minerva said. "Like you, we want this individual brought in quietly. We much appear non-threatening. You know how to fight - I can't imagine your parents not training you in hand-to-hand. Reports that you do boxing two evenings a week and you go jogging every morning. James and Peter will go with you."
"Peter?"
"Peter's cool," James insisted. "He has this calming… way about him. He's just someone you feel you can relax around."
"You all know how to fight and defend yourselves. There will be backup of course, though no one can use their powers. There will be a helicopter ready to collect you."
"Do you know where he is?" Sirius asked, eager to get started.
Minerva shook her head. "Unfortunately not. He disappeared twelve hours ago and we have the entire team looking into reports of damage and… when we find him, you'll leave straight away. Frank and some others are going on ahead only to stall him and keep him away from civilians and try to lure him somewhere and keep him there ready for your arrival." She gave a slight smile. "Once your powers are in control, you can reign it in long enough to travel with Frank."
"Right. So what do I need?"
"In the future you'll need a go bag - change of clothes, maybe a book or music player, charger - stuff in case we're gone overnight. We keep those here in case we need to leave at a moment's notice. For now - get to Alice. Frank will show you the way - he's an expert in the way to Alice's Attic."
"The attic?"
"She's on the top floor but the name was more about alliteration than anything," James explained. "I'll fill you in with more details about what we're working on whilst we see her. Do you have any preference in hero name and costume?"
"Name?" Sirius shook his head. "My power doesn't really bring anything to mind."
"Dog Star?"
"My parents will know," Sirius replied. "There was something I came up with as a kid… before I had powers…."
"What is it?"
"The Grim," Sirius replied. "What's your name?"
"The Golden Stag," James replied proudly. "I managed to shapeshift into a stag. It's not the most useful form, but I look… I look grand."
Sirius snorted. "I'm sure you do," he replied.
"Yeah. The Grim sounds awesome. Keep it. It doesn't have to have anything to do with your powers - I think it just works."
"What happens if he doesn't appear?" Sirius asked.
James shrugged. "They usually re-emerge at some point."
Sirius thought back to the mirror. His family had made it so it could only be used by a member of the Black family. He himself looked into it often.
He never told anyone, but when he looked in, he saw himself with his own family. Not Orion and Walburga, but a family he found for himself. Maybe someone who loved him. Though his lover never had a face in the mirror, Sirius was hopeful that one day he could lead a normal life and find someone - so the reflection could finally complete itself.
For a long time, a man around his age had visited the coffee shop, either reading a book in the corner or bringing a notebook and scribbling away page after page and Sirius had always slipped him an extra flake or made sure he gave the gorgeous stranger the larger pieces of the cakes he ordered, but the stranger had stopped turning up and Sirius had given up hope.
After all, all people had to do was look his name up on the computer to find out who he was - and once they did, everyone left.
"I think I may have a way to find him," Sirius said softly. "When I left home, I stole an artifact. My parents owned a mirror. The Mirror of Erised - it reflects what you desire. If you don't say anything, it shows what you truly want - but you can make requests. It helped them with a lot of their jobs. Perhaps it'll do the same for us."
"Great, can I—"
"It only works for my family. I can make the request once we're done here," Sirius insisted.
...oOo...
"Show me where to find him," Sirius said. He clutched the case file in his hand and looked into the mirror.
"Do you see anything?" James asked, avoiding commenting on the tiny flat. Sirius ignored him - he hadn't wanted to waste the money his father had given so he rented a cheap flat until he knew what he wanted to do.
Sirius shook his head. "Not yet. I… I try not to look in the mirror anymore."
There was a long silence and Sirius watched James' reflection. "What do you usually see?"
Sirius hesitated for a long time. "You wouldn't understand."
"Try me," James insisted. "We're friends."
"Are we?" Sirius retorted. "I thought you were here just because you needed my help."
"That's why I came. I think you're not so bad and I think you just need someone to give you a chance so you can show people what a great guy you are. To be honest, you look pretty lonely."
"People are scared of me," Sirius admitted softly. "In comic books, people with gifts become superheroes; in real life they become outcasts."
"But you could get to know other outcasts," James replied, his voice softening. "Me for a start. I like you, I want to be your friend."
Sirius considered it. James was nice and he felt he could trust James. "I see a family in there. Not the one I had - a new one. I see a… someone who loves me, though his features aren't clear because I haven't chosen him yet. I look happy."
"You can be happy," James insisted. "The Order… we're like a family. Once you're one of us, we'd do anything for you."
"I don't want Snivellous to be family," Sirius muttered.
"Well, not him. You have me and that's a start. Yes, we need your help - but we're not going to abandon you afterwards. I promise that, and I'll help you find what you see in that mirror."
Sirius trusted him. He ignored James' reflection and he tried to push aside the longing feeling he felt as he observed the people standing around him. He focused hard on what he wanted.
"He's trapped underground - on the underground. There's an abandoned station. A trap of some sort. Greyback perhaps…"
"You know how to get there?"
Sirius focused hard. Three people lingering there, but more could arrive before the Order did. He silently asked the mirror for the best route to the tunnel.
"I have a way in," he finally said, committing it to memory before turning to James. "Get a team together. With me there, you won't be able to use your powers. We need strong fighters and we need to be quick otherwise more of them could arrive. We need weapons."
...oOo...
Sirius frowned as they walked into the abandoned station. "There were guards," he insisted, pulling at the black leather outfit Alice had made for him. "Three that I could see."
"Are you sure? The mirror—"
"My parents used to use this mirror to plan their heists. Ways in and out, guards - all of the information they needed. It never once lied so it wouldn't know. Something feels wrong."
James looked around. "I can't even scout to check it out," he murmured.
"Sorry."
"No - we called you in so you could do just this," James replied. He raised his arm, pointing to a light in the distance. "In the cage there."
Sirius squinted towards the light. He could see a wolf-like beast throwing itself against the bars.
"Okay. We get him and carry on through that tunnel. There's enough turns there for him to get himself dressed. Peter will scout ahead whilst I guard behind us and you'll keep him calm and keep him human. I'll back you up in case he gets problematic."
"Got it," Sirius said. "Let's get in there. You have your weapon ready?"
"Hopefully we won't have to use them," James said. "Maybe they thought that this location wouldn't be found? Maybe the guards you saw earlier weren't guards - they were here for another purpose?"
"Perhaps," Sirius murmured. He began walking, his eyes looking around. Peter and James held their weapons, keeping guard, but Sirius' focus was on the man.
The hair and fur began to shorten and the crack of bones as the changed shape, making the beast change into a man. He cried out in pain, his head turning each way. "Hello? Where am I?" His fingers reached out and he gripped a bar. "Is anyone there? What's… what's happening to me?"
Sirius could hear the pain and panic in the man's voice. Clearly he had no idea what had been happening. He moved quicker, trusting the other two to keep him safe. "Hey, we're here to get you out."
The man turned quickly and Sirius almost froze. He'd recognise those eyes anywhere. It was the man from the coffee shop. This explained why he had disappeared.
"What happened?" the man asked. "Why do I keep waking up here, injured?"
"We'll tell you when you're safe and dressed." Sirius passed a blanket through the bars. "Here."
They gave him a moment to wrap the blanket around himself before Peter moved closer, making quick work of the lock.
"Good job," Sirius murmured, considering that he should add lockpicking skills to his talents at some point since he wasn't much use elsewhere. Perhaps Peter would train him?
The cage door swung open and the man stumbled to his feet. "You all have masks on."
"Superheroes," James said as Sirius was too busy staring. "We're here to rescue you so let's get out of here whilst we have the chance."
"I can't move fast," Remus muttered reluctantly. "Perhaps you should all just get out quickly. I'll follow."
"No!" Sirius exclaimed before anyone else could speak up. "I'm not leaving you behind." He moved closer, wrapping an arm around Remus and offered support. Usually he didn't touch people because he didn't know how it would affect their powers, but Remus was wrapped in a blanket and Sirius had his costume on. "I've got you."
James moved around Remus' other side, offering help and Peter rushed on ahead to check if the route was clear. As he did so, James and Sirius found a safe place halfway up the tunnel, allowing Remus some privacy to dress. When James handed Remus a cane, Remus was shocked.
"How did you know?"
"I've seen shapeshifting go wrong before. You were forced to shift and we suspect you were in that form for a while, so… we have a healer, but circumstances meant that she couldn't come with us. When we get back, she can help you with the pain."
"Circumstances?" Remus asked, leaning heavily on the cane as they began walking up the tunnel again.
James nodded. "I'll explain back at base," he said. "This tunnel is the shortest—" he was cut off as the ceiling suddenly collapsed in front of them. Stones flew in their direction, knowing the three of them back.
"Peter?" James called frantically, getting up and ignoring the blood trickling down his head. "Peter, are you okay?"
"I am," came a faint voice from the other side of the rocks. James climbed up carefully, searching for a way through and finding a small hole.
Sirius followed, ready to dig their way through.
"What happened?" he called, pushing James aside and looking through.
Peter hesitated. "James, I'm sorry," he said, sighing. "I couldn't refuse."
"Refuse what?" James said, nudging Sirius away so he could look through the gap.
"Him," Peter said. "I can be a part of the Death Eaters." He had the decency to look ashamed at his actions.
"Traitor," Sirius hissed. "When we get out of here…"
"That's the thing: you won't ever get away. They know you're in there. When we came in, they blocked up the entrance. I've blocked up this tunnel. Before we arrived, they blocked all the other routes. They'll come for you and you don't have any powers to get yourselves out." He turned and walked away, leaving the three alone.
"What do we do now?" James asked frantically.
Sirius took a deep breath, thinking. "I'm currently blocking Remus' powers," he said, before turning to Remus. "If I stop blocking your power, do you think your wolf form could get us out?"
Remus shook his head. "I don't have control over my shapeshifting. Shapeshifters can usually retain their human mind during a shift - but with the powers used on me, I'm nothing more than a mindless beast that'll kill anyone. I'll just keep trying to attack you and won't even look twice at the rocks."
"We need to choose now. We either try and dig our way our, or search the other tunnels and hope," James stated.
"I don't think he was bluffing. This seems too planned." Sirius observed the stones. "I say that we try and clear the stones. James, me and you get to the top and start rolling them down. Remus, you move the ones we send down out of the way."
Remus nodded. "I can climb up with you—"
"You'll be more useful clearing so we can roll more down," James insisted. "Let's do this."
...oOo...
"You're alive!" Frank exclaimed, before groaning and dropping against the side of the wall. "I knew you had to be because it was so hard to teleport into this tunnel. Sirius' powers were creating a barrier but there were moments where the barrier… wavered somewhat so I kept trying."
"You thought we were dead?" James asked, not stopping what he was doing even though he was shocked to see Frank.
"Peter came back and told us that you all were dead. I… I wouldn't let myself believe it. Alice was in tears so I had to make sure. Why would he—"
"He betrayed us," Sirius snapped. "Help us clear these rocks so we can get out."
"Wait," Remus muttered, twisting around. "I can hear… they're in the main tunnel where my cage was. They're coming for us."
James looked between the wall and Sirius. "Sirius, there's a way out - you know there is. You."
"Me?" Sirius asked.
James nodded. "Frank can usually only teleport one person at a time. Well, he can do it without much strain. Three will use up all of his energy. But that's the thing - overdoing his power can tire him and make his power less effective. But he can get us out of here if we can stop your power."
"I've tried."
"Well you need to try again," James said firmly. "Look, when Snape approached you, your anger caused you to focus your powers on him and take away his power for six months. You need to focus your power and tire yourself out. Maybe that'll drain it enough for Frank to get us away. Focus it on me. Focus on taking my power away for months. Put all your anger at Peter into it."
"But I can't. You're not Peter," Sirius insisted. "You like your powers."
"Well, what about me?" Remus replied. "With my power being twisted, I'd be happy never to shapeshift again. Focus on me."
"I've been focusing on you since we saw you," Sirius murmured, winking at Remus.
Remus stared back. "I'm sorry," he said softly. "There's someone I really like and… I'm sorry."
"Oh. I was just… just flirting. It's fine. I… it's cool."
"If I didn't have my heart set on the guy from the coffee shop, you're amazing… but I was falling in love with the guy and I don't even know his name."
"Coffee shop?" Sirius asked. "The little one on Station Road?"
"That's the one. The barista there."
Sirius smirked as he reached up to remove his mask. "You called?"
"Oh. You're... " Remus paled before chuckling nervously. "The things I just said…"
Sirius moved closer. "No, it's good. Emotion. Emotion can help me focus." He pulled off his glove and reached for Remus' cheek. "Okay, just you. I want to use my power to drain your power only. I don't want to drain Frank because he's our way out. You."
"Sirius, touching isn't enough. Imagine you're pushing your power out at him and only him," James insisted.
Sirius nodded. "Remus, when we get out of here, will you go out to dinner with me?"
"If you can get us out of here, I'll do anything you want."
Sirius smirked once more, bringing his other hand up. Before Remus could say anything, Sirius' lips were on his.
It took only a second for Remus to return the kiss and Sirius tried to push all his power from his body into Remus'. He allowed all the emotions the kiss brought, to run through him. His hands pulled Remus closer as the kiss deepened and when he felt like he couldn't stand, he pulled away.
"I feel dizzy," he murmured.
"That must have been one hell of a kiss," James commented, glancing at his arm which was fading out of view. "Frank?"
"Everyone grab a hold of me," Frank insisted, his fingers closing around both Remus and Sirius. "James, I don't know if this'll work if I'm not holding onto you, but you can hide at least without Sirius there."
James nodded his head. "I'll hold on just in case you can take me." He clutched Frank's arm. "Quickly they're coming up the tunnel."
The four men looked down the tunnel to see the Death Eaters coming towards them seconds before Frank transported them out.
...oOo...
"He was jealous of how quickly we accepted you," James said as Sirius opened his eyes. "Not that it's your fault, I'm not saying that - I'm only saying that Peter had problems and he betrayed all of us. I'm supposed to be his friend. I don't understand it."
"What happened?" Sirius muttered.
"You did it. You somehow drained all of your power into Remus. We've had a guard in case it wore off quickly, but he's staying in his human form. How did you do it?"
"I know him from the coffee shop. I've… I've had feelings for him for a long time, even without knowing his name," Sirius admitted. "Knowing that he felt something back, well, it… I was so happy. I pushed everything I had into that kiss."
James smiled. "Do you want Frank to get the mirror? You can see if there's a face."
"How is Frank?"
"The three of you were weary when returning. Remus was drained from spending all that time as a wolf and from his constant transformations. Poppy is insisting he stay on the ward too, though he's restless."
"The only reason I haven't snuck out is because I wanted to be here when you woke up." Remus moved over to the bed and Sirius beamed at him.
"I didn't know you were here," he said softly as Remus reached for his hand. "I was about to ask about you - I thought you might have gone home."
"I do want to, but I couldn't until you woke up. I needed to ask about the best kiss of my entire life. Was it just a way to magnify your ability or did it mean as much to you… as much to you as it did to me?" Remus watched Sirius carefully, though his cheeks quickly turned red at his admittance.
"It meant everything to me," Sirius admitted. "I've been thinking about what it'd be like to kiss you for so long now. I thought I had somehow scared you away when you stopped showing up at the cafe. In fact, I thought you possibly heard who I was and looked me up and ran."
"Why would I do that? Who are you?"
Sirius sighed. "My mother and father are Orion and Walburga Black."
"Clearly you're nothing like them and I'd have never just jumped to conclusions about you," Remus insisted softly. "I'm not leaving here until you're better. You're my hero, Sirius."
"Ditto," Sirius replied. "You helped me to control my powers." Sirius patted his bed and moved up, hoping to find the right words to express himself. "You know, when I was younger - my parents said that you find your other half - your partner in crime or sidekick by their powers complimenting yours. Do you think it was some twist of fate that yours were distorted so much and mine was able to help you? You're the only person who actually benefits from my power. Would you say that we compliment each other?"
"Is this your way of asking me to be yor partner in crime?" Remus asked, climbing onto the bed. "Because the only thing I've done that's even close to being a crime is returning my library book two days late."
Sirius laughed. "You're adorable, but I was thinking that you could be my partner here. Or maybe outside of here?"
Remus hesitated for a long moment. "I won't be going on missions with the Order. Until Greyback is dead, my shapeshifting is dangerous - but the Order said that I can help with research and planning and the rest. I can't be your partner or sidekick here, but I can be your boyfriend."
"I'll take that," Sirius said.
"I'm going to be living here for a while. James is concerned that I'll transform again. I'm not sure what to do about classes."
Sirius nodded, feeling slightly jealous. Remus had been offered a room yet Sirius hadn't, but Remus seemed to notice Sirius' shift in mood.
"All Order members get given lodgings here," he continued. "So lets hope our rooms are close to each other."
Sirius smiled. "You know, as long as I kiss you good morning each morning, you'll be good for the day."
"Just one kiss?"
"No. A few. Just to make sure. And you think a kiss can help, I think if we had sex, it'd be more beneficial." He glanced around for James to request a room for him and Remus to share together - or ones that had a private door leading between them, only to notice James had slipped out.
"I guess my powers are still on the blink," he said. "James managed to disappear and get out."
"But I'm still here and I'm glad you're okay and all, but don't want to hear about your sex plans," Frank called from across the room.
They lay in silence for a while. Remus curled into Sirius' side and Sirius holding him tightly.
"It's clear we deserve each other," Remus finally whispered.
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