The culmination of a bad day can haunt every decision you make. Sirius was in the process of learning that two days after the full moon. It started like almost any other day, simplistic and enjoyable. Hermione woke him to a lovely tryst that had him lull into his morning. It was this delightfully sinful thing when a witch was randier than him. After that… the day soured, fast.
Hermione was in the process of cooking breakfast as the young Lupin had risen with the sun, much as she had. "Hermione, does dad have a girlfriend?" He asked her as he scribbled on his sheet of parchment.
"No love, why?" Hermione questioned as she flicked her wand.
Teddy shrugged his shoulders and sighed. "Uncle Sirius says you're a good girlfriend. Even when he doesn't deserve it. What does that mean?"
She scowled in thought at the concept of his observation. "Do you want your dad to have a girlfriend?"
Teddy tilted his head and scrunched his nose. "I don't really need a new mum. Grandmother says your like my mum, but dad isn't going to marry you so how is that?"
"Oh, aren't we full of questions today," Hermione grumbled as she rubbed her face. "My love, don't you think this is something you should talk about with your father?"
"If you and Uncle Sirius have a baby, can I still share my old toys?"
Hermione bit down on her impatience at the evaluation of her relationship and exhaled. "Teddy, we aren't going to have a baby any time soon. If we ever do, you'll be one of the first people to know, okay?"
"Hermione?" Teddy questioned again.
Luckily, Remus walked into the room just as Hermione was going to yank her hair out. "Please, for the love of magic, talk to your son?" Hermione implored as she set down plates for them both.
The werewolf chuckled and rubbed the boy's shoulder. "Have you been a naughty Lupin?" He teased the child.
"Dad, this is serious," Teddy stated with a glare. "I want a brother like James."
Hermione pressed her palm to her forehead as she stood at the counter. She was flustered, and Remus could sense that it may not be the boy's fault. "How about this; if you're patient, you will have a little cousin in a few years." He offered with a smile.
Teddy pouted and shoveled his food around his plate. "Okay," he grumbled.
"That's a good boy," Remus murmured and leaned over to kiss his hair. "You wear our Hermione out sometimes," he snickered as he reached for an empty cup and the teapot.
"It's to be expected. The novelty of his new cousin has finally worn off. With James it was tantrums, remember?" Hermione mumbled as she went into the cabinet.
Remus chuckled with a nod. "Oh, yes. Flaming red hair and raging stomps," he continued as he dressed his tea.
"I never went through that. My mother and father never achieved a successful pregnancy after me," Hermione said with a scrunched expression as she turned to the werewolf.
He waved her over and took the contain of scones she made last night. "Mine either. My father felt it was difficult as it was to leave my mother daily with me. He didn't want to burden her with more tasks. I wish they would have after the attack. It might have been better for them to have one healthy child," Remus sighed.
Hermione shook her head and hung her arms around his neck. "You're the perfect Lupin, professor," she snickered and kissed his cheek.
"And you, Miss Granger, are going to be late," he murmured as his hand caressed one of her arms.
She tucked her chin over his neck and sounded agreement. "Yes, I do need to get going. Moony, do you know why my boyfriend is so unusual?" She questioned in a breathy tone.
Remus pressed his head to hers. "You'll have to ask him, but likely he's just odd," He responded before kissing her forehead. "Now, go get going, dear."
Hermione walked over to Teddy and kissed his head. "My love, behave and don't wear your father so thin today, alright?"
Teddy rocked his head and swallowed his bite. "Hermione, I love you."
"I love you too. I'll be back at lunch to see how everyone is fairing."
Remus listened to her walk from the room and leave through the fireplace. He sipped his cup in contemplation and hemmed. "You can come out now, she's gone for the morning," He murmured.
Sirius appeared with a sneer as he scrubbed his face. "I wasn't hiding," he said with an indignant tone.
"Alright," Remus grumbled while subtly shaking his head. "Teddy, why don't you finish up. I have a feeling I have to talk to your uncle."
"If you're going to be shifty about it, I don't think we can be friends, Moony," Sirius sniggered as he sat at the table next to the werewolf.
Teddy exhaled loudly as he pushed his nearly empty plate away. "Uncle Sirius, you made dad angry again," he grumbled as he motioned to leave the room.
"Wait, you don't have to go, kid," Sirius insisted as he reached for a teacup.
"He does," Remus said.
The boy excused himself without delay as the room grew thick with silence. Remus sat there, paper untouched, cup half-empty, but his eyes stared off toward the end of the room. Sirius had seen this expression many times over. The werewolf was thinking about memories as they played out in front of him with clarity.
"Pads, you need to either tell her or do better at hiding your guilt. She knows something's wrong and I'm definitely not going to rat you out," Remus finally voiced as he turned to the animagus.
Sirius cringed with a head shake. "Bad form, mate."
"It holds true to what we're speaking about," Remus sighed.
"If I tell her she'll be angry. If I don't then she'll be even more so," Sirius mumbled as his hand took to his face with rough tenacity. "What am I supposed to do? You know her so well. I have to admit this is fairly new territory for me."
"We talked about this. I'm not your keeper. I don't have any sway over your relationship. I can give you a bit of advice. If you plan to marry that girl, you best decide if lying about a kiss is going to destroy what you have."
Sirius glanced over at him, and his stormy eyes sharpened as if lightning struck through them. "You're a bloody piece of work. You want to shag her now," he murmured.
If Remus didn't smell the amusement and shock on his marauder, he would have been defensive. This wasn't something he'd rather talk about, but they had circled the drain a few times; this was out of the sink and straight into the gutter. The type of insanity you read in heady novels for witches to gawp and sigh while reading.
"My interests have nothing to do with your relationship," Remus assured him.
"But it's still there. Now, after all this time. The pining and the wishing, Merlin have I been a stupid prick," Sirius groaned.
"Can we return to the topic at hand?" Remus questioned as his cheeks tinted while moistening his lips.
"Yes, but I want to finish this first. When? Why? How?" Sirius' inquisition continued.
"I don't know when. Why, well, that's quite loaded of a question. I don't know why exactly. Maybe it was there before I bit her. In my knowledge of knowing Moony had, that was when the 'how' came into place," Remus confessed and waved his hand stiffly. "Which none of it matters because the 'will it ever?' question is answered with a no."
Sirius sat back and barked out raucous laughter. The type you hear after a bad joke. "So, you finally get it. The knob-licking werewolf gets it, and he's too gone to plead ignorance."
"Don't be so fucking righteous, Padfoot. Knowledge of the circumstance makes the next part more palpable. You'll fix your issues with her and get that gaudy ring out of the vault like you told me you were going to do."
Sirius sat smugly as the werewolf let go some of his shields. "I sure love you, Moony. I never doubted for a moment I loved you. Even when I was beyond angry with you. The sea of wild nature I stretched myself across to reach you, even in your darkest moments. She's like you too, ya know?" The animagus inquired with an arched eyebrow.
"Hermione doesn't have a vicious bone in her body," Remus corrected him with a nod.
Sirius laughed and slumped on the table. "Oh, she does. You just don't know it. She saves all the good stuff for you. Oh, how my Venus loves to see me squirm."
"You deserve it at times, Pads," Remus retorted with a smile.
Sirius batted his grey eyes up at the werewolf with a sigh. "Moony, can I ask you an imperative question?"
"Fire away," he agreed before picking up his teacup.
"How long do you think she's been in love with you?"
Remus' cup hung in the air as he tilted his head and scowled at his friend. "What?" The word hissed from his lips like a curse.
"She is thoroughly and painfully in love with you," Sirius articulated.
"Where in your fantastical mind did you come up with that notion?" Remus snapped, setting down his cup with a clatter.
"About the minute I saw her curled up with you in the library the first night I was officially home. A cute little fox all your own. I was insanely jealous. That's the reason why when we shagged, I blessed the shines of old gods I never heard of that she enjoyed herself enough to keep me. Some things make me stupid and ignorant to normalcy, but I know a witch's fancy when I see it."
"Stop this now," Remus growled as he stood up. "It doesn't matter. You're going to get married and be civilized about this, Sirius. I don't want to talk about whatever travesty you're cooking up. The last man on Earth that woman should ever love is the man who she had to save," He finished as his breath was taken from him.
"That's not what you told me. You told me I was allowed to love you," Sirius said as he shrugged his shoulders. "I always will."
Remus walked over and yanked Sirius from his seat, growling at the audacity of his former partner. "Merlin be damned, Padfoot!" He snapped through his teeth. "Stop this emotional stirring you are plotting to contrive."
Sirius placed his hands on either side of the lycanthrope's face. "Listen, Moony. This isn't a ploy. I want to clear the air so we can be honest with each other, as we always have," Sirius's voice was soft and calm.
Remus's green orbs lessened their ferocity, and he pressed his forehead to the animagus. "I'm sorry. I don't want to talk about her with you. I shouldn't because we both know that's wrong."
"It's not. You are still my friend first and foremost, Remus," Sirius murmured as he stroked the man's hair.
It was brief. A touch of lips to cheek. However, the boy in the hallway had seen and heard enough through the argument that carried up to the next floor. There was more to this than his father and Uncle Sirius arguing over curtains… he left the marauders alone in the kitchen and went up to his room.