Fight Club - Western
Auction - Secret Sex
Assignment 4 - Alchemy - Task 3: Write about someone with a notable reputation.
And I've been a lot of lonely places
It starts as two lonely men and becomes much more. Western!AU. Wolfstar.
Sirius grins as he walks into the bar of this new town. His horse is exhausted and quite frankly, so is he. He could have continued one more town, but he doesn't want to hurt Padfoot. The poor animal is in the stable now, resting and recovering, and Sirius needs a room for a couple of nights.
"Anywhere to stay around here?" he asks, glancing towards the barmaid. The woman is around his age, curls swept up high on her head and a ribbon holding them all in place. They'd fall with one tug of the ribbon. From the expression on her face, she hopes that Sirius will be the one to give her hair a tug.
"There are rooms upstairs," she tells him. "I'm sure we could do you a good price. What's ya' name?"
"Sirius Black," he says. It's like a silence has reigned over the place at his words, and the woman straightens up, a little wary now.
"I don't want no trouble in my establishment," she tells him.
"I'm on my way to the next town for a wedding. I'm not looking to cause any. Mind you, I'll defend myself. I give my word."
Sirius knows that whilst people talk about him - a lot - his word is good. He's never made a deal that he's broken. It's true - he's only going to draw his weapon if he's threatened.
"Three Feathers per night."
Sirius pulls out the pure white coins from his pocket and hands six over. "Two nights, just letting the horse recover. We've come a long way."
"Long, but your reputation beat you here," she murmurs. She slips him a key, not voicing the room number. Sirius tips his hat at her and he starts towards the stairs. Eyes are on him, but he doesn't care.
He just heads to his room and hopes that no-one causes any trouble. Though, he gets a vibe from this woman that no one would mess around here. Still, he listens for a while, resting on the bed. He listens to the noise downstairs and tenses when people walk up the stairs, but no-one comes near his room.
He manages to sleep.
He bumps into the other man as they both leave their rooms. The stranger diverts his gaze, his eyes moving downwards as he tries to leave without catching Sirius' eye, but Sirius' perceptive gaze takes him in within a moment. There's a mark under the collar of his shirt. Hidden, but just peeking out and Sirius has seen the brand before.
He keeps his covered much better.
"Your collar," he says, and the man stills. His hand moves to his hip as though he's ready to draw his weapon, something which Sirius understands. Gay men get killed for being what they are.
"You need to cover it a little better," Sirius says, his voice softer. "Good thing it was me and not someone else."
The man hesitates, and there's a long moment of silence, before the man deems it safe enough to move his hand from where his gun rests, and move it to the his neck, fixing his shirt.
"Mine is… at the back of my neck," Sirius says, a little more quietly this time. "Why I have long hair. To hide it."
The man turns at these words, the worried look fading into something a little less worried. "You?"
Sirius nods. He takes a step forward, hand outstretched. "Sirius Black."
"Famous bounty hunter? I thought you were sent to eliminate our kind?"
Sirius laughs softly. "Some bounty hunters are tasked with bringing in certain classes of people, but I don't take up those contracts." He pulls the stranger a little closer, as they shake hands. "But let's just say there are less and less people in the world that do." The stranger is handsome, he notices. All amber eyes and soft lips. The cowboy hat doesn't quite suit him, but Sirius thinks it's quite hot actually.
"Remus Lupin. It's good to know there's someone looking out for people like us." He lets go of Sirius' hand. "It was good to meet you. One less thing to worry about at night."
"You think about me at night?" Sirius asks, his voice lowering slightly. He smirks as Remus reddens. "It was good to meet you too, Remus. Perhaps if I wasn't moving on tomorrow, we'd have had more time to talk."
"Perhaps if I wasn't heading home today," Remus agrees. "It was getting dark and I was too tired to carry on. Hopefully our paths cross again."
"I hope so." Sirius steps back and Remus continues on his way, and Sirius can only stare.
Sirius is running late the next day. He had planned to arrive in town with a few hours before the wedding, but just as he's preparing to leave, he spies Fenrir Greyback himself.
The man is one of the men tasked with branding men like him. He wasn't the one who took charge of branding Sirius - that was Sirius' own father, but this man is notorious for being overly cruel with his brands. Some of the people brand for only long enough for the mark to become permanent. Fenrir Greyback ties his victims down and he brands them until they almost black out in pain. Some get beaten afterwards. He takes a sick delight in causing as much agony as he can.
People saw him leaving the town. Greyback was still walking around at the same time. No-one will connect his name with this death.
"Sorry I'm late," Sirius says, rushing towards James who is waiting outside of the chapel. "I know I was supposed to be here hours ago, but I…" he trails off, realising James isn't alone. "You."
"You," Remus replies, a hint of a smile on his lips.
Sirius grins. He's a big supporter of fate, and clearly Remus is here because fate is a thing.
"I… ran into a man called Fenrir Greyback," Sirius says. Remus would know the name. He's sure of it. Maybe James too.
"You did?" Remus pales. "He… he's the one who branded me." His hand moves to his neck, and James frowns.
"It was him?" James mutters. "Bastard. After the wedding, we're going to hunt him down and—"
"Too late for that," Sirius says, smirking. "He won't be hurting anyone else. I promise you that."
Remus' smile widens. He's not wearing the cowboy hat today. He's wearing formal clothes. Sirius feels a little underdressed. "Do I have time to change?"
"Twenty minutes," James says. "I brought your suit, just in case."
"You're a love," Sirius says. "Lupin, wanna show me where I can change?"
Remus nods. "This way." They leave James at the chapel where he's having his own panic about the wedding, and they go into a small building a few feet from the chapel.
"You know… you just took out the one person in this world that I'm more scared of than anything," Remus admits. "You… deserve a reward." He opens the door to the hall and Sirius walks through. He glances around, noticing one suit amidst the bits and pieces that have been left behind there.
"You can buy me dinner," Sirius says. "Tomorrow night. Fate brought us back together, so I'm going to follow that sign."
"I like the sound of that. But I was thinking something more… appreciative." Remus follows him inside and closes the door. "If you want to get out of those clothes. You said that you have a mark too?"
Sirius nods. He likes where this is going. "On the back of my neck." He turns around, removing his hat as he does, and he lifts his hair, revealing the brand. "My father."
"There aren't any others like us around here," Remus murmurs. "You sticking around long."
Sirius shrugs. "Perhaps. I'm looking for a reason to stick around. Like you said, not a lot of us. I want…"
Remus moves closer, and Sirius doesn't stop him. His hands move to take over undoing the buttons of Sirius' shirt.
"We've only got a few minutes before James comes to find us," Remus says. He slowly pulls his bottom lip between his teeth. "Want your reward?"
Sirius nods urgently. "Yeah. Please. I want it."
"So, have you sorted accommodation?" James asks, as the wedding reception starts in the town hall. "The tavern might be a little full, but I'm sure someone has room to put you up for a night or two until the tavern is free. That is… if you're sticking around?"
"I have space," Remus offers, looking so damn innocent that Sirius wouldn't believe Remus had been on his knees earlier. "If you wanna stay at mine for a few nights? I'm in th farm up the road. Just me, so no-one to bother you."
His gaze moves down Sirius' body, and Sirius shivers. There's something promising in that look. James is completely oblivious to it though, his gaze across the room to where Lily is talking to other guests.
"I gotta dance with my wife," James murmurs, his lips twisting up into a smile. He looks happy, content. "Sirius, I can vouch for Remus. He's been a great friend since I moved here. Trustworthy guy. Just looking to be happy, you know. You two have a lot in common, he could be a good friend to you too."
Sirius smirks and raises an eyebrow.
"I'm gonna go out for a smoke. Remus, you wanna have one?"
"Smoking is bad for your health," James mutters, but he's paying little attention. He walks away, wanting to be near Lily, and Remus grins.
"Let me show you something," Remus offers. "Follow me. I hope you're good at climbing."
Sirius does as he's told. Remus brings them to a cupboard, and Sirius is already eager to make use of it, but Remus shakes his head and he leads them to the corner. Built into a crevice in the wall is a ladder.
"I used to climb up here as a kid," he says. "Come on up."
Sirius follows, his gaze up at Remus' arse. He hopes this is going where he expects it to. Yes, they can do this at Remus' place later, but after knowing what Remus' mouth is really like, Sirius can't wait any longer.
There's a small hole to crawl through, but then Remus stands up and looks around. Sirius can hear the music, but he's sure they're up in the attic.
"Me and Lily used to explore this place. We'd hide up here and rarely anyone would find us. You can't hear people up here, from downstairs. Especially with the music." He turns to Sirius. "You've got me all alone now."
"I do," Sirius says. It's lust that's fueling him right now, and he's sure that's what it's like for Remus too. "Just so we're both in the know, I want to fuck you. You good with that?"
"As long as you keep the hat on." Remus' eyes dart up to it.
Sirius smirks. There's little time to remove all their clothes. He settles for his trousers and Remus rushes to get out of his own. Sirius moves into Remus' space, his hands gripping Remus' bare hips as he brings his lips to meet the other man's, and Remus' fingers trail over his arse.
"You got anything?" Sirius whispers.
Remus nods. "Picked something up before coming up here." Before he even finishes talking, Sirius grabs him and pushes him to turn, pinning him against the wall.
"Still good for this?"
"I haven't said no yet," Remus complains. "Do you always do this much talking before-hand?"
Sirius laughs.
It's strange, Sirius decides. He's never shared a bed with someone before. He's stayed for about five days and neither have even pretended that Sirius will use the guest room.
He likes the routine here. In the mornings, Remus presses him into the mattress after Sirius seduces him, and then Remus goes out to tend the farm. Sirius gets to watch as Remus gets all hot and sweaty, and he prepares some lunch for when Remus comes in, and even the dinner after experiencing how terrible Remus' cooking is.
The first few nights, the evenings were spent in bed, but as the days pass, they're spent talking and they even found themselves in the tavern one night for drinks.
And then the week is up and Sirius is lost. He likes waking up with someone next to him. He likes falling asleep in someone's arms. But still, he finds himself packing up his few belongings and loading them onto Padfoot, as Remus leans against the doorframe, watching.
"If you're ever in town…" Remus says.
Sirius nods his head. He'll find a reason to visit James soon. He'll come back here. If Remus is still up for this.
He feels empty as Padfoot takes them towards town so he can say goodbye to James before heading back to the life on the road that he's used to.
"What are you doing?" James snaps, dragging Sirius into the house. "Why are you packed up?"
"Time to be off. I had fun, now back to…"
"Fuck you," James snaps. "I saw you and Remus together. I saw the fucking lingering looks and the way your hands kept brushing. I can see the fucking marks you left on his neck and I'm pretty sure I saw what I hope wasn't a bite mark on your shoulder, because I honestly don't want to know what kinky shit you guys were getting upto, as long as you're happy."
"It's none of your business," Sirius snaps, defensively.
"It is. Don't think I'm not aware of what you both were upto since the moment you met. At first I thought it was just sex. Then I saw the looks I mentioned. You feel something for each other, Sirius. You're walking away from a nice life here. Well, it could be a nice life."
"It's just sex. Remus never said any different," Sirius says quietly. "He could've asked me to stay. He didn't."
"Why would he?" James asks. "You never gave any indication that you wanted more either. You're both as dense as each other. He's probably thinking that you are the one who doesn't want more. I know you both. I know that there's something there. Tell me you weren't happy, settling down?"
Sirius hesitates. "I don't want to ruin what we have," he tries.
"Casual sex?" James laughs. "What are you ruining by going there and asking to stay? I knew you were an arsehole, but I never pegged you as a coward."
"Fuck you." Sirius storms away and to his horse. The sooner he leaves, the better.
James has a smug look on his face, as though he knows what Sirius is thinking. But even Sirius doesn't know that. He rides to leave town, pointedly taking the exit furthest from the farm. He has a bounty to follow up.
Sirius stops at the farm. He didn't even think about his destination. He just circled the town and found his way back there. He stopped to walk, trying to give himself time. The horse is quiet as it follows.
Remus is working the field as Sirius approaches. But it's not with the same effort as usual. It's half hearted. Slow. As though he doesn't want to be out there.
Sirius walks to the stable and saddles Padfoot. He hopes James isn't wrong. He leaves the stable, letting the door bang shut behind him. The noise is enough to startle Remus, who spins around.
Remus stands still. Seconds pass, and turn into minutes. Two minutes go by before Remus starts to approach.
"Did you forget something?" Remus asks.
Sirius takes that as his cue. "Yeah. I forgot to tell you that I don't want to go. That maybe this is something more than it started out as. Could be something real… if you're up for that. If you… if you want more. If you want me to stay."
"Stay? For how long this time?"
"As long as you'll have me," Sirius admits softly. "What do you say?"
Remus stares for a long moment and Sirius fears his refusal.
"I was looking for a farm-hand," Remus finally says, his lips curving into the softest smile Sirius has ever seen. "I've wanted more since the second day."
Sirius laughs. He rushes to close the gap, his hands grabbing Remus' face as he pulls him in for a kiss. "Then I'll stay."
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