Sweatpants, Ice Cream, and Runaways
Chapter 6

Well, my math test was easier than I thought, but hopefully I'm not jinxing it. Anyway, you don't care about how I'm doing in school, you care about this story (at least I hope you do if you're taking the time out of your day to read it).

Disclaimer: If you really have no idea what belongs to be and what belongs to JK Rowling, then you can read the other chapters' disclaimers.

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It was a week later, and Sirius and Remus were able to tell anyone that mattered that James was sick. (in Sirius's words, "Yeah, he's real sick. He's got a case of the Lilyitis.") Sirius has even learned to forget about his Kyra problem so he could take care of his best friend.

"I now remember why I told myself never to fall in love," Sirius said to Remus over coffee. Remus and Sirius were at a café a few blocks away from their flat, enjoying the warm weather outside.

"Yeah, but haven't you ever heard the phrase, 'don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened'?" Remus asked.

"Whoever said that has clearly never met James," Sirius said. Sirius sighed. "There are only three times it's okay for a guy to tell a girl he loves her. When he's drunk, when he's dying, and when he did something wrong and it's the only way out of it…which usually means he's drunk."

Remus rolled his eyes. "So Sirius, how are you doing?" Remus asked.

Sirius shrugged, knowing full well what he was talking about. "It's not like Kyra and I were really going out. And we only knew each other for a week. So it's nothing to really fret about."

Remus gave him a skeptical look. "I think eight empty ice cream cartons contradict that statement."

Sirius just snickered and took a sip of his coffee. "Yeah but…" Sirius trailed off and stared out in front of him.

"Um…Sirius? Hello?" Remus asked but then noticed a familiar figure across the street. "Oh hey, James has finally gotten out of the house. And he's wearing jeans. Yay! He's moved up a phase. James! Hey Ja-" but Sirius covered his mouth.

"Shut up," Sirius hissed.

Remus gave him a weird look. "What'd I do?"

"Lily and Kyra are down the street," Sirius whispered.

Remus behind him and sure enough, there was Lily and Kyra. Remus looked back across the street and looked at James. "This can't be good."

"Maybe they won't see us," Sirius said. "Oh who am I kidding? Who could fail to notice my beautiful face and gorgeous hair?" Remus gave him a look. "Right, right. Not helping. We have to somehow hide." Sirius put his coffee cup in front of his face.

Remus stared at him in disbelief. "Are you hiding behind your coffee cup?"

"You got a better idea Sherlock Holmes?" Sirius asked.

Remus thought about it for a second and then brought his coffee cup in front of his face. Sirius nodded and whispered, "That's what I thought."

"Shit," Sirius mumbled under his breath as he watched Lily talk Kyra into coming over and saying hi.

"Remus?" Lily asked with a smile. Kyra and Sirius refused to look at each other.

"Hey Lily," Remus said, getting up and giving her a hug.

"What were you guys doing hiding behind your cups?" Kyra asked.

"Hiding? Who's hiding? We're not hiding," Sirius said. "We were just examining the nice design on the cups."

Lily stared. "They're white."

"Well yeah, to the untrained eye," Sirius teased, rolling his eyes.

"So, how have you been?" Kyra asked.

"Oh great, just fine, absolutely wonderful," Sirius said really fast.

"Oh yeah, me too," Kyra responded quickly. Remus and Lily just rolled their eyes, knowing very well that both of them were lying.

Sirius turned around and looked across the street to see James starting to cross. "Oh boy," he muttered to himself.

"So it's been awhile huh Lily?" Remus said.

Lily just smiled weakly. "You could say that."

"Okay, as nice as small talk is, you guys have to lea-" Sirius started, but stopped when he felt James' hand on his shoulder. Sirius cringed.

"Sirius? Remus?" James asked through gritted teeth. He bent down and hissed in their ears, "What is she doing here?"

"Hey buddy," Sirius said, biting his lip. "I don't think you've met Kyra. Kyra, James. James, Kyra."

Kyra froze, glancing over at Lily. "You're James?"

"That appears to be what Sirius is calling me," James said, shaking hands with Kyra, not daring to look at Lily.

Everyone grew quiet and there was a very awkward silence. "Well…this is nice," Lily finally said.

"Oh yeah real nice. It's just one big happy family," James snapped.

"I was just trying to say something. It was too quiet!" Lily exclaimed, angry at James always snapping at her.

"I like it quiet! It'd be a lot quieter if you left," James urged.

"James, I don't have-" Lily started, trying to be calm.

"I thought I told you to get out of my life!" James cried out.

"I didn't realize this sidewalk was your life," Lily yelled back.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but all of London is my life. Your life is supposed to be in Australia!" James exclaimed.

"And correct me if I'm wrong but I don't remember you owning London!" Lily shouted.

"GUYS!" Sirius exclaimed.

"What?" they shouted, looking at Sirius, both obvious angry.

"Uh…you're repelling customers," Sirius said.

"Oh yeah that's a major concern on my list," James mumbled.

"What is the top of that list? Make my life a living hell?" Lily asked.

James's jaw dropped wide open. "You have got to be kidding me. You think I'm trying to make your life a living hell? I'm sorry but who rejected me, who decided work was more important, who left me standing alone at the train station?"

Lily opened her mouth to retort but James stomped off. "He's not allowed to do that!" Lily exclaimed.

"Do what?" Remus asked.

"He can't yell at me and then stomp off. He doesn't even give me a chance to reply," Lily said.

"Because he doesn't want to be yelled at," Sirius said, rolling his eyes. Lily groaned and ran after James. "Oh great, now she's going over there herself. No good can come out of this."

Everyone bit their lip waiting to hear the yelling, but that's not what they heard. "You're absolutely right," Lily said to James a few feet away.

"Okay, if they don't yell I can't hear them," Sirius pouted to the others.

"Uh…what?" James asked Lily.

"I was a bitch. I just left you there with no explanation except that I was going to Australia to pursue my career," Lily said. "If I were you I'd be mad too. Not just mad, furious. And then here I am, showing up in your life four years later…yelling at you. You have every right to shout at me."

"Okay," was all James could think of to say.

Lily stared at him blankly. "That's it? No mean comeback? No screaming fit?"

"Give me a few minutes," James said, a smile creeping up on his face. "I'm still taken back by your response." Lily laughed, and so did James.

Everyone else just stared at them in disbelief at the two of them laughing. Remus then jumped in dismay. "Sirius! You're pouring coffee on your pants!" Sirius quickly looked down and sure enough, he was so stunned by Lily and James laughing that he didn't even realize he was pouring hot coffee down his front. James and Lily turned to see what the commotion was and laughed.

"It's okay," James called out. "You can have my pants."

"Then what are you going to wear?" Sirius asked.

"I have my sweatpants underneath," James said with a shrug.

Sirius looked at him in shock. "You can't do that! Once you put on pants, the sweatpants have got to come off. You can't be in the sweatpants phase at the same time as the get-out-of-the-house phase."

"Says who?" James asked.

"It's a rule!"

"Says who?" James repeated.

"It's in all the books!" Sirius exclaimed.

"Says who?"

"Look it up!"

"Sa-"

"I swear to god, if you say 'says who' I will not be afraid to kill you with my bare hands," Sirius exclaimed with a grin.

James paused. "Says who?" Sirius lunged at James who was exclaiming, "That's no way to get me to give you my pants!"

"I don't want your pants! Then you'll be back to the sweatpants phase!" Sirius shouted.

Lily turned to Kyra. "Do you have any idea what they are talking about?"

"Not a clue."

Sirius, Remus, and James entered the flat a few hours later. James put his keys down on the table and started to walk away but he felt two pairs of eyes staring at his back. He slowly turned around to see Sirius and Remus gawking at him. "Yes?"

"You were nice," Sirius said.

"Um…thank you?"

"Why were you nice?" Sirius asked.

"Because I hear being bitter and annoying is so old fashioned," James said, not wanting to talk about him and Lily.

"You actually laughed at something she said," Remus explained.

"You didn't completely bitch her out," Sirius continued.

"You smiled at her," Remus said.

"You didn't tell her t-"

"I know what I did," James interrupted.

"Do you? Because I don't think you do," Sirius said.

"I was there," James pointed out.

Sirius paused. "Oh yeah…that's right."

"Mind telling us why this sudden change of attitude?" Remus asked.

James sighed. "Obviously I did something to make her want to leave the first time. I can't handle being the reason she'd leave a second time."

"Wow…that was a smart answer. When did you come up with that?" Remus asked with a smirk.

"I have been lounging around for an entire week," James said with a shrug.

"Does that mean we can put something else in our freezer besides ice cream?" Remus asked. "Because I'm getting pretty sick just looking at ice cream."

Sirius was drinking coffee in the staff lounge of his community college talking to a fellow professor. "I hate summer session. I don't think it's fair that we have to work during the summer. No other prof-" Sirius stopped and gasped. "Kyra?" Sirius exclaimed, surprised to see her standing in front of him.

"I-I don't know why I'm here," Kyra said.

Sirius suppressed a smile. "Well…you know more than I know."

"Yeah, but that's not saying much," Kyra joked.

"I'm guessing you didn't come here just to insult me," Sirius teased.

"No…but it's an added bonus." Kyra sighed.

Sirius was tired of the small talk. "Okay Kyra, why are you here?" Sirius asked.

"I already said I didn't know," Kyra said. Sirius just gave her a look. Kyra took a deep breath. "What are you doing today?"

Sirius practically fell over in surprise. "Excuse me?"

"Do you want to hang out tonight?" Kyra said.

Sirius was silent for a few seconds. "Are you seriously standing here asking me to hang out after I completely yelled at you after you stomped on my heart?"

"Yes."

"Oh…" Sirius said slowly. "Let me grab my coat."

Kyra smiled as she watched Sirius go into the back and walk past the professor he was talking to earlier.

"Girlfriend?" the professor asked Sirius.

Sirius stole a glance at Kyra, "I hope so."

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One more down...plenty more to come! What'll happen now that Lily and James can act civil around each other? What'll happen between Sirius and Kyra? Will Remus ever find a werewolf girlfriend (haha just kidding). Review to find out!