What Led Me To This Town?
Dedicated to the memory of Jonathan Brandis
Remus swore as he lost his footing on the stairs and slipped down the last three. He swore as he stubbed his toe on the skirting board, and he swore once more as he heard another loud crash come from the living room.
"Sirius!" He yelled, aghast. The room was a disaster. There were broken plates and tables and books strewn everywhere. The curtains were hanging off the railing and there was a rather suspicious looking turkey darting from pile-of-wreckage to pile-of-wreckage. Why, Remus thought, does this always happen on a Sunday?
"What have you done?" Remus asked, shaking off his Sunday-gloom.
"My wand is buggered." Sirius complained pathetically, glaring and shaking it all about. Several cup cakes appeared from nowhere and smattered into the wall at high speed. Cream-filled, Remus noted.
"It's not your sodding wand, that's why!" Remus darted through the mess and snatched his wand away from Sirius, checking it to see it wasn't broken, and then sending spell after spell flying to restore his beautiful living room.
"That would explain why it didn't like me." Sirius frowned and started patting himself down in search of his own wand. When the search extended to encompass the room, Remus sent an accio flying and Sirius' wand promptly zoomed through the kitchen door and smacked itself hard into Sirius' forehead, apparently reprimanding him for not recognising the impostor.
When Remus finished with the room he took a good look at Sirius. The gravity now gone from the situation, Remus actually burst into laughter.
Sirius stood bewildered until he looked at himself and realised he was wearing a very authentic-looking pirate costume, complete with a parrot he hadn't noticed perching on his shoulder. Sirius shrieked like a woman when he felt his beautiful hair had turned into a bunch of smelly feral dreadlocks, and Remus couldn't help looking at the shiny buckles on his shoes.
The image kept them both laughing for several minutes until Remus had to fall into the couch to avoid falling onto the floor. Sirius returned his image to it's former (very attractive) self and sat down on the couch and reclined against the arm, looking Remus over appraisingly.
"That's the first time I've seen you laugh in weeks." Sirius said.
Remus nodded and brushed his hair back through his fingers.
"I've been quite busy with my writing, of late."
"No," Sirius said. "It's more than that. Is it the Wolfsbane? Do you think it has some other effects that Snivellus neglected to tell us about?"
"No," Remus answered ponderously. "I think it's because of school."
"Hogwarts? My dear Moony, we haven't been at school for years!"
"Precisely," Remus sighed. "We've been without direction, without purpose, living off your inheritance and doing nothing for years. It's just not something I'm used to. At least, for you, there's cat chasing."
"So? You've still got the S-Factor to keep you going!" Sirius said, adopting his most manly of poses. "Besides, we're young, this is what we're supposed to be doing."
"I just can't help but feel I've got no purpose here."
"Moony, you're much too young to be questioning your existence." Sirius said in a poorly-attempted soothing manner.
"At least I know your existence," Remus laughed. "You've clearly been put on the earth to destroy my living room." He teased.
"It's not as bad as what Prongs did! Did Lily tell you what he did to their back yard when he was chasing that gnome? Merlin, he would be the most annoying person to live with."
"You'd come a close second," Remus laughed.
"You'll pay for that!" Sirius cried, and started tickling every inch of Remus' body. Remus quickly yielded, fearful of Remus tickles and the extremes they sometimes went to.
Sirius, being the kind and generous soul that he was, ceased tickling and trapped Remus in a tight hug. Remus sighed, knowing he couldn't get free if he tried.
"I just feel as though I woke up one day, and all my dreams were gone. Without school or a job I just don't know what I'm doing here."
"Enough of that speak!" Sirius grumbled. "I'll have none of that from my Moony." He rubbed Remus' arms and kissed the nape of his neck. Sirius closed his eyes and lay there, stroking Remus' neck with his thumb and whispering. "Hey, Moony. Are you keeping a secret?" He whispered. "Because I'm keeping one, too. Can you keep it a secret?"
Remus smiled and waited.
"I'm in love with you."