Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters used, the world of Harry Potter and everything involved with it belongs to JK Rowling.
Hogwarts - Assignment 4: Survival Skills: BYOBOB (Bring Your Own Bug Out Bag) - Task #1 Shelter: Write about someone moving into a new home.
Additional Prompts listed at the end!
Summary: After losing everything in his divorce, Sirius has spent the last four months sleeping on James and Regulus' sofa, but it's time for him to go, and James is nice enough to find a new housemate for his friend. This looks like it's going to work out quite nicely for the sad actor in need of some TLC.
"Sirius, this isn't 'goodbye'. It's just, you're cramping my style." James had tried to be subtle, gently suggesting that after four months of sleeping on his sofa, it was time for his best friend to take the next step and move on. It hadn't worked however, and Regulus had begun to get rather annoyed with having his older brother sleeping on their sofa and encroaching on their personal time. It was too much for too long, and that meant it was time for Sirius to move on, and out.
"But James, I've got nowhere to go. Lucius took everything and you're just going to turf me out to live on the streets of London?" He had always had a flair for the dramatics and watching him now made it very clear to James that Sirius made the correct career choice going into theatre. He had thrown himself back onto sofa with such force, that he bounced off the cushions and onto the floor, choosing to continue laying there with a petulant expression across his face.
"We're not going to bloody throw you onto the streets with a cardboard box filled with your crap Sirius, we've made arrangements for you to stay with our friend," he was exasperated. Sirius was very good at needling away until he got what he wanted, but James couldn't let that happen this time. If he didn't want to end up divorced and homeless like his best friend, then he needed to get Sirius out of the flat.
"It's fine, clearly I've overstayed my welcome and you don't want me around anymore. I thought we were having fun, it was just like when we boarded together, but apparently not," he began to moan and mope from his position on the floor. James had been prepared for this, he knew that Sirius was a master of the guilt trip, he had been since their days in boarding school. Remembering what Regulus had told him, 'talk over him loud enough and quick enough that he can't get a word in edge ways, it was time to lay down the law.
"I'm shagging your brother Sirius. Well actually, I'm not shagging him because you've been living on our sofa for the past four months, and I actually quite like being married to Reggie, so it's time for you to leave." Somehow James managed to shock himself and Sirius into silence, as the pair regarded each other with wide eyes at the loud outburst. Seeing the hints of pain in his best friends grey eyes, James felt himself soften slightly, he didn't want to hurt him after all. "Look mate, it's time you moved on from Lucius, he was a prat anyway. You need to find someone new to help you get past the heartache, and you can't do that while you're sleeping on your brother sofa and watching reruns of Gossip Girls all day."
Drawing himself upright, Sirius nodded, he supposed he had completely intruded on Reggie and James' life for some time now, and they had been kind enough to find him somewhere to stay for a while. It was time for him to get back on the horse as many said, and constantly moping around wasn't going to help him any. "You're right, I should have left a while ago, it was just nice to have the company. You said you found somewhere I could stay for a while; I don't suppose it would be too much to ask for you to help me put my crap into boxes then?" It was a start, the barest hints of humour, but it was enough for James who had struggled to see his best friend in the man before him for some time.
"Well, I suppose I could spare a bit of time to shove your crap into some bin bags you prat," they were both grinning now, and any lingering tension had completely dissolved. James reached out a hand, tugging Sirius to his feet before moving towards the storage room, in search of the boxes and packing supplies they both knew Regulus had hidden their weeks before.
"By the way, never mention you and Regulus shagging again, honestly James, I'm going to need to bleach my eyeballs now." Cackling laughter filled the flat for the first time in months, and James knew that Sirius was going to be okay, he was already a step closer to happiness.
A week later and Sirius was regretting his decision to move out. James had told him that his new housemate lived on the outskirts of London but had neglected to mention that it was completely obscured by trees and other scenes of nature. Sirius wasn't the biggest fan of the outdoors, in fact he kind of hated it. He had relished his life living in London, parting practically every evening and enjoying being on some of the lists for the fanciest bars and clubs in the city. He supposed it couldn't be too bad, he had his car at least, so at least he could escape to the city and away from all of the mud when he needed to.
But as he trundled up the rocky round, trying and failing to avoid the many potholes and puddles, Sirius privately thought that maybe he could get used to this. He appreciated the autumn leaves that were falling to the ground, and the many shades of orange and brown were truly quite beautiful. He could spot a variety of woodland creature, from rabbits to a fox and he had even caught a glimpse of a badger wondering through a passing field. It was completely different to his previous life that he had shared with Lucius, and maybe that was exactly what he needed. He needed a complete change and to be challenged, and there was nothing more challenging then living in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by mud and fields, at least it seemed pretty peaceful out here.
As Sirius turned the corner of the lane, he was confronted with his new home. It was the complete opposite of the modern flat in the middle of London that he had shared with his ex-husband Lucius. The pair having made enough money as an actor and art dealer to afford a high end luxury flat with beautiful views, and completely modern furniture. This was the furthest thing from a luxury flat, a small, yet cosy looking cottage. Made of stone of stone with a thatched roof and plants growing up the sides, it looked like it belonged in a fairy-tale. Warm and inviting were the words Sirius would use to describe the modest home, smoke flowing from the chimney and window boxes filled with cascading plants. He felt like he had stepped straight into a storybook, and surprisingly he was okay with that.
It was smaller than he was used to, and slightly more worn down than he was expecting, but what it lacked in style, it more than made up for in character. While the cottage itself was built from grey stone, the wooden door frame and windowsills were painted a bright and cheery lemon yellow. The path leading up to the cottage was lined with shrubbery and flowers of various types and was reminiscent of a rainbow in the colours displayed. In the distance, Sirius could make out the vague shape of what looked to be beehives, and similarly, he could clearly spot the greenhouses and poly-tunnels that were off to the side of the cottage itself.
Rolling his car to a stop, Sirius gave himself a moment to breathe and ready himself for the big change he was about to make in his life. This was completely new territory, and Sirius still didn't know whose home he was about to enter and make his own for a short while. Inhaling one last deep breathe, he open his car door and stepped out into the countryside. Immediately, his beautiful Italian leather boots were covered in thick mud, having inadvertently stepped straight into a puddle. He prayed that wasn't some kind of metaphorical sign that his future was going to end up in the mud.
Shaking it off, he continued to clamber out of the vehicle and shut the door was a slightly louder slam then he had planned. Did he knock first, or get his things out? Sirius didn't know what to do and was about to call James and beg to move back in when the bright yellow door opened, and Sirius got his first look as to who his new housemate was. He was tall, and slightly pale, with soft looking brown hair and bright amber eyes. He was dressed for the location, looking completely at home in his forest green cable knit jumper and old and faded jeans. Sirius expected him to be wearing boots of some kind, as protection from the mud that seemed to cover the place. Instead he was greeted with a pair of pink bunny slippers, and somehow, they made perfect sense. Realising that he had clearly been staring for too long, Sirius looked back to the mans face, for his eyes to immediately meet with the amber pair in front of him. Sirius expected him to be angry, or at least a little irritated with the way he had perused him, but instead, their a was a bright and welcoming smile on the mans face as he shuffled across the porch towards Sirius.
"You must be Sirius, James has told me a lot about you," his voice was light with a slight scratchy tone to it that didn't detract from the overall attractiveness of the man. Sirius could barely come up with the words to introduce himself but knew that he couldn't be acting a fool in front of this gorgeous creature.
"I am, I'd love to say the same, but unfortunately James is a secretive sod and wouldn't tell me much about you," his voice had a husky tone that drew men (and women, not that he was interested) to him like flies, and yet it seemed to have no outward effect on this man. A feat that surprised Sirius, but ultimately would just push him to try harder to woo him.
"James said you'd call him that, sorry I'm Remus, I'm excited to have you here. It'll be nice to have someone else living here, it gets a bit lonely after a while," he had begun to move closer, slipping off the slippers and replacing them with a pair of red wellington boots that seemed to be stored out of sight. Sirius couldn't help but to repeat his name in his head, Remus, he could imagine how amazing it would sound rolling of his tongue. James had really pulled through in finding a roommate that Sirius would like, if anything, maybe he had tried too hard, because Sirius could definitely see himself falling for the man before him.
"Well, I'm always happy to provide company for the lonely," it had slipped out before he could stop himself, this with suggestiveness and flirtation, there was no disguising his words with any other reasoning. Sirius couldn't believe that in just his second sentence to the man, Remus he reminded himself, he had managed to practically proposition him. God James was never going to let him live this down, and he could imagine how offended Remus felt at such suggestive words coming from a man he had only just met.
Taking Sirius completely by surprise, Remus let out a loud and belting laugh. It was sweet like honey, thick and enticing, just drawing Sirius closer. He couldn't help but to be entranced by the man before him, he was such an enigma, so different to the people Sirius tended to socialise with and yet, Sirius loved it. He craved to constantly hear that laugh echoing through the rafters of the little cottage, and that scared him.
"Ah, James did warn me that you were rather flirtatious, but don't worry, I happen to make the perfect company for housemates. So, shall we move you in to your new home?" with that said, he trotted down from the steps and made his way towards the car. Sirius had limited capacity to understand hat had just happened, had Remus just flirted back with him? Or was Sirius just that damaged from his divorce that he somehow managed to take normal kind words and translate them into something much more suggestive?
Sirius was dumbstruck and couldn't work out what to do next. At the gentle nudging of Remus, he managed to unlock the boot of his car and watched as his new housemate took the initiative of carrying one of many boxes into the cottage. Sirius didn't think he had ever met somebody like Remus, he was charming and flirtatious, yet calm and soft. A complete enigma of a person wrapped up in a cable knit bow, and yet so intriguing. Sirius was lost and still slightly baffled as to the interaction between them but knew that this was going to be interesting. He couldn't help but to grin widely, flashing his bright white teeth as he began to saunter towards the cottage, box in hand. He was going to like living here, he thought, it was definitely going to be fun, and who knew what could come as a result.
2,235 Words
Additional Prompts:
Insane Prompt Challenge:
[542] (Colour) – Lemon Yellow
366 Prompts Challenge:
[201] Married
August Auction:
Day 31: Auction 2 – "[Name], this isn't 'goodbye'. It's just, you're cramping my style."
Writing Club – September:
Showtime: Disney Classics – [1] So This Love – Pairing: Your OTP
Lizzy's Loft – [1] Pairing: Sirius/Remus
Scamander's Case: Boggart – [8] Character: Remus Lupin
Lyric Alley: Colourful by Jukebox the Ghost – [8] Left home with a dram and a suitcase
TV Spree: The Good Place – [3] Michael: Write about someone taking charge.
The Forecast Says – [1st] Sunny with Clouds: Peaceful
Pick A Wick:
[3] Bananas and Creme – Colour: Yellow
Build a Better Breakfast:
[14] Flaxseed – Item: Car
Like a Skyscraper:
Floor 1 – [4] Colour: Forest Green
September - Fortnightlies:
[13] Rufus Scrimgeour: Write about someone who's been given a bad hand.
Seasonal Summer Challenges:
Unlucky Month for Weddings - [18] Word: Marriage
Romance Awareness Month – Sirius/Remus
Friendship Week – Sirius & James
Colours – [8] Lemon
Gryffindor Characters – [17] Remus Lupin
Gryffindor OTPs – [11] James/Regulus (Angel)
Build-a-Fairytale – Stage 2: The Hero – [7] …is burdened by a heavy curse – Character: Remus Lupin