A/N & Disclaimer
Second to last part, set at Number 12 Grimmauld Place, during "Order of the Pheonix". It's set during the summer, wherein Order members are constantly coming and going. So people come in and out of this chapter. Tonks makes an appearance, and the Weasley's are there once in awhile, so this is a bit before Harry shows up. More mild slashiness. I think this is my favorite part, maybe. Anyway, I own none of the characters, and the lines below are from T.S. Eliot's "Love Song of Alfred J. Prufrock". Enjoy and Review!
1995
And would it have been worth it, after all,
Would it have been worth while,
After the sunsets and the dooryards and the sprinkled streets,
After the novels, after the teacups, after the skirts that trail along the floor-
And this, and so much more?
It is impossible to say just what I mean!
Sirius wanted to think of all of it as if it had never happened. He didn't want to talk about it, didn't like to think about it even. So Remus did his best not to bring up the past, not to cross him in any way. He'd already lost him once, he wasn't going to shut him out now, now that they were both decently safe and comfortable where they were.
There were two bedrooms across the hall from each other upstairs that used to be Sirius's and Regulus's. On the nights when they were the only Order members in the old house, they shared Sirius's bed, curled up under the piles of blankets with a fire roaring in the big, ancient fireplace. But when Tonks or Kingsley or some other stayed, Remus would retire to Regulus's room. Later when he woke up cold and bleary eyed, as he always did, he would silently move across the hall and crawl into bed with Sirius.
Tonks, of course, knew what was going on. She didn't even have to say anything. She just nodded and smiled when Remus would lean close to Sirius to say something quietly, or when Sirius would stand a little too close to Remus as they cleaned up after dinner.
Sirius had always had the idea that Tonks had developed some little crush on Remus a few years back and reminded him of this one day after lunch when she had left. Remus scoffed and continued scrubbing the dishes. Sirius stood behind him and wrapped his arms around his waist, resting his chin on Remus's shoulder.
"You like the flattery; you just can't show it because you're so calm and reasonable."
"Or perhaps I just don't have emotions." He replied, jokingly.
Sirius kissed the side of his neck. "Yes you do, I see them."
There was not much of a backyard at Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, but it had to make do. On the hot summer nights there was not much to do but lay outside, hoping a passing breeze would lift the humidity out of the air.
One night it rained; a drenching downpour that came up suddenly, catching them by surprise. Windows were thrown open, letting the cool air in and the hot, stuffy air out. Sirius refused to go inside despite Remus's warnings of catching his death, and drug Tonks out into the rain with him. She promptly slipped in the mud and fell backwards into more of it. The evening ended with all three wrapped in towels, sipping mugs of hot tea Molly Weasley had made after telling them they reminded her of her children. Sirius had laughed, genuinely pleased with her. She later told Remus that she was glad to see the two of them so happy together.
Sirius's hair was still damp when he tangled his fingers in it later, pulling the two of them closer under the covers.
But Sirius was restless most of the time, and Remus couldn't alleviate it forever. Sirius just hated being pinned up, being trapped in the house he had escaped so many years ago. And it wasn't that Remus didn't understand, no, he understood Sirius's feelings completely. It was just that he wished he could do something more.
When Remus was gone, he knew Sirius transformed to Padfoot and went out. He didn't say anything, but he worried constantly. Severus was no help either. No matter how many times Remus asked him to not say anything, his former colleague jumped at the chance to goad Sirius about his situation.
These days, Remus knew, couldn't last forever. They were older, much older. And the peace they had right now was pulled taut, ready to snap in half at any second. The war loomed over them, an ever-present reminder that they were living under Voldemort's shadow. They were in the calm before the storm. Remus just hoped that when they were finally in the clear, that they would be in one piece.
But he highly doubted that.