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sunflower-swan · 4 years

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Wolfstar Chapter 8

A/N: Here’s what you need to know: I created this story for Writer’s Month 2020. Every day is a new prompt, and therefore a new chapter. This is an AU Wolfstar where Remus is a tattoo artist next door to Sirius who manages a flower shop. James and Lily are alive in this universe and own a coffee shop across the street. And to make parts of the story work with the prompts, Remus is about 10 years older than Sirius. It also takes place more or less in present time, minus Covid-19.

This is chapter 8 of a multi-chapter work. If you’d like to start from the beginning, here is chapter 1.

Disclaimer: I don’t own these characters. I just like to play with them.

Day 8 Prompt: Eight

Rating: Teen and Up

Word Count: 1917

Tags: angst, language, humor, friendship

Chapter 8

Remus

Dropkick Murphys, “Rose Tattoo”

A rose that shines down from above

I signed and sealed these words in blood

I heard them once, sung in a song

It played again and we sang along

Remus stood and set his cup down on the coffee table. “Wait here. I’ll get it ready for you.” He walked toward the bathroom. Before he entered, he turned to cast a wary eye upon his friend.

Sirius had returned to laying in the fetal position on the couch. He had a pillow over his head, and his shoulders were trembling.

With an internal sigh, Remus entered the bathroom. He turned the tap to fill the tub with water, and then dropped in his last Lavender Vanilla scented bath bomb. It was his favorite to use when he felt stress, anxiety, and pain. But Sirius needed it more than him right now, and he made a mental note to pick up more next time he did the shopping.

Then he grabbed a towel from the linen closet and set it on the sink. He looked in the mirror over the sink at his reflection. The wisps of grey at his temples and the beginnings of lines forming at the corners of his eyes mocked him. They hinted at a man aged, through complicated circumstances, beyond his actual years.

He remembered being on his own during his own grief, and how the darkness had consumed him. Sirius didn’t know it, but his friendship had helped Remus finally find his way out. Whatever he could do to return the favor, he would do it. Remus closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The lavender vanilla scent was already percolating through the air, and it helped to calm him.

James, Lily, and Remus had decided it was probably best if Sirius didn’t stay alone at his own flat tonight. So Remus found his largest pair of athletic shorts, which had never fit him but would hopefully fit Sirius well enough, and a clean undershirt. He set these next to the towel, and went back to the living room to fetch Sirius.

He was right where Remus had left him. Sirius had shifted positions on the couch, and was now laying on his back. His eyes were staring blankly at the ceiling, one arm draped across his stomach, and his other rested on his forehead.

Damn. And I thought I was broken, he thought as he looked at Sirius. “Come on, mate.” Remus helped Sirius to his feet and led him to the bathroom.

Sirius took a long deep breath, and let it out. “Smells nice.”

“Yeah. It’s my favorite.” Remus cleared his throat. Sirius didn’t need to know how often he needed to be calmed or comforted, or that it was often enough to keep a stock of bath bombs handy. “Uh, anyway. Towel and clean clothes are here.” He patted the pile on the sink. “And you take all the time you need. I’ll be out there.” He gestured with his thumb over his shoulder.

Suddenly Sirius threw his arms around Remus. “Thank you,” he whispered into Remus’ shoulder.

“You’re welcome.” Remus melted into his embrace, and silently vowed again to help hold the broken man together.

Sirius released him, and he took the opportunity to leave, closing the door behind him. He let out a heavy sigh and went back to his favorite chair, grabbing a sketchbook and pencil on the way. Flipping open to a blank page he began to draw. Mainly for something to keep his hands and mind busy, and not thinking about the naked Sirius in his tub.

Forty minutes later, he had sketched a beautiful rose. Lots of detailed petals spiraling into the middle, and a few spiked leaves sticking out from underneath. The rose itself seemed to embody the sorrow he knew Sirius was feeling. At that moment, he heard the lever flip to drain the tub, and the sound of Sirius getting out of the bath. Setting the sketchbook on the coffee table, he went into the kitchen to make more tea.

“Did you draw this?” Came a voice from the living room.

Remus poked his head out and saw Sirius holding the sketchbook.

“Uh, yeah. Did that while you were in the bath.”

“This is it.”

“What do you mean?” Remus asked, entering the living room with two fresh cups of tea.

“This is what I want.” He fixed Remus with a pointed stare. “Will you tattoo this on me?”

“Erm...yeah.” Remus handed him a cup. “We can do it in the morning, yeah?”

“Now.”

“Now?” Remus worried Sirius was feeling a little reckless and not thinking this decision through. “Why don’t we sit and have some tea and talk about it a bit first.” Sirius was undoubtedly feeling emotional, and Remus didn’t want him to let that control his decisions.

Sirius rolled his eyes in a huff and accepted the cup offered to him. “Fine.”

The two men sat, Sirius back on the couch and Remus back in his favorite chair. Remus sipped his tea and studied Sirius over the cup.

He was still staring intently at the drawing. There was an intense fire consumed in his flitting eyes. Remus sensed a recklessness disguised as adrenaline in Sirius.

“I decided...in the bath I decided I wanted to get a tattoo in remembrance of Silas. And when I saw this,” he was still holding and looking at the rose, “I knew this was it. I want it right here.” He placed his right hand over his left chest and shoulder and looked at Remus through misty eyes.

He continued to study Sirius for a long second. If this is what he needs to begin to heal, then I can do it. Remus' heart ached for himself and for Sirius when he finally said, “Ok.”

Sirius gave him a sad smile and closed his eyes. “Thank you, Remus.��

~~~~~

Sirius stayed on Remus' couch that night. James had popped by in the evening to see how he was getting along, and brought him a change of clothes. He also managed to convince Sirius to not be alone at his flat for the night. He was worried about what Sirius might get up to if left to his own devices right now, a concern he shared with Remus. Although Remus never had company. And sort of forgot come morning, that he had a guest on the couch.

Remus’ alarm went off, and he slammed his hand on the button on top. With a tired groan, he hauled himself out of bed. Bleary eyed and wearing only his boxers, he stumbled to the kitchen. He poured himself a glass of water from the tap, paid the Daily Prophet owl, and wandered back through the living room. It was at this moment he noticed the human shaped lump on his couch.

What the...he wondered, squinting at the mass.

One of the eyes of the mass opened. “Remus, the dragon boxers are very flattering, but put on some trousers, mate.”

Remus jumped as the recollection of the prior evening ricocheted around his brain -- Silas death, Sirius bath, James stopped by, Sirius stayed the night -- and he remembered what and why and who was on his couch. Of course, this jump also caused him to spill most of the contents of his water glass all over himself. “Sweet Merlin and Godric damn-it anyway!” He covered the front of his boxers with the newspaper, and side-stepped into the bathroom.

A few minutes later he emerged from the bathroom, thoroughly embarrassed but fully clothed and dry. Which was more than he could say for his overnight guest. Remus stopped in his tracks. Sirius was lounging on his couch wearing only jeans, his feet propped up and ankles crossed...reading a book.

A Wrinkle in Time, Remus read on the cover. One of his favorites, despite it being considered a children’s novel. He found inspiration in it’s ideas of friendship, individuality, courage, and nonconformity.

Finding Sirius relaxing on his couch, and reading his books, however. Well, that made his insides squirm in a way that was not appropriate given the situation and circumstances.

“I see you’ve made yourself at home,” Remus remarked. Casual. Be casual.

Sirius turned a page. “Well, I figured if you’re going to do my tattoo this morning, then there was no point in putting on a shirt.” He looked at Remus with a wide, toothless smirk.

Oh, yeah. While Remus was covered almost head to toe in tattoos to cover his scars, he noticed Sirius had a few specially placed so you’d never know they were there if you never saw him with his shirt off. The one that stood out to him most was on the inside of his left forearm.

“Canis Major,” Remus said.

Sirius moved his hand from holding up his head and held his arm out to examine it. “The star Sirius is right there.” He pointed with a smile. “The Dog Star.”

“How many tattoos do you have?” Remus asked, sitting in his favorite chair.

“Seven. Today’s will be eight.” Sirius swung his legs down to the floor. “The constellation dog was my first. Then I got this one.” He held up and pointed to the inside of his right bicep. “For my brother, Regulus.” It was the Leo constellation within a lion.

“Then, when Reg died, I got this tribal band.” It was two lines encompassing a band of triangles with every other one flipped.

“The day after James proposed to Lily, I got this one.” He showed the outside of his right bicep, with an intimidating stag surrounded by colorful orange lilies.

“Then I also got this motorcycle.” He leaned back and showed off the left side of his abs. “I think motorcycles are a brilliant Muggle contraption.”

“And this Gibson guitar head.” It was on the outside of his left bicep. “Shortly after I started learning how to play guitar, and I realized it was going to become a big part of my life.”

“What about the one on your sternum?” Remus was most interested in this one. It was very familiar to him, despite having never seen it on Sirius’ body.

Sirius looked down and touched this tattoo with a chuckle. “Oh. Got this one shortly after leaving Hogwarts.”

“The rest of your tattoos have special meaning though.” This one looked like a weird letter Y with lines through the bottom. He recognized the sign. “What does this one mean?” Does it mean to you what it means to me?

“Ok. So, I’ll tell you, but you have to promise not to freak out.”

“Ok…”

“It’s an amalgamation symbol. It kinda means like...a merger or a mixture.”

Remus could only stare and blink. “Ok…”

Sirius scratched his head with a grin. “Erm...James and I figured out how to become animagi while we were in school. That’s why his tattoo is a stag, because that’s his animagus form.”

What the hell? Remus had been on the edge of his seat throughout this explanation, and at this revelation he fell back. “What?”

“I’m an animagus.”

“And so is James?”

“Yes.”

“No.”

In the time it took Remus to blink, there was a big black dog sitting on his couch where Sirius had been moments before. He jumped. “What the hell?!”

The dog hopped off the couch and padded over to where Remus sat, and looked up at him with great puppy dog eyes. Then in another blink of the eye, Sirius crouched in front of him.

“Let’s go do that tattoo now.” Sirius said with a grin and a slap to Remus' leg.

Next Chapter: Chapter 9

#writersmonth2020 #wolfstar #remus lupin #sirius black #remus x sirius #sirius x lupin #slow burn #alternate universe #harry potter #fanfiction #fanfic

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sea-salted-wolverine · 4 years

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Okay so last week was a shitkicker and was literally so bad I spent the better part of the week trying to delude myself into thinking it was a good day. Like, we're talking, "the sun is shining and I'm here to see it so today is a good day" and "I'm having a bad day- fuck me I am not haveing a bad day- I'm having a good day- I'm not having a bad day". Denial is a powerful tool for mental health, apply judiciously. I get that everyone on earth is kinda having a shitty year but it feels like things just kinda escalated in my little corner

The 7th had a huge snow storm that brought traffic to a stand still. No one could leave the house and university class was online anyway. Batshit customer demanded to pick up her gear anyway. I drove in because I was the only person with keys to the shop that could get to the building. It took me a solid 2 hours going 15mph on the highway. The snow in the parking lot was up past the fenders of my truck. Crazy lady gets 10 out of 18 of her survival suits back but the other 8 still have holes in them because our only repair tech is also the only one who answers the phone or runs the computer or handles customers or cleans or disinfects anything or stores gear. I'll give you one guess who that person is.

Did you guess me? Good for you. Fun fact this was not the case in October.

Crazy lady swans off through the snowed in parking lot and because she cant find the exit, blasts straight through the ditch and onto the road.

I say fuck it and leave. I've been at work for 2 hours. I have made 24 dollars for my trouble. It takes me another hour to get home.

The 8th is Saturday and I'm supposed to be at work. No one can drive. There was another 10 8nches of snow last night. I say fuck work and go to dig out the plow truck. The canopy over the plow truck collapses as I walk out to clear the snow of it.

I do not scream.

My partner and I get the truck running and go plow people out of their driveways and then go do the shop.

We come back home and the heater doesn't work. We just spent most of last week frantically trying to limp the thing along because no heat at -20°F is in a word fucking unpleasant. At least now its 40 degrees warmer because if the snowstorm. We take it apart again. The house smells like diesel. The house smells like exhaust. The house is not cold because the wood stove can keep up at 20 above zero but it won't keep us through the winter.

There is no saving the oil heater. We need a new one.

Its 730 and neither of us have eaten. I start rice in the pressure cooker so I can throw a tasty bite on top and call it dinner and that dies too. Explosively.

Dinner is half cooked rice and microwaved curry.

Sunday is spent finding a way to stretch our increasingly thin budget to buy a new heater. Between us we actually have 2275$ and we will still cover the mortgage. Somehow. All our Christmas gifts will be hand made this year. The next thing that breaks will stay broken.

Monday, power outages due to snow storm. No wifi, no zoom meetings. Another 8 inches of snow. This is now more snow than my city gets for the full year.

My boss calls sobbing. The dog died. Joey, an 11 year old, 130lb mastiff with a tumor the size of a football on his liver has been her constant companion for at least 8 years. The pandemic has confused the bejesus out of him because while he loves the lock down and going out to play every hour or so he doesnt really like the concept of strangers in masks. Hes a guard dog and doesnt understand that men in masks coming into the shop are not here to kill mom they're wearing masks so they don't kill mom.

Mondays the shop is closed anyway and I spend it installing the new heater. It doesn't quite fit in the space the old heater came out of but its warm.

Tuesday, I go to work, everyone cancels class, I once again gently explain to a regular that eugenics is bad. I would like to curse him out. I cant. He drops a grand on scuba gear and leaves, talking about how great his trip to Mexico will be.

I do not scream.

A friend calls to ask how I'm doing. Not great. Yea, her niether. She asks if I want to go out to the backcountry with her over the weekend. I explain that my leg physically does not move and I'm downing copious amounts of advil to remain upright. The doctor sent me in for an MRI but has not yet called back. Plus I'm supposed to go to Valdez for the weekend and actually go diving. That I can do with limited use of my leg.

She says yikes, take it easy, take care of yourself, I love you.

I say, yikes, I'm tired of taking it easy, I wanna play, I love you too.

Hit me up if your plans open up and we can do something gentle on your leg. She says.

God yes. The cold woods away from people sounds like paradise. I dont even care that it will cause me rending physical pain to get there. I need a break.

Its Wednesday. I go to school. I get pulled over. Miraculously I dont get a ticket. I'm white female and conventionaly attractive, maybe not so miraculous. I rolled through a stop sign but I'm pretty sure I couldn't afford a ticket.

I get a text in class. One of the instructors who works with the dive shop has tested positive for covid. I haven't seen the man in 2 months. I needed a spare instructor but he was nowhere to be found. But hey, evidently that's a good thing.

I go to work. I vacillate between doing the job a 4 people and having nothing to do.

I go to the grocery store because I misjudged my last monthly grocery run and even though I'm increasing my exposure I'm out of cheese and tea damnit.

The store is packed. Pandemic who?

My partner and I haven't had a date nite in a while and this week has been shitty. I want a nice dinner. I pick up a couple boxes of the carton sushi which isnt terrible and is about as nice as I can justify on the new budget. I grab a gallon of milk and a few other things. I forgot my wallet in the truck and the cashier is chill and sets my stuff aside while I grab it.

I pay and take my stuff home and realize I left one of my bags at the store. No cheese or tea for me.

Thursday. 10am my phone goes off with an emergency alert. The govoner has grown a spine in light of recent elections and is instituting a voluntary lock down. My state has 500 new cases a day. That might not sound like a lot but theres only 300,000 people in Alaska and we've got poor medical infrastructure.

Unfortunately Alaska is full of Alaskans and nobody can tell us what to do. Nothing changes. 7pm rolls around and I'm teaching scuba classes in the pool.

I load a few hundred pounds of scuba gear into the back of my truck. In a wet wetsuit. In the snow. In a fabric facemask. 6 feet apart. In the pool.

I dont get paid for pool time.

Over the summer we had 6 dive masters including me, all big burly dudes, much better suited to picking things up. Its November and I'm the only one.

The kids I'm teaching are going to Hawaii. They're 10 and 13 and so wildly excited about breathing underwater its beautiful to watch. And they're traveling to an island. In a pandemic.

Friday.

Unload scuba gear so it doesnt get stolen out of the back of my truck while I'm at class. Were doing a make up lab today. Hey of the five student in my class only one of us has covid so theres that.

My boss calls an let's me know that shes left for Valdez without me. If I'd like to make an 8 hour drive by myself in a snowstorm I'm welcome to follow.

I'm in class till an hour before shop closing. I'm not driving across town so I can run on the open sign for half an hour.

The shop stays closed on Friday.

Saturday.

I explained to everyone we had business with that the shop would be closed over the weekend and Friday. I planned on being in Valdez. Hell I canceled plans to be in Valdez.

I open the shop and immediately field calls about why we werent open. I start to explain about the Valdez trip and logistical difficulties and then I realize that shes not mad about that. The woman was here before I opened early this morning. We have never been open that early. The hours are on the door.

A regular comes in. Hes also confused as to why I'm here.

Sunday finds me curled up in bed, reluctant to leave. Getting out of bed has not played out well for me recently.

A friend comes over to chat with my partner about specialist rifle parts. This isnt that wierd, he works at a gun shop and they've been discussing upgrading my partners current rifle set up.

He is wearing a full Scottish kilt. Red tartan. Looks very lovely.

I make zucchini bread and my proportions are a little off because I have too much zucchini so it's a little over moist but it's good. I'm recovering from an asskicker of a week and next week will be better.

Monday morning:

Baby brother has covid

Dads getting the results of his rapid test tonight.

Mom isnt getting tested because she says she doesnt have symptoms but that's not the fucking point mom.

So, I'm not going home for thanksgiving. I'm not diving in Valdez. I'm not skiing backcountry.

I'm not sick. I'm not flat broke yet. I dont have a ticket. I have a job. I have people who care about me. Im managing my physical and mental health as best I can. Im just fucking exhausted.

#vent post #writing #holy fuuuuuck #2020

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