Fic: The Babysitter for gothzabini
Dec. 27th, 2018 10:55 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
maraudererasmut posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
small_giftsAuthor/Artist:
maraudererasmutRecipient:
gothzabiniRating: G
Contents or warnings (highlight to view): *None, really... it's... it's pretty safe. *
Word count: 2513
Summary: Remus is alone with Harry when he hears an unusual scratching sound at the door...
Notes: What? A G rated fic from MarauderEraSmut? Unheard of! Okay, I kid. I can do G-rated. Occasionally. Anyway, I hope you really enjoy it!
Also, a special thanks to Jencala and Shadowprince for being amazing Beta testers and helping me refine my fic! <3 You're both awesome!
“Okay Harry, up you go.” Remus hoisted the toddler into his arms with a groan, smiling earnestly at the chubby face beaming back at him. “You’re getting pretty big. Soon you’re gonna have to put yourself to bed…”
The baby gurgled happily in response, grabbing excitedly at the curls on top of Remus’ head. The werewolf gave a quiet chuckle and pulled a plump hand away from his hair.
“None of that, Harry, you don’t want to ruin Uncle Moony’s hair do—” Remus trailed off. He peered towards the front of the house, where he thought he heard a scratching at the door and a soft whine floating through the air. Remus pursed his lips before turning his attention back to the child in his arms. “What do you think that could be, Harry?”
The Potter boy babbled incoherently, opening and closing his tiny fists while staring towards the front of the house. The scratching continued and Remus gave a nonchalant shrug before heading to the toddler’s playpen.
“You stay here, Harry. I’m going to check that out. And don’t you move. Your mum and dad would kill me if anything happened to you.” Lupin gently lowered the young boy into his gated area and walked to the door, peeking through the curtain of the adjacent window. Outside of the house was a large black dog, pawing gently at the front door emitting a mournful whine. Remus let out an exasperated sigh and rolled his eyes. With a frustrated shake of his head, he opened the door and stood in the frame, staring at the dog in dismay.
“What do you want, Sirius?”
The dog didn’t move. It gazed up at Remus, eyes wide, ears drooping, waiting for the werewolf to let him in. Remus tugged his housecoat closed and stepped outside onto the front porch before closing the door behind him. His toes were frozen in his slippers and he could feel the sharp sting of the winter air against his ears and nose. His breath rose from his mouth in billowing puffs, glowing warmly in the light from the sconce beside the door.
“Well, come on then, out with it.”
The dog cocked its head to the side, whining pathetically at the shivering man at the threshold. Remus gave another begrudging sigh and made his way past the dog, finding a seat on the old wooden bench beside Lily’s planters.
“I told you before, Sirius, I’m not interested in talking. Go home.” The dog slowly padded towards the bench, coming to a rest at Remus’ feet. It laid down peacefully with a heavy exhale, eyes still staring up at Remus. “Sirius, I’m not kidding. I don’t want to talk to you right now. I’m still angry. I can take care of Harry on my own, just… just go home. Please.”
The dog didn’t move. Remus looked over his shoulder, peering inside the house, hoping to catch a glimpse of baby Harry. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, realizing that the playpen wasn’t in view from his spot on the bench.
“Sirius, I have to go back inside. Just — leave me alone. We’ll… we’ll talk tonight, okay?”
Lupin made to get up, but the dog let out a soft whimper causing Remus to second guess his decision. With a frustrated glance at the animal at his feet, the werewolf sat back down on the bench and tapped the wooden slats beside him. The dog perked up and rose to its feet before hopping into the vacant spot and resting its head on Remus’ lap. The man’s hand absentmindedly made its way to the animal’s head, scratching lovingly at its velvety ears.
“I’m sorry, Sirius.”
The dog’s eyes closed as it leaned into Remus’ gentle touch. He looked down at the animal, a sorrowful expression maring his warm features.
“Before— I… I shouldn’t have said, what I said. I know you don’t see me like that. I just… I just don’t like it when you bring it up, you know?” Remus leaned back, resting his head against the cold brick wall. His bottom was starting to numb from sitting on the frozen seat and he could feel a burning chill creep through his cheeks, biting at his ears and nose. He stared out into the placid, empty road, watching as the streetlights cast shimmering shadows that danced across the sparkling ground. Remus smiled softly to himself, remembering how much he loved Lily and James’ neighbourhood. Godric’s Hollow had quickly become one of his favourite places to visit and it looked exceptionally peaceful on Christmas Eve. Remus loved to use the Potter home to escape his daily life; to run away from the yelling and the shouting that always resulted when he and Sirius spent too much time cooped up in their tiny apartment. Remus closed his eyes and took a deep breath, preparing his next words carefully in his mind.
“I can… move out… If that’s what you want, that is…”
The dog lifted its head, letting out a sad whine. Remus opened his eyes and stared down at the animal beside him, tears welling up in his eyes. Of course he didn’t want to move out. He’d be willing to bet that Sirius didn’t want that either. Remus knew that the two of them would eventually get over this fight, but he would be damned if he let Sirius use the apartment as leverage in an argument.
“Look, if you don’t want me to go, I won’t go. I want to stay. I want to live with you, Pads. I just… you can’t lord it over my head. You can’t just say that you get to make the rules because you pay for the apartment. I—I can’t... “ Remus tore his eyes away from the dog’s before the tears fell, trailing a warm path down his cheek. “I can’t live with myself knowing that you hold that against me.”
The dog nuzzled Remus’ hand, allowing him to rub its neck affectionately.
“Did you really mean what you said, Pads?”
The dog didn’t respond. Remus stared out into the night, trying to find the words that he needed to say.
“I… I love you, Pads. I really do. But, I just… I don’t know. I don’t know if we can—”
The door to the house opened from the inside, startling Remus and the dog, causing them both to nearly fall off the bench. Standing in the doorway was a tall, handsome man, holding a baby in one arm, the other hand positioned cockily against his hip. Spread across his chiseled features was a smug grin, exposing a row of perfect teeth. The toddler grabbed at the dark hair that fell past the man’s slender shoulders. Sirius Black laughed, gently pulling his locks away from the child’s grasping hands.
“Who’re you talking to, Moons? And…why’d you leave Prongslet inside all alone?” Sirius’ smirk turned slightly wicked when he noticed the dog that was laying next to Remus. His smokey grey eyes flashed with menace as he ran a hand smoothly through his dark hair. “Did you think that was me?”
Remus stared at Sirius for a moment in shock, trying to figure out what was going on. He looked down at the dog laying beside him. The dog gave a little whimper before hopping off the bench and wagging its tail enthusiastically towards the man in the doorway.
“Pa-foo!” Harry called, causing Sirius to give a hearty laugh.
“No no, Prongslet. That’s a different puppy. Harry I get, but you Moons? Really? You’d think you’d know me better by now, after all the years we’ve—”
“Shut up.” Remus growled, looking away sheepishly. It was true. They had spent years together. Remus knew that he should have known better than to mistake a different dog for Sirius. He wondered if he really wanted it to be his boyfriend; if he secretly wished his Padfoot had come back so that they could talk about their argument.
Sirius walked over to the dog and gave it an affectionate rub with his free hand, it’s tail thumping gleefully against the snow-covered porch. He glanced up at his boyfriend, arms crossed and averting his gaze. Sirius smiled warmly before adjusting the toddler and sitting in the newly vacant seat on the bench.
“What were you saying to her, Moons?” Sirius’ smile gave an evil little twist when he specified the dog’s gender, causing Remus to groan loudly, pressing his head against the cool brick wall behind him.
“I’m sorry, Sirius. I was just tired, is all…”
“It’s fine. I don’t hold it against you. So you didn’t recognize your boyfriend of three years? So you thought this female dog was me? I’m not going to use that as ammunition for the rest of our lives or anything.”
“Great. Just what you needed. Something else to lord over my head.”
The silence hung in the air as Remus realized what he had said. He regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth and he knew that they would only cause another yelling match. Sirius looked down at the baby in his lap before carefully wrapping Harry within his leather jacket and zipping the two of them together.
“I’m sorry…” Padfoot muttered, never taking his eyes away from the child’s head. He couldn’t bring himself to look at Moony, not when he knew he had upset his boyfriend that much. “I… I’m a dick. I really am. And I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine—”
“Stop it, Moons. It’s not fine. I really was a twat. I shouldn’t have said any of that.”
“I don’t want to talk about it now, Sirius.” Remus’ expression hardened as he watched Sirius’ face. He wasn’t in the mood for confrontation.
“Too bad,” Sirius responded sharply, his head snapping up to face his partner, deep grey eyes filled with determination. “We have to talk this out, Remus. We can’t keep doing this.”
“Doing what?” Remus knew exactly what Sirius was talking about, but he needed to hear his boyfriend say it aloud.
“We can’t keep fighting! We can’t just keep yelling at each other and leaving and… and then thinking that everything is going to be okay! We can’t keep doing this, Moons!”
Remus took a deep breath and ran his fingers wearily through his hair.
“Fine. You want to talk? Talk.”
“Well… I’m sorry. I’m sorry for yelling at you. And…and I’m sorry for leaving the house when you got mad… and… and I’m sorry for what I said.”
“That’s it?”
Harry gurgled sleepily in Sirius’ coat.
“That’s it. Anything you’d like me to add?”
“Yeah, how about: ‘Don’t worry, Remus. I’ll never hold my wealth over your head!’ or ‘I promise to never utter the words I pay for this apartment ever again!’ While you’re at it why not try ‘I love you, Remus, and I will always be there to support you and your decisions’! Or ‘Gee, Remus, I don’t quite understand why you need this from me, but I sure as hell am going to provide it, because you asked me to!’”
Harry’s grouchy whining broke Remus’ train of thought, bringing him back to his senses. He realized that he was shouting, his hands clenched into fists, knuckles turning white with tension. He took a steadying breath before continuing.
“Look,” he said, calmer than before. “It’s cold. I’m cold. You have a baby in your lap. Let’s… let’s just go inside, Sirius. Okay?”
Sirius remained silent, staring at his partner, struggling to find the words to say next.
“Moons…”
“Don’t, Sirius.”
“Remus, listen to me. Just… let me talk…”
“Fine. Talk.”
Sirius inhaled deeply and closed his eyes.
“I will never hold the apartment over your head, ever again. It… it slipped out. I didn’t mean it. I never meant it. I’ve never really even felt that way. I… I have no excuse for saying that and—I’m sorry. But Remus, you can’t expect me to read your mind. You need to understand that I won’t always know when to be there for you. I won’t always be able to tell when you’re genuinely okay or you’re just pretending to be okay. And during those times when I don’t see how much you’re hurting… Remus, you have to tell me. You can’t expect me to know everything you’re feeling! I’m not a Legilimens!”
“Nine years, Sirius! You’ve known me for nine years!”
“Remus!” Sirius reached his hands forward, pulling his boyfriend’s frozen fingers into his palms, clasping them together. “Moons. I love you. Do you understand? I love you. And sometimes I’m an idiot. You have to point those times out for me. But that doesn’t mean that I will ever stop loving you. It just… Well, it just means we have more to learn…”
Remus stared at Sirius, peering into the depths of his eyes, feeling the warmth rush into his cheeks, spreading from the inside. This was the man he was in love with; this man, who often forgot to be observant and rarely paid attention to anything outside of arm’s reach. This was a man who would fiercely fight to protect his pack and wouldn’t let anything come between himself and his goals. Remus sighed and allowed himself to sink further into Sirius’ gaze.
“Let’s go inside, Pads…”
“Only if you forgive me.”
“Padfoot, it’s cold, we’ve—”
“Remus. I’m sorry. Please… just… just forgive me.”
“Pads…”
“Moons…”
“Nine years, Sirius…”
The corners of Padfoot's mouth pulled into a slight grin.
“That's right, Moons. Nine years, and you still mix me up with any old dog you find on the street.”
Remus chuckled affectionately. He couldn't help himself. It was so dumb, mixing up this dog with his boyfriend.
“I guess... I'm also an idiot.”
“Well, can we be idiots together? Please?”
“Only if you let me go inside.”
Sirius gave his partner a heartfelt smile and stood up, supporting the baby with one hand and offering the other to Remus. “Deal.”
Remus allowed Sirius to pull him to his feet and the two men made their way to the front door.
“Whose dog is that, anyway?” Remus asked on his way inside, giving the canine a gentle pat on its head.
“That's Daisy, the neighbours’ dog. Have you really never seen her before?” Sirius laughed, following his partner inside. He held the door open for the animal, allowing her into the house.
“Oi, Pads! This isn't your home! You can't just let a stranger's dog in.” Remus plopped himself into the sofa, giving his partner a scathing look.
Sirius only smiled lovingly towards Remus.
“I love you, Moons.”
Remus sighed.
“I'm not joking around. I really love you, Remus. And I'm sorry.”
“I love you too, Sirius. And… and I'm also sorry. Now, can you just… here, can you give me Harry and take this dog home? Please?”
It had been a long day and Remus was ready to spend some much needed alone time with Sirius before James and Lily returned. The two men had a lot to talk about.
Padfoot casually wandered towards the sofa and sank down into the cushion next to his Moony. Reaching over, Sirius tilted his boyfriend’s chin up and pressed their lips tenderly together. Remus smiled, despite himself. When Sirius pulled away, Remus could feel the heaviness lift from his chest and his shoulders relax into the chesterfield.
“Everything’s gonna be okay, Moons. I promise.”
“I know. Now go take that dog home, Sirius!”
no subject
Date: 2019-01-04 05:57 am (UTC)Glad they talked it out and made up! And for my purposes, this is the beginning of an AU in which the Potters never die and Daisy figures prominently as a new friend for the whole group. Lovely fic! M.
no subject
Date: 2019-01-07 02:59 pm (UTC)I too believe in an AU where the Potters live and Daisy becomes Padfoot's best dog friend. :P Remus takes the two out on walks, baby Harry has trouble telling them apart, James accidentally goes on an adventure with Daisy instead of Sirius!
:')
i'm gushing!
Date: 2019-01-04 07:59 pm (UTC)Re: i'm gushing!
Date: 2019-01-07 03:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-01-05 06:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-01-07 03:02 pm (UTC)That's sort of how I felt about it. I wanted Remus to open up, but I wanted to show that he was having trouble doing so with Sirius. Living together is hard, especially when you're young. I wanted to show that struggles happen and fights happen, but sometimes, love can help you push through all of that. :)
Also, I now need this AU to exist. :P
no subject
Date: 2019-01-16 11:32 am (UTC)