MOONSTRUCK! ( marauders ) ✓

NINE. real life

"MAMA I'M HOME!" James yelled, shrugging off his coat as he entered the house. He had gotten let out of work early (re: had shot sad looks at his boss until she finally sent him home) and after stopping at the store to pick up ice cream, had promptly returned home.

His mother's responding yell was distant, but not too distant, which meant she was probably in the kitchen. He shuffled over in search of spoons. She was chopping vegetables with a fervor she only applied to cooking and scrabble, so he avoided her area of the kitchen and pulled open the proper drawer, "Sirius is upstairs." Is all she said, not taking her eyes off of the growing mound of peppers.

"Okay, I'll be up there too if you need any help." He stuck the spoons in his pocket and leaned over just enough to kiss her on the cheek. She smiled softly at the affection, "Cheer him up, okay? He seems upset."

James stuck a thumb in the air, "That's what the ice cream is for."

[ ... ]

He found Sirius in what used to be a craft room, then was turned into a play room for a newborn James, before finally being converted into a combination of the two, plus things a teenage James would enjoy. And now, a teenage Sirius. The result was a dejected Sirius sitting on the strange blue corduroy couch James had picked out at age 10 covered in an old quilt made by Mrs. Potter ( one of her earliest efforts, if the disharmonious patterns and crooked stitching were any indication ) and watching an old Bollywood movie on the giant flatscreen mounted to the wall.

At James' entrance, Sirius looked towards the door frame for a moment before dropping his head back onto a puppy printed pillow. Undeterred, James flopped down onto the couch, right on top of Sirius' legs. He positioned his body so that it was curled behind Sirius' legs, and tossed a pocket spoon at his best friend's forehead.

"I got your favorite." He grinned, holding up one of the two flavors he had picked up. Sirius was a big fan of the earl gray, lemon, and lavender ice cream that the organic, bougie grocery store James worked at carried. Personally, James thought tea should only be drank, so he had bought himself cream cheese and beet ice cream.

Sirius cracked open his carton and started eating it with some life, "Okay Dwight," he said, eyeing the fuchsia concoction that was currently freezing James' little guys numb.

James rolled his eyes, "We can't all be rich crusty white ladies in their 70s."

They went back and forth for a few moments more, walking the fine line between bickering and bantering as they tended to do. Eventually the conversation lulled as the movie reached it's final act, and they sat in silence watching it until the credits began to roll. By this point James had finished his entire pint of ice cream, and Sirius was not to close behind. James cautioned a look at Sirius, "You okay?"

Sirius didn't look up from his dessert, "Why wouldn't I be?"

James turned to face him, "You know why. Does it bother you?"

Sirius tucked a stray lock of hair behind his ear, "I'm the gay one; why would it bother me? Doesn't it bother you that everyone is saying you're gay too?"

James was silent for a couple of seconds, "I mean— it's going to make Operation Get Lily Evans to Fall in Love with Me a little bit harder, but you know I'm always up for a challenge."

"You're avoiding the question;" Sirius had put his ice cream on the end table and pulled his legs to his chest, "I know it bothers you. You said you didn't care that I was gay, and if it turns out you do, that's fine, I can pack up my stuff and—"

James was suddenly lunging forward, and cut Sirius off with a kiss.

Sirius pulled back immediately, as did James, "Dude what the fuck?" Sirius half yelled, wiping his mouth off, "You taste like beets."

James, for his part, looked equally horrified, "That was a mistake ohmygod."

"Why did you kiss me?" Sirius hissed, keeping one ear trained for the sounds of the kitchen below. He really hoped Mrs. Potter hadn't heard anything.

"I thought— I dunno I have weird feelings about you so I thought maybe I was gay or bi or something," he was red faced and looked like he wanted to melt into the couch cushions. Idiot.

"So you kissed me? That's so weird!" Sirius' voice dropped lower, "You didn't even ask." He accused, scooting farther away.

"I'm sorry okay? I didn't like that at all."

"I think it has more to do with the fact that we're practically siblings and less to do with the fact that you might like boys. Ever consider that?" Sirius was already compartmentalizing the past couple of minutes into his never think about this ever again file, where he hoped it would only come out after years of therapy. Who kisses their almost brother ?

"What about Lily?" Sirius tried to veer the conversation away from what had just taken place.

"She's got a boyfriend dude, I think it's time to put that dream away. I shouldn't have been hitting on her like I have been, I put her in a weird position and it's not fair to her. And Remus is way too nice to fuck over like that."

Sirius gaped at James for a moment before recovering and responding in the affirmative. Oh, the duality of man.

AUTHOR'S NOTE
sorry ive been awol for so long im the worst
and i don't really have any excuses either lmao