Falling for the Unexpected (wolfstar)

First Meetings

Sirius didn't know what it was that made him so mesmerized by that man. Maybe it was the way that his eyes were shining at the dim light. Or maybe the fact that faint small scars crossed his young face (the boy couldn't possibly be much older than him). It could also have been the way his sandy blond curly hair looked so soft, making Sirius wonder what it would feel like between his fingers.

He didn't have time to think about that, though, because just seconds after they made eye contact, he saw the man's expression turn into one of complete terror.

"Your Highness! My deepest apologies!" he started rambling even before Sirius could open his mouth to say anything, "I was coming from the gardens and thought no one would be here at this hour so I got distracted and..."

"Hey, it's okay," Sirius told him in what he hoped was a soothing tone, showing him a small smile, "I wasn't paying attention, either, to be honest. Really, don't worry."

"I apologize anyway, Your Highness." The man bowed his head a little at that, but not before Sirius could catch a glimpse of a faint blush across his cheeks.

It was cute.

'Wait, cute???' Sirius scolded his own thoughts, a little confused. 'Did I just think he was cute???'

His attention, however, was fortunately diverted from that topic as he caught the man shifting from one foot to the other, clearly nervous. Sirius sympathized with him immediately, so he tried to come up with something to say and lighten the mood. It wasn't difficult at all, as in that moment he noticed what the boy was holding.

"Oh my God!," he exclaimed, excitedly, "You're reading Wuthering Heights?? I love this book! Tell me, isn't Emily Brontë a genius?"

However, much to Sirius' surprise, the boy looked kind of embarrassed.

"I wasn't...uhh...I wasn't exactly reading it."

"I'm sorry?" Sirius asked, extremely confused.

At that point, the man in front of him looked even more uncomfortable. Sirius was starting to feel bad, but he really didn't get what he was missing out.

"I...umm...," he tried to formulate a sentence, cheeks throughly red as he looked down at his feet, "I was trying to."

"What do you mean you were...Oh!," comprehension finally dig into Sirius' brain, and he immediately felt terrible. 'The boy can't read.'

"I am really sorry!," Sirius quickly apologized, truly ashamed of his previous reaction, "I didn't mean to be so rude."

The man's eyes widened and his mouth opened comically as if something out of that world had happened.

'For him, it probably was,' Sirius thought sadly, 'I guess most royal members don't treat other people very nicely.'

He didn't give the other any time to answer, though, as he quickly asked for his name.

"My name is Remus, Your Highness. Remus Lupin." He spoke in a quite careful voice, and Sirius hoped he didn't think he was in trouble.

"Well, it's very nice to meet you, Remus." He greeted, wanting the boy to feel at ease around him. "Are you new working here? I've never seen you around before."

"Oh, yes, Your Highness. I arrived earlier this morning, to start working at the kitchens," Remus told him, seeming a bit more calm, which in turn also calmed Sirius. "The Queen hired more staff because of the Selection. A lot of women to please." He continued, with a tentative smile on his face.