Work Text:
Sirius bounces on the balls of his feet, practically vibrating. He’s ignoring the dirty looks he’s receiving from the few people around him as the first thing he did when getting to the arrivals gate at Terminal 5 was push all the way to the front. And it’s a busy morning, but he couldn’t care less.
He clenches his fists, open and close and strains his neck as he pushes onto his tippytoes, leaning forward to try and look past the open doors that lead back to baggage claim. He feels his heart pounding in his ears, and he chews on his lips to stop himself from crying or laughing or screaming or all the above.
His eyes dart back to the screen on the left and it shows him the same information that he’s been seeing for the last half hour:
11:10 Singapore BA1003 - Baggage delivered
Sirius frowns, looking back at the open doors, trying his hardest to notice (or manifest) a certain 6'2 Welshman with brown curly hair and a smile that could bring Sirius back from the dead.
But no. Instead, the only people walking through those white doors are grumpy businessmen with crooked airpods in their ears and families upon families, trying to deal with their crying children and suitcases that have decided to fly away from them.
Sirius almost gives up hope; Remus’ flight landed half an hour ago and he’s heard a few murmurs about a backlog in a few of the baggage carousels. If he was anyone else, he’d probably step back, maybe lean against one of the poles or find a seat, or at least give someone else the chance to stand at the front.
But he’s not someone else. He’s Sirius.
He’s waited three and half weeks to see his boyfriend and if he doesn’t magically appear in front of him within the next 5 seconds, Sirius is likely to throw a tantrum on the floor, or at least have a wildly inappropriate strop and glare at the people coming out who, in his mind, have pushed in front of his wonderful boyfriend to get their own bags like the selfish shites they all are.
Sirius sighs as he counts down from five, staring at the people walking through the doors. He’s unlucky though, still no Remus. It was bad enough that he had to attend his cousin’s wedding, halfway around the world in Australia and now he’s probably stuck in the line at baggage claim. Sirius' mind turns itself upside down, worrying whether or not he has eaten or if he’s slept. He just wants to wrap his arms around Remus and not let go. At least until dinner at James and Lily’s tonight.
But then a miracle. Perhaps from God herself.
Sirius feels it first, like a surge of electricity in his blood. He perks up, like a dog when it can hear the distant noise of a postman. His eyes focus on the trolley turning the corner as it comes into view and there! Remus’ blue suitcase, the one that Sirius kept unpacking to try and stop him from going in the first place. His eyes travel further up, and he sucks in a sharp breath.
When his eyes finally settle on Remus, walking out through the open doors, Sirius’ legs almost give out. Seeing his boyfriend in the flesh, after nearly a month apart and it’s like he’s finally figured out how to breathe again. As if the massive weight that had been pressing on his chest had finally given away.
Remus’ eyes haven’t found him yet, but it doesn’t matter. The moment Remus had made it through the doors completely, Sirius’ feet had already started moving. He pays no attention to anyone around him as his eyes zero in on his beautiful boy. He sprints down the walkway given to passengers arriving and he makes it about halfway until Remus finally sees him, barrelling towards him.
Remus smiles with his entire body and his shoulders slump in relief as Sirius gets closer. He passes everyone like a blur of black hair and vaguely recognises Remus pushing the trolley to the side as if he’s bracing for impact.
Sirius jumps into Remus’ hold; legs wrapped around his waist and his arms thrown around his neck, hands mapping out the muscles in his back. He hears the smile in Remus’ voice as he lets out a little huff and is knocked back a step or two, but then his arms are enveloped around Sirius, holding him as close as physically possible and it’s like a waterfall of tears burst out of him like a dam.
Sirius sobs, burrowing his face in Remus’ neck as he tries to remember what it was like to touch Remus, to have him in his grasp as a tangible being and not over a screen on his laptop. He cries and cries, unbothered by the hundreds of people that are probably staring at them and focuses all his attention on his boyfriend, who’s squeezing Sirius so hard that he might be at risk of popping a rib or two.
He senses himself being moved and it’s probably for the best since they were in the middle of the open doors, obstructing everyone else trying to reunite with their own loved ones. Sirius decides that he isn’t miserable about them anymore; he’s got his person in his arms so now everyone can enjoy their reunions happily.
Sirius slowly pulls out of Remus’ neck and comes face to face with him. It almost makes him burst out into tears again.
“You’re here,” Sirius whispers, swallowing the lump in his throat as a laugh escapes his lips as if he doesn’t believe it. “Hi.” Sirius giggles, cupping Remus’ cheeks as a few tears fall from his eyes.
Remus lets out a deep breath, letting Sirius swipe away his fallen tears. “Hi, love.” He leans in and presses a kiss to his lips. They’re salty, for obvious reasons, but the feeling, oh, the feeling, it’s unlike anything else. It’s their first kiss and their last kiss and everything in between.
It’s short, nothing too intense since Remus isn’t the biggest fan of PDA but the intensity of it all has heightened every sensation in Sirius’ body. He knocks his forehead into Remus', taking a moment to just breathe him in; taking a moment to let his heart come back to a normal.
“What took you so long?” Sirius pouts, pulling back to card his fingers through Remus’ messy hair.
“Stupid delay at baggage claim.” He says dismissively, leaning into Sirius’ touch. “Oh, I’ve missed you so much.” Remus leans forward to press another kiss on the corner of Sirius’ lips and then proceeds to attack every inch of skin that he has access to. Sirius erupts into a fit of giggles, especially when he feels Remus’ hands wrap around his thighs to pull him back, chest to chest, as he was about to slide off.
“I've missed you too,” Sirius whispers, letting out another laugh. “Are you alright? How was your flight? Any screaming babies?”
“No screaming babies, thankfully.” Remus shakes his head, laughing alongside Sirius as he turns to press a soft kiss to his cheek. He squeezes his arms around Sirius again and tucks his face into his neck before breathing deeply.
“Are you tired? Hungry?” Sirius whispers, scratching his boyfriend’s scalp gently.
“I feel like I’ve been travelling for 80 hours.” He says, lips tickling Sirius’ skin. He pulls away and a small frown appears between his eyebrows. Sirius reaches over to smooth it out with his thumb just as Remus starts to speak again. “I can’t even begin to explain how much I’ve missed you. And your face and your hair and your voice and your hands and your body and your bum. I really missed your bum.” His hands travel down Sirius’ back until he gives his ass a quick and cheeky squeeze.
“Well, to be fair, it is a lovely bum,” Sirius says, hiding his laughter behind a smile.
Remus mirrors his smile, breathing some air out of his nose before his face scrunches into something regretful. “All I could think about for the last three and a half weeks was this moment when I could finally touch you again, finally kiss you. And I barely slept on the flight because I was so excited to see you and the first thing I could think of was to tell you how much I missed your bum. This isn’t a great start, is it?”
“I’m actually very happy that you mentioned it; I’ve been doing lots of squats at the gym.”
“You went to the gym? You hate the gym!” Remus says in surprise, lips parted in mild shock and amusement.
“Don’t worry, James only managed to drag me over there twice. I just hated going home to an empty flat. Oh, that reminds me. When we get home, you will find a life-size pillow version of you wearing your clothes. And you can’t make fun of me; I missed you so much that I thought I was going to die.” Sirius reveals, focusing his attention on Remus’ shoulders as he smooths out the fabric of his hoodie.
“You and me both. I didn’t sleep the first week because you weren’t there to scratch my head. I think you’ve completely ruined me.” Remus leans his head down, catching Sirius’ gaze as he flashes him a sweet smile.
“Good. That was my plan all along. I thought it would force you to come home earlier, but since it didn’t, I’m not letting go for at least the next two days. You’ll have to carry me everywhe- Oh fuck! Are you alright? I just jumped on you- your leg! Are you in pain? You’ve been sitting for hours.” Sirius stutters, attempting to jump off Remus. He doesn’t allow it though, instead tugs on Sirius’ thighs to keep him as close as possible.
“I’m fine. I promise. Don’t leave. Stay. Please.” Remus practically begs, tilting his head to the side as he clings to Sirius. And he doesn’t have the power to argue with him, so he stays.
“Alright. But I’m still not letting you out of my sight, Moony.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” The little dimple on Remus’ left cheek pokes through as he looks at Sirius, replying quietly. “I know you hate that I went for so long, and trust me, I was ready to fly back on the fourth day. The entire time I was there, I didn’t feel complete. I honestly felt as if a chunk of me was missing. And everyone told me that absence makes the heart grow fonder, which sure, it does, but I’d much rather just be with you, next to you, all the time."
And, oh, Sirius just melts. A surge of warmth travels through Sirius’ body and he blushes unabashedly, letting himself be completely at his mercy. He’s speechless, really, so all he can do is lean forward and press a small kiss to his lips. “23 hours in the air and you’ve turned into a poet.”
“I had a lot of time to think, and it turns out you consume around 98% of my thoughts,” Remus replies, looping his arms around Sirius’ lower back.
“You’re just figuring that out now?” Sirius asks, raising an eyebrow playfully. "Should we go home?”
“Please.” Remus squeezes him tightly as Sirius locks his legs into place to prevent him from sliding off. “I’ve missed our bed. I’m probably going to crash when we get home.”
“Me too. I barely slept last night because I was so excited.” Sirius wraps his arms tightly and tucks his face into Remus’ neck to unabashedly smell him. Remus grabs the trolley, and they make their way through the airport. He knows everyone is probably staring but there is no way in hell that Sirius is detaching himself from Remus, especially not when he practically begged.
Once they’re in the lift, Sirius finally drops down off Remus, giving him his height advantage back. The moment the doors close, Remus pushes Sirius’ against the wall, hands caging him in as he kisses him like he’s breathing for the first time. It knocks some air out of Sirius, but the last 15 minutes have been a whirlwind of emotion, so he just melts into it, letting Remus kiss him like he’s a starved man.
The lift finally opens, and Remus pulls away, chest heaving in time with Sirius’. “Sorry, couldn’t help myself.” He says with a smirk, biting his lip. Sirius stares at him, blinking quickly as he tries to form a coherent sentence. He comes up blank and just about manages to shake his head before walking out of the lift, careful of Remus on his heels.
They load the two suitcases into the car before shutting the boot close. Remus leans forward, pressing Sirius into the car as his hands loop around his waist. He presses a kiss to his nose and Sirius blushes, looking off to the side with a warm smile. “You’re not allowed to do that ever again; do you understand me Remus Lupin? You are not allowed to leave me alone for that long because I…I…,” Sirius looks off to the side, sulking like a petulant child.
“I know. I’m sorry. I hated being away from you too.” Remus whispers, nodding his head against Sirius’. “If anything, we should be blaming Charlie for deciding to get married in Melbourne.”
“Your cousin is very stupid.” Sirius nods, frowning as Remus rolls his lips into his mouth, failing to hide the smile on his face.
“Come on, let’s go home before I fly back there to have a go at him for making you this upset.” Remus pulls Sirius around the car.
“Don’t even joke about that. I’d drag you back before you’d even make it to the lift.” Sirius scowls, shaking his head disapprovingly. “You can at least leave him an angry voicemail.”
“I’ll do it as soon as I wake up tonight.” Remus agrees, appeasing Sirius, as a genuine laugh slips from his lips.
***
On the drive back home, Sirius asks him if he’s up to seeing anyone tonight since James and Lily have prepared a small and intimate welcome home party. They don’t have to be over until seven, so they’ve both got plenty of time to catch up on some sleep, and then catch up on other things if Remus has the energy. When they finally get into the flat, Sirius pulls both suitcases into their bedroom, mindful of how particular Remus is at emptying them the moment he gets home.
“Are you hungry?” Sirius asks, walking back into their living room to find Remus going through his post. He’s leaning against their kitchen island, shuffling through the envelopes before he looks up at Sirius, who’s shucking his coat off. “I made loads of Pasta last night, so I can heat it whilst you have a shower?” He asks.
Remus’ face slowly splits into a warm smile. “Thank you.” He pulls Sirius closer and kisses him slowly, discarding his letters on the counter behind him. They break apart for air and Remus tucks his hair behind his ears, mindful of his earrings.
“It’s strange to see you without freckles.” Sirius comments, fingers delicately trailing down his nose.
“It was winter there.”
“God, it’s like Australia hates me. First, they take you away and then your freckles. Your hair hasn’t even turned that cute golden colour at the top. It’s bad luck over there Moony, I wouldn’t go again if I were you.” Sirius quips, frowning disapprovingly.
“Hm, that does make perfect sense. But if I do go back, I might need to take you with me. As my big, strong protector.” Remus hums, ducking down to kiss Sirius again. He smiles into it, which makes it a bit hard for them to actually kiss, but then again, he’s so happy that Remus is home that he doesn’t care.
Eventually, Remus pulls away and heads into their bathroom to take a shower. In the meantime, Sirius warms up the food he made yesterday and throws a towel into the dryer for 5 minutes. He plates up their food and takes the towel into the bathroom.
“Food’s ready.” He tells Remus once he throws the towel over the holder. “And you have a warm towel waiting for you.”
“I’ll be out in a minute, thank you,” Remus replies through a yawn, sticking his head out the shower with a sleepy smile.
Sirius takes the plates to their dining table and fills two glasses of water just as Remus comes padding through with the towel wrapped around his waist. He brushes his hand through his hair, small droplets of water trailing behind him as he takes a seat next to Sirius. He extends his legs, looping them around Sirius’ like he always does and Sirius, after three and half weeks, finally feels grounded again.
“I almost fell asleep in the shower,” Remus tells him, taking a few sips of water.
“Well, eat and then we can both take a nap.” Sirius laughs, gesturing for him to dig in.
They finish eating, not before Remus spends the entire time complimenting Sirius’ cooking and how much he missed it. They both place their dishes in the sink, leaving it for another time and drag each other into their bedroom.
Remus throws on a pair of boxers whilst Sirius pulls his jeans off. And from there, it’s just routine. Sirius cracks open a window and Remus sticks his phone on charge. Sirius ties his hair back whilst Remus places a water bottle on his bedside table. Sirius gets into bed first and opens his arms, letting Remus sprawl out on top of him. They both sigh when they make contact, and their arms wrap around each other protectively like it’s a reflex. Sirius’ hand instinctively cards through the hair on the back of Remus’ head and he presses his fingernails into his scalp, scratching it soothingly. They slot their legs into each other’s like they’ve always done. Sirius missed this; missed the feeling of not knowing where he ends, and Remus starts.
For the last 10 months, since they’ve gotten together, Remus and Sirius have become inseparable. They’ve fallen into each other’s lives and routines seamlessly, intertwining into one. Ever since their first date, the only way Sirius has been able to fall asleep is Remus laying on top of him, pressing his entire weight onto Sirius’ body like a weighted blanket. The same goes for Remus, who can only sleep comfortably by the constant lull of Sirius scratching his head.
“I missed this. I miss falling asleep next to you.” Remus murmurs into Sirius’ ear, pressing a soft kiss against his jaw.
“I missed waking up next to you. No one snored in my ear for three and a half weeks. I didn’t know what to do with myself.” Sirius replies with a smile, turning to face Remus.
“Shut up, I don’t snore.”
“Oh, Moony, you’re so exhausted, you’re starting to become delusional.” Sirius tuts, shaking his head softly. Remus huffs, tucking his face into his neck.
“You can’t let me sleep for too long. I’ll get jetlag.” He mumbles.
“I’ll wake you up, don’t worry,” Sirius whispers, tucking as close as he can possibly get. He’d crack open Remus’ chest and live next to his heart if he had the chance. “I’ll probably wake up before you anyway.”
“But you have to stay here. I want to wake up next to you.” Remus insists, shoving his leg higher against Sirius’.
“I’ll be right here, love,” Sirius says, smiling into his hair. “Moony?” He says softly and Remus hums against his neck, nodding his head gently. Maybe he's sleep deprived, or maybe he's just Sirius, because he's about to say something a bit ridiculous, and he doesn't even care. “I want you to marry me,” Sirius says, staring up at the ceiling with a calm expression.
Remus stops drawing little circles into Sirius’ shoulder and shifts away slightly, turning his head to look at him. Sirius shifts to look back and they’re both sharing the same pillow, barely 3 inches away from one another. Remus looks taken aback as a little frown appears between his brows, Sirius smiles at his confusion.
“We’ll wait a few years. A-and I don’t mean to frighten you. I just wanted to be clear.” Sirius stutters, unsure of where his bravado disappeared to. In hindsight, this probably wasn’t the best time to tell him, especially when he’s incredibly jetlagged, but then he smiles, one of those bright and dimply smiles that warms Sirius’ entire body, and he finally eases up again.
“I would’ve married you on our first date,” Remus replies, eyes crinkling at the corners.
“I remember you saying that.” Sirius looks down, bashfully. “The wedding got me thinking; that’s all.”
“Darling, I’m going to spend the rest of my life with you. You know that.” Remus whispers, inching closer to Sirius until their noses are touching.
“I know that; I do.” Sirius nods surely. “I just wanted to make sure you knew I felt the same way.”
“I love you.” Remus smiles after a moment, pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth.
“I love you more.”
“Not possible.” Remus mouths, shaking his head with a grin. Sirius sighs blissfully, pulling Remus back on top of him.
They get comfortable again and it doesn’t take more than a minute before Sirius hears the soft sounds of Remus snoring. He can feel Remus’ parted lips against his neck, and he missed it so much that his eyes threaten to well up again. He takes a second to bask in the moment of Remus being with him again before he relaxes into his own slumber.
Sirius wakes up first, only an hour and a half later but he feels more than refreshed. Remus is still sleeping on top of him, except in the last hour or so, half of his body must have slid off Sirius’. His arms and legs are still wrapped around Sirius which is more than enough. He’s got plenty of time until he needs to wake his boyfriend up, but for now, since he’s not in a rush, he takes a moment to just stare at Remus.
It's difficult for Sirius to even describe Remus. He’s perfect in a way that’s unworldly. Not even the heavens or the gods could have sculpted Remus. He’s something entirely else and the fact that Sirius gets to have him, in the palm of his hands, is simply unbelievable.
The way his hair dries into perfect curls whilst he’s sleeping, or his soft pink lips, pressing against Sirius’ shoulder as if he’s kissing him, even whilst dreaming. The curve of his jaw and the freckles against his nose threaten to peak out even at the sight of the sun.
Perhaps it’s the small things, but Sirius is always his happiest with Remus’ arms around him, doing nothing particularly special, but knowing that he needs him as much as Sirius does. They know everything about each other and still, can’t help but just love one another, completely and wholly. They like everything about each other and have never had to question it. They love each other and it’s the best decision they’ve ever made. Sirius watches him sleep and becomes so overwhelmed with joy that Remus exists, and exits with him, in this life.
He’s never been sure about a lot, but he’s sure about Remus.
Luckily for the both of them, Remus is an incredibly deep sleeper, so when Sirius pulls away slowly, Remus barely moves. What he does do, is wrap his arms around Sirius’ pillow, shoving his face into the pillowcase and takes a deep breath.
Remus being as tactile as he is, was definitely a bit of a shock to Sirius when they first started dating. He was always very mindful of who he touched and where especially with Sirius. Turns out, it was because Remus was always scared of pushing boundaries to a point where he wouldn’t know how to control himself. That didn’t exactly seem like a problem to Sirius when he told him. But it’s worked out in the end; Sirius loves being touched, and Remus loves to touch.
Sirius takes care of the dishes in the sink and then cleans out Remus’ suitcases, placing his clothes in the wash and setting aside everything else. He places his shoes back on the shoe rack, and his hygiene products back in the bathroom. He sets aside his books on their bookshelf and other pieces like electronics on his desk. Everything else he sets on the floor and puts the suitcases back in storage. Sirius takes a quick shower himself and then with nothing else to do, climbs back into bed with a book, wearing Remus’ left-handed people are sexy t-shirt.
He pushes Remus to the side carefully, pulling his pillow out from between his arms. Remus unconsciously searches for something to hold onto, and luckily Sirius is quick in sitting on the bed, leaning against the headboard. Remus’ arms wrap around Sirius’ waist, and he rests his head on his thighs.
When Remus eventually wakes up, half an hour before Sirius planned, he’s resting on Sirius’ legs as his boyfriend’s dainty fingers gently card through his brown hair. It takes him a while to come into consciousness and realise where he is, but when he realises he’s back home, in his Sirius’ lap, he lets out a sigh of comfort and relief.
“You’re here.” Remus murmurs, looking up at Sirius. He smiles with his whole body and then shoves his head back against Sirius' legs, squeezing his arms and slotting his own legs back into place.
“I told you I would be. Go back to sleep, love, I’m right here.” Sirius says, scratching his nails all the way down to his neck and back up to his head. Remus lets out a sleepy hum and smacks his lips before lifting Sirius’ shirt and pressing his face against his lower stomach. He falls back asleep, and Sirius turns back to his book.
It’s simple and it’s love.