remywrites5 - Tumblr blog

[remywrites5]

I just saw the most vile TikTok about fanfiction that I’ve ever come across and felt the need to comment on it. Basically, the person in the video said they couldn’t stand when a fanfiction “seemed like it written by a 14 year old.” The comments were just a dumpster fire of assholes. I saw one comment say they sometimes want to plagiarize a story so that they can “write it correctly” or “do the idea justice.” I also saw a lot of “stay on Wattpad because you don’t belong on AO3.” 

I’m sorry, this is the most garbage take I’ve ever seen. It’s so funny how people will consume free media and then bitch about how it isn’t up to their standards. But these same people would jump to stealing a person’s story instead of offering to Beta read for an author. 

I generally just dislike people that discourage Fanfiction writers anyway. As someone that’s been writing fics for over a decade now, I can guarantee that I’ve written some awful shit. I posted my first fic to AO3 in April of 2012 and before that I used to post my stuff to fanfiction.net. There’s some stuff I’ve written that I’m scared to revisit, mostly because it’s for a fandom I’ve long departed from, but also because I know it’s not good. I’m terrible at writing prose, my main focus and strength has always been with dialogue, and I constantly have to work on it. But if I had seen shitty videos like that ten years ago, I probably would have fucking quit. 

I just did revisions on a fic I wrote seven years ago, a fic that is my most celebrated piece of writing, a fic that people loved despite its imperfections. You don’t need to be perfect on your first go around. You don’t even need to be perfect on your 100th go around. 

A person’s writing can only improve. When I write a sentence, I write it the way I would say it verbally. So no, I don’t always think about the grammar of the sentence, because it is 100% in my voice, I’m the one writing the story. I can’t write it as someone else and I also don’t see the point in trying to. If everyone followed the literary rules to a T then we would have uniformity instead of creativity. 

People write fanfiction because they love the media they consume and want to put their own spin on it, to delve deeper into the characters, and appreciate it beyond the original text. What exactly do you get out of discouraging that? I’ll tell you what you get, you get less stories, less people willing to give it a shot, people who won’t even try. 

To all my fellow fanfiction writers: Fuck up, forget a comma, let that sentence run on, discover who you are as an author and share what you’ve got. Improve, grow, change, and don’t let any asshole discourage you. 

[remywrites5]

When you trying to write a Steddie fic but you keep getting distracted by videos of Jamie and Joseph being a married couple in Brazil…

[remywrites5]

The Holy Trinity of middle aged gays, who find themselves in the worst circumstances, but love each other regardless. Where one is rough around the edges, slightly murderous, and a bit unhinged. And the other is a cardigan wearing, tea loving, equally unhinged man. Aka my new favorite thing:

[remywrites5]

Hi everyone! Still alive and just finished my piece for @fandomforoz so I thought I would post it here. Thank you so much to @kalika999 for bidding on me. Sorry this ended up being a day late. I did manage to get a bit of Jack/Brock in there for you, but not much. Hope you like it!!! 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/28490208

Rating:

Explicit

Archive Warning

No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories:

F/M

M/M

Fandoms:

Deadpool (Movieverse)

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

Relationship:

Peter Parker/Wade Wilson

Characters:

Peter B. Parker

Wade Wilson

Mary Jane Watson

Brock Rumlow

Jack Rollins

Additional Tags:

Alternate Universe - No Powers

Online Friendship

Gaming

Friends to Lovers

Divorce

Past Peter Parker/Mary Jane Watson

Self-Esteem Issues

Phone Sex

Texting

Anal Sex

Rimming

Jealousy

Drinking

Scarred Wade Wilson

Language:English

Collections:

Fandom For Australia

We Could Be Seahorses

Remy_Writes5

Summary:

After his divorce, Peter B. Parker has an abundance of free time, so he gets into gaming. While playing a game called X Force he meets a man named Wade.

[remywrites5]

Happy birthday!! I hope you have a wonderful day today! :) Stay safe and enjoy yourself! 🙌🎂🎂🎂🥳🥳🥳🎉

Thank you, hun! My plans are to be as lazy as possible so I’m achieving that goal right now! Lol

[remywrites5]

Happy birthday!!❤️❤️

[remywrites5]

Ahhh thank you!!! You know too well of my weakness for Remus in a crop top (one I share with Sirius lol). And I see it says Black on the back so did Sirius cut it like that and give it to Remus like oh geez guess you’ll have to wear it like this then... 😏😏😏 or did Remus cut it himself to make Sirius lose his shit. Inquiring minds want to know 🤔🤔🤔

a happiest birthday to @remywrites5!! you’re a fantastic friend and i’m very glad to have you in my life and i cherish and love all of our conversations, be it something serious or just chatting about wolfstar aus

so here’s a little gift and i hope you’ll have a fantastic day darling <3

[remywrites5]

Please support if you can and to see a collab between me and @casualmaraudering !

Soon the time will come and the zine will be released! Pre-orders are still open, for which you can find the link at the top of our profile. But already now we would like to thank the many participants who made this project possible and introduce them here. 

Really guys, we couldn’t be more honored! Thank you all very much for your great works and the fantastic support. ❤️

Authors

@4eyesBarbie @faabyy21 @she_is_destroyer_of_worlds @remywrites5 @dannikathewomanika @bandsarelife109 @here-is-thegreatmoon @notmycatsname

Artists

@mlim8 @artymakeart @erithanart @meekinthedraw @kerubinart @casualmaraudering @unyarima_art @girlwithacrown @winter-weepingwillow @hufflepuffx17 @greywolfandmoon @evax3 @tardisgrump

And shout out to all the others who were also part of this project, even if they were not able to submit their piece in the end. You know who you are and our thanks goes out to you as well for making this experience even more enjoyable! :)

[remywrites5]

Happy Birthday, Fel!

It’s not still @casualmaraudering ‘s birthday where she is but it still is where I am so I’m counting it! Just something short a sweet (because some friends don’t bother to tell you that their birthday is coming up so you have to scramble to write a thing! Anyway - hope you like it and Happy Birthday!!!)  ****  Remus had imagined that his university years would be spent making lots of friends and finally getting himself a boyfriend. Instead, it had consisted of a lot of homework, a lot of crying, one friend, named Regulus Black, and no boyfriend to speak of. Remus had found himself crushing on Regulus just a bit, until he learned that Regulus was aroace, and therefore completely uninterested in Remus as anything other than a friend. It hadn’t taken Remus long to get over his crush, after all, it was barely a crush to begin with.

           Remus and Regulus were sitting across from each other, working on their group project for their art history class, or at least pretending to do so in between sending each other memes.

“Oi, you wanker!”

           Remus glanced up in surprise and caught Regulus cringing. Regulus’ shoulders hunched forward, as if he were trying to make himself invisible. Remus blinked a few times, caught off guard by Regulus’ reaction, and looked around for the source of the voice.

           Someone was approaching their table, bounding over like an overexcited puppy, a big grin on his face. He looked exactly like Regulus, except his hair was a bit longer, his face a bit softer, where as Regulus was all sharp angles.

           Remus was about to ask Reg if he was okay when the stranger dropped into the chair next to Reg and put his arm around him. “Didn’t you hear me calling you?”

           “Of course I did,” Regulus said bitterly. “Why do you think I was hiding?”

           “That’s mean.”

           Regulus sighed. “What do you want, Sirius?”

           Sirius grinned and pulled Regulus closer, nearly choking him. “Well, first I want you to introduce me to the hot pink-haired boy across from you.”

           Regulus shoved Sirius’ arm away. “Remus Lupin, this is my idiot twin brother, Sirius.”

           “Oi, don’t introduce me like that!” Sirius said, scandalized. “I never see you around campus and this is how you behave?”

           “We’re in different departments,” Regulus reminded his brother. “I don’t have much reason to visit the foreign language department. Also, I avoid you at all costs.”

           “Rude,” Sirius said, shaking his head in disbelief. “I was going to buy you a coffee, too.”

           “Only if you buy one for Remus too.” Regulus stipulated, gesturing towards Remus. Remus froze as suddenly both brothers’ attention focused on him. It really was unfair that people could be that attractive. Remus felt heat rising to his cheeks at the unwavering glances.

           “Hi,” Remus said, giving a little wave and then immediately regretting it. He felt so unbelievably stupid.

           “Hello,” Sirius practically purred, leaning forward and resting his chin in his hand.

           “It’s – uh – nice to meet you,” Remus said, glancing away. “Regulus never mentioned having a twin brother.”

           “What?” Sirius shouted, turning towards his brother accusingly. “How have you never mentioned me?”

           “Because you’re embarrassing,” Regulus responded, kicking at Sirius under the table. “Now go get our coffees.”

           “Fine,” Sirius said, gracefully standing up. He pulled his long, dark hair up into a ponytail and grinned. Remus pretended it wasn’t doing things to him. It was very nearly an insurmountable task.  “Only because I am such an awesome brother.”

           “Don’t get ahead of yourself there,” Regulus told him, typing something on the keyboard of his laptop.

           Sirius glared at him for a moment and then quickly reached over and smashed a few of the keys, ruining whatever it was that Regulus was typing.

           “You’re so childish!” Regulus said, jamming his finger on the backspace key.

           Sirius laughed and walked over to Remus’ side of the table. “So what kind of coffee do you like?”

           Remus played with one of his curls nervously. “Uh, anything mocha is fine, but you really don’t have to – “

           “Nah, I got you,” Sirius said, nudging Remus with his elbow. “Be right back!”

                                                                       ***

           Remus didn’t think much of his bizarre run-in with Regulus’ brother. After all, it was a large campus, they were unlikely to meet each other again. Remus wasn’t about to go crazy over some guy he barely knew, especially when he figured Reg would have a problem with it. Remus wasn’t about to risk his one friend on some guy who probably wasn’t interested in the first place.

           There was an LGBTQ+ dance that Remus was determined to attend on campus. His goal of finally getting a boyfriend hadn’t changed, and since he barely socialized with anyone except Reg, this felt like the perfect opportunity to meet someone. Regulus had refused to go with Remus, so Remus was stuck going on his own. It was taking all of his courage to walk through the door by himself. He clutched the ticket he’d bought in his hand like a lifeline and tried to calm his nerves.

           “Hey,” Someone whispered behind Remus, their breath on Remus’ ear, making him shiver. Remus turned his head and came face to face with none other than Sirius Black. Remus swallowed thickly and took a quick step away.

           “Hi Sirius,” Remus said, gripping his ticket even tighter. “Are you going to the dance as well?”

           “It’s worse than that,” Sirius said with a lazy grin. “I actually helped organize it.”

           “Wow,” Remus said, impressed. “That’s amazing.”

           Sirius chuckled and scratched the back of his neck. “Is it? I was mostly roped into it by my friend, Marlene.”

           “I think it’s great,” Remus said, smiling encouragingly. “I’ve been meaning to become more involved in club stuff.”

           “Well, we meet every Thursday in you’re free,” Sirius said, slipping his hands into the pockets of his trousers. He looked stylish in a black suit, perfectly tailored, his red tie undone around his neck and a few buttons undone on his shirt. Remus felt silly standing next to him, wearing his nicest pair of jeans and a green cardigan. He probably should have put more effort into his appearance for something like this.

           “I’ll definitely come when I can,” Remus promised, tugging on one of his curls nervously.

           “Hey, dance with me,” Sirius said, grabbing Remus by the arm and leading him into the activities hall where the dance was taking place.

           “W-wait, I didn’t give them my ticket!” Remus said in a panic as Sirius led him past the ticket booth. The person at the table merely gave Sirius a nod as they walked inside.

           “Don’t mind that,” Sirius said, sliding his hand down Remus’ arm to clasp his hand instead. “I’ll make sure they get it.”

           “Sirius!” Remus said, his face bright red. “I – I’m not much of a dancer.”

           “Don’t worry,” Sirius told him, pulling Remus in close and wrapping his arms around his waist. “It’s a slow one.”

           Remus had no choice but to put his arms around Sirius’ neck and get close to him. It was so overwhelming that Remus was scared he might die. Their eyes kept meeting and Remus couldn’t handle that much eye contact. So instead, he buried his face against Sirius’ neck and pretended he was fine. It may have been a bit intimate, but it was better than looking up at those intoxicating grey eyes. At least like this Remus felt like he could still form coherent thoughts.

           “This feels more like we’re hugging than dancing,” Sirius teased as they swayed together to the music. “Why won’t you look at me?”

           “Can’t.” Remus mumbled, squeezing Sirius tighter.

           “Why not?”

           “I’m worried.”

           “About?”

           “Doing something stupid,” Remus answered, hoping against hope that Sirius wouldn’t question him further. Sirius chuckled and pressed his nose against Remus’ hair. It felt nice, being held by Sirius in such a way. Remus wouldn’t mind staying there for a while longer. He felt his eyes slip shut of their own volition.

           “What if I do something stupid?”

           “Hmm?” Remus hummed, nuzzling his face against Sirius’ throat. “I won’t mind.”

           “Don’t hate me, okay?”

           “Why would I –“

           Sirius placed his finger under Remus’ chin and tilted his face up. Remus then lost any and all train of thought as Sirius pressed their lips together, his mind going fuzzy like it was full off cotton. It was gentle and undemanding, a simple press of lips against lips, and a moment later it was done. Sirius pulled back and let his thumb tenderly caress Remus’ cheek.

           “I’m sorry.”

           “What for?” Remus asked, his stomach dropping. He wondered if Sirius already regretted it. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to handle that. “D-did I do it wrong?”

           Sirius chuckled. “Of course not. I shouldn’t have sprung that on you. I just really have wanted to do that since I met you.”

           “Why?”

           Sirius shrugged. “You’re kind of adorable.”

           Remus scowled at him. “No, I’m not.”

           Sirius laughed and shook his head. “Even when you’re angry you’re cute as fuck. Your nose gets all scrunched up. I really like that.”

           “W-we don’t even really know each other that well.” Remus reasoned, taking a step back to put some distance between himself and Sirius. “We’ve only met once. This is ridiculous. You’re being ridiculous.”

           “Sometimes you just know, right?”

           Remus felt his jaw drop. “Regulus – “

           “Will get over it. Don’t use him as an excuse,” Sirius said, frowning slightly. He looked kind of upset and Remus felt bad for having brought it up. Sirius ran his fingers through his hair and then exhaled loudly. “He doesn’t hate me as much as he pretends to.”

           The song had changed to a pop song Remus vaguely recognized, but Sirius and Remus remained slow dancing. It was kind of nice, like being in their own little world. “I don’t know what to say. I’m not even sure what you’re asking me.”

           “How about a date?”

           “Okay,” Remus said, tucking his head back under Sirius’ chin. He liked being close to Sirius, it was somehow both exhilarating and extremely comforting at the same time. “When?”

           “How about now? Spend the rest of the dance with me.”

           Remus smiled against Sirius’ neck and pressed a soft kiss to the corner of his jaw. “I think I can handle that.”

                                                                       ***

           It was well past midnight and Sirius was walking Remus back to his dormitory. Their hands were laced together, swinging between them as they walked. They’d spent the rest of the dance talking and dancing, occasionally kissing. Just thinking about it made Remus’ toes curl in his shoes. He’d had his first date with a boy. A boy that he had kissed. There was going to be more dates and more kissing. His stomach was twisted into knots just thinking about it.

           “Remus?” Sirius said, stopping just outside Remus’ building.

           “Yeah?”

           “I kind of don’t want to say good night to you,” Sirius confessed, giving Remus’ hand a small squeeze.

           Remus felt his face go bright red, heating up in complete embarrassment. “I-I’m sorry, I’m not ready for – “

           “Oh god no!” Sirius said quickly, waving his free hand around to dispel Remus’ thoughts. “I didn’t mean that. I meant that I just wanted to spend more time with you.”

           “Oh,” Remus said, thinking it over. He found that he felt the same way. Spending time with Sirius was easy, effortless, and even though Remus felt nervous around him, he didn’t feel like that was a bad thing. “I have an idea.”

           They stopped by Remus’ dorm so that Remus could quickly fill a thermos with hot chocolate and grab one of his spare blankets. He then led Sirius up to the rooftop, where people had put some sofas. It was a popular spot for people to come up and smoke or drink as long as they didn’t get caught.

           They sat side by side on one of the sofas and Remus put the blanket around them to share. They passed the thermos back and forth as they continued to talk. The more Remus watched Sirius, the more differences he could spot between Sirius and Regulus. It had taken Remus a long time to get Regulus to open up to him and agree to be his friend. Sirius was so open and friendly in contrast, things seemed to go so smoothly with him. Regulus was dry and sarcastic, while Sirius was more genuinely funny, making Remus snort more than a few times.

           Before Remus knew it, the sun was peeking over the tops of the trees. Sirius stood up and stretched, raising his arms high over his head. He then turned and held out a hand to Remus. “One more dance?” he requested with a small smile. “While the sun comes up?”

           “We don’t have any music,” Remus informed him, but stood up all the same.

           Sirius slid his hand into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He then grabbed his airpods out of the case and put one in each of their ears. Remus waited patiently as Sirius scrolled through his phone, looking for the right song. Like Real People Do by Hozier began to play in Remus’ left ear and Remus found himself falling back into Sirius’ arms. The slow and soft melody felt perfect to the quiet of the early morning.

           Eventually they stopped dancing, too wrapped up in kissing each other to remember to move their feet.

           There, in the chill of an early September morning, Remus discovered what it felt like to fall for Sirius Black.

[remywrites5]

who am I if I don’t gently bully my friends kindly and lovingly

[remywrites5]

I’ve been thinking if maybe I should come back to tumblr so.. I’ll just leave this here

—

Instagram 

Twitter

[remywrites5]

Hagrid: you’re a bottom, Harry

Harry: I’m a what?

[remywrites5]

A string that pulled me Out of all the wrong arms, right into that dive bar Something wrapped all of my past mistakes in barbed wire Chains around my demons Wool to brave the seasons One single thread of gold Tied me to you 

[remywrites5]

@casualmaraudering​ This is absolutely directed at me and I will not have it! 

i will never learn how to spell fahreheighrbd and americans just have to deal with it

[remywrites5]

Lol yup! It turned out a little better for Sirius in my fic than the person in real life though! 🤣

@remywrites5 is this what you based your fic on?! it's one of my favourites... 😍💙

[remywrites5]

Can you indulge me please, given the recent pandemic why is it that artist or fanfic writers are slowing down their works? I ask because personally I believe this makes it a better opportunity to work faster, as something to distract from the gloomy reality occurring.

I'll indulge you, but I'm afraid you won't like my answer very much.

The reason authors and artists aren't working their asses off MORE is because this is a pandemic, not a vacation.

It's not 'extra free time' for everyone.

For many it's 'my grandfather just died of COVID' time.

For many, it's 'I got laid off and am desperately trying to look for a way not to get evicted' time.

For many, it's 'I'm isolated from my friends, family and other sources of inspiration, I'm at home alone trying to deal with the world at large collapsing' time.

It's time to go out and protest for their rights. It's time to fall into a depression because they can't pay for medicine, because they're worried about a loved one with an immunodeficiency, because they have to decide whether to pay full tuition for taking classes online, which isn't as easy to learn from and feels like a rip-off.

I feel like this needs to be reiterated - fanfiction and fanart USUALLY doesn't pay. It's a hobby. Most fanfic authors aren't armcandy to a wealthy millionaire, and they can't just ignore other important life necessities in order to keep updating their 50k coffeeshop AU. It's not a viable career, and it will not keep you afloat. And while yes, many use it as an escape, many also can't write when they aren't safe, secure and know where their next paycheck is coming from.

So I'm not very surprised many creators are taking time away. They have lives, loved ones, other responsibilities, and at least one of those three is very likely a clusterfuck right now. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Be kind. Always assume everyone is doing their best. You never know what someone else might be going through.

[remywrites5]

           Remus looked at himself in the mirror as he brushed his teeth. He really needed to get more sleep, the bags under his eyes had taken up permanent residence there, and his roots were starting to come in. He spat into the sink and then rinsed his toothbrush off. When he glanced back up at himself, there was the same harrowing reflection staring back. He needed to at least re-dye his hair pink or else pick a different colour.

           He’d dyed it pink on a whim after his last breakup. He thought maybe going from his usual tawny curls to something else would make him more exciting, more cheerful, more something. “Why are you never smiling?” Benjy had asked Remus all the time. As if Remus should just constantly be smiling like some kind of insane person.

           Remus walked over to his desk and flopped into his rolling chair. He sat with one leg bent up towards his chest and hunched over his tablet. The thing was so old it was practically a dinosaur. The program he used to draw on was always crashing – causing Remus to do almost constant saving. Drawing web comics wasn’t exactly the most lucrative use of his art degree, but it paid the bills.

           There was some sort of ungodly sound outside and then the distinct clatter of something breaking. Remus jumped to his feet in surprise, wondering if someone had climbed up to his flat to murder him. Two shadows appeared at his door and then one of them knocked. Well, if they were murderers, they were of the polite variety.

           Remus walked over tentatively, his pen for his tablet still in his hand as his only means of defense. He figured at the least maybe he could poke a few eyes.

           “I don’t think anyone is home.”

           “He has to be home. I haven’t seen him leave the house in days.”

           “Hmm, paying close attention, are we?”

           “Shut up, Jamie.”

           “Ow!”

           Confused, Remus opened the door to find two guys standing on the other side. The dark-skinned one with glasses immediately smiled, while the pale one with long dark hair kept his face neutral.

           “Hiya! I’m James and this is Sirius,” James said, moving what was in his hand so that he could wave. “We run the bakery downstairs. We just came to introduce ourselves and bring you these!”

           Remus took the container when James offered it, still a little bit stunned by the whole thing, and opened it up. Inside was an assortment of baked goods. “Oh. Thank you,” Remus said, a little bit at a loss for words. “This is really nice.”

           Remus was suddenly struck by the fact that two very attractive men were on his doorstep and Remus was wearing the same hoodie he’d worn for three days. He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d put on deodorant. Embarrassed beyond belief, Remus felt his cheeks flush.

           “Aren’t you going to say anything?” James prompted his friend, shoving at Sirius’ shoulder.

           “Hi,” Sirius said, running his fingers through his shoulder-length hair.

           Remus swallowed thickly and quickly put the container of goodies down. He didn’t trust his shaking hands not to drop them. “Nice to meet you.”

           “Whoa, are you an artist?” James asked, noticing the pen in Remus’ hand. “Do you think you could design something for us?”

           “James, don’t impose,” Sirius said, crossing his arms over his chest.

           “I’m not imposing!” James insisted, turning and shooting Sirius a look. “We’ll pay for the work. It’s just right now our menus are so bland! They don’t really say ‘Padfoot and Prongs’ Patisserie.”

           “That’s a fancy name,” Remus said, tucking the pen behind his ear so that he could shove his hands in his pockets. Suddenly they’d gotten all sweaty.

           “Yeah well, this wanker is half French, so he wouldn’t let me call it a pastry shop,” James said teasingly. “By the way, you haven’t told us your name.”

           “Oh,” Remus said, realizing that James was right. He shuffled his feet slightly and kind of wished James and Sirius would leave. He hadn’t had such a long social interaction in months. This was getting to be a bit much, and James’ enthusiasm was draining. “Remus. Remus Lupin.”

           “So do you think you can design something for our menus?” James asked excitedly, his hazel eyes big behind his glasses.

           “Um, sure, I’ll take a stab at it,” Remus offered, even though he kind of didn’t want to. He had deadlines to meet and he was already a little behind. But then James and Sirius had brought him baked goods without having even met Remus before. Besides, how hard could designing a menu be?

           “Great!” James said, slapping Sirius on the back. “Isn’t that great, Padfoot?”

           Sirius sighed. “Sure is.”

           Remus pulled out his wallet and handed James one of his business cards. It had been Benjy’s idea that Remus get them. This was only the second Remus had even given out. The first one had been given the Benjy. What a waste of money.

           “My email is at the bottom,” Remus explained, pointing to it on the card. “Just send me the details of what you want and I’ll work something up.”

           Sirius tilted his head to the side. “What are your rates?”

           “Um…” Fuck, Remus hadn’t exactly thought about it. He knew what he charged per page on his web comic but this was completely different. “How about you just, um, let me get a free baked good from time to time and we’ll call it even?”

           “Of course!” James said, nodding emphatically.

           “Hold on,” Sirius interjected, putting his hand up to stop James. “For the rest of time you want free shit from us? Just for a doodle?”

           “Sirius –“ James cut in, his face slightly aghast at his friend’s harsh tone.

           “I – I won’t abuse it or anything,” Remus said, feeling his face heat. Christ, the way Sirius was looking at him made him nervous. “It won’t be every day or anything like that.”

           Sirius huffed and turned his face away. “Fine. But I reserve the right to cut you off.”

           “Okay.”

           “Perfect,” James said, tugging on Sirius’ arm. “We should get back downstairs. We’ve still got a lot to do before we open. I’ll email you later, Remus!”

           “Sounds good,” Remus said, waving after them as they started down the fire escape. The moment he closed the door, he felt like he could breathe a little easier. He didn’t know what Sirius’ problem was, but the fewer interactions Remus had with him the better.

                                                           ***

           Remus finished up the latest update for his comic and sat back with a groan. It was already 10:30 at night and Remus hadn’t had any dinner. For once he had been in a good flow and hadn’t wanted to stop. Now his stomach was so empty it hurt. He couldn’t remember eating breakfast either.

           He walked over to where he had left the baked good James had dropped off and carried the container into bed. He sat munching on them as he scrolled through his phone. He had eaten about half of them when he remembered James was supposed to contact him. He pulled up his email and sure enough there was a message from James Potter.

           Apparently they wanted something kind of classy involving a buck and a black dog. Remus was intrigued, and popped a custard crème into his mouth. Their stuff really was mouth-wateringly good. Remus was glad he had asked for pastries instead of cash. While he could use the money, he tended to live on instant noodles and bacon sandwiches. Having something from the bakery from time to time would be a real treat.

                                                           ***

           Remus’ flat was on the top floor of the building and it meant he had almost exclusive rooftop access. He hadn’t done much with it except put out a table and two chairs. He really only went out there to smoke anyway. He stood by the side of the roof with his elbows on the ledge, watching the street below, his cigarette resting between his lips.

           Sirius exited the bakery and walked down the side alley of the building. He seemed to be having a heated discussion with someone on the phone. Remus felt himself tracking Sirius with his eyes, even though he didn’t mean to.

           “Damn it, Reg, I already told you –“ Sirius seemed to be cut off by the other person on the phone. “I don’t care if they cut me off. I’m not going on a blind date that my mum set up with a woman! I haven’t lived in that house for five years and she still thinks she can control me. Now she’s even roping you into it.”

           Remus felt a bit bad for eavesdropping, but the street was relatively quiet at that time of day, so it was difficult not to hear. Remus wondered why Sirius had said woman like that, as if he were offended by being set up with someone female. Remus didn’t want to get his hopes up that Sirius might also be gay. Thinking that was a dangerous route to go down. He tried to finish up his cigarette and go back inside before he was spotted, but it seemed Sirius was done with his conversation. He dropped his phone by his side and looked up at the sky. His eyes seemed to immediately land on Remus and Remus felt his cheeks heat up in response. He took a slow drag of his ciggy and let it out, letting his eyes drift away as if he hadn’t just been staring.

           He wasn’t wholly surprised when he heard footsteps making their way up the fire escape. He finished his cigarette and lit another one. He usually didn’t chain smoke like this, considering all the nicotine often made him dizzy, due to how little he ate most days. He turned when Sirius made it onto the roof and somehow managed to meet Sirius’ accusing stare.

           “How much of that did you hear?” Sirius asked, slipping his phone into his pocket.

           Remus scratched his cheek with his free hand. “Uh, the whole thing?”

           Sirius sighed and rubbed his forehead. “Can I bum one of those?”

           Remus opened the pack and shook one out towards Sirius. Sirius slid it between his lips and leaned in when Remus flicked the lighter to light it. Remus hadn’t noticed it the first time they met, but Sirius had grey eyes. Remus had never seen someone with eyes like that before.

           Remus had no idea what to say, so he just continued smoking, watching Sirius out of his peripheral vision. It was a little awkward, but not unbearably so, and it seemed Sirius was happy to smoke in silence. Sirius’ apron was covered in flour, and what Remus hoped was jam of some kind. not something more nefarious based on its red colour. The last thing he needed was a Sweeney Todd situation in his building.

           Remus and Sirius finished their cigarettes at the same time and both killed them in the ashtray. They were standing so close, should to shoulder, and Remus had no idea why that made his heart race. He turned towards Sirius in order to say his goodbyes, and suddenly Sirius was even closer.

           “Well, I should –“

           Remus didn’t finish that sentence as Sirius was leaning in. He was moving with intent and his lips just barely brushed against Remus’. Remus gasped, the sound getting swallowed up as Sirius’ lips pressed more firmly against Remus’. Remus let himself enjoy it for a moment, Christ, it had been so long since he’d kissed someone, before he brought himself back to his sense.

           “What are you doing?” he demanded, pushing Sirius away.

           Sirius’ eyes searched Remus’ for a moment and then he took another step back. “Fuck, I – I’m sorry. I don’t even have an excuse.”

           Remus grinned as he watched Sirius flounder for a moment. He decided to let Sirius off the hook. It was just a little kiss after all. “Hey, I’m almost done with the menu design. Do you want to see it?”

           The tension in Sirius’ shoulders ebbed at Remus’ offer. “Yeah, sure.”

           Remus told Sirius to sit down at the little table while Remus went inside to get his tablet. He brought it out and sat down across from Sirius. He opened up the menu design and placed it in front of Sirus. He was actually a little nervous as Sirius looked it over. It was a buck and a dog running through a forest surrounded by berry bushes. James had explained in the email that their homemade jam was a huge selling point for them and they wanted the menu to emphasize that.

           “It’s not too dark, is it?” Remus asked, chewing his bottom lip.

           “No, I think it’s perfect.” Sirius glanced up, and for the first time Remus had seen, Sirius smiled. “We’re doing a soft opening in two days. You should come.”

           “Will I have to pay?” Remus teased, resting his chin in his hand and looking at Sirius.

           Sirius laughed. “Fine, you don’t have to pay. What kind of pastry do you like best? I’ll make it for you.”

           Remus considered it for a moment. “Jammy dodgers.”

           Sirius’ grin widened. “You got it.”

                                                             ***

           Remus went to the soft opening, even though he hadn’t been around that many people in a while, and it put his social anxiety through the roof. He met James’ wife, Lily, and their son, Harry. He also met quite a few of James and Sirius’ closest friends. Even though everyone was very nice, Remus couldn’t help feeling a bit like an outsider.

           However, Remus didn’t miss the way that his jammy dodgers seemed to be the only ones with little hearts in the middle. That knowledge alone was enough to make him stick around.

                                                           ***

           Remus was in trouble. His web comic was about a werewolf and a vampire that fell in love with each other. The werewolf character struck a striking resemblance to Remus, although the character had Remus’ original hair colour. The idea had come to him based on his name. The vampire character, however, had short dark hair and red eyes. Yet, whenever Remus found himself drawing him, his hair seemed to be getting progressively longer for no discernable reason and his eyes seemed to be grey.

           It didn’t help that Remus saw Sirius pretty much every day. During his lunch break, Sirius would bring up something from the bakery, and they would sit together at the little table and eat and smoke. Remus had gotten to know Sirius, little by little, cracking away at Sirius’ shell to the gooey center underneath. Despite his first impression of Sirius, and his original cold exterior, Remus found the man himself was mushy and romantic and sweet.

           Remus told Sirius about the fact that he’d always meant to make a little rooftop garden, but as of yet hadn’t really gotten around to buying any plants. Sirius showed up the next day with a little tree.

           “It’s called Dogwood,” he’d said with a knowing grin. He had continued to buy Remus several flowers and plants since then. He’d even brought some herbs for cooking, even though Remus insisted he didn’t really cook. Every time Sirius and Remus found a place for the new plant, Sirius would get that same smile. A smile that had started to cause butterflies in Remus’ stomach.

           There was no talk about the conversation Remus had overheard or of the kiss they’d shared. Remus figured both topics were off limits.

           Maybe that’s why he couldn’t get Sirius out of his head.

                                                           ***

           Remus dropped his head back and groaned. “I told you if you didn’t stop me I would eat all six éclairs.”

           “An impressive feat,” Sirius said, grinning behind his wine glass as he took a sip.

           “I hate you,” Remus said, scrubbing his hand over his face. He was starting to sweat a bit from overeating. “I’m going to put on so much weight.”

           “You could use some more meat on your bones,” Sirius responded with a shrug. “You barely eat as it is.”

           “I was right, this is a Sweeney Todd situation, you’re fattening me up to put me in a pie,” Remus bemoaned, clutching his stomach. That last éclair had really done him in.

           “We don’t even serve meat pies at the bakery,” Sirius said in amusement. “I think you’re safe.”

           “I’m not buying it,” Remus said, staring at Sirius accusingly. “Why else would you bring me all these sweets?”

           Sirius glanced away, twirling his wine glass between his fingers. “For an excuse to come see you.”

           “Oh,” Remus said, a blush rising to his cheeks. “Really?”

           Sirius stood up and walked over to Remus, placing his hand on the back of Remus’ chair, and leaning into him. “So, I made a mess of our first kiss. Think you might let me try again?”

           “Um.” Remus stared up at Sirius and let out a shaky breath. “Yes. W-we can do that.”

           Sirius slid his fingers through Remus’ curls until his hand came to rest at the back of Remus’ head. Then he guided their lips together into a soft kiss. Remus opened his mouth first, and Sirius was quick to follow suit, their tongues meeting in a mixture of chocolate, wine and cigarettes. Remus eagerly chased the taste from Sirius’ mouth.

           Sirius pulled back after a few life-altering moments. Remus felt his eyes flutter open to find that Sirius was smiling at him. God, Remus loved it when Sirius smiled. “I could eat you up, I really could,” Sirius sang softly.

           Remus busted out laughing. “Do not sing Sweeney Todd at me when you’re trying to be romantic.”

           Sirius chuckled and pulled Remus up into a hug. “Noted. Should I just tell you I love you then?”

           Remus hugged Sirius back, burying his face in Sirius’ neck, ignoring the deep blush currently on his face. “I-I think that would work.”

           “Well?” Sirius asked expectantly, turning his face and pressing a kiss to Remus’ forehead.

           Remus hugged Sirius tighter. “I love you too.”

           Remus stood there, in a moment so like a fairy tale that he didn’t want it to end, wishing he could freeze time. He stood in the moonlight, embracing the man he had come to adore, surrounded by all the plants Sirius had bought just for him. It felt like more than Remus deserved, but he wasn’t about to let it go. He could only hope the next moment would be just as sweet.