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Tink.
Tink.
Tink.
A long stretch of silence followed, and Remus smiled as he settled back under the covers to the familiar sound of the bullfrogs forming a poprock symphony on the banks of the creek.
Tink.
“No.” More silence passed; he dared to squint at his bedroom window and risk losing the comfortable blanket of sleepiness. Nothing appeared in the soft moonlight. He closed his eyes once again.
Tink.
“What kind of shithead motherfucker with a goddamn death wish—” Remus bit down on his lip to stifle his grumbling as he threw his sheets back and trudged out of bed with a furious flick of his bedside lamp switch. He crossed the room in three short strides before shoving the window open and sticking his head into the humid Texas air. “What.”
A shadowy figure straightened. Remus narrowed his eyes and hoped they could feel his glare from two stories below. Then the figure tapped the back of their Stetson hat in a nervous gesture, and Remus’ annoyance drained away faster than sweet tea at a cookout.
“Oh.”
“Hey,” a soft voice called. The faint light of his lamp illuminated a million-watt smile as the figure stepped forward, the brim of their hat tilting back when they looked up.
Remus fought to keep down a blush. “Hi.”
“Did I wake you?”
“Nah, ‘s alright.” He glanced over his shoulder, but no sound came from the creaky old floors. Lady Luck, I owe you one, he thought as he leaned further out the window with a bitten-back smile. “What the hell are you doing down there?”
“What’s it look like?” Sirius laughed, though he kept his voice so quiet Remus could just barely hear it. That didn’t mean the butterflies in his stomach stopped pouring over each other, though. He didn’t think he could stop that if he tried.
Remus leaned on the windowsill and put his chin on his forearms, stooping slightly. “Were you—are those rocks?”
Something hit the grass with a series of small thuds. “No.”
“Sirius Black, were you about to break my window just to get my attention at—” He ducked inside again to check the clock. “—ass o’clock in the morning?”
“Come down here and I’ll tell you.”
“My parents are asleep.”
“You’re twenty-three,” Sirius said in the same tone of false sympathy, though his grin didn’t falter as he stuck his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. “C’mon, I’ll be by the fence.”
Remus shook his head. His parents were dead asleep. Up until four minutes prior, he had been dead asleep, and quite comfortably so. There was shit to do in the morning, and if he wasn’t under his own sheets soon to get ready for work instead of snuggled up in Sirius Cocky Bastard Black’s bed, the stockroom inventory he had promised his mother would get done would be set back ages. “Give me five minutes.”
It took him four.
He slipped out the freshly-greased kitchen window in the first pair of jeans and a flannel he could dig out of the pile on his bedroom floor and made a beeline for the fence, where Sirius had nearly melted into the shadows. “You,” Remus began, dragging him in by the front of his shirt. It was the one with the dark blue checks, the one Remus always said he liked best. It brought out the silver in Sirius’ eyes and the warm tan of his skin, and made him entirely too kissable for his own good. “Are the reason I’m still stuck in a cashier’s spot.”
“You,” Sirius mimicked as he scattered kisses over the bridge of Remus’ nose. “Convince your dad to keep you in a cashier’s spot because it means you get to see me more.”
“Lies and slander,” Remus said into his lips. The hair at the base of Sirius’ neck was soft where it curled over his fingers; he felt Sirius sigh against his mouth and tipped his hat further back for a better angle. The black felt was rough along the edge where Sirius had spent countless hours fidgeting with it and Remus ran his fingertips over it, memorizing the texture.
They broke apart a minute later, but Sirius kept nudging their noses together like an insistent horse. “Sorry about your window.”
“Didn’t do any harm.”
“You didn’t tuck your shirt in.”
“Like that would’ve done any good.” Remus raised an eyebrow; the hand splayed over the small of his back beneath the hem of his flannel pulled him closer to Sirius and he kissed him again, just for good measure. “But wake me up at 12:07 a.m. again and we’re gonna have a problem.”
“This town ain’t big enough for the both of us,” Sirius agreed, switching from his honey-sweet Oklahoma accent to a Hollywood Texas drawl. Remus snorted, and he felt a light squeeze of his hip. “Do I sound like you, yet?”
“You can shut your mouth right there.”
“Shut it for me.”
“Don’t think I won’t.”
“Them’s fightin’ words, cowb—”
Sirius fell silent with a muffled mmph as Remus closed the small gap between them, suddenly grateful he had had the foresight to swish some water around in his mouth before racing out the window. Morning breath kisses were most enjoyable when both parties were afflicted, after all. He pulled back slowly, feeling Sirius chase his lips. “Keep making fun of my accent and I’ll go back to bed and leave you out here.”
“What if I’m making fun of other people making fun of your accent?”
“Don’t even.”
Sirius laughed into their next kiss before tugging lightly on the front of Remus’ belt. “Come with me.”
If Remus were smarter—or, perhaps, if he was less willing to follow his boyfriend to the ends of the earth—he might have asked why. Or where, or how they were going to get there without waking everyone else in a two-mile radius of the house. Speaking of… “How did you get here? I didn’t hear the truck.”
“Cause I didn’t take the truck.”
“What, you brought two horses over here in the middle of the—no.” Remus put both hands over his face as Sirius led him behind the bushes. Of course. Of course Sirius would pull a stunt like that, and of course Remus would fall right into the trap like he always did when it came to his too-clever boyfriend. He rubbed the last of the grit from his eyes before running a hand through his hair and sighed heavily. “Well, shit, I would’ve grabbed my boots.”
“Oh, please,” Sirius scoffed, kissing him once more before ushering him toward the tall bay mare with a light pat to Remus’ ass. “Like you’ve never ridden in your sneakers before, Mr. Rodeo.”
He was right, but Remus wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction of admitting it aloud; he mounted the bay in an easy swing of his leg and walked it up to Sirius’ side, kicking his ankle lightly in greeting. “Missed you, baby.”
Sirius’ dopey grin could have powered the whole city. “Missed you, too. Kissing you at the counter would have been a much better use of my time than chasing my baby brother’s ducks around the yard, if that makes you feel better.”
“I think most people come to a general store for help, not a show,” Remus snickered as he followed Sirius through the brush, letting the night breeze warm his face. The thick scent of autumn clung to his skin—a thunderstorm was rolling in. “No mosquitos tonight.”
“Hope not,” Sirius mused. “Creek’s always active, though.”
Remus shot him a sly smile. “So that’s where you’re taking me.”
“Maybe.”
“And here I thought we were going dancing.”
Sirius glanced at him out of the corner of his eye with clear amusement and a kick to his shin. “You can take me dancing when we don’t need to worry about getting you back into your house without a ruckus.”
Remus whistled lowly. “A ruckus.”
“Shut—”
“A ruckus,” he repeated. “Golly Moses, whatever would we do with a ruckus?”
“I’m gonna make you walk home if you keep that up.”
“Walk home or walk to your bedroom?” Remus didn’t have to see Sirius’ face in the light to know he was blushing, and he urged his horse forward to tug on Sirius’ shirtsleeve. That blush had driven him wild from the first time he saw it, accompanied by a sugar-sweet smile that still made his heart skip a beat. “Well?”
“We have to be up early,” Sirius said, keeping his eyes down. “I didn’t have plans.”
“Alright.”
“The house isn’t empty, either.”
Remus tugged his sleeve again until Sirius looked at him; the bashful look on his face smoothed out into something soft and sappy, something Remus was still trying to understand. Nobody else in the whole world looked at him like that. Yet Sirius had cracked him open in just the few months they had been together for real instead of pining across the store register, and he was grateful for every moment of it. “Baby, I’m just teasing. Are we almost there?”
“Couple more minutes.”
Sirius let go of the reins with one hand and linked their pinky fingers, leaving space for the horses to walk abreast without bumping each other. It was quiet for late September—Remus tilted his head up and looked for the moon among a smattering of stars. The constellations would be changing soon, so his mother would want to charge her crystals on the sills. He’d have to remind Sirius not to throw any more rocks at his window while they were there.
Sirius gave his hand a gentle pull and they turned down toward the riverbank, easing the horses along until they reached some unnamed spot that brought a satisfied smile to Sirius’ face. “Here we are,” he said, dismounting and tying the reins loosely around the nearest tree. “Gimme.”
“I can tie my own horse,” Remus laughed.
“I’m taking you on a date,” Sirius insisted as he pried Remus’ fingers off the reins and handed him a rucksack. “There. Better?”
Remus couldn’t help but shake his head. “What the hell are you up to?”
“What, I’m not allowed to spoil you?”
“No.”
“Too bad, I’m doing it.”
“Why did you even ask?”
Sirius snagged Remus’ belt loop and guided him back to kiss his cheek. Remus’ whole chest constricted at the brush of his soft lips. “Because I live to torment you.”
“Sounds about right.” Remus leaned into him, listening to Sirius’ heart beat steadily next to his own. He missed that sound—it had been days since they were alone. Between new cattle and new customers, neither of them had time for more than a quick swing-by, let alone a cuddle. The fabric of Sirius’ flannel was soft when he rubbed his face into it. “Is it stupid that I missed you, even though I see you almost every day?”
“No.”
“You sure?”
“Mhmm.” Sirius tilted his chin up; their noses bumped again. “If it was, I’d be just as stupid as you.”
Remus leaned up an inch on his toes, uncaring of how the muddy riverbank squished beneath his sneakers. “It’s dangerous for you to stand that close and not kiss me, Mr. Black.”
“Lord knows you need a little danger in your life, Mr. Lupin.”
Remus could taste his smile when he closed the last bit of distance. They lingered there for a few minutes—hours, weeks, years, Remus didn’t care—until Sirius finally pulled away and took the rucksack from him, heading closer to shore. Remus groaned and tried to drag him back, only to be met with a playful yank that sent him stumbling into Sirius and nearly toppled them both into the shallow water. He nipped Sirius’ earlobe in retaliation the second they righted themselves. “Watch where you’re putting those long-ass legs.”
“You love my legs,” Sirius pointed out with a laugh. “And my ass. C’mere, help me set up.”
The rucksack held a lot for its size; Sirius spread a small blanket over the patch of grass by their feet while Remus unloaded a small jar of sweet tea and a tin of cookies, which he set between them as they pulled their shoes and socks off and sat next to each other. It was cooler by the riverbank than at the house, but the stars were just as bright overhead. Remus closed his eyes and listened to the horses graze behind them, letting the tension flow from his back and shoulders with each slow exhale.
Sirius’ hand was warm when it folded over his own. He smiled. “You’ve made me a wreck of a man, Sirius Black.”
“Have I?”
Remus hummed, low in his chest to not disturb the night noises he loved so well. “I don’t regret a single second of it. Not one.”
Sirius was quiet for a long moment; Remus heard him shuffle closer. “Why are you telling me this?”
“Cause I’m tired and I don’t have a filter.” Sirius’ thumb slipped along the edge of his wrist and that same wash of calm, of rightness, rushed over Remus like the late summer wind. Sirius was his own kind of magic for that ability. Him and his checkered shirts, beat-up jeans, hand-me-down boots, and the hat he hardly took off outside of sleep. He had slotted himself into Remus’ life where Remus never even thought there would be a place. “And because I love you.”
The catch of Sirius’ breath was perfectly out of sync with the croaking of the frogs. “You do?”
Remus nodded, silent and still. He had the feeling he should be more nervous about saying it, but Sirius had smoothed out the scratch of his anxious habits ever since they had come to know each other as more than the general store cashier and the rancher’s adopted son. Hell, he had loved Sirius since he hobbled downstairs on a bruised leg from a nasty horse kick and saw Sirius waiting on his mother’s couch with tea and biscuits and such an earnest ‘I hope you feel better soon’ that it nearly made Remus’ knees give out.
“Re?” He blinked, allowing his eyes to adjust to the dark before he turned to Sirius and offered half a smile. His full lips were slightly parted; his black Stetson was tilted far back on his head, a sure sign he had been fidgeting with it again. Dark curls fell onto his forehead from beneath the brim and Remus reached up to tuck them back, only for Sirius to catch his hand and press a kiss to the palm. “I love you, too.”
The realization hit a moment later. Remus’ heart gave a hard thud. He grinned, and Sirius beamed right back at him—the words echoed in his ears as Sirius pulled him close for a hard kiss. “I love you,” Remus said through a disbelieving laugh. He guided Sirius to lay down on the picnic blanket and hovered over him on one elbow, just in the right spot for strong arms to keep him close. “Sirius, I love you so—”
He was silenced by more kisses and a hand in his hair; the other snuck up the back of his flannel once again, pressing him down against Sirius’ torso until there was hardly any space at all between them. He kissed and licked his way down Sirius’ neck, over his jaw, across his sharp collarbones before he heard a groan and was unceremoniously hauled up for Sirius to ravish his mouth until they were both breathless.
Sirius rested their foreheads together, his hat long knocked aside so Remus had something to grip. “I love you,” he panted. “Fuck, Remus, I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“Don’t think about it,” Remus murmured, pulse pounding double time. Part of him wanted to rip Sirius’ clothes off then and there and show him just how much he loved him. Part of him (the smarter part) wanted to stay curled up together forever, warm and cozy, and leave the wild side of his imagination for a night when they had a proper place to fit into each other’s bones and not wake up covered in mud. Preferably, his parents would not be home when that happened. They had had enough of a heart attack when they came home early from a trip to the city and found Sirius Black asleep and shirtless in Remus’ bed.
Sirius sighed happily and turned his head so Remus could hide his face in the hollow there, listening to each breath leave his wonderful mouth. “We should get married.”
“Later,” he mumbled, snuggling into Sirius’ warmth.
“Okay.”
“Six months is too soon.” Remus let his hand splay over Sirius’ chest, tracing each button of his shirt. “Ask me again next month.”
Sirius’ answering hum reverberated all the way down to his soul, just like the creek ran in his veins and the wind rushed in his lungs. He loved Sirius and Sirius loved him right back. Someday—not next month, they both knew that, but someday—they would have a porch swing and a blue house and a barn out back, and Remus would drive the pickup to the general store to do inventory while Sirius saddled up for another day in the tall grass. They’d come home together, go dancing together, trade their own special brand of banter back and forth. Regulus would no doubt donate a flock of his horrible goslings as a housewarming gift and, as always, they would only bite Sirius.
The horses shuffled in the brush. Remus glanced at the stars overhead, then looked back down and found his favorite already gazing back at him. Someday they would have that. Right then, though, he had something just as special.