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Sirius doesn't usually care for Autumn; it's cold, wet, and everything is dying around him. He doesn't understand the appeal, really, until he decides to pay more attention to someone who loves the season— Moony.
At first, he'd thought it was just a handy excuse to wear his ever-present jumpers, all well worn and soft with age. Sirius certainly saw the appeal of them during the colder months and he showed his liking to the warm articles of clothing by stealing them away to wear at night as often as he could manage. Now that they were out of school and living together, it was easier than ever to sneak one— or two or three— straight from Remus' hamper.
The fact they smelled like Remus was just a little bonus.
"Sirius! Have you seen my green jumper with the trees?" Remus' voice calls across their flat and Sirius freezes in place at the stove, said jumper currently on his person. It's long enough on him that his boxers just barely peek out of the bottom.
"Can't say I have, Moons." He calls back, turning over his shoulder to grin as he hears Remus enter the room with a sigh.
"Pads, I need to wash it so I can wear it on Saturday. It has to be smelly." He sounds a little confused but.. fond.
Sirius pouts mightily, sticking his lower lip out firmly as he gives his best puppy dog eyes. Remus just crosses his arms and raises an eyebrow until Sirius finally groans and strips off the jumper to throw it at Remus, now standing in just socks and boxers in the kitchen.
Remus flushes and moves quickly to his room to gather the rest of his clothing, only realizing Sirius is also wearing his mums hand-knitted socks when he's on the way out the door to head to the laundromat.
The first time Sirius decides to pay attention, they are on the way to a little coffeeshop that Remus frequents. It's a bit of a walk, certainly not the closest to their flat, but Remus loves it; and really Sirius can't argue that it fits his vibe perfectly. It's full of mismatched squishy chairs and tables, local art plastered all over the walls, and a set of bookshelves bursting at the seams. The coffee is a little too expensive, and the workers don't seem to understand when Sirius just wants a cup of plain drip coffee, so he typically avoids it.
For the sake of understanding, though, Sirius offers to go with Remus when he mentions he wants to go to the shop and check out their new seasonal menu rotation and read a bit. Remus is surprised— he's always needed to practically beg Sirius to go out of his way to visit the place, but he agrees easily enough and with little suspicion.
Sirius is proud of himself on the walk there for keeping his grumbling to a minimum. He huffs out a breath, pulling the strings of his hood tighter to try and keep the cold wind off his neck.
Remus looks sideways at him, a little smirk on his lips. He's prepared for the weather; a thick jumper with a jacket over top, a threadbare but still serviceable scarf around his neck, and a soft grey beanie pulled down over his curls and making them stick out at funny angles around the bottom.
Sirius thinks he looks.. lovely.
The chill from the wind is a good excuse for the flush on his face as they finally make it to the shop. Sirius lets his eyes wander over the menu while rubbing his hands together to warm them back up, letting Remus take his time hemming and hawing over the selection. Sirius originally plans to get just a basic cup but when Remus is debating between the PSL and something else, he offers to get the other one and share.
The bright smile that Remus tries to hide behind his scarf is payment enough to suffer through a basic-white-girl pumpkin spice latte, but Sirius is pleasantly surprised to find he actually enjoys it far more than expected. The little victory dance Remus does when Sirius admits to enjoying it just adds to the day.
After the walk to the coffee shop Sirius decides to be proactive; he buys a pair of winter gloves. They're lovely, soft leather with a bit of a stretch and a softly furred interior. They were expensive but worth it to keep his aesthetic intact while keeping warm. He also starts squirreling away at least one of Remus' jumpers in his own room to put on underneath his jacket, ignoring the exasperated looks and eye-rolls from his friend.
The weather being particularly bad was, unfortunately, not a reason to skip going to the shops for their weekly groceries. They're out of just about everything, and after spending a little extra time browsing the seasonal treats— Remus contemplating getting spiced apple or pumpkin crumble muffins— they find the wind has picked up while inside.
Sirius notices Remus wincing as he shuffles a heavy bag from one hand to the other, his hands bright red and clearly freezing in the frigid air.
"Moony. Why on earth do you not have gloves on?" Sirius asks, a little bit frustrated— Remus never seems to take care of himself to the level that he should and it drives Sirius a little bit insane. He has to do everything around here!
Remus looks sheepish at least, eyebrows furrowed and shoulders up defensively before he replies after letting out a defeated sigh. He looks sideways at Sirius, chewing on his chapped lip. "My old pair fell apart.." He starts, scrunching his nose up in irritation. "I thought I'd have time to get some new ones, but— what are you doing?"
Sirius tugs Remus by the arm into the entrance of a shop already closed for the day, angling himself to block the worst of the wind from Remus before dropping his bags and taking the ones from Remus' hands to place next to them. Before Remus can ask again or try to argue, Sirius is pulling his fancy new gloves off and slipping them over Remus' hands. It's a little tight and Remus looks like he wants to argue, but as soon as the first glove is in place he just lets out a contented sigh.
"Fuck— they're so warm. Are your hands going to be okay?" He asks, flexing his fingers and leaning over to grab his bags. Sirius can't help but smirk, retrieving the rest of them, letting the warm feeling in his chest at seeing the pleased look on Remus' face wash over him. It's warm enough to fight off the cold.
"I'm good Moons. Let's get home and have some of that fancy cocoa, yeah?"
Remus beams at him, his steps speeding up as he hooks an arm through Sirius' to get him to hurry.
Really, Sirius felt like with how much Remus enjoyed the season, their positions should be switched. It seemed his plan to understand the appeal of the season had been more successful than he anticipated.
"It's just weird, isn't it? I mean, Thanksgiving is an American holiday— and not really a great one, for that matter—" Remus argued half-heartedly, still doing his duty and stirring the sauce currently bubbling on the stove. Sirius just grinned over his shoulder, cracking open the oven to check on the pies.
When James had suggested they all get together to celebrate Friendsgiving— an apparent spin off of the usual holiday where instead of spending time with family by blood, you instead spent it with family by choice. It was apparently quite popular with those who had a strained relationship with family; or really just as an excuse to get together with friends and eat way too much food. Not to mention the novelty of researching and preparing all of the classic Thanksgiving food; pumpkin pie, cranberry sauce, stuffing, green bean casserole, and so on.
"Well, first of all, it's Friendsgiving. Just think of it as an excuse hang out with your friends and eat good food, hmm?" Sirius didn't look at the little huff of laughter, focused on taking out the pie without jostling it too much.
"Do we need an excuse for that?" Remus retorts, turning the heat off and stirring the sauce with a little more force than needed.
Sirius just shrugs, carefully covering the top of the pie with foil, tented up in the center to not ruin the surface. "I mean.. it's been a while, hasn't it? Everyone is so busy now.." He asked, voice quieter than he meant it. He wasn't really sure why this meant so much to him, or why it bothered him that Remus was resisting.
Of course, as attuned to Sirius' moods as he was, Remus realized something was off. He watched Sirius with a quiet look, biting his lip before letting out a breath as he silently chastised himself; of course Sirius would cling to this. Sirius, who had almost no family by blood worth knowing, who had only been able to escape because of his friends— his chosen family.
"Yeah.. you're right, Pads." Remus relents, sending a soft smile to Sirius that makes his stomach flip. "Why not bastardize a holiday for our own benefit?"
Sirius smiles, tension bleeding from his shoulders. Moony always just got him like nobody else did.
Later that night, after everyone was stuffed to bursting with good food and laughter, Sirius and Remus find themselves on the roof of the Potters. They're a little too old to really be climbing out of windows to smoke weed like this anymore, but it's a tradition that neither of them are willing to give up.
Sirius thinks back over the last month as he takes a hit, holding the smoke in and passing the joint back to Remus who hums in thanks. He set out to understand the appeal of Autumn, how to find the good in the dreary days and frozen nights. The more he thought about it, the more everything just seemed to lead back to one thing— Remus. He embodied and fit the season in every way; his signature cozy clothes, the way his cheeks and nose turned red in the cold, the comforting hot drinks and spiced everything.
It hits him all at once as he stares at the profile of Remus' face. The way his lips pinch around the end of the joint, the slight bump in his large nose, his long lashes brushing the tops of his red cheeks with every slow blink. Remus is Autumn personified. Sirius loves Autumn.
Sirius loves Remus.
A shaky inhale is all it takes to get Remus' attention, his half-lidded eyes blinking slowly as he realizes Sirius is staring at him, his cheeks flushing darker.
"Do I have somethin' on my face?" He mutters, embarrassed, eyes caught by Sirius' as they flick over his face.
"No, just.." Sirius starts, hand freezing as he reaches up to cup the side of Remus' face. The joint smolders and goes out in Remus' hand, his eyes going wider as Sirius leans in. "Just you.."
Remus doesn't get a chance to ask what Sirius means before he's kissing him. He gasps into it, hands scrambling to grab onto Sirius' arms, to pull him closer. He's slow to react, or it feels that way under the haze of the drugs, but he returns the kiss with force as his tongue swipes over Sirius' lips looking for entrance.
Sirius can't help but giggle into the kiss, his other hand slipping to run through Remus' hair. Everything is so right, so perfect in that moment, and he feels like he's burning with it and fending off the cold. His fingers card through Remus' curls, the color of fall leaves as they gather in piles around the trees, all browns and amber.
Remus breaks the kiss, panting for breath, but holds Sirius close and presses their foreheads together. They both breathe the same air, slowly coming back to their bodies. Remus is smiling something wide and uncontrolled, his eyes looking at Sirius like he can't believe he's really there.
Unfortunately, the weed had been particularly strong, and the heady feeling from the joint combined with the snogging had Sirius' head in a bit of a scramble. His mind was stuck on the comparison of Remus' hair to the fallen leaves, and suddenly he was hit with the devastating vision of Remus' curls falling out like all the leaves in the trees and leaving himself bare.
Sirius whimpers, making a little sad face as his fingers brush through Remus' hair reverently. Remus opens his mouth to ask what Sirius is sad about, only to be cut off.
"Moony, please don't go bald."