Will-o'-the-Wisp

Remus trudged up to the small, dingy pub. Sirius's shift as bartender ended at the same time as Remus's shift waiting tables at a Muggle restaurant a few blocks away, but sometimes one or the other had to wait a little later. If Remus was late it was because he had a table full of customers that just wouldn't leave; in Sirius's case it was either because there was a brawl to break up or because his relief hadn't shown up yet, usually the latter. Remus had listened to his fair share of harangues about the bartender on the graveyard shift.

The pub seemed fairly busy as Remus approached. Not much of a drinker and not wanting to take up valuable bar space, Remus hovered outside the window for a minute until Sirius glanced his way and noticed him. Remus grinned and waved. Sirius grinned back and held up five fingers, then turned back to the customer waving a mostly empty tankard of beer.

Smiling, Remus turned and leaned against the wall. Sirius worked here because he enjoyed it, and had in fact done so since his graduation; Remus had trouble keeping a job more than two or three months, no matter how hard he worked. For a while he, too, had tried a job there, handling the food while Sirius poured the drinks, but the job had wound up like all his other jobs. The manager had noticed he was missing three days out of every month, accused him of skipping out despite the fact that he called in sick each time, and fired him. Remus had somehow managed to hang on to his current job for three full lunar cycles, but considering his new boss was almost constantly stoned it was doubtful he even noticed Remus wasn't turning up three days out of twenty-nine.

Remus was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't even notice the large man until he spoke. "Hey there, handsome."

Remus looked up, startled, then looked around to see whom the man could be addressing. "Were you talking to me?" he finally asked, looking up a little nervously.

The man leered at Remus, making him decidedly uncomfortable. "You see anyone else around here?"

"Wh-what do you want?" Remus stammered.

"I just wanna talk." The man moved closer to Remus, who shied away along the wall. "You wanna come ride around with me for a while? I bet we'd have fun."

"N-no thanks," Remus answered, still moving away. "I don't think my boyfriend would like that very much..." He'd never called Sirius his boyfriend before, but it seemed natural in this situation.

The older man chuckled. "Hey, am I making you nervous?"

Remus edged away from the man a little more. "Yes, just a bit."

"Aw, now, don't be shy." The man suddenly lunged, planting his arms on either side of Remus, pinning him to the wall. Remus froze, terrified. "You 'n' me, we're gonna have a good time."

"I--I really don't think--" Remus stammered, his eyes wide with fright.

Still leering at Remus, the man patted his pocket. "Don't think, handsome, just do what I tells you to an' won't no one hafta get hurt, see? I got a gun here and I ain't afraid to use it."

Remus pressed back against the wall, shrinking away from the man, who only moved in closer. "Now," he whispered, "you're gonna--"

"Remus?"

The man froze, his face inches from Remus's. Remus managed to control his panic a little bit and looked over the man's shoulder. Sirius had just stepped out into the alley and was looking around uncertainly, obviously wondering where Remus had gone. Remus tried several times to call out, but there seemed to be something wrong with his vocal chords.

The man, meanwhile, had realised what Remus was trying to do and grabbed Remus's throat. Remus gasped, unable to speak, or indeed breathe. "You try it, buddy boy, and I swear--" the man growled, keeping his voice low so Sirius wouldn't hear.

He needn't have bothered. Sirius looked in that direction and saw the man pressing someone against the wall. He didn't see Remus, but he knew that the man was bothering someone and had to help. "Hey!" he said loudly, hoping to give whoever was there a chance to get away.

The man half-turned, exposing Remus, who had clamped his eyes shut and turned his face away in fear. Sirius took stock of the situation and roared with fury, then launched himself at Remus's attacker.

Remus kept his eyes shut and his body curled in a ball, pressed against the wall. He heard curses from both Sirius and the older man, thuds and cracks, and then the sound he'd been dreading: the sharp report of a handgun. The gun fired a second time and Remus felt something whistle past his ear, then a loud crunch as something buried itself in the brickwork. Sirius gave another roar...and then, suddenly, there was silence, except for heavy breathing.

Remus couldn't hear anything that was being said, but he heard someone run off. The footsteps retreated...then something clattered to the ground. A second later, someone put a hand on Remus's back. He winced and tried to curl up in a tighter ball.

"Rem?" It was Sirius, his voice an octave higher than normal, quavering slightly. "Remus, sweetheart, it's me, it's Sirius."

Remus uncurled slightly, then slowly opened his eyes and lifted them to see Sirius's white, concerned face. "Siri?" he murmured.

Sirius gathered Remus into his arms; Remus clung to him like a drowning person and leaned his head on Sirius's chest. "Oh, Remus," Sirius choked. "Are you okay?"

Remus, who was shaking madly, nodded anyway.

Sirius pulled back a little and looked down at Remus lovingly. "Are you hurt?"

Remus shook his head. "Just scared," he whispered. "Just really, really scared."

"What the hell did he want?" Sirius asked, pushing a bit of Remus's hair out of his eyes.

"He...he was trying to..." Remus's voice shook. Without warning he burst into tears.

"Shh. Shh. It's okay." Sirius held him and rocked him gently, stroking his hair. "It's okay. I'm here. It's okay."

Remus looked up at Sirius, his face streaked with tears. "Siri...the gun...did he...?"

"I'm fine," Sirius assured him, hugging him tightly. "The gun discharged when he drew it out--he almost dropped the damn thing--and it went off again when I tried to get it away from him. It...the bullet hit the wall right over you...I swear I thought it hit you." He looked down at Remus in concern. "It didn't, did it?"

Remus shook his head. "N-no...it m-missed...oh, Sirius, I'm so glad you're here," he sobbed. "I was so scared...I've never been more terrified in my life."

"Shh. It's okay," Sirius soothed him. "He's gone now."

Remus lay his head on Sirius's chest. "How the hell did you get rid of him?"

Sirius tightened his grip on Remus. "I finally managed to get the gun away from him, and I pinned him down and pointed it at him. I told him if he didn't get the fuck out of here I'd shoot him...and if he ever came near you again I'd make him so miserable he'd be begging me to kill him."

Remus looked up again. "You...y-you really would have k-killed him?"

"If he hurt you? Yes, I would have." Sirius stroked Remus's hair tenderly. "I was damn scared when I saw him pinning you to the wall like that...and if I'd realised at the time that he'd had the gun, I'd have been more scared still. You were blue, Rem. He was choking you. I thought...I thought..." Sirius's voice trembled again. "I thought I was too late. I thought I'd lost you." He tightened his embrace yet again. "Why didn't you come inside?"

"It...it wasn't that...I didn't think..."

"You never think," Sirius said softly, but his voice wasn't rough. "I love you, Rem. You mean the world to me and I'd be devastated if anything happened to you. Your problem is that you're just too trusting...you think there's some good in everybody...and one of these days that's going to get you into trouble. It very nearly did tonight." He held Remus even tighter. "Promise me that if you ever show up here before I get off again, you'll come inside and wait."

"Siri..." Remus choked.

"Promise me, Remus."

Remus was starting to have breathing difficulties again, but he didn't mind. "I...I promise..."

Sirius let go of Remus, drew back a bit, and stared intently into his eyes. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Remus nodded again; he was still scared, but he hadn't been hurt. And he was shaking less than he had been before.

"Good." Sirius helped Remus to his feet and put his arm around the trembling man's shoulders. "Then let's go home."