33 days. Hide and seek (Sirius/Remus)
Remus had a habit that often irritated not only him but also the Marauders, especially Sirius. Lupin hated it because he thought it was a sign of weakness and cowardice that hurt his heart. The marauders simply did not accept this gesture, Black could not stand it, because he remembered how Remus used to cry.
The guy often covered his face with his palms. Even when he was a little boy, he was used to hiding behind his own hands. There was some hope, ghostly and unsightly, that when he stopped seeing the world around him, he would somehow change. There will be no gloomy atmosphere in the house, the father will not be so bowed and abruptly aged, and will be cheerful and full of strength, my mother will not be stretched to smile, and turning away, crying, and laughing will be fun. Not afraid of their emotions. That there will be no frightening boy in the reflection of the mirror, that he will disappear somewhere. But Remus took his hands off his face, and everything remained the same - Mommy barely held back the sobs and secretly wiped off her sleeve tears, and Daddy was sulfur and gloomy as the clouds outside the window, and looking at himself in the mirror, he saw a little freak with a thin pale face, sunken eyes, and scars cutting his cheek. And the boy again had to cover his face with his palms to indulge in naive and childish dreams. That everything could change.
At school, as soon as he entered, Remus only did what he did to hide behind his thin fingers. Children of this age are cruel and do not understand what they are hurting. But Lupin wanted to howl, however strange and paradoxical it might sound, from the ridicule and jokes of other children who wanted to assert themselves through his ugliness and weakness. That's why Remus was hiding from everybody, not only behind books, but also behind hands, trying to convince himself that everything was not so bad. However, whispers and laughs were heard, leaving scars no worse than their claws during the transformation.
Remus was hiding his tears in his trembling palms when friends found out what a monster he was. He was hiding his ugliness as the greatest mystery, but it was still revealed to the closest people. And tears of pain and fear could not be stopped, they wanted to hide, so as not to seem even more pathetic, though much more. But he felt the warm hands of others on his shoulders and the support of these people. The reality could have been as it had always been - cold and lonely, painted grey. Therefore, he pressed his fingers in the face, not dare to remove them, not to dispel the moment of unknown warmth and happiness.
Over time, the habit of "hiding" moved to another sphere of his life, not related to that animal side. Sirius has always been particularly fond of the frightened guy and very quickly took under his wing and protection. This was one of the reasons why the relationship between them was special, different from the relationship with other Marauders. Black by nature was active and talkative and often threw peculiar, like affectionate phrases that incredibly embarrassed the hidden Remus. And here he again hid his face in his palms, than irritated Sirius.
- Are you afraid of me? - Black once said hurtfully, looking again at the pale hands hiding the blush face after the kiss.
- I'm not afraid," Lupin tapped, spreading his fingers slightly to look at the harsh face across. - It's just embarrassing to me...
Sirius was panting dissatisfactorily, looking at Remus still hiding, but still calmed down, realizing that it was inevitable. He will always be afraid of the world around him, which as a child hurt an incredibly young boy. Black only needs to be supported and become a hiding place for a frightened friend.
- Hey, - he called, taking his hands off his face and pulling Remus into his arms. - If you want to hide, hide on my shoulder. I will save you from everything.