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The flashing from the front door alerted Remus to the first customers of the day. Normally, rainy days dragged customers into his warm, cozy bookshop, but today the streets of Brighton were empty. He wasn’t complaining, though; he had a book he was currently enamored with and would take any opportunity to read it. Owning his own shop had its perks, one of which being no one was around to tell him what to do. Except Sirius, but Sirius encouraged his reading. Sirius encouraged Remus to do anything that made him happy.
Remus’ eyes fell to the two men walking in, arguing about something. He grinned when they made eye contact.
James came strutting over with a giant smirk, leaving Regulus behind. Regulus looked exhausted, most likely due to whatever James was passionately ranting about. He had never met two people who could simultaneously adore and be annoyed with each other at all times.
They had been together a decade now, and Remus still pondered the oddness of their love. Regulus didn’t like anyone except for Sirius and James Potter. He was grumpy and quiet, serious, and held back–everything that James was not. But, Remus had never seen Regulus smile the way he did when he was around James. Their love was all consuming and radiating, anyone around them could feel it.
“Remus!” James signed. “Tell Regulus that ice cream on a rainy day is superior to a warm day.”
Remus contemplated whose side he wanted to be on and if it was worth riling James up just to get a laugh. In the end, he sided with what he actually thought.
“You’re crazy, James.” Remus signed back, and Regulus threw his hands up.
“I told you!” Regulus was at the counter now too, facing Remus so his lips were visible.
James, Sirius, and the girls had all learned sign for him when they were at school together. Three months into their first year, Sirius had snuck into his bed and shakily sighed: “Hi, my name is Sirius Black. I am your friend.” It was the first time Remus had cried in front of him, but certainly not the last.
Regulus had learned sign after school, once he was officially out of his parents’ house and living with Sirius and Remus in their flat. Regulus lived on their couch for almost six months before he had enough money saved to move out. During his time there, he taught himself sign and went to weekly BSL classes.
Remus felt smothered in love, something he grew up thinking he’d never have because of his deafness.
“Where’s Sirius?” Regulus asked, glancing around the empty shop.
Remus shrugged, not exactly knowing. After thirty years of being together, he stopped questioning what Sirius was up to. Some days he woke up with an excited smile on his face, stated he had big plans, and then would usually return home later that night with some random gift for one of his loved ones.
“He said he’d be here by lunch.”
“Is he bringing us food?” James asked, raising a brow.
Remus chuckled at this and shook his head. “You didn’t tell us you were coming.”
“We didn’t know. We were out shopping for new sheets, and then James wanted ice cream, which led to us arguing, and he needed you to settle the debate,” Regulus explained, switching to signing.
Remus could read lips, so he didn’t mind if people spoke, so long as they had their lips visible and spoke clearly. He preferred sign but also understood that none of his friends were deaf or hard of hearing, and signing wasn’t their primary language. Technically, it wasn’t Remus’ either, but he rarely spoke these days. The older he got, the more he forgot the sound of his own voice, and it made him horribly aware of the way he may sound to others.
He lost his hearing at five years old, due to severe meningitis as a child. He didn’t grow up wealthy, so his parents didn’t have insurance. They didn’t take Remus to the hospital in time and, by the time they did, the damage done was too severe to reverse.
To this day, his mum still blames herself, but Remus forgave her a long time ago. They did what they could to survive, and Remus couldn’t fault her for that.
His dad, on the other hand, hated Remus’ deafness. He always forced him to speak as a kid and demanded Remus not learn sign, despite his mother deeming that as cruel. He forced Remus to get a cochlear implant when he was fourteen, and Remus hated it. It was supposed to be this miraculous moment when they turned it on and he could hear, but he sobbed. He didn’t like the noise. He felt overwhelmed and in a new body, one that didn’t belong to either the hearing or deaf community.
Once he recovered from the procedure and went back to school, he crawled into Sirius’ bed and sobbed to him about it all. Sirius assured him he didn’t need to keep the implant on while he was at school and that they would all continue to sign to him, and, one day, he could get the whole thing removed if he wanted to. Sirius promised at the age of fourteen that he’d hold Remus’ hand when he woke up from the surgery and that he wouldn’t be alone. Ten years later, at the age of twenty four, Sirius kept true to his word, and Remus awoke from the removal procedure with a drug-hazed brain and Sirius gently gripping his hand.
“Did you at least get sheets?”
James nodded and held up the bag, showing off a set of blue sheets.
“Harry’s coming to town next week, and we decided it's finally time to give his room a slight makeover.”
Harry was twenty-three and recently graduated from university. He was planning to come home for a few months while he worked and saved up, which everyone was thrilled about. He decided he’d stay at James and Regulus’ house, because his room was bigger there, but promised to stay with Lily at least twice a week.
Lily and James had been together for nearly as long as Remus and Sirius, but they got divorced twelve years ago. It was impossible to bear witness to, and Remus felt heartbroken for both of his friends and for Harry, but in the end it was for the best. Now, Lily and James were both in happy relationships of their own and had a lovely life co-parenting Harry. Not that he needed much parenting these days.
Remus and Sirius, on the other hand, had been together since they were fifteen, and not a day went by where Remus considered a life where they would be apart. They were forty-five now and Remus planned to spend every last second of his life with this man. They had a child, Teddy, who just turned fifteen, a dog, a lovely cottage, and a beautiful bookshop together.
Remus’ life was perfect.
The lights flashed again, and Remus glanced past James’ shoulder to see an actual customer come in. Remus motioned for James and Regulus to step aside and then gave the young woman and her daughter a quick smile and wave.
There was a sign in the front door stating the shop was owned and operated by someone who was deaf, so customers knew what to expect. It didn’t stop every awkward or degrading interaction, but it sure helped limit them.
James and Regulus disappeared off to a random aisle as Remus checked out the customer. The little girl had pigtails, five different beaded bracelets on her wrist, a chocolate stain down her shirt, and a gap smile from a missing tooth. It reminded him of when Teddy was little. He didn’t want another child, but he did have moments where he missed having a little kid running around.
After they left, the shop remained peaceful for all of ten minutes before the door was flung open, lights flashing above, and his dog, son, and husband all came rushing in. Sirius and Teddy wore huge grins, arms full of various items. Sirius wore a jumper stolen from Remus, and Teddy wore an old band t-shirt stolen from Sirius. It was so tender that Remus could melt.
On the ground, Moony, their big, black, fluffy dog came trotting over with his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth. A balloon was attached to his harness and a bandana with hearts was tied around his neck.
“What?!” Remus signed dramatically, looking between everyone.
For one, Teddy was meant to be in school right now, and for two, there was no reason for Moony to be walking around carrying a balloon. He decided to disregard the rest, not at all phased by Sirius coming in with armfuls of food and gifts.
Remus briefly feared he missed someone’s birthday, but Sirius wouldn’t let him forget. They shared a detailed digital calendar, along with having a giant color coordinated calendar in the kitchen. Staying organized helped keep Sirius calm and, if Remus was honest, he found it very endearing. Even through school, he was always the most organized and clean of the bunch.
“Hi!” Sirius said, his hands too full to sign. “One moment.”
“Why aren’t you in school?” Remus signed to Teddy.
Teddy gave Remus a wide grin and waved him off, happily following behind Sirius into the backroom.
The commotion caused Regulus and James to migrate back to the counter, eye wide in shared confusion.
James bent down to pet Moony, the dog happily flopping onto his back to welcome the belly rubs. The balloon, which Remus realized now read “Happy Anniversary” bobbed side to side with every one of Moony’s wiggles.
With mostly empty arms, Sirius and Teddy came back to the front. Sirius was holding a card and single rose with a dainty ribbon tied around it. It was the same gift he had gotten Remus on their first valentines together as a couple. For a very brief moment, Remus feared it was February already and he had somehow missed Valentine's day and their anniversary. Their wedding anniversary was January 8th, but it was August now.
Sirius handed over the gifts with a smile.
“Happy anniversary, love.”
“It’s not our anniversary?”
“Yes it is.”
Remus raised a brow at him and, honest to God, clicked his phone to check that it was in fact August. He glanced back over to Sirius, shaking his head slightly.
Regulus, James, and Teddy all gathered around to watch Sirius’ signing. Sirius sometimes spoke while he signed, to make it easier for everyone to be a part of the conversation, but right now his eyes were firmly glued to Remus’, as if everyone else in the room had left.
“It’s the anniversary of the day I realised I had a huge crush on you.”
Everyone in the room groaned, though Remus blushed deeply. It was typical of Sirius to remember mundane details like this. He once celebrated the anniversary of when James knocked his tooth out from slipping down the icy stairs in fifth year. James didn’t find any amusement in coming home to a flat decorated in teeth decor, but Sirius got a kick out of it.
“You’re ridiculous.”
“Yes, and I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
Sirius came around the counter and cupped both of Remus’ cheeks, his hands warm against Remus’ cool skin. He lent forward and placed a gentle kiss on his chapped lips.
“But you’re still ridiculous.” Remus signed after he pulled away. He looked at Sirius and his heart warmed.
His perfect, happy life.