Latest Posts by kuunkuva - Page 10
Sirius looked at him warily for a moment, and Remus realised that they had not been this close yet - they had hugged, in the Shack a year ago, but that had been pure adrenaline. It had not been intimate. This was.
“May I?” Remus asked, softening his voice.
Sirius nodded, slowly, then turned his head, so that Remus could reach. Leaning in, not too much, Remus began to work, sliding his fingers carefully through the slick black locks, gently easing the comb through in sections from the bottom up. Slowly, slowly, the knots began to loosen, giving way to that familiar old silken texture.
It was difficult work, and took a lot of patience, and the rest of the bottle of conditioner, but Remus finally felt like he was helping; he was in control and he was doing something positive. Sirius was so quiet and still the whole time; tense at first, but gradually relaxing, bit by bit - Remus could practically see his tendons slackening.
The Patchwork of Us
My darlings, this story is now finally complete and what started as a crazy NaNo project turned into this. I had no idea this silly little Muggle AU about Wolfstar being forced to co-parent Teddy against their wills would turn into such a massive story, but it's truly been a fun journey.
Thank you to everyone who has been following this story from the start and who have been encouraging me with kudos and comments. You are the best and I appreciate you all so much!
Title: The Patchwork of Us Pairing: Sirius/Remus Rating: E WC: 77.3k Tags: Muggle AU, Slow burn, Enemies to Lovers Warnings: Referenced child abuse, PTSD, panic attacks Summary: Remus had never wanted to be a father, and when Tonks told him she was pregnant he walked away. Sirius didn't have a child of his own, but he considered Teddy to be his son in all but blood and when Tonks fell ill, he never hesitated to open his home to them to help her with the boy. When Tonks passes away, Remus is faced with a choice: step up and be a father or stay out of Teddy’s life.
However, reappearing in Teddy's life is not easy. Sirius has trouble forgiving Remus for walking out on Teddy, and Remus thinks Sirius is a stuck-up, posh, know-it-all who believes he is better than everyone else. Now they’re supposed to co-parent a child while also navigating their own complicated feelings about the situation, and each other.
Read on AO3.
Teaser below the cut:
Remus turned his collar up against the wind as he stepped out of the station and onto Church Road. Arriving at Richmond Station always made him a bit disoriented, there were always too many people bustling around and he had to push his way through the crowd and towards the opposite entrance to where everyone else was going.
There was a vicious wind today, a damp sort of coldness in the air and heavy grey skies as if it could start raining any moment (which it probably could, this was London in October after all). It was early, too early, and Remus shivered as he set off at a brisk pace, clutching a once-hot cup of coffee in his hand. He fiddled around against the wind a little before he managed to light a cigarette, his nerves settling slightly at the first drag.
He walked the now-familiar route towards his destination, a nervous sort of flutter in his chest. He wondered how long those nerves were going to be there for, if he would ever just get used to this. It didn’t feel like he ever would.
Too soon he turned onto the right street, unable not to pull a face at the sight of the giant houses lining the streets as he flicked away his cigarette butt. He felt misplaced in his too-thin jacket and cheap clothes. Not that anything he wore was ever dirty or torn, but in this neighbourhood he was simply wrong .
Everything about him was wrong; the fact that his boots were worn down, his coat second-hand, the scarf around his neck hand-knitted, his hair too long and not in a stylish way but more a haven’t-been-to-the-barber-in-a-while way. His limp was wrong. At least it was a good day and he had chosen to leave his cane at home, despite the walk, just because he hated how awkward people got around him when he used it.
He made his way up the driveway to the correct house, his fingers brushing over the giant door knocker in the shape of a dog, which looked more like a wolf, before he used it to knock.
It took unusually long before the door swung open, and to Remus' surprise he found himself standing face to face with none other than Sirius Black. Usually, the other man kept out of the way in the mornings, but apparently not this time.
Sirius somehow didn’t seem out of place in this posh street, even though Remus thought he should with his long hair and tattoos and his motorbike. He didn’t though, Sirius Black looked as if he was born to live on a street like this, in a house like this, and Remus figured he probably was.
“We’re running a bit late,” he grouched, barely even acknowledging Remus with a look before he turned around to make his way further into the house. “You better come in.”
Remus hovered a little awkwardly in the doorway before he did as he was told, pulling the heavy door closed behind him as he followed Sirius inside.
If Remus felt out of place on the street outside, it was nothing compared to how he felt inside Sirius’ house. It was massive, ridiculously large considering it was only two people living there. Remus knew nothing about art or decorating but he had a feeling most of the stuff on the walls, and the furniture, were expensive.
Sirius led him through the initial hallway, further along into the large kitchen at the back of the house. Even though Remus disliked almost everything else about this house, he did love the kitchen. It was light and airy, modern, and the wall facing the back garden was almost completely made out of glass with doors that easily slid open during the summer.
Remus would love to cook in here one day, all the appliances were state of the art and the surfaces shiny and spacious. It was a far cry from his own tiny kitchen in his tiny flat. Remus had picked up cooking a couple of years ago, and he frequently dreamed about moving to something bigger, somewhere he could really test his wings.
“Here,” Sirius said, shoving a mug into Remus’ hands as soon as he entered the kitchen. “You better sit down and wait.”
Remus did as he was told, ignoring the way the palms of his hands burnt as he breathed across the hot liquid. Milk but no honey, Remus noted as he took a sip from the tea. He could feel Sirius watching him from where he was leaning casually against the kitchen counter, his arms folded across his chest, and it took Remus everything not to squirm underneath his gaze.
The silence was heavy around them, and Remus felt an urge to do something about it. To speak, even though he had no idea what he was supposed to say. He swallowed thickly, distracting himself by drinking the scalding liquid too quickly, and he was grateful as Sirius pushed off the counter with a sigh.
He strode back into the hallway, and Remus could hear him as he leaned against the banister of the staircase leading upstairs.
“Edward, don’t make me come up there! Remus is here, you need to go, or you’ll be late.”
“I’m coming ,” sounded an annoyed voice from upstairs. “I can’t find my bag.”
“It’s already down here,” Sirius replied and Remus thought he heard a little strain in his voice. “I’m counting to ten.”
Sirius returned to the kitchen, his eyes snagging on Remus for a moment but he didn’t say anything, and moments later there was the thundering noise of footsteps on the stairs before Teddy appeared in the doorway. He was dressed in his school uniform, smart white shirt and dark trousers together with his blazer and tie, both dark blue with light blue stripes.
The boy’s hair was the same sandy shade as Remus’ had been at that age, his chin and nose a little pointy, eyes a dark brown. Remus never quite got used to seeing hints of himself as a boy peeking through as he looked at Teddy. He stood quickly to distract himself.
“I’m here ,” Teddy said, a sullen look on his face. “Headmistress McGonagall said she’d give me detention if I was late for assembly one more time this week.”
“You better hurry up then if you’re going to have time for your breakfast,” Sirius replied, unphased, as he handed him his bag. “Remember, I’m picking you up and then we’re going to Harry’s tonight for dinner.”
Teddy accepted the bag with a sulk, “Whatever.”
“Attitude,” Sirius warned, a sharp eyebrow raised as he held onto the bag until the boy flicked his gaze up to Sirius’ face, and Remus could see something passing between them before Teddy’s shoulders slumped.
“Sorry,” he muttered, allowing Sirius to pull him into a hug, and Remus saw his arms sneaking around Sirius’ waist.
“That’s alright,” Sirius promised him, gently nudging him to stand straight, brushing an affectionate hand through his hair. “Love you, sprog.”
“Love you too,” Teddy muttered, and Remus felt something needle in his chest, something he didn’t have the words for as the boy turned around to look at him. “We need to hurry.”
“Right,” Remus said, a little awkwardly as he set down his mostly empty mug. “Let’s go then.”
Teddy disappeared into the hallway without another word and Remus cleared his throat, glancing down at the mug.
“Thanks,” he said, then added, “for the tea.”
“Sure,” Sirius said, following Remus as he went after Teddy. “You probably should hurry; McGonagall isn’t joking when she threatens with detention and Teddy really needs to get some food into him before school.”
Remus bristled at the tone, the same tone Sirius always used when he talked to Remus about Teddy. As if Remus couldn’t figure out that an eight-year-old needed to eat breakfast in the morning. Remus wanted to tell him that, wanted to give a scathing comment about exactly how he felt about Sirius’ superior attitude, but he swallowed what was on the tip of his tongue.
“Right,” he said instead as he adjusted the scarf around his neck. “Better be off then.”
Continue on AO3.
Hey you, I'm here for Wolfstar raising harry recommendations 🤗
Hello!! I'm also going to tag @imsiriuslyreading because I know Lana was also looking for some recs!
This is by no means a comprehensive list, but these are some of my very favs:
Wolfstar Raising Harry
Ten Reasons (To Go To Michigan) by @greyeyedmonster-18 (I also love these two unrelated wolfstar raising harry microfics by the same author) — This is a Sirius raising Harry and meeting recently divorced Remus (who happens to be a writer) on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. A must read! that's the art of getting by by sarewolf — Remus becomes Harry's guardian and they move to a muggle village in the middle of nowhere. Eventually, Sirius is freed and comes to stay with them, but can they get back what they once had? Honestly, majorly obsessed with this one, but watch out for the angst! Stealing Harry by copperbadge — In an alternate universe where Sirius Black never went to Azkaban, Harry divides his life between the Dursleys' house and Mr. Black's bookshop -- until Sirius realises what the Dursleys are doing to him, and takes him away from their care. This series is fucking amazing and actually spans several of the books!! Mr Mouse by TracingPatterns (which continues in their wolfstar raising harry series) — A lovely little piece in which a young Harry learns about grief.
Like Real People Do by third_crow (part of the coffee shop au series) — Sirius raising Harry, when he starts falling for local barista Remus Lupin. This is also a beautiful story about what it's like to live with epilepsy and I am extremely obsessed with this series. The Things I Did by Lolo_row — canon compliant, Remus gets custody of Harry and works to get Sirius out of Azkaban. A bit of angst, but tasty! the dogfather au by hollimichele — Harry was raised by his adoptive muggle family, when one day a big black dog shows up. His parents just thinks he's a stray, and Padfoot becomes the family pet (to keep an eye on Harry, and protect him from Voldemort). Eventually this morphs into Remus also coming into the picture.
Wolfstar Raising Teddy
the mayors of simpleton by @fruityindividual — Divorced wolfstar are co-parenting a very mischievious Teddy who is not about to let his dads stay divorced!! Honestly this fic is so funny, so heartfelt, so fucking lovely. It also features the most beautiful portrayal of a blind character that I ever seen. A must read! Of Memories and Milk Thievery by @mayescapade — Divorced wolfstar raising Teddy again! Wolfstar have been co-parents for years and they wont stop terrorizing/pranking one another. An Infinte Ocean by orphan_account — Single dad Remus. Remus Lupin knows two things--working and caring for his son, Teddy. When his babysitter sets up crowdfunding so Teddy can go swim with the sea turtles at the local animal rescue, Remus doesn't realise how completely their life is going to change. Especially when he meets Sirius Black, the weekend merman in the aquatic show, and someone who might convince him of love at first sight. Honestly a lovely piece, and it also features the Potter clan.
Other (raising both teddy and harry, wolfstar girldads)
Let's Play Pretend by MsAlexWP — My current obsession!! I can't tell you how many times I've read this. Single parent Remus and single parent Sirius meet at a play date and end up pretend dating so that the old women in Sirius' building (who basically stalk him) will stop trying to set him up. Neither of them can date at the moment, so what could possibly go wrong?? Ultimate comfort fic. Of Quiet Hearts And Thundering Dreams by TracingPatterns — This is single parent Sirius and single parent Remus, both having moved to a small village and meeting at Harry & Teddy's school. A Cup of Sugar by MsAlexWP — Again, they are both single parents. Harry Potter is recovering from surgery and facing the worst summer ever until a guy with the same crutches as Harry moves in across the street with his son. So lovely!! Hide-and-Seek by onehundredflamingos — Wolfstar girldads raising their adoptive daughter Cassie, who is also a werewolf. This is the story of her first transformation. It's soooo sweet! @industrations has done a bunch of wolfstar and Cassie art, which you should absolutely go and cry over!
For supplementary material, feel free to check out my Wolfstar Raising Harry, Wolfstar Raising Teddy and Wolfstar Girldads tags!
I don't know how to make this much clearer: the point of public reviews has to do with evaluating goods and services. It is answering the question: hey, I exchanged my money for this good/servics, do I feel like it was a fair deal? Was the product worth my hard end money? Did it deliver on its promises?
Fanfic does not involve the exchange of money for goods. They are gifts. Gifts as in for free. You gave nothing, and got a piece of art, for free. You do not have the footing to give people unsolicited opinions on their fics any more than you would any other part of their personhood, because you did not pay for it.
'But how will I know if a fic is worth it?'
Worth what? This fic is free.
'But what if it's not worth my time?'
That's easy, if you don't like it, stop reading, you god damn moron.
'But I just feel really strongly about this fic and want to document my experiences UwU '
cool. call your mom about it. write in your diary. make a private excel spreadsheet. otherwise fuckofffuckoff fuck OFF.
'But what about literary criticism and analysis, isn't that an important intellectual pursuit?'
Are you a literary scholar? Is this a lit class? No? Then fuck off.
'But what about my free speech? You can't make me!'
No I can't. You're a shitstain though.
reasons criticizing fanfics publicly is lame
lets go over this again shall we?
it is not appropriate to give constructive criticism of fanfiction unless explicitly asked by the author. lots of authors are not interested in improving their writing, they are doing this for the goofs. the laughs. the giggling-good-times. giving people constructive criticism on fanfiction is a bit like if someone gave you a home made birthday card and in front of a room full of people you began to critique it. that social awkwardness? that is what you should feel when you start criticizing fanfiction
"I don't like" is not constructive criticism. it is not critical thinking. if you use the sentence "i don't like" in an academic paper you will fail. what you like is not an objective fact. it is a feeling. which you are allowed to have but which means nothing about the object of your dislike. now, to refer to point one, even if criticism IS constructive, still not appropriate here, but the amount of people who are confusing not liking something with being critical is truly baffling.
i have said this before and i will say it again. just because you have the opportunity to do something, does not mean you are right for doing it. for example, people love to say that if you post things online then you are giving people the right to criticize it. to which i say: no. i am giving you the opportunity. the same way that when i walk out my door i give people on the street the opportunity to shout terrible things at me. that doesn't mean you aren't still an asshole for taking that opportunity. just because you CAN do something doesn't mean you SHOULD do something.
assuming that fanfics should be open to criticism is treating them like published works and is treating fandom like a goods and services economy. we are not consumers consuming products, we are meant to be a community of people with similar interests sharing things. a timeless, but always relevant, metaphor for this, is that fandom is a potluck not a restaurant. you wouldn't go to a potluck and start talking about the food the way you might at a restaurant.
not 2 sound horribly naive or whatever, but maybe just be kind? like, it's not very hard. maybe just don't get on the internet and be an entitled superior asshat. idk man.