5Sirius quickly rights himself and sits next to Remus. He glances around to make sure no one saw that, and realizes that's silly. It's just him and Remus, and he totally meant to do that anyway. Remus has yet to acknowledged his existence and is staring at the night sky instead.
"Hey Moony." Sirius says at last.
"Hi Pads. Are James and Peter lurking nearby?" Remus says without looking at him.
"Nah, Pete sleeps like the dead, and James needs to rest up for Quidditch tomorrow."
Remus's eyebrows shoot up. Sirius can't actually see his eyebrows, but he knows they just shot up.
"You know, I seem to recall you're on the team too." Sirius can hear his smirk.
"Yeah, but I just hit Bludgers at people, James actually has to focus. And I had a nap in Charms today. Can I borrow your notes by the way?"
Remus shoots him a look, then his gaze turns skyward again.
"If you promise to return James's jumper, you know, that red one you're currently wearing."
Sirius puts on a face of righteous indignation, then realizes that in the dark it's probably indistinguishable from his I-am-suffering-from-intestinal-distress face. He settles for looking hurt.
"Hey! If James doesn't want me to borrow his nice warm jumper then he shouldn't leave it lying around when I'm sneaking out at night! And it is cold out here Moony, I do need a jumper."
Remus doesn't respond and they sit in silence for a long time, watching the stars. Remus is wearing a long-sleeved dark orange shirt that makes Sirius recall an incident in his childhood when he ate too many sweet potatoes and threw up all over his brother.
" I thought you swore you'd never wear that shirt again, after we turned it orange."
That had been back in their first year, when they had been young and foolish, not that they were any less foolish now.
"Well it is cold out here, Pads."
Sirius just stared at him. Sometimes he couldn't tell if Remus was joking or not…
"Do you come out here a lot?" he asks, deciding to ignore the joke that might or might not have been. Remus sighs.
" I like to stargaze, and this is the best time to do it, when there's no moon." he explains, and then listens in horror as his mouth keeps talking, " And I guess I kind of feel like tonight's special, because tonight I'm almost normal, almost whole."
Sirius studies Remus a moment. He notes that Remus is now busy examining the grass by his left foot, and avoiding his eyes.
" I wouldn't worry about that too much, Moony. There's quite a few people that like you as you are."
"Yeah Pads, three is a big number." Remus snaps, then instantly regrets it, none of this is Sirius's fault. But Sirius doesn't snap back or punch him, he just sits there quietly, looking worried and sad. Sirius has been quiet a lot tonight, Remus wonders if he's sick.
"We should probably head back." Remus says, desperate for Sirius to say something, anything.
" Okay…um… Remus?"
"Yes Sirius?"
"Could I maybe come with you sometimes?" Sirius asks, speaking to his shoes, " When you come here?"
" Sure Sirius, I think I'd like that."
As they head back to the castle both Remus and Sirius find themselves smiling. Then once again Remus hears his mouth moving on without him.
"Sirius?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks."