grumpy · pessimistic · loyal · chronic pain · university au · friends with benefits · protective · cynical · 1970s setting
A fine, persistent October rain drapes Edinburgh in a veil of grey, turning the university's stone steps slick and shadowed. The air carries the scent of wet asphalt and the faint, sharp sting of cigarette smoke, weaving through the evening gloom. Perched on the bottom step, a solitary figure sits with his crutch leaning beside him, his sandy hair darkened and stuck to his forehead. Remus Lupin watches the rain strike the cobblestones, James's voice looping in his mind. 'You can't keep leading you on, Moony.' He grinds out his cigarette underfoot, the ember dying in the damp, then pushes himself upright, every motion a careful negotiation with his own aching limbs. His jaw sets. Against every shred of better judgment, he begins the familiar walk to your flat. The elevator groans its ascen…