Disclaimer - I own nothing you recognise.

Challenges listed at the bottom.

Written for Assignment 1, Photography 1: Write about a death.

Word Count - 1440

Beta'd by Amber and Lucy

Warning for Character Suicide/Death

Written for Elizabeth, for the Drabble Game for the request: Wolfstar, Groundhog Day… I'm sorry? :P

Only One Way Out

At first, he thought it was funny. A prank, maybe. He didn't hate it. Doing the same day three days in a row was a great prank, and he was fuming that he hadn't thought of it first.

He spent his repeated days flirting with the girls, their giggling amusing him even though he'd told the same jokes as the day previous.

Except, a week into it, and Sirius wondered just how long the prank was going to go on for. He pulled James aside, believing him to blame, only for James to look at him like he'd lost his mind. The two of them had been friends for long enough that Sirius knew when his friend was lying and when he was telling the truth.

Peter had much the same react, a small frown on his face when Sirius was done explaining the situation.

"I… think you should go and take a nap, Sirius," had been his advice, which, while utterly useless since it would just make the day restart, was kinda sweet.

Remus was a different matter entirely.

"You've been living the same day over too? Oh thank Merlin, I thought I was going mad!"

Sirius blinked. "You… it's doing the same thing to you?"

Remus nodded frantically. "I wanted to ask you if you knew anything about it, but I figured you'd think I'd gone crazy or something."

"James thinks I'm insane," Sirius confirmed. "And Pete thinks I should take a nap. Bonus is that by the time I next wake up, they'll have both forgotten that this conversation ever happened but… it doesn't really solve anything, does it?"

"You know what this means, right?"

Sirius closed his eyes. "Don't say it, Remy. Please, don't say the—"

"We need to go to the library."

"I hate you."

…

"What on earth are you doing?"

Sirius threw one of the hats he'd just conjured at Remus. "What does it look like I'm doing?"

"It looks like you're relaxing instead of helping me check these books," Remus replied, arching his eyebrow.

"I'm bored!" Sirius whined. "I don't like the library, Remus. The library is dull."

"I mean, we can leave and do other things, you know, if you'd like to remain frozen in time."

Sirius huffed, but pulled a book towards him. "Fine. Spoilsport."

Remus snorted. "Yeahhhh, that's what I am. And Sirius?"

"Hmm?"

"I've already checked that pile." Remus pointed to a taller stack of books. " It's that pile that still needs checking."

…

"What are you doing?" Remus asked, taking the seat beside Sirius in front of the fire. Sirius was staring into the hearth, his fist clenched around a bottle of firewhisky.

"I am getting drunk," Sirius replied flatly, turning dull eyes onto Remus. "Because when I wake up, I won't have to deal with the hangover."

Remus sighed. He'd noticed the decline in Sirius' mood over the last few repeated days, but he didn't know how to help other than scouring the library for an answer to their problem.

Before he could say anything else, Frank slumped down on the other side of Sirius and tried to pry the bottle from his hands.

"C'mon dude, share! I'm injured."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "You know what? I'm going to say it. I don't care that you broke your elbow."

Frank blinked. "Harsh."

"I'm so tired of hearing about your elbow," Sirius added. "It's an elbow, you're in a magic school, it'll heal in like, a day. Hush your gums."

Remus chuckled behind his hand, unable to help himself. He felt sorry for Frank, who looked both confused and hurt, since he hadn't actually said anything at all to Sirius about his elbow, but he couldn't help but agree with Sirius.

He was bored of hearing about Frank's elbow break. It wasn't even a funny story. He'd slipped on ice and fell on the grounds.

"Come on, grumpy," he said, tugging Sirius to his feet. "Time for bed."

Sirius scowled but allowed himself to be pulled to his feet and then to the boys' dormitory. He flopped onto Remus' bed and hugged the pillow to himself.

"Remus, I… want to be normal. I don't like this anymore."

"I know," Remus replied softly. "I want to be normal too."

He stroked a hand through Sirius' hair. "Go to sleep. We might get lucky tomorrow."

Sirius nodded and shifted on the bed. "Come lie with me. I'm… I don't want to sleep by myself."

Not needing to reply verbally, Remus climbed into the bed and huddled close. He stayed awake until Sirius' breaths evened out and then closed his eyes. He knew he'd wake up alone.

…

"I, uh. I found something."

Sirius looked up sharply and held out his hands for the book Remus was holding. He ran through the information on the page, his heart sinking with every passing word.

"This doesn't… you wouldn't be here, if it was this."

Remus sighed. "On the next page, it says if you're touching someone when the curse is cast, they're affected by it too. Sirius, you flop all over me all the time. It's… likely, that that's what's happened."

"But… there's no—"

"Next page."

Sirius flipped the page and continued reading. When he met Remus' eyes again, he saw exactly what he was feeling reflected back at him.

Horror, fear and a growing knowledge that there was only one way out of this.

…

"The curse is attached to me, Remus! Killing you wouldn't do shit!"

Sirius ran a hand through his hair, already regretting his outburst. He knew Remus was only trying to help, he just…

How had he really believed that reliving the same day over and over could have been a good thing?

"It has to be me," he said, his voice lower now.

He raised his eyes to look at Remus, and the look on his face was enough to break Sirius' heart. They both knew that what Sirius had said was the only solution, but Remus seemed to like the idea about as much as Sirius liked his mother.

"I'm not going to murder you, Sirius!"

Sirius shook his head. "I wouldn't ask you to. I'd never ask that of you, Remus."

He stepped forwards and wrapped his arms around the slightly smaller man and rested his chin on his shoulder. "Can we just… just for one more night, can I just hold you like this?"

Remus pulled back enough to look at him, a single tear trailing slowly down his cheek. "Of course."

Taking Sirius by the hand, Remus led the way up to their dorm. He pulled Sirius over to his own bed, and the two of them climbed in, Sirius spooned up behind Remus, his arms wrapped tight around him.

Remus could feel a dampness on his neck that told him Sirius was crying, but he said nothing. He stroked the skin of Sirius' arm in soft, meaningless patterns, and let Sirius cry himself to sleep.

…

"Remus…."

Remus gripped Sirius' hand tightly. "We can still look for another way, Sirius. You don't have too—"

"I love you."

"You—what?"

"I'm sorry, because I know how selfish I'm being, I just… I love you. I needed you to hear it, before—"

He cut himself off, unable to say the words. He'd always believed suicide to be a coward's way out but this… it was the scariest thing he'd ever faced.

The scariest thing he would ever face.

Remus leaned forwards and pressed his lips to Sirius'. "I love you too."

Trying to keep a handle on his fear, Sirius stepped away from Remus until his legs were resting against the low stone wall. The Astronomy Tower had seemed like his best bet—nobody was going to survive a fall from that height and…

Sirius couldn't help but think of the fall. The few moments of freefall before he hit the floor. It would be like flying without a broom.

"I wish…"

"I know," Remus replied. "Me too."

Sirius stared at Remus for a long moment before he tipped himself backwards, through the windowless arch.

There was a rush of air and for a long moment that seemed to drag on forever, Sirius was falling.

And then there was nothing.

…

Remus woke up.

He was still sitting on the Astronomy Tower, his back to the wall. The sky was lightening, and he could hear the faint sound of birdsong.

Silently, he cast the tempus charm, and when he realised that it had worked, time had restarted, his chest felt like it was going to cave in.

Sirius was gone.

Time didn't matter anymore.

Written for:

Disney - C6. The Marauders

Space - 2. Marauders

Book Club - Herman Hattington - Hat / Frozen / Giggling

Attic - 28. "You know what? I'm going to say it. I don't care that you broke your elbow."

Scamanders - 3. A deadly kiss

Basement - 6. "I'm bored."

Film Festival - 18. Fear

Days of the Year - 38. International Beer Day - Someone getting drunk

Summer - 5. Relaxing

Element - 11. Hearth

Mix It Up - Sirius Black / Sharing a bed

Gryffindor - 3. Sirius Black

Star Chart - Neptune at Opposition - Sirius Black

365. 216. Murder