For the Title Challenge and the Couples and Good Friends Competition.

I own nothing.

"Whole With You"

"I may not know it, but these are the moments that I'm gonna remember most."

Remus is sitting in the shade underneath a tree, relishing the warn spring air. He's got Hamlet open on his lap, propped up against his knees, which are pulled up close to his chest. It's open to somewhere in the middle, but he kind of just opened it at random, because he's read it several times already. It's a worn, tattered copy, because something about the story has always intrigued him. Remus has always been attracted to tragedy, which seems odd, given that there's so much of it in his own life. Shouldn't he want to read something else? But he doesn't.

He's not really reading right now, though. He's just thinking. It's peaceful, and he doesn't seem to get a lot of that in his life. It's exactly between two full moons, so he's about as unconcerned about that as he ever is. He should be worried about end-of-term exams, as it's May, but he's not. It's sixth year, and compared to last year's OWLs and next year's NEWTs, this year's exams just don't seem important.

So he sits in the shade of the old oak tree and breathes in the crisp spring air.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Sirius flops down next to him. Remus is always in awe of how, no matter where he is, Sirius has an immense talent for simply sprawling. He seems to take up the maximum amount of space every time. Even using the tree as a backrest, his robe is splayed out and one leg is extended so that he takes up about twice as much space as Remus does.

"Hey, Rem," he says nonchalantly. Remus nods, smiling, in response. "Whatcha reading?"

"Hamlet. It's a muggle play."

"Hmm. Read it to me?"

"Sure."

Sirius slides down so he's laying flat, using one arm as a pillow. Remus shifts so that he's now laying down as well, using Sirius's stomach as his pillow. His head is propped so that, with the book sitting on his stomach, he can see the page clearly. Both of them have one leg bent at the knee and the other extended.

Remus flips the book back to the beginning, reading the opening lines that he knows without looking at them. "Who's there?"

Sirius lets the words wash over him. He's always loved listening to Remus, especially when he reads. Remus gets so into it when he reads. It's almost like the story overtakes him, and it becomes the only thing that matters to him. It becomes a part of him, and he becomes a part of the story.

It's such a simple moment, really. It shouldn't mean anything, and yet, it means everything.

And, honestly, it's moments like these that are the only times Sirius really feels whole. The two of them, together, it feels instinctively right. And though the words of the tale whose sound washes over them are words of violence and vengeance, the two of them together are perfectly peaceful, perfectly whole.