Environmental Activist Remus x Lawyer Sirius
Sirius folds his hands on the table and stares into deep brown eyes that were staring into his soul. His client, Remus Lupin, had requested to meet up with him at a coffee shop on short notice regarding a legal concern. Even though Sirius was busy, he put his responsibilities aside to make time for him. Sirius had felt stressed the moment Remus asked to meet up with him, but seeing as he was comfortable enough to meet in a public space, Sirius hoped it wasn’t anything serious.
“So,” Remus starts, gaze flickering down while he reaches out to fiddle with the coffee Sirius had bought him. “What would be the hypothetical consequences of doing an environmental protest on a heavily trafficked road?”
A strained expression immediately crosses Sirius’s face and he feels a phantom headache coming on.
“Are you going to do another protest?” he asks dryly.
Remus’s eyes quickly flicker up at him then away. “No.”
Sirius rubs his eye with one hand and his fingers twitch to reach for a cigarette to give him strength to get through this conversation. For the sake of professionalism, he takes a long sip of his cappuccino instead.
His client had already gone to court before for disturbing the peace in one of his earlier environmental protests, which he had done with a group of other activists. Sirius has gotten him out of deep trouble many times, though there were still consequences to face.
“Remus,” he starts with a sigh, which makes him receive a guilty look. “There is no good in lying to me. I’m your lawyer, I’m here to help you. You need to be transparent with me.”
Sirius exhales through his nose, giving Remus a flat smile. “I don’t do hypotheticals. I’m inclined to take everything you say as facts here.”
Remus’s face scrunches at that and he scratches his jaw, which draws Sirius’s attention to the slight bruising on his cheek and the redness surrounding his wrists. He then takes in Remus’s thick worn out beige sweater and the reusable forest green cup he insisted on having his coffee in. Sirius almost wants to throw his own cup in the trash out of politeness, though that was counterintuitive.
Sirius stares at him blankly before slowly closing his eyes and resting his head on his hands for three seconds before forcing himself upright and back into professional mode.
He ignores the way Remus bites his bottom lip in an attempt to conceal his amusement.
“No, don’t do that. You can be honest with me and talk to me. I’ll help you the best I can, but I don’t recommend you getting yourself into any more trouble,” Sirius sighs.
While Remus might not say anything out loud, Sirius sees the way he considers Sirius coolly, a defiant and passionate glint in his eyes. Sirius wants to shake his head fondly and almost wants to encourage Remus to do it, just to preserve that rebellious and passionate spark within him.
But the lawyer in him disagrees.
And he doesn’t want to see Remus in jail. Or in another courtroom.
He was starting to feel a little protective of Remus each time he saw other people giving him sneers for the actions he took for the sake of spreading awareness.
He was a lamb in a wolf’s den.
Or maybe, more accurately, a wolf in a lion's den.
“I’m not saying I’m going to do it,” Remus stresses, leaning in like that makes him appear more earnest.
Sirius knows he’s a misfit.
“I just want to know what the consequences would be,” he finishes, looking at Sirius with wide innocent eyes.
Sirius doesn’t break eye contact with him and takes an even longer sip of his drink as his mind tries to figure out how to deal with the situation.
“Am I giving you a headache?” Remus asks suddenly, tracking his movements.
His lips twitch into a half smile. Sirius forces himself not to unconsciously give him a small smile of his own.
Remus’s face falls comically. “Are you being serious?”
Remus flings himself backwards into his chair with an annoyed growl. “I know that already! I meant any bigger consequences.”
This time Sirius smiles, supporting his head on one of his hands. “That would imply that you really are going to do something, and I have to make note of that.”
Remus’s face scrunches up with displeasure. “It’s just a precaution.”
“I thought it was a hypothetical?”
Remus’s lips tug down and he gives Sirius a look. “Sirius,” he whines.
Sirius bites the insides of his cheeks to keep the mirth of teasing him off his face. He would help Remus properly soon enough, right now he wanted to string him on a bit and also discourage his activities.
“Want my advice?” Sirius says and leans back comfortably in his chair. “Don’t do it. Be a good boy and stay home.”
Remus quickly looks down at his cup, fingers tapping it nervously while his face heats. For the first time, Remus brings the cup to his mouth to drink from while avoiding Sirius’s eyes.
Sirius presses his lips into a thin line when he’s done observing the reaction. He had to be more careful with his words.
Remus doesn’t respond nor look at Sirius for a bit.
Sirius softens. “I’ll help. Whatever foolish plan you have, I’ll be there to support you. I’ll give you some precautions, but you should notify me immediately when you’re out protesting so I can be at your aid as soon as possible.”
This makes Remus glance up from under thick lashes, small smile back on his face. “Thanks, Sirius.”
Sirius hums in response. “What am I here for?”
After a few quiet seconds, Remus places his cup down and slides it to the side to fold his hands sombrely over each other on the table. “Now, hypothetically I just escaped custody. What are the consequences for that?”
