Recommend us 3 of YOUR fics: 1 that is “most popular” and 2 that are “hidden gems.” Then tag some folks.
Thank you @eyra for the tag!
Most popular - Ever Thus - 134,681 words
The most popular by hits is Ever Thus with 99,158 , but lagging just behind and with more kudos is Just What the Doctor Ordered which I think is probably the more popular of the two.
To be honest, and even though I wouldn't write either of them now, I'm still pretty fond of them both, but because JWTDO still gets plenty of love, we'll go with Ever Thus.
Summary - Sirius is in love with Remus. Sirius has been in love with Remus from the moment he laid eyes on him. Remus has been rather slow on the uptake because he's an anxious sort and can sometimes be a bit dense. They live together and like to nearly kiss.
He took the photographs from Marlene and began to sift his way through. He smiled as he looked at the first one which showed he and Sirius sat on the clifftop bench on the Gower where Sirius was laughing at his hungover plight. Another showed Sirius in February, wearing one of Remus’s shirts and looking intently at him from across the lounge as he told a story. Then, on Remus’s birthday, Sirius scowling as Remus and Nolan cuddled on the sofa. Then two taken most recently, of the two of them that Sunday on the beach. The first showed Sirius and Remus sitting side by side with Paddy sat between them. Remus had his hands rested on his knees and was laughing, looking down at the sand. Sirius was grinning at him with an expression that made Remus’s hair stand on end. The second was of Sirius bowling a ball at breakneck speed towards Remus who was ducking but laughing. They looked like the picture of contentment; like a family, really.
A flare of yearning shot through Remus and it threatened to undo him. He looked at Sirius, who was even lovelier than his photos, sat quietly sipping at his wine. He looked a little panicky, like a man who had just been found out.
Hidden gem #1 - Happy Birthday, you. - 66,222 words
This is another slow burn friends to lovers with flashbacks that centre on various birthdays of Sirius's over the years.
Summary - Sirius is in love with Remus. But the trouble is, he only figures it out on the eve of his thirtieth birthday after an inordinate number of years of being Just Friends. Remus absolutely doesn't feel the same.
(this Remus is very sexy, although I say it myself)
The front door opens and closes again and in walks Remus, still dressed for work in a loose-fitting suit and tortoise shell glasses, looking, as always, as though he could have been plucked right out of Brideshead Revisited. Sometimes, the man even wears braces instead of a belt. Sirius loves the way he dresses; it’s fun and timeless and suits him and his abnormally tall frame so very well. Today, his mousy, curly hair is all in disarray from the wind and rain and the tip of his nose has turned slightly pink. The scar he got from falling off his bike as a young boy runs from his forehead, slicing his eyebrow in half, right down to the top of his lip. When they were younger, it was red and so alarming that people used to stop him in the street, but the years have faded it to a pale, shiny white, just slightly raised from the rest of his skin. His face would be unique and interesting without it, all big features and solemnity, but with it, he’s a pretty unforgettable thing to look at. He has a maroon leather satchel and an umbrella with a carved duck’s head for a handle.
His presence softens everything, somehow, as it has a tendency to do; files down all the jagged edges of Sirius’s wretched day, and even James’s relentless nodding feels a bit less grating somehow.
“I was called and I came,” he says. His voice is a low, soothing thing that makes everything sound profound, even though he’s just as prone to talking rubbish as the rest of them. He walks over to Sirius, pats him stiffly on the shoulder and Sirius can’t help but laugh at how awkward he is, even after all these years. He hands his wine glass out to Remus who takes a grateful sip and places his bag down on the lounge carpet. “Although I’m a little disappointed. It appears I was lured here under false pretences. I was promised pillow forts.”
“Pillow fort, singular,” James corrects. “And we’ll get there. We’re just greasing up the principal fort builder in light of his freshly broken little heart.”
Hidden gem #2 - We never went to church - 133,604 words
Look, I am just so pleased with this. I love it. I'd be delighted if it got more readers. Also, it has women! And it actually passes the Bechdel test.
Summary - Sirius is in love with Remus. Sirius is also Remus's boss. In addition, Lily tackles some womanly challenges and Marlene gets a cat.
This one has women! And it actually passes the Bechdel test. It's also sort of about newts.
He excitedly stumbles upon a judgement which relies heavily on the testimony of an expert witness: someone who knows an awful lot about newt habitats and is able to find and photograph clear evidence that Sirius’s plot of land (or, not his yet, but maybe, maybe) is inhabited by those funny little slime merchants.
“They’re actually not slimy at all, it’s a misconception” James’s voice chirps at the corner of his brain, and Remus shakes his head irritably. It’s official: he’s gone absolutely newts.
Erm, I don't really know anyone else who hasn't already taken part. If you'd like to partake, please do!
