A/N - God!AU - Sirius is the God of Love (Cupid) and Orion is the equivalent of Zeus

This is an AU

Sirius loves being a God. Why wouldn't he? He loves being worshipped by so many mortals in the world, all begging for his favour. He loves living a life where he can do anything and everything he wants without any sort of consequence. He loves hearing the stories about his life, some true, some embellished and some complete lies but still true to his character. His life is amazing.

His father, Orion—king of the Gods—however, doesn't approve. Sirius can see by the way Orion's lips press tightly together when people talk about Sirius' latest exploit. Or the tone in Orion's voice when the god talks to him. Sirius would wonder what he's done to deserve this, but with the pranks he pulls and the way he lives his life, he can't just pinpoint one reason for his father to be angry. The list of things could possibly be a mile long. Longer if his father is holding onto his anger for more time than Sirius anticipates.

He's never really considered where the line is when it comes to Orion. He's always assumed that he's never going to cross the line—perhaps there isn't one and Orion will accept Sirius' behaviour no matter what. That's Sirius' theory on the matter though, but Regulus thinks differently. They discuss this from time to time when Sirius has gotten a little too hyper or spent a little too much time on Earth, allowing the people there to glimpse him and worship him even more than they already do.

There's one thing Sirius loves more than anything. It's meeting people and just a simple touch, one hand on each of the people and they'll see what's right under their nose. Love. He always searches for those that are missing what's right under their noses, the ones that are already in love but don't have the confidence or self-worth to admit their feelings or realise that the person they love loves them back already.

Sometimes he helps those that are lonely. Those that struggle. But he just wants the world to be filled with pure love, because seeing it expressed on the mortals faces is the most beautiful sight anyone could ever see.

...oOo...

It's one of the worst kept secrets between the Gods. Everyone knows about it, but no-one outright discusses it. Why face the wrath of both Orion and Walburga by doing so?

This is Sirius' downfall unfortunately. Because no-one is discussing Orion's many affairs, Sirius isn't aware of the mortal woman that Orion has been visiting, the one he's in love with.

If Sirius saw them interact, he'd beg to differ. The God of Love would be the best person to see if there's love or lust, and it's clear that it's all about lust for Orion in this case. But no matter which one it is, Sirius didn't know when he found two mortals who were right for each other and used his powers to draw them together.

He's relaxing in the gardens when Orion comes storming over to him. For once, Sirius hasn't been playing pranks or causing trouble. He's been doing his job and relaxing, staying out of his father's hair as Regulus has suggested many times. So when his father appears, more angry than Sirius has ever seen, he knows something bad is about to happen.

...oOo…

He's cold, hungry. These are things Sirius has never really felt before and it scares him. He glances down at his clothes, only to see that the cold rain falling on him has soaked through them, chilling him to the bone.

He doesn't like this. He usually avoids the rain where possible.

He takes a breath and imagines himself somewhere warm, his clothes and skin dry, his hair not sticking to his scalp, but still the rain falls onto him, trailing down his face and into his eyes.

He brings up a wet arm and wipes at his eyes. It's not much of an improvement and he glances around. People are walking by, paying him no mind. They're too busy on their phones and with their umbrellas to pay any attention to someone else on the street, so he tries again.

Nothing happens.

"Father?" he calls, looking around. Suddenly people are looking from their phones and Sirius doesn't want eyes on him. He resists calling again and begins to walk away from the people that are crowding the street. He tries to tolerate the rain as it drenches him, walking until he's alone.

"Father?" he calls again. "Regulus?"

It's only moments before he sees his brother standing on the pavement in front of him. The rain seems to fall around Regulus, none of the drops finding him.

"I'm sorry, I tried to talk him out of it," Regulus says, his brow furrowed. "Father is furious."

"What's happened to me?" Sirius insists.

"He's disowned you," Regulus explains. "He's cast you out. He's taken your powers and—"

"My powers?" Sirius can't believe what he's hearing. What's he going to do without his powers? Without their magical realm to call his home? "What will I do, Regulus?"

Regulus begins to shake his head slowly. "I don't know," he admits. "I never expected this to happen but… I… he's calling for me. Find shelter, do what you can to survive. I'll find you when father is finished with me."

"Reg," Sirius begins. He knows time is different to Gods than it is to Mortals. He's on Earth and could be waiting for days, maybe even weeks for his brother to return. But before he can explain, Regulus disappears as quickly as he appeared.

"How do I do any of that?" Sirius asks, but there's no-one to answer him.

...oOo…

It's dark and he's a little scared now. Can he get ill, because he doesn't feel his old self, or that could be his powers being taken away? He's not really sure. All he knows is that when he returns to his old life, he's going to live every day in the warm sun and never have to deal with rain or cold or hunger ever again.

He's seen mortals in a bad way before, he's helped mortals before himself, but he's never in a situation like this ever in his whole existence, and finding himself at a complete loss, Sirius ducks into a doorway as the downpour evolves into a thunderstorm. The doorway helps a little with the rain, but doesn't stop the cold wind from making him shiver. He feels like ice and resents his father for putting him here.

How was Sirius supposed to know that he had caused one of his father's mortal lovers to fall in love with someone else? It wasn't like he had a list or anything.

He sinks down to the ground trying to ignore the lingering smell of piss coming from further down the alleyway. Regulus won't let anything bad happen to him—Regulus is his brother and will protect him. He just has to have faith and wait.

Time passes and the sky darkens further, but Sirius waits, straining to listen for any sound, trying not to think about how desperately cold and uncomfortable he feels. He tries not to focus on the hunger or the thirst that this now-mortal body is experiencing.

But nothing happens. Regulus doesn't come back, and as much as he tries to use his powers to move himself anywhere, his powers aren't working anymore. He's in a mortal body now, and mortals don't have powers. All he can do is wait.

...oOo…

He's sick. His head is heavy and his body aches. He finds himself falling to the floor when the door he was sleeping against is opened early the next morning.

Hands grab him and he finds his head spinning as he's propped against the hall. "I'm sorry, I didn't know you were there. What… you're soaked. No, you've got a temperature. Can you stand?"

The same hands pull him carefully from the floor, and Sirius does his best to get on his feet, though he feels unsteady—like he could drop at any time.

"Come inside. I'll get you something dry to wear," the soft voice adds. Sirius tries to nod, but his head hurts when he moves it. He finds his arm over someone's shoulder and an arm around his waist. There's the click as the door closes behind them.

They find their way up the stairs, and somehow Sirius manages to strip out of the wet clothes. He can't stand long enough to shower, but he gets to brush his damp hair and tie it back into a bun. He gets to put on dry pyjamas, and the man helps him into a warm bed. He stretches out, making the most of all the space to himself.

His body hurts, but he feels a little better, and it doesn't take long for him to fall asleep in the bed, between the mint-green sheets, his head resting on a thick, fluffy pillow.

...oOo…

"Medicine."

Sirius' eyes slowly open and the first thing he sees is the bottle of medicine and a spoon. The mortal is carefully measuring out a dose and Sirius sighs softly. He doesn't feel as bad as that morning, but he knows he's caught a mortal illness.

"It's a good thing you found me," he says, his voice coming out like a croak. It hurts to talk and he swallows a couple of times, realising that his throat is sore too. "Thank you."

"It's nothing," the man replies, not glancing up. He sets the medicine bottle down on the side and turns towards Sirius. Their eyes meet and through his fluish state, Sirius notes that he's spent centuries travelling amongst mortals and never seen eyes of such a perfect or beautiful colour.

The guy chuckles softly and Sirius wonders if he's said these words out loud. The spoon moves closer and he opens his mouth, hoping that muggle medicine doesn't take long to work.

"How did you end up out there? Newly homeless? Runaway?"

Sirius pulls a face—the medicine is disgusting, yet he swallows it anyway. The mortal is helping him and he's not going to be difficult. He glances up, meeting the beautiful amber eyes once more, and tries not to get off track.

"My father made me leave," Sirius says. "I… suddenly I found myself in the rain, the cold, the wet. I walked but couldn't find shelter or anywhere to go. It was dark and… I…"

"You don't need to explain yourself if you're not comfortable in doing so. My name is Remus, I actually volunteer at a homeless shelter. But you're ill, and I wouldn't feel comfortable moving you just yet, so you're welcome to stay here until you're better. Then we'll look at getting you some help, okay?"

Sirius nods. "Thank you. I'm Sirius."

Remus smiles. Sirius has met many mortals, but none have smiled at him in a way that makes him feel butterflies in his stomach. He longs to reach out and use his powers to check the man's emotions. Is this mortal as affected by him as Sirius is?

He used to laugh at his father's obsession with relationships with mortals, but suddenly he can see the appeal. Not all mortals. One. This man in front of him that's kind, beautiful and clearly a caring man.

A hand presses against his head and that's all he needs. He closes his eyes and focuses on feeling emotions through the connection, but nothing happens. He softly sighs as he remembers his powers are gone.

"Still hot, but you're talking and sitting up so I'm not too worried." A pause. "My mum's a nurse, she taught me some stuff. If you get worse, I'll take you to the hospital, but for now… breakfast? If you can manage at any point, I'll get some towels ready so you can have a shower. If you're feeling up to it, I can set you up a bed on the sofa and you can watch TV, or perhaps a book?"

Sirius offers his most charming smile. "Breakfast sounds good. I can't remember when I last ate something." He knows it's been a few days at least— as Gods, they eat for pleasure and for no other reason. But his mortal body needs food.

Remus stands up from where he has been sitting on the edge of the bed, but Sirius is quick to reach out and grab his hand, halting him.

Their eyes meet once more.

"Really, thank you. When I'm better and my life is…" he doesn't know how to explain who or what he is to Remus. "...back on track, I'll be in your debt."

"My choice to help you wasn't so I'd have you in my debt," Remus assures him. "People don't do kind things to get something in return; we do them because the world isn't as bad as some people imagine it to be. We do it because we hope that the kindness gets passed forward, not backwards."

"Gets passed forward?" Sirius asks, uncertain of the term.

Remus' smile widens. "That means that I'd like you to pass the kindness on if you ever get a chance. Not backwards to me, but forwards to a stranger."

"You're a good person," Sirius comments.

"You won't think that when you taste my cooking," Remus jokes. "You lay back and get some rest, okay?"

Sirius nods, his lips curving into a smile. He doesn't know how long Regulus will be or even if his brother can do anything to help him. What he does know is that if he's stuck in the mortal world without his powers, his body that of a mortal, well, he can make this work.

...oOo…

"I'm sorry," Regulus says, appearing so suddenly that Sirius almost spills his cup of tea. "Father wants you to learn a lesson. You're exiled here to live as a mortal until your mortal body dies."

Sirius stares at him. "He… he's not letting me come home?"

Regulus shakes his head sadly. "I can offer a little help. I can return with gold, valuables that'll help you live a happy life. I can take over your duties until the day you return to us."

"And until then?" Sirius asks.

Regulus looks around. "I don't think you have much of a choice," he comments. "Father won't be swayed so you'll have to live, age, die."

Sirius sets his tea down on the coffee table that has been pulled close to the sofa and he swings his legs over the side. He's still feeling under the weather, but a week with Remus and he's not as bad as he was for the first day.

"Fall in love?" he asks.

Regulus nods. "The mortal that lives here?" he checks. "Because I have the power now. I can make you both fall in love. You can spend your life with him before returning to us."

Sirius considers this. This past week with Remus has been amazing, but he shakes his head at the offer.

"Mortals fall in love all of the time without my help," Sirius says, his head spinning. "If I'm forced to live a mortal existence, I'll take the mortal experiences too. If Remus falls in love with me, it'll be of his own free will." He pauses. "I understand why father wants to be with mortals. They're really beautiful, aren't they—well, Remus is. Will you return?"

"I'll check in from time to time," Regulus assures him. "If you want me to."

"I don't want you thinking that way. You're my brother and I'd love for you to come here," Sirius insists.

Regulus places a hand on Sirius' arm. "I will. Goodbye, brother." He turns his head towards the doorway and Sirius follows his gaze, noticing Remus standing there, a shocked look on his face and a cup of tea in his hands.

Regulus nods at him before he disappears and Remus clutches the tea tighter. "Sirius?"

"So… when I said that my father kicked me out, I meant that he kicked me out of… My father is Orion, and I'm actually the God of Love. That's my brother, he does something with books and learning and stuff. I don't quite know."

"You're a God?" Remus whispers.

"Was," Sirius corrects him. "Is that okay?"

Remus slowly nods. "Well, it's unexpected but I've no intention of turning you away if that's your concern."

Sirius smiles as Remus sits down next to him and sips at the hot tea. As a God, Sirius never bothered with a simple drink like tea, but Remus makes amazing cups of tea, and Sirius can't imagine being anywhere else except curled up on this sofa with the delicious drink and Remus' company.

"I'd very much like to stay here… with you," Sirius admits.

Remus' cheeks redden as his hand moves to rest over Sirius'. "You're welcome to stay as long as you want," he says. "I… I heard the whole exchange between you and your brother."

Sirius nods slightly. He had assumed this. At least Remus knows that Sirius is developing feelings for him, and now he knows by Remus' touch that Remus feels something back.

He doesn't need his powers to tell him that, he just needs to look at the other man and see it in his eyes.

"So, forever then," Sirius murmurs, using his free hand to reach for his own tea. Living a mortal life doesn't sound as daunting. In fact, he's quite looking forward to it now. Spending one short life with Remus more than makes up for losing his powers, and he can't wait to finally experience falling in love.

And when the day finally comes when both their mortal lives end, well, they can always reunite in the underworld.

2971 words