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Chapter Text

The room was silent save for Sirius's heavy breathing, and Remus listened to it for a time, breathing in time with the rise and fall of his chest before remembering a different, potentially touchy subject.

"I did a bad thing," he admitted, the words muffled against the jumper.

"Are you mad?" Sirius huffed out. "I just about died and came back to life, and you think you did badly?"

Remus shook his head best he could still face down on Sirius's chest. "Not that."

Sirius traced a thumb in a circle at the nape of Remus's neck. "Then explain quickly, because the second I can move again I'm getting you back for that."

"In that case, you know what," Remus put up, "it can wait."

Sirius snorted and ran his hands down Remus's back. "What did you do?"

Remus hid his face further. "I didn't even check with you beforehand," he said. "I got swindled, and then before I knew what I was doing, I agreed to make it happen."

"Listen here," Sirius said, giving Remus a tap on the small of his back, "if you're about to tell me you've signed us up for a three-legged obstacle course to raise money for some charity, you can say goodbye to that blow job." Remus's laugh came out muffled, but it helped to hear the amusement in Sirius's voice. "I mean it, I won't do it. And you'll have to do that race all your own."

Remus squeezed him around his middle, pushed himself up onto his forearms, and laid his elbows on either side of Sirius, getting momentarily distracted by his hair fanning out around him before he forced himself to level with him. "I'm taking them out on the town tomorrow," he raised. "My dad wants to get a look at Reckless because he's convinced there'll be another gem like that one waiting for him there; I didn't know how to tell him you're a bit of a liar—"

"White liar, thank you."

"—But in all fairness, there probably are one or two hiding in there that he'd love, so I said I'd show them around a bit since they haven't been to the city in some time—"

"Lovely story, I assume the moral of it is that I've been nominated for tour guide?" Sirius raised.

"Second tour guide, and look, you didn't have to see my mother's face once she wrangled out of me that you were home alone instead of joining us," Remus stated. "They want to say thank you, and if I have to see that disappointed little face one more time—"

Sirius cut through with a laugh. "What are you paying for the job, mind?" he raised. "I don't know what you've been hearing, but I don't work for free, and you, Remus, may be pretty, but you are a handful."

"I'm quite sure I just paid you," Remus traded, eyeing him once, and he relished in Sirius shaking underneath him.

"Oh, that's what that was," Sirius said coyly, his voice wavering. "Bribery at its finest, look at you."

"It had nothing to do with this but if that's what gets you there, then so be it," Remus said for it. "It doesn't have to mean anything, alright? This can be a friend thing."

Sirius carded his fingers through Remus's fringe, letting out a bemused laugh. "What did I tell you; I'll never figure you out," he put up. "What did we come to not ten minutes ago?"

"'Mum, dad, you know Sirius, we've been involved for twenty-four hours,'" Remus recited airily.

"Well, I wasn't suggesting that," Sirius maintained, pulling up on one of Remus's curls pointedly. "All or nothing with you, isn't it?"

Remus let out a half-huff at the cheeky smile being pointed at him. "It's a little early for announcements," he said before a pause. "That's a double entendre, and I didn't even intend for it to be."

"Nice one," Sirius offered. "Why's it one?"

"They don't know," Remus supplied, hanging his head on a tilt.

Sirius looked him over. "I'm not surprised," he raised, "but I'm surprised; I know I've only got a couple phone calls and a few hours to go on, but they don't seem the type to—" Sirius thought for a moment, "—throw a Walburga over it, should we say?"

Remus thought about moving if they were going to get into all that, but Sirius's left leg was curled around the back of his right calf, Sirius's right arm was holding Remus to him, and Sirius seemed quite at ease with him there so he crossed his arms over Sirius's chest and leaned his chin over his wrists. "Am I squashing you?" he checked.

Sirius shook his head, got his fingertips underneath the hem of Remus's shirt, and traced his fingers back and forth over a patch of skin on his lower back, and Remus had to fight not to shiver, fight to keep coherent thoughts coming. "I can't say I've been upset about it with myself as there wasn't much I could do about it; the thoughts and feelings were there whether I wanted them to be or not," he offered, trying to word it properly, but felt it would fall short no matter how he put it. "It didn't feel unnatural to me, but I can't say the same for the bloke I was with; he was very adamant his family never find out, his father was a real piece of work and wouldn't have taken the news lightly, and I don't know, it had me all wrapped up in how my own would see it."

He moved his gaze to the pattern on the couch. "Got me thinking I should keep it to myself, too, if it was such a potential issue," he provided. "There wasn't a lot of information available to me, I didn't know how to even start to have the conversation with them, and it wasn't talked about much where I'm from; neither one of my parents took us for any more than friends and I used that to get away with it, and while I don't think either of them would cut ties or throw a Walburga over it, it's their disappointment I don't want to face."

Sirius curled up and pressed a kiss to the right corner of Remus’s mouth. "We're coming back to that, believe me," he instilled, laying his head back down, "but what happened with the bloke?"

"What?" Remus bid, flushed and still feeling the mark his lips left on him.

"You said he was adamant that no one find out," Sirius reiterated, "so, closet case, I'm assuming, and you saw each other on the side?"

"More or less," Remus said, shifting a bit. "It was on and off for years; I'm not sure it can even really count as a — it was such a private thing; we were close friends first and became more than that, but — he was in a bad place." Sirius hummed there, and Remus tried to overlook the hint of scepticism in his tone. "It was hard on me, but I don't envy his situation at all; he had a difficult time with it over the years, much more than I ever did, I've never felt I had to prove anything to myself one way or the other."

Remus trained his eyes downward and traced his right forefinger over part of the tiny, intricate patterns along Sirius's new jumper. "He was the first person I'd fancied more than a small crush and when things happened between us, I was just so happy they were happening at all, and for the first few years it was... it was good; it felt right, he was receptive, enthusiastic," he detailed. "We had to keep quiet, that much was true, but we never really discussed what we were doing either and that was to our detriment, I think; keeping others out was one thing, but we shouldn't have avoided it ourselves for as long as we did."

Sirius reached over for his pack of cigarettes and pulled one out, glancing back when Remus paused. "Keep going," he said, lighting up.

Remus shrugged a shoulder instinctively, feeling it aberrant to speak of now. "Our last year of school we hit a wall; I don't know what else to call it," he raised, holding out two fingers in a bid for the cigarette. Sirius stuck it in between them without comment and Remus took a pull off it before handing it back. "He'd go back and forth, sometimes he was fantastic, other times we would just finish up and it was as if he'd curl in on himself, and I know it isn't fair for me to say it, but that wasn't the greatest scenario to begin a dialogue about what we were up to?"

"Mm, no, fair enough," Sirius traded, shooting a stream of smoke to the right and away from them.

"I didn't know what to say, how to help, and in the of worst times, he'd be convinced we weren't right, and that I was worse off because I liked it as much as I did—"

"Sorry, what?" Sirius cut in.

Remus let out an even exhale through his nose. "I was more... adventurous, believe it or not, and—"

"I do," Sirius supplied. "Fuck like a slag when you get going, it's inspiring."

Remus reddened. "Well, he wasn't such a fan of that," he said. "Or was and wasn't."

Sirius let out a scoff then took another haul. He pulled his free hand through his hair and brought all of it over to one side, leaving it strewing over his right shoulder as he lifted his head toward the ceiling to breathe the smoke out above their heads. "I thought you were being unnecessarily polite at first," he put up, reaching to flick ash into the tray on the coffee table. "Well, actually, I thought the bite was part of the main event, but then I noticed it; I mean, stifling because there may be someone in the other room is one thing, but we had an entire flat to ourselves and you drowned yourself out more than once."

Remus's stomach dropped like an anvil. "I know it's not—" he tried. "We hid it for so long, I suppose it's stuck with me."

"Mm, that's not all of it, though," Sirius surmised. "There's more to it than that."

Remus looked away from him. "It's embarrassing—"

"Oh, come on," But when Remus didn't budge, Sirius grabbed hold of his hips and rocked his own underneath him. "So there I am, going to town, and right as I'm coming, I call out, 'Remus!'" he said, throwing his head back to add some emphasis while Remus buried his face behind his arms as Sirius kept on thrusting animatedly. "And I was just stared at afterward, and then, the bloke had the gall to correct me; I mean, that's it, I win, and there's nothing you could say that would beat that."

"He didn't like it when I made any noise, alright?" Remus huffed out, lifting his head with it, and Sirius quit pistoning his hips then. "For someone with such a visceral issue with gay sex, he was far too good at it — it was an extremely tall order; that's like giving someone chocolate and saying, 'alright, you can eat this, but you can't like it.'" Sirius snorted, then burst into laughter, and Remus fought with the twitch at the right side of his mouth. "Could you not laugh at this?"

"I'm sorry, you can't be the funniest person in the room and expect me not to laugh at the things you say," Sirius traded him, lifting his hands. "Speaking of tall orders."

Remus stole the cigarette off him. "That's all on you," he said before a haul. "I've spent far too much time with you, I was bound to start using humour to dull my humiliation at some point."

Sirius grinned. "I did say I'd rub off on you."

"Vigorously," Remus underlined, making an admittedly crude hand gesture with his free hand and leaning over to stub the cigarette out while he waited for Sirius to cease his shaking.

He shifted back over him as Sirius put both of his hands over his face and let out a long, muffled groan from behind them. "It's just so ridiculous," he attested, flailing his hands around. "He told you that you were worse off 'cause you came enthusiastically?"

"Mm, please, let's go over this some more—"

"I just — I've an extensive list of Remus qualities that I enjoy, and your enthusiasm whilst shagging is at least number two, so you've my expressed permission to make as much noise as you want."

"I don't think I'm being very fair," Remus said, leaning the left side of his head against the back of the couch.

"Oh, don't do that," Sirius denied, pairing a shake of his head with it. "Don't you start making up excuses—"

"Well, think about it," Remus raised. "At first, we were both into it but I think once the guilt built up, it began to really get to him, and seeing me having a grand old time probably wasn't—"

"Oh, fuck me, would you stop being so fucking reasonable?" Sirius demanded, dragging a hand over his face.

Remus fiddled with the right sleeve of his own jumper. "It threw me for a loop, yes, but it was only ever like that when he was in a bad spot," he tried to explain.

Sirius hummed pointedly. "Go on, then," he bid, and Remus looked at him quizzically. "When he was 'in a bad spot,' then what?"

"Again, I don't think he was really thinking when he—"

Sirius made a bunch of nonsensical noises. "No, quit that now," he told him.

Remus huffed a sigh. "He'd remind himself and me that eventually, we'd both have to fall into line," he relented, pulling a thread loose on his sleeve, "do the right thing, he'd fight his attraction, and I'd learn to fight mine, too, if I really worked at it—" Sirius let out a strangled sound, "—do you see what I mean? That's messed up, cracked talking, and instead of reading the signs and letting him get through all of that on his own and not fall in again with him, I didn't."

Remus looked away from Sirius's eyes then, staring past them toward the arm of the couch. "It would have been much easier for the both of us, but I just kept quiet and went with it, meanwhile he'd be shagging his way through any girl who'd give him half the chance and I didn't have it in me to say anything, and every time I thought that was it, that was all we were ever going to be to each other, he'd up and change his mind and I'd go right along with it because when things were good, they were great; I'm not proud of it, it went on far too long, and just before I left for school he decided it was best to leave it where it was for good and it wasn't as if I was able to argue that."

Remus realized he got caught up in a bit of a rant and looked to catch Sirius's placated expression change live, with front row seats; with his eyes now stony, Remus swallowed, thinking it best to leave it on a less depressive note. "It's better now; last year had its low points, but honestly I was too exhausted by the end to keep it going," he offered, going for a voice much less erratic in pace and tone. "It took me some time to figure out that he's worse off than I am after all of it, but it could be a lot worse for me; I don't know if he'll ever come to terms with how incredibly gay he is, but I do hope he gets there."

Sirius sucked in a breath through his teeth, his eyes narrowing. "Joke, Sirius," Remus clarified, "you ought to be at least a little proud that I'm making light of this for your amusement alone."

"Right, and good work, but if you could also leave me his home address—"

Remus scratched at the back of his neck. "Sirius, it was complicated," he instilled. "I haven't talked about it much at all so thank you for letting me get some of it out, but it wasn't healthy for either of us—"

Sirius scowled. "Remus, it's just you and me," he maintained. "The hand of God isn't going to come down and whack you for calling him a prick—"

Remus scoffed. "Thank you, I was just so worried that was in the cards—"

"He doesn't actually need any more of your patience," Sirius came back. "He got plenty of it."

"I had to be patient," Remus defended. "With the terrible head-space he was in? It had to have been exhausting—"

"Oh, and as if he didn't drag you down with him?" Sirius scoffed. "Fucked with your head, is what he did." Remus let out a disconcerted breath and Sirius moved his right arm tighter around the back of his waist. "His fucking loss, I say — what's he got, hm? Unless he comes chocolate, he's no catch and you're not missing out."

Remus bit his lower lip hard and ran a hand over his forehead. "That — that wasn't supposed to be the takeaway, but I don't know how I expected anything else."

"I'm a poet," Sirius supplied airily, but some amusement was peeking through now.

"I was telling you why I've never told my parents before this lovely sidestep, if you remember," Remus reminded him.

"We really do go off the rails, don't we?" Sirius traded him, lifting his free hand in allowance. "Fine, you've the floor."

"Thank you."

"He's still a clod."

Remus huffed out his nose. "In the middle of all that, there was no way I was going to mention anything to my parents about us," he went on louder. "I couldn't come up with a way to do it; trying to squeeze it in between hospital stints or worse, dropping it during one; 'oh, mum, dad, I've this affinity for boys and one in particular; you know him quite well actually but don't mind him, he just disappears now and again.'"

Remus shook his head, making a face for it. "It'd have been awful trying to explain what we were, and it didn't make sense to after we weren't anything, I've been out here and I didn't see any reason to; I figured the best way to do it would be if I had something tangible to offer it with and maybe then it'd be a different story, but I wasn't even sure if I'd see another bloke, I never saw this coming—" he brought his right forefinger back and forth between them, "—nothing like it at all, and it feels too early to tell them about it when we've only just — it doesn't feel right over the phone, I don't know what I'd tell them even if I was in front of them, and they could have a thousand questions that I won't know the answer to because I still don't know what to say for myself other than I have a type and that's tortured boys."

Sirius coughed out a laugh. "I'm miles ahead of him at the tortured act, and if you lump me in with him again we're going to have a problem, do you hear me?" he raised, jabbing Remus in the side with his free forefinger.

Remus batted his hand away lazily and sighed. "All that and more on the Remus show," he offered resignedly. "That's a sneak peek at what you're in for, so if you don't think you'll enjoy the program it's not too late to back out now."

"Oh, would you fuck off? How about l get to decide what I signed up for?" Sirius traded him, and Remus looked away from his pointed glare. "It's not like you don't know how terribly my parents handled it, and that's without the fact that I didn't get meals for a week once they were tipped off about it and only got them back after I lied about having seen the error of my ways; does that sound like something that would have been in the cards for you?"

Remus let out his quietest breath, moving his right hand to where he could feel Sirius's heartbeat. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have—"

"I'm not trying to win hardest life here, but some perspective would help, no?" Sirius raised. "Would they have done that to you?"

"Never."

"Grand. Then, by all means, perhaps you've zoned in on it and they're going to be extremely disappointed in their only son whom they literally cannot stop fawning over, or maybe, you could give them a little more credit than that; they look at you like you're the best thing that's happened to them and I've a feeling that if it's an adjustment for them, they'll figure it out," Sirius gave him evenly. Remus fought a wave of guilt, but Sirius's eyes weren't bitter or coveting when he gave Remus a half-smile, pushing his left hand up through his hair. "Tell them when it makes sense to; you're the boss."

Remus felt a string inside him snap and fall away, shifting over Sirius to press a kiss to his smile and pulling back with one of his own. "Where were you when I was eighteen?" he raised, giving a small shake of his head.

"Far too much of a mess to have said any of that," Sirius gave up flatly.

"You've become wise in your old age."

"That's it, time for you to go," Sirius maintained, turning his head away from Remus airily all while his arm kept up that easy grip around him.

Remus smirked, turning his head to look down beside the couch and the coffee table. "Do you," he started, pointing toward Sirius's discarded trousers, "want those back?"

"No," Sirius supplied mildly.

Remus eyed him suspiciously. "How much time collectively would you say you've spent half-starkers on this couch?" he asked.

"Impossible to say."

"I really do see James's point."

"Excusez-moi," Sirius said haughtily, and Remus's eyes widened at the words, "you're the one who instigated that." He brought his left hand up and splayed the fingers in front of Remus's face, circling them around it. "This is all on you."

Remus tilted his head mildly. "Fair, but would he think it was me?" he raised, unconvinced.

"You just keep playing that innocent card, you little shit."

Remus grinned at him, then looked over at the coffee table, his eyes falling on his empty glass. "I could use another," he decided. "I'll grab you one?"

Sirius shook his head and lifted off of his back to sit up. Remus moved back so as not to squash anything valuable, bracing his knees on either side of Sirius's legs and trying to decide if he should move back across the couch or move off it altogether. Sirius caught him before he could do either one and scooted beneath the arch of his legs, utilizing Remus's hovering position quite well. "There's a matter of payment we need to get in order," he raised, shifting his hands into Remus's back pockets and tugging him down over his lap. "It's the principle of it, Remus; you can understand that, can't you?"

Remus laughed through his nose for that and caught him by the mouth in response, shifting to press them flush together and losing himself in the feel of Sirius's lips, their tongues curling together, his groin pressed tightly against Sirius's, at least until Sirius pulled his mouth off his rather suddenly.

"What is it with you and French?" he demanded breathlessly.

Flushed, hard, and a bit bemused, Remus blinked at him and breathed out slowly. "I wouldn't be able to explain it if I tried."

"Gets you all hot and bothered?" Sirius raised, his eyebrows rising and falling within an instant. "Is it anytime you hear it? Do you pop a stiffy in the event that a Parisian tourist asks you where the toilet is?"

Remus sighed. "I should have known not to let this slip — and no," he gave pointedly when Sirius openly noted that he hadn't denied the insinuation. "It's hot enough as is, but it's infuriating that you make it sound even better."

Sirius let out a breathy laugh, shrugging easily. "I've lost some of it, but it comes out without me having to think about it," he supplied. "Certain phrases, half and half when I'm with Andromeda, curses, 'course—"

Remus smirked. "Mm, you went a little French just before you—"

"Always so crude, you are," Sirius huffed, leaning up for another kiss.

"You count in French, too," Remus breathed, his eyes fluttering shut as Sirius left a trail of kisses along the left side of his jaw and up to the side of his neck. "It's distracting."

Sirius pulled his right hand from Remus's back pocket and brought it around front. "If I told you I'm half French, what are my chances of getting into your trousers?" he raised, his breath playing against Remus's neck as he pressed his firm forefinger finger along the ridge of Remus's clothed cock.

"Hundred percent," Remus managed, "but your chances were high already."

Sirius's tongue darted out at a patch of skin just below Remus's left ear. "You really are easy."

A small huff left Remus before he took in a shaky breath as Sirius ghosted his lips over his earlobe, and then he didn't breathe at all when Sirius spoke in a low voice, stating wanton plans for him in a language that should have heightened sophistication but somehow had the phrases sounding that much filthier, and caught Remus's earlobe between his teeth as a means of punctuation.

Remus scrambled and was down from the couch and on his feet in what felt like an instant, yanking Sirius up and toward the front hall.

Once they were through the door to his room, Sirius unceremoniously threw off his jumper. "Is there no respect around here for one's thoughtful gifts?" Remus raised.

"Ask the apron?" Sirius traded, pushing Remus down onto the bed.

Sirius moved to hover over him, his kiss tearing away the response Remus had and his hands leaving warmth in their wake. Remus lifted his hips off the bed in aid as Sirius pulled his trousers off of them, his legs next, and sat up to pull his shirt off while his pants were being pried off of him. Sirius pressed his body back down into the mattress within moments, working his hand between their bodies, and Remus felt a new appreciation for Sirius's hands as he stroked him faster and lifted a hand to Sirius's jaw as their lips moved together.

His breath hitched hard as Sirius lifted his free hand to Remus's wrist and held it tight as he kissed him full, pulling the hand away and his lips off of his in the same instant. Remus breathed the air between them as his stomach coiled, shutting his eyes tight, and turned his head into the crook of his Sirius's as the coil threatened to snap before Sirius's working hand stilled and he pulled it from his cock entirely; Remus breathed deeply, remembering Sirius's promises en Francais, and braced himself for what he knew was coming and all he didn't know of yet.

Sirius moved down his body, his lips and that spirited tongue of his trailing patterns along the way, and though it was a bit too early for sweeping declarations, he felt sure that he'd never lose appreciation for Sirius's mouth, but he felt immeasurably grateful that Sirius turned out to be was as talented with it as Remus's imagination led him to believe. That same mouth engulfed him seconds later and brought him to the brink quicker than Remus expected, garnering him to clamp his mouth shut and writhe underneath him until Sirius pulled off him mere seconds from release. This time, Remus couldn't stop himself from huffing, but that only won him a smirk from Sirius, who pushed at Remus's legs until he had them bent at the knee and his feet planted flat and apart on the bed, and ducked his head down from plain sight; Remus's heart pounded as Sirius wormed his left arm under him to grasp at Remus's hips and hitch them up, and the beat in his chest increased tenfold when Sirius's mouth pressed against him.

Remus froze and was seconds from pulling back when Sirius's right hand came up to splay itself over his stomach and then Remus tried to relax; he did have to hand it to him, Sirius had a knack for reading his trepidation better than most. He breathed out, covered Sirius's hand with his left one, and Sirius went slow at first, picking up speed gradually and making it to a pace Remus had to bite down hard on his bottom lip over just to keep himself quiet. While he was concentrating on that, his body seemed happy to take over for him, his hips moving of their own accord as they rocked into what Sirius was giving him, and he'd have been mortified by how eager it made him look if that didn't seem to be exactly what Sirius was aiming for; he moved in accordance with them, causing Remus's entire head to become hazy at the mere idea that he could be, and pressed down pleadingly on the over on Remus's stomach as the pace he reached became unreal, setting his lower half to shake at a level he couldn't comprehend, he hardly noticed that Sirius began stroking him again until he was pure seconds away from coming.

He beat his fist into the mattress when Sirius pulled away before he could finish again and was a breath away from telling him to get right back where he was when two wet fingers breached him and then he kept his mouth shut. He felt the stretch, his fingers curling, the hard crook at his prostate, and had to reach back to grab up the headboard just to steady himself. Sirius gripped him tighter at the back of his hips, kept them elevated all while his working hand kept at it without faltering, and lifted his head to take Remus into his mouth again, the headboard rattling from both the shake of Remus's hands and the grip he kept on it. He tried to swallow it down, but it was physically painful to keep it latched in his throat, and then Sirius crooked his hand hard, the white he saw behind his eyelids blended with the red he felt in his throat, and a strangled cry ripped out of him before he could do a thing to stop it.

Sirius stilled both his hands and his mouth; the room was altogether too silent now, and Remus pulled his hands down from the headboard, made to move away, but Sirius wouldn't even let him have a moment to think before resuming that piercing motion of his hand and Remus gave up.

"Sirius, please — please."

Sirius pulled his fingers out of him and was up the bed in an instant, yanking the drawer beside them open and fishing around in it blindly while his eyes and crooked grin stayed trained on him. Remus waited; he waited until Sirius had him ready, waited until Sirius's cock was slick and pressed against him before he wrangled himself out from underneath him, shoving Sirius down flat on the bed and swinging his right leg over his body to get himself down over him. Sirius scrambled in response, trying to get his hands braced on either side of him and attempting to lift himself up, but Remus kept his left hand pressed to the centre of Sirius's chest, pinning him to the bed as he lined them up behind his back with his free hand and snapping back hard on his cock. Sirius's chest heaved as he thrashed under him and grabbed for his hips instead, but Remus moved his hand from Sirius's chest and pushed his hands off of him, keeping his wrists pinned down on Sirius's chest as he drove his hips down, rode back on him harder, and watched Sirius's pupils dilate as a flush spread across his cheeks.

Sirius quit fighting his grip for the moment, his legs coming up in a bend that really only helped the angle they met each other with, and thrust up hard as Remus drove down on him, watching Sirius writhing, gasping, panting below him, and caught the ghost of a smile peeking through before it was gone again. Sirius fought against Remus's hold, managed to pull one wrist free after some effort, and shot it out to stroke Remus's cock, and Remus thrust into the grip of his hand and back down on him at a staccato, lost in it all and barely registering Sirius's name on his lips when his own name was being wrenched from Sirius's throat.

Air wasn't so much an issue when Remus couldn't get enough of that anyway, but he barely had a chance to still his hips before Sirius let out a huffy, sated laugh. "I — I was seducing you," he got out of his heaving chest, stamping a leg down on the bed. "I even had a closing statement ready to go; it's not like I can say it now."

Remus let out a breathless laugh and eased off of Sirius, his right leg protesting when he leaned on it to get himself flat on the bed to Sirius's left. He lifted a hand and ran it over his forehead, leaving his arm resting there. "Suppose you still could?" he raised.

"Oh, you're going to let me have that, hm?" Sirius breathed out, and Remus grinned at him and gave him a nod. "After ravishing you, I would have reached for that pack over there, lit one up with a devilish smile, and spoke all husky-like, 'I'd say that was worth the wait, wouldn't you?'" Remus brought his free hand up to cover his smile, torn between booing and laughing, but Sirius seemed to figure that out quite easily. "It'd have been a double entendre and hot as all hell, Remus, but you chucked that plan straight out the window with those hips of yours; I'm furious."

Remus snorted behind his hand. "No, you're not."

-

Boxing Day morning consisted of a bed, a record player, and Sirius.

He and Remus woke just as dawn was breaking, hours before they would need to leave. Remus went off to the kitchen to fix their respective morning cups, while Sirius showed incredible concentration for the early hour it was and brought the record player in from the living room, and the next few hours were a blur of lips and bowed backs as they made the most of the empty flat.

During a particularly sated moment of recovery, Jeff Buckley’s Grace faded out just as Shania Twain announced loudly to the room that Sirius just received a text from James. Remus made an amused noise, his forehead resting on Sirius's navel, and moved his head minutely so he could peer up at him better.

He caught Sirius reach languidly for his mobile, overshoot and miss it completely, and grab it on the next try. "It's just," he started, his eyes moving back and forth over the screen, "sixteen question marks."

Remus laughed fully now, shifting his head even more to meet his eye. "Appropriate considering you sent him gibberish," he raised. "I'm not sure anyone would know how to decipher that."

Sirius's mobile buzzed in his hand and he glanced back at it, pulling his lips into a firm line before he looked down at Remus brightly and held the screen out for him to read.

DID YOU FUCK

Remus's eyes widened. "He's asked something like that just about any time I've sounded the least bit excited about a thing for weeks," Sirius told him. "'Guess what,' 'You fucked?' 'No, but there's coffee.'"

"Don't you answer that," Remus warned.

"Of course I'm going to; what's our count?" Sirius lifted his eyes to the ceiling in thought. "Carry the three, mmm, eight times we've ravished each other; he's going to shit himself."

"Sirius, no," Remus protested, climbing up his body while Sirius's thumbs flew over the keys.

"He's going to come for my head if I don't tell him," Sirius defended, holding his mobile out of Remus's reach. "He's been rooting for this for ages; come on, cheer a bloke up—"

"That's great, very nice," Remus echoed, still grabbing for the mobile.

He managed to tug it free before tossing it over on the far end of the bed. "What was that for?" Sirius raised, wrestling out from under him.

Remus sighed, figuring Sirius would dart for it, but he used his freedom to wrangle Remus onto his back and settle down over him. "Could we just—"

"Why would you want to hide it?" Sirius raised, properly blanketing him. "You spent years doing that."

Remus brought his hands up and wormed them around the back of Sirius's waist, thinking his best hope was humour followed by diversion. "I'm really glad you're lying down because this is going to be a lot to handle, but I've thought of a few reasons," he prefaced, lifting his right hand and walking two of his fingers along Sirius's collarbone, "none of which negate how pretty I think you are."

"Oh," Sirius dragged out, a half-smile painted over the right side of his mouth. He ducked his head down and hovered his lips over Remus's left ear, catching the lobe between his teeth for a moment before placing his lips straight over his ear canal. "Nice try."

Remus huffed at being found out and wrenched back, levelling Sirius with a pointed frown and not much more than that. "If you wouldn't mind filling me in on these reasons, I've nowhere to be for," Sirius paused, "you know, I'd know how long if you hadn't confiscated my device."

"You can't be trusted with it," Remus defended.

"You're going to make a fine professor."

Remus fought a smile, glancing toward the clock on the bedside table to his left. "We've two hours to spare," he supplied.

"Well, I'm going to have to shower soon so, quit deflecting and get talking?" Sirius suggested.

"I'm willing to try for number nine," Remus offered, giving a light shrug with it.

Sirius narrowed his eyes, taking a little longer than Remus saw coming before finding his resolve. "No, fess up."

Remus deflated, sighing. "Do you want the selfish or the selfless one first?" he raised.

The makings of a grin formed at the right side of Sirius's mouth. "I do love it when you're selfish," he instilled.

Remus was sort of hoping that one would come second and sighed inaudibly, shifting underneath Sirius. "I'd like to enjoy this for a little longer," he posed, watching as Sirius's eyes searched him for more, and kept on tentatively. "If everyone knows then it's no longer ours, it'll turn into something I'll have to defend, and I don't want to, not yet; I'm glad James is going to be happy for you, but I'm not sure it's going to go as easily with Lily, it's got to be done right and I just want to enjoy it before I have to—"

"Who cares what she thinks?" Sirius cut in.

"I do, and you do, too, whether you want to admit it or not," Remus instilled, throwing him another pointed frown. "I understand you're put off, but I want her to understand this and it's going to be out of left field for her; you haven't been a topic of ours since I transferred and she might be in for a bit of a shock."

"None of this is really helping me agree with you here," Sirius said flatly.

"Sirius, come on," Remus said. "I want it to come out organically if we can help it; you know, like how you'd have wanted yours and Mestophales's engagement to have come out if James hadn't gone and spoiled the surprise?"

Sirius made a clear and valiant effort not to smile but ended up scoffing out a laugh all the same. "You're such a nerd," he sighed, pressing their foreheads together.

"I happen to know you like that about me," Remus raised, smiling up at him.

"You've got me there," Sirius let him have, lifting his head. He breathed out through his nose, brushed his fridge from his eyes, and looked at him feebly. "I already pressed send?"

Remus's eyes widened again before they darted toward the mobile laying over on the right corner of the bed and back up at Sirius, whose face broke into a smile. "You're too easy, I love it," he maintained, and Remus clicked his tongue as Sirius let a laugh go, the churn of his stomach dissipating. "Quit looking at me like that; I don't know what I'm supposed to tell him now, he's expecting something out of me."

"You've a keen imagination," Remus maintained. "I'm sure you can come up with something."

Sirius glanced up in thought for a moment. "I could leave it," he raised. "I have been rather busy."

"That's a fine option," Remus conceded. "Your choice."

Sirius took one look at his hopeful smile and sighed. "Fine," he allowed, lifting his right hand and brushing his thumb over Remus's left eyebrow. "You're going to have to answer to James when he finds out you're the reason he's been kept out of the loop."

"I'm willing to take the heat for it," Remus said mildly.

"What's the other reason, for curiosity's sake," Sirius raised, pushing the same hand through Remus's hair.

"I don't want to parade it around," Remus instilled carefully, feeling Sirius even in his follicles. "You're giving this an honest go and I know it's big for you, I'm happy to take it slow; I'm not used to showing any of this and I shouldn't flaunt it as is, I'm lucky this happened at all and there's still time for you to—"

Sirius let out a strangled sound and moved his hand down to press it against Remus's left cheek. "Remus, you can't do that." His voice came out strained as though he were trying to keep his frustration from bubbling over by keeping his tone light, but that only showcased just how tight his voice was. "I know you think I'll drop out of this at any moment and I know it's not going to be easy for you to think I won't just because I say I won't, but you're going to have to try a little harder to trust me because it's only been ten hours and this is already the best thing that's happened to me in years and that includes the Spice Girls reuniting."

Sirius leaned down to kiss the guilt-ridden look off Remus's face and pulled back with a sober one of his own despite the sudden left turn. "That's the highest love right there, and that's it, that's all I've got; I'm not about to give this up so could you — are you OK?"

Remus lifted his hands to grab up Sirius's wandering one, turning it and pressing a kiss to the inside of his wrist, intent on hiding the sting behind his eyes for as long as he could. "What am I supposed to say now?" he raised, speaking against his skin and looking just about everywhere but into Sirius's eyes.

"You don't," Sirius started, sounding as though he were testing the words out, "have to say anything."

Remus let go of Sirius's hand to rub at his eyes with the heels of his palms, thoroughly embarrassed by the sniffle he very much wasn't able to mask. "I still think it's too soon to say anything, and how terrible does that sound after that?"

Sirius pulled at Remus's wrists. "Remus, it's fine," he instilled, revealing a smile when he got Remus's hands out of the way. "I get it, we can wait." He pressed a kiss to Remus's lips and pulled back with a small sigh, but he scrunched up his face a moment later. "I'm not sure this could remotely be considered as taking it slow."

Remus ducked his head slightly, half-smiling. "I'm not so sure about that," he raised, breathing in long as Sirius traced his thumb back and forth over his cheek. "Long time coming, didn't you say?"

Sirius kissed him full in response, sending them veering into warm and breathless territories before he pulled back again. "Come with me," he said, tugging up on Remus's hips. "Save water."

Remus smiled as he allowed himself to be pulled from the bed. "I'm really not sure if I know anyone more selfless than us," he offered, letting Sirius tug him from the room.

"Paragons, us two," Sirius raised it, catching his lips once again.

They took far too long in the shower with number nine falling under the category of intricate, and then the whole drying off and dressing at a leisurely pace part of it, but a half-hour or so before they were slated to leave saw Remus perched on the left arm of the sofa, facing toward the back hall and namely the loo Sirius was brushing his teeth and talking all the while in.

Remus only caught about half of it, but he found it irritatingly endearing all the same. "Can we take a cabbie?" he managed to decipher.

Remus clasped his hands between his knees and scratched at the knuckles on his left hand. "If we split the fare, yes," he traded him, checking the time on his mobile.

Sirius made a noncommittal noise at that and kept on. "Good, boxing day transit is going to be murder and I'm not up for pressing against strangers."

"News to me," Remus quipped, blinking innocently when Sirius leaned his head out of the bathroom with a squint.

"Who are you again?" he raised, pointing his toothbrush at him curiously. Remus gave him a wry smile and Sirius's head disappeared once again, but not before Remus caught a flash of a grin. "Wish we could take her out, she's been flat-out ignored for weeks, poor thing; she's bound to start taking it personally."

"I think she understands the risks," Remus offered. "I do wish it weren't so bloody cold otherwise I'd even want a go."

"You know, I was onto you."

"Hm?"

"Mhm," Sirius hummed over the sound of the taps running. "Putting on a huge production over how much you weren't into her when in reality, you were in love the moment you sat on her."

"That, or I have fewer qualms about being pressed up against you as of a day ago," Remus raised. "Don't know what that's about."

Sirius shut off the taps and moved out into the hall, a smile poking at his lips. "Funny how that is," he echoed, stopping just in front of him.

Remus found himself marvelling for what felt like the millionth time at how put-together Sirius managed to look in hardly any time at all and took a long moment to appreciate the look of him before reaching to pull Sirius down to his level, who in turn leaned down to met him halfway. "How long do we have?" he raised, speaking it over his lips.

"Twenty now," Remus offered, but Sirius's hands came up to rest over his thighs and garnered him to pull back. "No, I'm just admiring your face, that's it."

"I'm disappointed in your lack of ambition, Remus," Sirius tutted. "The things we could do in twenty minutes."

"I'm surprised I can walk," Remus gave frankly. "I can't go again."

"But we could try, Remus, and that's half the battle," Sirius instilled, curling his hands underneath Remus's knees and giving them a squeeze. "They teach that in your program, actually, but you and I both know exactly how behind you were all term; you must have missed it."

Remus huffed a laugh. "I'd like to look them in the eye at all today, do you know?"

"You're awful at that anyway," Sirius put up. "They'll never notice the difference."

"That's enough out of you," Remus told him, fighting a smile.

"Oh, fine, but by all means, continue admiring my face," Sirius suggested.

Remus quit fighting his smile and leaned up to kiss him for he really couldn't think of a better way to pass nineteen more minutes.

The front door crashed open and Remus flailed at once. He slid off the arm of the couch, but Sirius caught him by the hips before he could go ass over backwards onto the cushions, hovering over him as James's voice rang through the flat.

"I've brought Mrs. Evans's Sinfully Sinnamon cookies and let me tell you, sinning's never felt so good," he trilled, clomping straight into the living room. He gaped at the two of them frozen solid in their supremely compromising position, dropped every bag he was holding, and whooped loudly. "I knew it."

He whooped again, but when he was finished with that one he paused and narrowed his eyes. "That's still the couch, you heathens; show some restraint."

Sirius gave Remus just enough room to push himself back onto to arm of the couch before he let his head fall forward, snickering profusely into the crook of Remus's neck. "Oh, oh good, that's promising," James went on gravely, stooping to pick up his fallen bags. "I bet it was all your idea, Remus, you dog."

Sirius's laugh hit double speed while Remus briefly considered murder-suicide. "Sorry mate," Sirius put up, lifting his head. "Didn't think you'd be back so soon."

"Lily's closing tonight," James supplied, blinking at him. "She told you that before we left; I heard her tell you that."

"James, I'll be frank, I didn't hear any of what she said before you left," Sirius made plain, and for a moment, Remus couldn't fight off amusement either.

James gave him a bemused look and went to set the bags on the coffee table. "Sirius finally bit the bullet, did he?" he raised. "It's a Christmas miracle. Wait, no, don't tell me yet; we've another few carloads, hold that thought."

James went flying back out the door, leaving Remus and Sirius to look at each other, the latter appearing far less petrified than the former suddenly felt. "Well," Sirius offered, a sly smile forming. "Ready for the showdown of the century? You can place your bets on who wins, but I've a great feeling about that Sirius's odds."

"Sirius—"

"Well, it's not as if we can hide it now, can we?" he raised, drumming his fingertips where they lay over Remus's thighs. "My guess is we have about thirty seconds before she comes for my head."

Remus lifted a hand to his forehead. "She's going to be far more cross with me."

"Oh, no she won't," Sirius said, and something about his tone told Remus this was nothing but a bad idea.

He thought of the sense of responsibility he prided himself on, saw it staring him down, and chucked it out the window; he scrambled, pushed at Sirius so he could move, and when Sirius simply didn't budge, he manoeuvred his left leg around him to join his right one instead, hoisting himself off the arm of the couch.

"Sirius, let's just go, I don't want to—"

"Oh, come on—"

"No, you come on, don't start something," Remus stressed, looking around for his things before realizing he was wearing Sirius from head to toe and knew that would look even worse. "I retract every nice thing I've ever said about this flat; I haven't seen one back exit, I'm appalled."

He heard Sirius's scoff of mock offense from the hall to the kitchen. "If you hear anything, it's the flat telling you to kindly fuck off," he called back.

Remus went for his shoes, which were thankfully at least his own. "You fuck off and get over here," he tossed back.

"I need shoes, don't I?"

"Go without!"

"Oh, suddenly he doesn't want me in shoes!"

Remus froze as he heard footsteps approaching that were too light to be James's regular gait, faltered as Lily stepped through the door carrying multiples of her own bags, and reached forward to take one of them off her hands. "Happy Christmas," he offered lightly, even if attempts at evading anything were futile. "Did you have a good time?"

"Oh, yes," Lily offered, heaving the bags off her other shoulder and setting two on the seat of the chair by the door and the last hung over the back of it. "Not the only ones, I hear."

Remus stood still with the bag in his hands, running the words back and pairing them with the resigned exhaustion about her. "Lily, I know this is a shock and we can talk about it as soon as the day's over, but please don't be upset—"

"I'm not upset, Remus," Lily instilled, in that same, tired voice. She pulled her jacket off, hung it on one of the hooks, and turned back to him; she seemed not to know what to do with her hands before she ultimately set them on her waist, but Remus identified with that concept rather well at the moment, keeping hold of the bag in his hands just to have something to do with them. "So — how... how did this happen?"

Remus was quite sure the real answer wouldn't bring about anything positive, trying to decide on the most moderate way to explain without actually explaining that he essentially came at Sirius and fooled around with him a ton before finally communicating, but he fell short of it when Sirius loped easily beneath the archway of the living room.

"Lily, you look distressed," he observed, his tone of concern clashing with his distinct gloating. "What's that about?"

Lily blanched, her eyes widening, while Remus brought one hand up to his forehead. "Sirius, on what planet would that have been helpful?" he implored.

He caught Sirius's split-second glance at him and the amusement carried with it before Lily turned her eyes on him, too, though hers looked more sympathetic. "What happened?"

"Oi, Lily," Sirius called to her, but Remus thought it could have been done without the finger-snapping. Sirius stuck his hands in his trouser pockets from there and leaned his head down to match her height from down the hall. "Clearly your problem is with me, so how about you quit messing his head up more than you've already done?"

Lily's mouth fell open and she whipped her head back at Sirius. "Me? We were gone a day," she attested. "What did you say to him?"

Remus glanced between the two of them. "You two do realize I'm not actually twelve years old—"

"Really, Lily, smashing effort with the scare tactics despite this not even being slightly your business," Sirius said lightly. "As far as I'm concerned, you're the reason this didn't happen sooner, so thank you kindly."

"Sirius," Remus sighed. "You know that's not—"

"I'm not about to watch you drag one of the nicest people in the world through the dirt because you feel like it, so yes, it is my business," Lily tossed back.

"No no, I'm not done; thank you for adding a layer to this that I knew nothing about," Sirius offered graciously. "Putting ideas in his head, making him—"

"I'm right here," Remus said. "Right here."

"Ideas? None of this is ideas, Sirius, it's patterns," Lily stressed.

"There you were, going on and on as if this wasn't personal," Sirius kept on breezily. "Certainly seems that way to me?"

Lily reared back for a split second before she stuck on a gracious smile of her own. "What winning line is it going to be this time, Sirius?" she raised, taking on his kind tone. "I'm just not ready, let's keep our options open, let's not complicate things, or am I just giving you tips? Would you like a pen?"

Sirius blanched this time around and Remus rushed to fix it. "Lily, look, it's not—"

"Oh, come back here," Lily called to Sirius's retreating form.

She scoffed and went down the hall after him while Remus contemplated what it might be like to be allotted a say in a situation that greatly concerned him. It sounded as though the two of them made it to the kitchen before the bomb also known as Sirius went off, and James stepped through the door sporting a grin and holding even more bags, but went still as the row reached critical volumes.

He looked down the hall and back to Remus. "What's mum and dad fighting about this time?" he bid, setting the rest of the carload down and knocking the door shut behind him. "I've knitted scarves, by the by; there's a right colourful one in here that's got your name on it — I mean that, it has your name on it."

Remus moved past the scarf along with the brand-new and slightly staggering knowledge that James knew how to knit for the time being; one thing at a time. "Me," he offered exhaustively, giving a helpless shrug. "I don't know how to stop it; I can't get a word in edgewise."

"Mate," James addressed him, "I still don't know how to stop it; I've come to learn it's that they love each other so much that sometimes they just can't help shouting about it."

Remus gave James a bemused expression while he shucked off his jacket and flung it over the bags Lily set on the chair and started fast as James moved in to clap him over the back. "Corking stuff, Remus, can't tell you how chuffed I am," he said, beaming as he picked up and sifted through one of the bags he'd brought in. "That one's been right smitten for eons, it feels, it's been nauseating; James, he listens to Billie Holiday, how is he real? James, he's hilarious, he may even be funnier than you — which I resent, OK, and we might need to fight for the title, haven't decided yet—" he let out a burst of a laugh and breezed right on, "—I caught him staring wistfully out the window more than once, he changed his ringtone to that Sixpence song and went, 'it's an inside joke, you wouldn't get it,' meanwhile I'm blowing chunks; absolutely disgusting stuff."

Remus lifted his right hand to cover his mouth, hiding his smile behind the sleeve of Sirius's cardigan. "I've never seen him like this before; I kept telling him he should just fucking do something about it, but 'no, this is delicate, Jimbo; riding a wave here,'" James quoted, sighing laboriously before looking back up at Remus and putting on a pointed expression. "So from one mate to another, careful with him, got it? That's my brother you're canoodling with."

An incredulous laugh rolled out of Remus. "Thank you, James," he chimed, moving in to clap him on the back, "you've been a great help."

Remus stepped away as James came back from his own momentary confusion. "Listen, Remus, I'd come and help diffuse, I would," he maintained, "but honestly, this is about the time they start asking for second opinions, and since you've already got mine and it's actually painful for me to—"

"Hide while you can," Remus pardoned, waving him off.

"Honestly, I think I might just pack my things and set off anew," James informed him, following him down the hall. "He's going to throttle me when he finds out I told you about the Sixpence thing."

"James, I'll never quite repay you for that," Remus traded him, heading through the living room to put an end to the blazing row still going strong while James cut out and ducked into his room.

"—A project for you; he doesn't deserve it."

"That's what you think this is?" Sirius snapped. "This isn't some fucking ego trip; he saw the worst in me and still stuck around, and I'm finished telling myself I can't have this — that I can't have him, I'm done; he's good for me and I am for him, this will work, and if it doesn't, it won't be because of me."

"Sirius," Lily got out, her voice losing any of the vitriol it had and sounding about as morose as Remus felt just standing in the doorway of the kitchen.

"I think that's quite enough for now," Remus maintained, slipping his hands into his back pockets.

Evidently, Sirius didn't catch the change in Lily's voice or register his call for a ceasefire. "You want so badly for this to fail so you can be right about it, and as much as I'm going to hate you breathing down my neck and waiting for me to muck up, I'm still going to fucking love it because of how long you're going to be waiting," he shot her.

Remus felt his shoulders go up, his spine tinge, the hairs at the back of his neck stand up. "Well?" Sirius demanded of Lily, who looked so very small all of sudden. "I'll just find out your opinion eventually so why don't we skip all that?"

"I'm sorry, Sirius," Lily said severely. "I should have kept out of it."

"Yeah, you should have," Sirius barked out in an instant.

Remus winced. "Sirius," he instilled.

Sirius looked to him, his eyes softening though his shoulders stayed rigid, and Lily's voice quivered as she spoke up. "I've thought he'd be good for you this whole time, Sirius, but how could I know you'd see it, too?" she raised.

Sirius set his gaze on Lily again and Remus worried for a moment before he gave her a tight nod. "I know," he stated, alluding to so much with only two words, and then again with just two more. "I do."

"Sirius, of course I want to be wrong about this," Lily instilled.

"Well, fantastic; you are this time," Sirius served her, a smile on that lived somewhere between patronizing and authentic. "Barring a lobotomy, I'm not fucking this up."

A smile tugged at Lily's lips. "High stakes," she observed tightly. "Good to hear, and not that I'll be waiting around or anything, but I'll be right there to perform it myself if you do."

"I like my odds," Sirius gave frankly, but he gave her a genuine smile this time, it felt.

"Remus would love to weigh in on this," he put in, lifting a hand, "but he and Sirius have really got to head out."

Sirius gave him a smile that was only ever for him and moved toward the doorway, brushing his left thumb over Remus's right wrist as he passed him, and Remus bit the inside of his cheek, turned back to Lily watching them very carefully, and looked over at her plainly in return, feeling that Sirius's words spoke well enough for the both of them.

Those giant doe eyes of hers shone back at him before her voice held a tremor in it when she spoke. "Remus, I'm—" she paused to take in a quick breath.

Remus's resolve crumbled completely, hearing that, and he crossed the kitchen in an instant, pulling her into a hug. "No, Lily, don't," he said, patting the top of her head as she hiccoughed. "I know we should talk and we're going to, but I wasn't making it up even a little bit, we're so late."

Lily nodded against him before she pulled back. "This is good, Remus," she said much more evenly.

Remus nodded, meeting her eyes. "I've a good feeling about it."

Lily gave him one more quick hug before they made their way down the hall to find Sirius trapped in a headlock while James gave him a fierce noogie. Sirius aimed a fist to James's chest and wrenched himself free, setting his locks back into place. "I've parents to impress, you rapscallion," he instilled haughtily.

He set off for the front door and away from James's pronounced retching noises with a pristine walk, completely missing Lily's small gape and Remus's entire face going red.

Remus ducked out of the living room and went down the hall after Sirius, grabbing for his jacket. He kept quiet as he stuck it on and went for his shoes, unsure of what to say when Sirius had gone and pulled any appropriate words out of his head. Sirius gave him a quick smile as he pulled the door open and stepped through it, leaving it open for Remus to close up after him.

Remus made it to the first step down from the landing before pulling his mobile out and pressing Sirius's number into it; 'Kiss Me' rang out in the lobby, and Sirius stopped short before turning around to glance up at him with an expression that was a little too dignified for the situation.

"Why that one?" Remus raised, giving a bemused laugh. "I gave you a whole album's worth of moody Jeff, and you go with this?"

"And, what, break my own heart every time you rang?" Sirius raised. "No, thank you."

Remus gave an appreciative sigh, sticking his mobile back in his pocket. "Would you like a fun fact?" he asked.

Sirius blinked up at him. "You mean it gets more fun than this?"

"I almost kissed you just before that came on," Remus shared, giving him a twist of a smile. "It was a very inconvenient urge considering I was furious with you and then that came on; I was sure some twisted joke was being played on me — are you OK?"

Sirius stared up at him through unveiled exhaustion and stepped up the stairs between them only to stick his face against Remus's chest with a sigh. "I almost did, too."

Remus didn't really care if Sirius could feel his heart beating through his chest anymore. "No, you didn't."

Sirius lifted his head enough to meet Remus's eye, letting out a huff. "One, you just finished ordering me around, and two, you ordered me to express myself a clearer," he held up, tilting his head in insinuation. "Wasn't like I could actually snog the life out of you after you told me to man up or shut up otherwise you were out, but it was a close one."

Remus stepped down to the step Sirius was on and kissed him soundly, hoping to make up for it here. His own mobile rang in his pocket and he pulled back to answer it, apologizing profusely to his dad on the other end while Sirius swung around on the stairs and clomped down the rest of the flight ahead of him.

"Any further clarity on those lyrics?" Remus raised, stepping through the lobby door after him.

Sirius huffed. "Not even a little."