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Remus, Sirius and James were playing a game of Truth in the common room at midnight. Peter was already asleep and everyone else had cleared out, leaving them alone. They were in their fifth year, so they couldn't intimidate students to leave, but it turns out luck was on their side and everyone else was asleep.
The game revolved around them asking questions and then everyone would answer, and then the next person would ask a question again. It was Sirius' turn.
"Least favourite person in our year level and in Gryffindor? I'll go first, Marlene." Remus gasped dramatically.
"But Marlene is so sweet!"
Sirius rolled his eyes. "She's not sweet to me, she really hates me! Anyway, James, your turn."
James took a while to answer, thinking about it hard.
"I don't dislike anyone but if I had to choose someone, it would probably be Pete. I don't dislike him, it's just that he's been really clingy lately." As much as Remus hated to admit to disliking someone, he had to agree with James. Peter was really getting on his nerves this past couple of weeks. Remus really wished he didn't have to say it out loud. He just feels bad for admitting it.
"Yeah I agree with James. Only cause he's been a bit annoying lately." Sirius nodded in agreement, tilting his head at James to signal for him to ask a question.
"Erm... Oh! Who was the last person you snogged? Remus, you can skip this one since I know you've never kissed anyone. Mine was May from Ravenclaw." Remus, who was supposed to answer next, felt a wave of annoyance go through him. He's snogged people, he just doesn't like to boast about it. He stuck up for himself before realising.
"I've kissed loads of people before!" James furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and Sirius' mouth dropped open.
"What? No you haven't!" James argued.
"I have, I just haven't told anyone because I don't feel the need to."
Good on Remus, but it didn't stop the hurt that Sirius was feeling. He realised he had a crush on Remus this year. He had never dated any women but told James about his snogging with the men he fancied, either telling him it was a female instead of a male or leaving pronouns out completely. Sirius butted in before James could say anything, pretending to be anything but upset. He smiled at Remus.
"Good on you Moony! When did you kiss them?" Remus blushed and averted his eyes at the lack of pronouns but answered none the less.
"It was during the summer and winter holidays. It was nothing serious or whatever, just some fun."
"So. Who's the lucky girl then?" James asked.
"It was actually a couple of people." James furrowed his brows impossibly lower. He didn't know Remus did this stuff and he was feeling a bit wounded that he wasn't even told about this.
"Go on, tell us about them!" Sirius butted in, wanting to know all the details, no matter how jealous he becomes. Remus blushed. It was now or never.
"It wasn't anything that exciting. I just hooked up with a couple of guys over the summer holidays and then one girl during the winter holidays."
"Hooked up!?" "Guys!?" James and Sirius both burst out at the same time. Remus became more nervous at James' question. He was beginning to wonder if James wouldn't take it so well.
"Yeah. I lost my virginity to a guy named Grant and had a couple of one night stands with him and other guys. I'm bisexual, by the way."
James felt himself get more upset. First Remus doesn't tell them about hooking up with people and now he doesn't tell them that he's bi?!
"How long have you kept your sexuality from us?" James asked, not even trying to keep the hurt and rude tone out of his voice. Sirius glanced at him in confusion, wondering why James was mad.
"I- I've known for a couple years?" James huffed.
"Oh my god! You kept that hidden from us for years! Remus, what happened to us being your friends!?" Remus shrunk back at the malice in James' tone.
"I didn't think you guys needed to know until I started dating anyone. It doesn't matter. I like who I like, and you shouldn't be mad that I didn't see it important to tell anyone! You guys are the first people I've come out to, and this is exactly why I kept it from you, because my biggest fear was that people were going to be mad or not accepting. So yeah, thanks James." Remus spat, feeling hurt, before getting up to go to bed. He could faintly hear Sirius raising his voice at James as he was walking up the stairs, but he ignored it, too focused on getting to bed so he could cry himself to sleep.
Exactly 29 minutes later, Remus had cried himself out and Sirius and James had just returned to the dorm. He could tell that James and Sirius had stopped outside his bed.
"Remus? Can we come in?" Sirius whispered. Remus felt and probably looked like shit but he opened up his curtains.
"Only Sirius." Sirius looked shocked, but climbed in, sending an apologetic smile to James before shutting the curtains in his face. Remus faced him, putting up a silencing charm.
"So, you come to yell at me too?" Sirius looked hurt at the accusation but recovered, remembering Remus' fear and that he didn't really mean it. His expression turned soft.
"Of course not, Remus. I support you fully." He pulled Remus into a hug, and Remus relaxed, leaning into Sirius' chest.
"Thank you." His voice was muffled by Sirius' shirt. When Sirius pulled away, he lied facing Remus. Their faces were so close and Remus could've kissed him right then, but he didn't want to also drive Sirius away.
Sirius was holding back with everything he had to not kiss Remus right now. Just because he likes men, doesn't mean Remus likes him! Remus raised an eyebrow at him.
"Why are you here?"
"I- I talked to James. Well, I yelled, really. He swears he supports you, he just felt hurt by the fact that you kept it from him." Sirius paused, gathering courage before his next part, "I also wanted to tell you that I understand your fears, if you know what I mean." Remus was puzzled for a couple of seconds before realisation dawned on him. He smiled at Sirius, who was avoiding eye contact and picking at the sheets.
"I'm gay. You're the first person I told, even before James," Sirius mumbled.
"Oh my god, obviously I don't care. And thanks. For telling me first, I mean." Sirius smiled shyly.
"It's okay. I would've told James but..." He trailed off. He knew why he told Remus first, but he couldn't just say he fancied him. He continued his sentence before Remus could think he came out because Remus also came out.
"... But I wanted you to know first. Not because you just came out, but because I feel like I can trust you and because I feel like I'm closest with you. You know more of my darkest secrets than James does." That surprised Remus. He thought Sirius told James everything he told Remus?
"Oh... well, thank you."
Sirius smiled, before it faltered, thinking of what he wanted Remus to do. They used to cuddle all the time, but was it weird now that they both like boys? Would Remus realise Sirius fancied him? He decided, no it would not be weird. They cuddle all the time.
"Cuddles?" Sirius whispered.
Remus held his arms out and enveloped Sirius, pulling him into his chest. Sirius held still, taking in all of this, all of Remus, as they both fell blissfully into sleep.
~~~
Two weeks later, and Remus and Sirius had both come out to the girls and Peter, and Sirius had come out to James. James had apologised to Remus and accepted Sirius. Really, in this age, it was all you could ask for. Acceptance these days was rare because people didn't believe two men or two women should be together, but everyone had accepted both of them with open arms.
They had potions class and Slughorn had some left over Amortentia that the seventh years had brewed the period before, and after plenty of begging from the girls, they were allowed to smell it at the end of the lesson. The cauldron got passed around the room and everyone had to describe what they smell. Slughorn told them they smell their soulmates and their favourite smells, and James was praying he smelt Lily. It got to the marauders' table, and Peter was the first to smell it.
"I don't smell anything other than ink and roast potatoes?" Peter was confused. Why couldn't he smell anything other than his favourite scents? Did he not have a soulmate? The cauldron then got passed on to James. He took a whiff.
"It smells like vanilla perfume, freshly mown grass and..." He smelt again before breaking out into a grin, "...lilies." Lily blushed a deep red and sighed, turning away from James. The cauldron then got passed onto Remus. He was nervous; what happens if he smells Sirius?!
"Oh- It smells like ink, old book, wet dog and cigarettes." He blushed and looked down, hoping Sirius didn't realise. Did this mean they were soulmates? No, it was it only if Sirius smells him as well.
Sirius had a tiny ball of hope blooming in his chest. Does Remus smell him? He crushed that ball of hope almost as soon as it came. Maybe he just likes the smell of old dog and cigarettes? And, they wouldn't be soulmates unless Sirius smells Remus as well. Though there's definitely a high chance of that happening, he couldn't know for sure if Remus had smelt him. The cauldron got passed to him and he was incredibly nervous. He smelled before freezing and locking eyes with Remus before quickly averting them. Sirius smiled.
"It smells like clean laundry, broom polish, uh- old books and earl grey tea." He met eyes with Remus once again. Remus was the only person Sirius knew that drunk earl grey tea.
Remus stared back in disbelief. Sirius smelt him? He hardly remembered the rest of the class, too impatient to get out of there and talk to Sirius. He knew it wasn't a coincidence, Sirius stared at him while he said he smelt Remus's signature scents. And, Remus is the only one who drinks earl grey tea! The bell rang and both Sirius and Remus hurried outside. Remus grabbed his arm and walked him a different route back to their dorm so he could talk to him.
"Sirius, who did you smell?" Sirius looked worried.
"Who do you think?" he snapped. Remus needed him to say it, to tell him he smelt Remus.
"Tell me." Remus replied softly.
There was a pause before he mumbled, "I smelt you." He looked at his feet as they walked.
"I- so we smelt each other then?"
Sirius' head snapped up, eyes searching Remus' to see if he was lying. Remus is a comically bad liar but he looked completely serious.
"You smelt me!?" Sirius asked in disbelief. Remus shook his head.
"Yes, you idiot. Wet dog and cigarettes? Could it be more obvious!?" Sirius grinned.
"I just had to check!"
They stopped walking. and Remus grabbed Sirius' face, pulling him in.
"Is this okay?" he whispered.
Sirius answered by closing the gap. Remus knows that the 'fireworks kisses' in books are fake, but that would be the only way to describe their kiss. It was tender and sweet and it was so much better than any of the people he hooked up with.
Sirius cupped his cheek and leaned into the kiss, opening his mouth for Remus to enter. This felt so much better than all the other blokes he'd snogged. It felt real. They pulled apart, and Sirius rested his forehead against Remus'.
"I've been in love with you since second year. I just don't think I realised it." Sirius murmured. He froze as he realised what he said, pulling away, but Remus pulled him back into his chest.
Remus beamed.
"Me too."