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Remus sighed and locked the door behind him. He paused for a moment before recasting the usual protective enchantments. Not that he could see much point. No enchantments had been able to keep him out when he’d come from calling for them. He shut his eyes before pushing that thought from his mind. Once he was satisfied, he took of his coat and hung it up in the hall. It was then that he realised the flat was surprisingly quiet.
“Sirius?” he called, suddenly alert and drawing his wand.
“I’m in here, Moony, no need to panic,” he heard Sirius say from the kitchen. He walked into the kitchen to find Sirius sitting at the table.
“Sorry,” Remus sighed, “You know how on edge I can get.”
Sirius smiled at him indulgently and gestured for him to take a seat at the kitchen table. Remus sank into it immediately, his body folding in on itself. Sirius got up and moved round the kitchen, fetching food that was keeping warm in the oven.
“You didn’t mention you were going to be working late today.”
Remus frowned. He could clearly hear the hurt in Sirius’ voice but couldn’t place why.
“I have to work extra to make up for the days I miss around the moon, Sirius.”
“I know that, Re. I just …I thought…”
“You thought what?”
Sirius remained silent, and eventually placed the plates of food on the table. Remus tucked in, starving after a day of work and finally getting his appetite back after his previous lunar episode.
“You didn’t have to wait for me to eat, you know.”
Sirius shrugged. Remus frowned at him.
“Is Harry asleep?”
Sirius looked uncomfortable. “I suppose so.”
“What is that supposed to mean, Sirius? When did you last check on him?” Remus started to get up to go and check on the toddler when Sirius reached out a hand and placed it on his, stopping him.
“He’s at the Weasley’s,” Sirius muttered.
Remus’ mouth dropped open in shock.
“What the hell is he doing over there?” Remus hissed.
Sirius frowned. “You know Molly is always willing to have him for a night, Moons. I just thought…”
“You thought what?!?”
Sirius shook his head. “I thought we could use a break. For a night. With the moon and everything, and I know you’ve been working hard, I just thought we could…use a night off.”
Remus glared at him. “We don’t get a night off, Sirius, that is what it means when you are a parent. I’m sorry if you didn’t realise what the job entailed when you signed up for it.”
Sirius chuckled humorously. “Yeah, sorry, my mistake. It’s just I didn’t have the best examples of those, so I’m kind of winging this.”
Remus sighed. “It’s just… Coming home to Harry and you is the only thing that gets me through most days. If I’d finished earlier and had come home and he hadn’t been here – I don’t even know what we would have done with the evening.”
Sirius chuckled. Remus thought he could sense a hint of sadness in eyes, so he reached across the table and took Sirius’ hand to let him know he wasn’t too upset with him.
“It’s okay, Re. It was just a dumb idea. I won’t do it again.”
“Well, I might as well enjoy a night’s sleep without interruptions while we have it.”
Sirius nodded.
“You go on, I’ll do the dishes.”
Remus chuckled. “Oh gosh, you’ve been house trained.”
Sirius glared at him playfully and flicked him with a tea towel as he walked past. Remus yawned, stretching and began to make his way to his room. The flat had two bedrooms, and Sirius had gallantly offered to take the night shifts with Harry by sleeping on the sofa in Harry’s room while Remus took the single room. Harry’s room was set up as a nursery, however, and Remus was aware that Harry was becoming older and would soon need to learn to sleep on his own. Neither he nor Sirius had brought up this pending problem, but Remus hoped that the fact that they had lived in such close proximity to each other in their years at Hogwarts would mean that sharing a room (and, ultimately, a bed) would not be too awkward.
Remus was shuffling through their lounge when he noticed something out of place. Firstly, the fireplace, which they usually did not use, was lit, although it had burnt down to dying embers. Secondly, there was a beautiful bunch of flowers (clearly hand-picked wildflowers) placed on the coffee table. Remus walked closer and noticed a bar of his favourite chocolate placed next to the flowers. Finally, there were two handmade cards placed next to the chocolate. Remus recognised the abstract lines and shapes as being some of Harry’s most recent artwork. The second card was marked by a familiar paw print. Remus grinned and opened Sirius’ card first, sitting on their sofa to read it.
Dear Moony,
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Remus’ heart stopped. Valentine’s Day.
Moons, I hope you know that I love you and Harry more than anything. More than magic. More than life itself.
Remus heard Sirius suddenly swear from the kitchen and hurried footsteps.
“Don’t read that!”
“Well, at least let me finish it, Pads, now that I’ve started it,” Remus said, his voice remaining calm despite the fact that he could feel the blood buzzing through every vein in his body.
Sirius slowly walked and sat down next him, their knees touching.
I know that these past few months have been difficult for us. But I would not have chosen anyone else to be in this situation with over you.
I love you, Re. To that goddamn moon and back.
Love, Pads
Remus finished reading but kept his eyes on the page. He was silent for a few minutes, listening to the ticking of their clock and the cars outside on the street.
“Please say something.”
“I didn’t know it was Valentine’s Day.”
Sirius chuckled. “Yeah, I guessed as much.”
Remus reached over and gently took Sirius’ hand in his.
“You love me.”
“You’ve always known that. We’ve been saying we love each other since we were kids.”
“And when…did saying that start to mean something different to you?”
Sirius shrugged. “Probably around 5th year.”
Remus frowned. “That wasn’t the best year for you and me.”
“I know, Re. I was figuring some things out and…was a bit of an arse in general.”
“Who’d have thought you would figure something out before I did?”
“I have my moments.”
“Indeed you do.”
“I figured now was the time to fill you in, though. Six years was enough time to give you to catch up.”
Remus smiled sadly and turned to face Sirius.
“Do you remember the last Christmas party we went to at the Potters?”
Sirius chuckled. “Of course.”
“It was the year after school ended. I hadn’t seen you in months.”
Sirius shrugged. “You were a bit of a recluse. Are a bit of a recluse, when you can help it.”
“You kissed Marlene.”
Sirius frowned. “She kissed me. There was mistletoe, Re.”
“You kissed back.”
Sirius sighed. “Why does that matter?”
“It didn’t take me six more years to realize that I love you, Pads.”
Sirius and Remus stared at each other. Sirius was nervous, and gripped Remus’ hand more tightly.
“When did you figure it out?” Sirius said, his voice so low it was almost a whisper.
Remus swallowed. “The first moon after Hogwarts.”
Sirius groaned in frustration. “I offered to come, Re! I wrote to you and said I would be there for it. You said you would be fine with your dad.”
Remus shrugged. “You were with James. I didn’t want to bother you. And I’d forgotten what they could be like when…when I’m alone.”
Sirius’ dropped his jaw. “You haven’t asked me to be with you since Hogwarts. I just assumed…that you were better. That you didn’t need…didn’t want me.”
Remus remained silent and broke his gaze away from Sirius to stare at the dying fire.
“Moony.”
“I need you more than I should, Pads.”
“You can have me. I’m here.”
Remus sighed. “This is probably not the best time for us to be figuring this out.”
“Remus. We have a child. Do you seriously think James and Lilly would have left Harry to two people they didn’t think loved each other?”
“You are going to be poor forever, now.”
Sirius chuckled. “You didn’t seriously think I’d still get any of the family fortune, did you? That bridge is long burned.”
Remus shrugged. “I always figured you would end up with someone…more suitable for you.”
Sirius smiled and reached forward to brush the Remus’ hair out of his eyes. “You have always been the perfect person for me, Re.”
Remus chuckled. “Agree to disagree. You are way out of my league.”
Sirius shook his head and smiled. “You aren’t right about everything, you know.”
***
An hour later, Sirius and Remus were sprawled on the couch, wrapped up in each other. They had quietly been reminiscing about their school days and sharing the bar of chocolate Sirius had bought. Sirius was tracing his fingers along Remus’ collarbones where they peeked above his shirt while Remus was gently carding his fingers through Sirius’ hair.
“I’m …I’m glad we’re alone this evening.”
Sirius grinned. “Really?”
“You were right. I think we needed some time to ourselves to sort this out.”
Sirius gently kissed Remus’ neck and felt his heartbeat quicken beneath his fingertips.
“Did…um…did Molly-uh…”
Sirius chuckled at Remus’ attempts to remain coherent as he slowly placed kisses up his neck. “Did Molly what?”
“Did Molly know what you were planning to tell me? Does she know that we…?”
Sirius nodded. “She knows. She guessed.”
Remus bit his lip, determined to finish his line of questioning. “And she’s okay with it? I know the Weasleys are accepting, but this is different, Pads.”
Sirius chuckled. “Remus. There are always going to be bigoted pricks in the world. But everyone we know has known that I love you for years now. Don’t worry about it.” Sirius gently kissed Remus’ cheek and kept their faces close together.
“Why didn’t anyone tell me?” Remus whispered.
Sirius shrugged. “They were letting us figure it out in our own time.”
Remus sighed and closed his eyes, leaning into Sirius’ embrace.
“I still find it hard to believe we can have anything good in this world after what I’ve seen.”
“You need to experience the lows in life to appreciate the highs. And you, Remus John Lupin, are most definitely the highlight of my life.”
Remus looked at Sirius, still shocked by his sincerity and emotion. “Don’t let Harry hear you say that, he’ll get jealous.”
Sirius chuckled. “Yes, well, him too.”
Remus smiled softly and leaned towards Sirius. Sirius could feel his breath ghosting over his lips. Remus gently leaned forward and kissed him. Sirius felt like he was floating. Forget flying on a broomstick or drinking butterbeer, this was the high he would be chasing for the rest of his life. He kissed back with enthusiasm, his fingers tangling themselves in Remus’ hair and clutching onto the back of his shirt. Remus allowed him his way and made to roll over to allow Sirius to be above him. As he did so, however, he felt his head drop and hit the thankfully carpeted floor below the sofa.
“Ow, fuck,” Remus moaned.
“Sorry, Moons,” Sirius said, before beginning to chuckle as helped Remus shuffle his body back onto the couch. Sirius pecked him and gently stroked all the beautiful imperfections on Remus’ face. “Maybe we should call it a night,” he added, noticing the dark circles under Remus’ eyes.
Remus nodded. “You’ll stay in the room with me tonight, won’t you?”
Sirius shrugged, “If you’ll have me, Re.”
“Always.”
Remus lay on the bed with his back propped against the wall and listened as Sirius finished brushing his teeth. He fidgeted with the edge of the quilt that Sirius had brought from his couch in Harry’s room. He heard the light switch off in the bathroom, and Sirius walked in wearing only boxers. Feeling slightly awkward, Remus let out a nervous laugh.
Sirius glared at him. “Well, if I’m going to get that response, I can find other places to go where my physique is more appreciated.”
“Oh, don’t be like that,” Remus sighed, “It’s just been a while since I’ve had to see you walking around in just your pants.”
Sirius chuckled, placing his clothes on the dresser before moving towards the bed.
“And trust me,” Remus muttered, “Your physique is much appreciated.”
Sirius grinned a crooked smile before he climbed into the bed next to Remus. He nestled closer wrapping his arms around Remus’ chest.
“This room is far too cold, you know.”
“We agreed we could only afford to heat one of the bedrooms, and that it should be Harry’s.”
“Well, I didn’t know I was leaving you to freeze over here.”
“I run warm.”
“You’re hot, Remus. You should really learn to accept your gifts and brag about them.”
Remus chuckled. “That’s not what I meant. The lycanthropy-”
“Remus?”
“Yes?”
“You know I know all of this, right? Every wolfy bit of information and trivia.”
“Right.”
Sirius smiled and leaned in to kiss Remus for the second time. Remus had been worried that their earlier kiss would be unique because of its novelty, and that further interactions would begin to lose their spark. It was hard to continue believing that, however, when he saw how Sirius’ eyes burned every time he looked into them, even in the darkness of the room.
Remus rolled them over and placed his elbows on either side of Sirius’ head, before slowly lowering his body to cover Sirius’ slightly shorter one. As he brought their hips together, Sirius gasped and tugged him closer by his hair. Remus was admiring Sirius when he saw he pale expanse of his neck, stretching as Sirius moved around. Remus was transfixed, slowly stroking the smooth skin. Sirius hummed and leaned into his touch.
“Sirius.”
“Mmhm.”
“Focus, I need to ask you something.”
“You can do anything you want, Moons.”
“Sirius!”
Sirius’ eyes snapped open and he focused on Remus. He brought his hand up to his face.
“Okay.”
“Can I…”
“Can you what?”
“Can I…mark your neck?”
Sirius seemed confused for a second. “Like a lovebite?”
“Yes.”
Sirius. “Of course, Re. I think I owe you that much considering what I’ve done to yours. I hope you have scarf you can wear to work tomorrow, or you’ll never hear the end of it.”
Remus stared at him. “Aren’t you…scared?”
Sirius rolled his eyes. “I’ve been given a lovebite before, Moony.”
“Not by a werewolf.”
Sirius stared at him in thought, before leaning back and exposing his neck to Remus.
“You would never put me in danger, I know that.”
Remus leant forward hesitantly.
“Don’t leave me hanging in anticipation.”
Remus decided to bite Sirius (softly) for that teasing remark. Sirius let out a surprised breath before relaxing beneath him.
“For someone who I’m assuming hasn’t done this before, you’re doing great.”
“Oh shut up, Pads.”
Remus moved up to nibble a spot behind Sirius’ ear.
“I haven’t done most of this before,” he whispered.
Sirius was silent for a moment. “You’ve kissed girls.”
“Yes.”
“And…guys?” The possessive tone was clear in Sirius’ voice.
“Only a couple. Muggles, back home. During my recluse days.”
“Ah.”
“But it’s a bit hard to go any further than that when you have an insecurity about taking your shirt off in front of people.”
Sirius frowned, and pulled back to kiss Remus properly. “Nothing I haven’t seen before. Most of my mornings in sixth year involved trying not to look too long at your naked chest. But I can work with the shirt on if you’d prefer.”
Remus chuckled and shrugged. “I guess it’s now or never.”
Sirius raised his brows at him, and he nodded. Sirius placed his hand underneath Remus’ shirt and slowly lifted it up over his head. Remus kept his eyes closed.
“Remus-”
Remus sighed. “I know. I’m sorry, there’ve been a few bad moons since school and I-”
“When the fuck did you get this tattoo done?”
Remus opened his eyes. He saw Sirius staring, not at the mass of new scars which littered his body, but rather at the tattoo he had had done a few months previously.
“The day after the funeral.”
“It’s…It’s…”
“Do you like it?”
Sirius reached a hand out hesitantly to trace the two silhouettes, a stag and doe, which were currently grazing over Remus’ heart. As he touched the stag, it raised its head to him and stepped a little way across Remus’ skin.
“They are beautiful.”
“I thought it was fitting tribute.”
“I’m horrendously jealous I didn’t think of this first.”
Remus chuckled. “I won’t blame you if you copy me.”
Sirius grinned. “Really?”
Remus nodded.
“My mother did always want me to get a matching tattoo.”
“That’s not funny.”
“It’s hilariously ironic, Moony. Actually-”
Sirius grew silent, tracing Remus’ tattoo thoughtfully.
“What are you thinking?”
“I like yours, but its not quite complete. I’ll need to add something to mine.”
“Oh, and what would that be?”
Sirius traced a circle above the heads of the doe and the stag. “A moon.”
Remus looked at him, love welling up in his eyes.
“I’m going to end up with your bloody pawprint somewhere on my body, aren’t I?”
“I’d settle for my ring on your finger.”
Remus froze. “Which finger?”
“The one I put it on when I marry you.”
“We can’t get married.”
“You know I’ve never cared much for rules.”
Remus chuckled and kissed Sirius. “I expect a proper proposal, by the way. This doesn’t count.”
“Noted.”
“I love you, Padfoot.”
“I love you, Moony.”
***
Molly Weasley returned to the kitchen table with the cups of tea and toast.
“There we are,” she said kindly, “Eat up, the both of you, I won’t have hungry children under my roof.”
Sirius and Remus chuckled but tucked into the breakfast nonetheless. Sirius was feeding Harry bits of toast and Remus was patiently listening to Percy while rocking baby Ginny. Molly walked back in with Ron on her hip and settled at the table.
“The twins and Charlie are about somewhere, they’ll come when they’re hungry,” she muttered.
“Thank you so much for having Harry over last night, Molly,” Sirius said, turning on his charm, “Remus and I really do appreciate it.”
‘”Oh, not at all,” Molly said, “Three in the nursery is as much as two, really. And Arthur and I haven’t celebrated Valentine’s day properly for years. With the children, you often just forget.”
Remus chuckled and gave Sirius a smile.
The two helped Molly clear the breakfast dishes and set off down the road to beyond the boundary where they could Apparate.
“We should visit more,” Remus muttered, “I’d like for Harry to have friends, for him not to be isolated.” The “like I was” remained unspoken.
“I agree. We could send him to school?”
“Do you think that would be safe?”
“As safe as he is anywhere else. Voldemort’s follower’s are thinning by the day, and he seems to have gone underground, for a while at least.”
“I wish Dumbledore would tell us more about what is going on.”
“You know Dumbledore. He likes to have his secrets.”
“Indeed. Hopefully he will arrange something with the Ministry for you soon, I know you don’t like being cooped up.”
“I’m alive, Moony. And free. I have Harry. And now I have you. I will manage for a while until Dumbledore gets his act together.”
“That could be years, you know. He can’t work miracles. He tried to help me, and that didn’t work out.”
“Yes, well, you would think the smartest wizard of our time would have realized that the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures would be able to spot a werewolf, no matter what legacy protection your name provided you with.”
“At least I have a job now. If they’ll take me back after today’s “sick leave”.”
“A Muggle job.”
“Don’t be so prejudiced.”
“You are a labourer, Moons. You shouldn’t be overworking your body like this.”
“Well, unless you know someone willing to hire the Wizarding World’s second Most Wanted, we need to earn a living.”
“I know, Moony.”
“Moony.”
Sirius and Remus froze. The both looked down at Harry, who was giggling happy in Remus’ arms.
“Harry?”
Harry giggled.
“Moo-ny.”
“Moony!” Harry shrieked.
Remus gasped. The shock of the moment may have overwhelmed had he not felt Sirius’ arms wrap around him and Harry.
“Good boy, Harry! Moo-ny.”
“Moony!”
Remus leaned slightly back into Sirius.
“He hasn’t talked since…since October.”
“I know.”
“And now he’s saying my name.”
“Yes.”
“You are just a bit jealous right now, aren’t you?”
“You’ve had a rough week. I think he sensed you needed a win.”
“So you’re definitely going to try teach him your name when I’m at work tomorrow?”
“Oh, definitely. Harry – Pad-foot.”
“Dad.”
“Oh my god.”
“Dad!”