His cheap doorbell buzzed; a sharp, irritating drone.

He opened it curiously, as nobody had ever called on him before to find a man in long billowing black robes staring around at his street, distain written across his face. "Ah, Lupin."

"Good afternoon, Severus."

Remus stepped away from the door hurriedly and watched with quiet amusement as Snape swept into his kitchen without any further explanation, examined all the chairs carefully, pulled a large grey handkerchief out of his pocket and dusted one down thoroughly before seating himself at the table.

Stifling a grin, Remus shut the door quietly and leant against the refrigerator. "You wanted something Severus?"

"Believe me Lupin I want nothing more than to be away from this shed you call a house."

"You were sent by Dumbledore."

"What an extraordinary deduction."

"Thank you," laugh crinkled into a frown "but you already delivered the Wolfsbane potion for this month and if you hadn't it'd be too…" He paused as Snape's expression grew more condescending. "Ah, you're here to check on Sirius."

"I am. Is he here, I want to get this over with."

"Er…no. No, he's not."

The television was still playing in the other room.

"Well, I'm sure you have lots of import-"

"Moony?" Sirius called loudly causing Remus to wince and Snape to rise vulture like from his perch and stride into the sitting room, the werewolf trailing after him. Sirius was crouched over his bookcase at the sound of footsteps he turned around, Remus' copy of Phil Collins' Greatest Hits spinning around his index finger. "What the hell is this thing?"

Snape answered for him. "It's a CD Black, it plays music. Perhaps if you hadn't been so busy rotting in Azkaban you'd know that."

Remus stepped forward not really sure what he was going to do if Sirius tried to hex Snape in his living room but the spell didn't come.

"Severus," Padfoot gushed cheerfully. "How simply wonderful to see you. Remmy and I were just wondering when you'd turn up."

We were? Remus thought with surprise and then wrinkling his nose slightly: Remmy?

Snape seemed to be equally taken aback and could only manage a half hearted sneer as Sirius looped an arm around Remus' waist and rested his head on the werewolf's shoulder to the other's complete surprise. "Not that we've done all that much talking... if you know what I mean."

Snape tried to sneer again and the corner of his eye started twitching. "I thought you went for girls Black."

Sirius smiled and hugged Remus more tightly, "well it's amazing what love will do to you." Then without warning the hand that wasn't round the werewolf's waist wrapped itself around his neck and drew his face closer.

Their lips touched.

And it wasn't anything like it had been with the boggart.

This time it was Sirius who was kissing him passionately; desperately; trying to deepen the kiss.

With Snape watching.

To disgust Snape.

And it was Remus who pulled away in a flush of anger across to the other side of the room leaving Sirius standing in the middle on his own.

"Moony-"

"Didn't you learn anything from the boggart at all?" the other hissed leaning against the wall, he swung around to face Sirius. "Do you have any idea-"he broke off as the answer stared across at him, bewildered and abandoned, a CD worn as a ring around a finger.

No.

He turned around and managed to speak slowly and clearly, the façade that was Professor Lupin back in place. "Sirius, please can I ask you never to kiss me again." He paused and turned to the other. "Severus, Sirius and I are not a couple, nor have we ever been so you can stop looking as if Gilderoy Lockhart was just elected Minister for Magic." He breathed in slowly through his nostrils and strode across the carpet. "Now Severus, as I said earlier, I'm sure you have many other important matters to attend to." The front door swung open, the challenge hanging in the air as white knuckles closed around the handle. "Good afternoon."

With one final disdainful scowl at Sirius, Snape apparated from the room.

Lupin let the handle fall from his hand and the heavy wood swung back into place with a resounding thud.

"Moony, I'm-"

"NO!" Remus yelled. "NO YOU'RE NOT SO DON'T BLOODY SAY ANYTHING, SIRIUS!"

The anger faded to quiet words, etched with pain as he stumbled from the living room into his bedroom.

"Just… leave me alone."

*

"You know I left the door locked for a reason."

The large black dog slipped mournfully through the crack in the door and padded round to the other side of Remus' bed but as he reached his friend's face the werewolf turned over, away from him. "Go away Sirius, please."

But the dog would not be deterred, bounded round to the other side and tugged at Remus' sleeve so the other would read the large sign round its neck.

I'm sorry

"Well you should be."

The letters twisted and convulsed briefly before reforming.

Won't do it again if you don't want me to

Remus chose to ignore the words themselves. "How long did it take you to do this?"

Too bloody long

The other laughed quietly and Sirius' lop sided grin split across the dog's face.

Very sorry Moony

"You know, I like you better as a dog."

I'm not sure that's a compliment

"It wasn't supposed to be."

Well I like you better when you're not mad at me so I guess we're even.

Remus reached across and ruffled Padfoot's ears. Then he remembered why he'd spent the last two hours locked in his room and sighed, fingers gently stroking black fur. "Why do you do this to me Sirius?"

Because. The dog became a man again and Remus found his hand was now twisted in Sirius' hair, stroking his face. Horrified he yanked it back protectively, missing the expression that flared across his friend's face.

"Because," Sirius got up and paced across to the other side of the room. "Because… Look, can I tell you something?"

"What?"

Sirius didn't seem to hear. He picked up another photo in a plain silver frame, this one of the two of them on their last day of Hogwarts, Sirius' tie around his head like a bandana, his arm looped around Remus' shoulder, laughing; and turned it over in his hands and started speaking faster in a voice that shook slightly with an unidentifiable emotion. "And I'm not doing this because I think it's funny, or to annoy Snape, or because it'll embarrass you, or because… I don't know because…"

"What is it?" Remus demanded.

Padfoot dropped the picture and Remus started to protest but found he couldn't because Sirius' lips were on top of his, kissing him gently and murmuring "this."

He broke away quickly and sat back on his haunches looking nervously up at Remus who closed his eyes and struggled to breathe as though nothing had happened. When he finally spoke the words were tight and clipped as if he knew he had best make them short before he forgot what he was supposed to be saying. "I thought I told you never to kiss me again."

He opened his eyes and shut them quickly again as Padfoot looked like he'd just been kicked. "You did but I thought…"

"You thought? No Padfoot, you never bloody think about…"

"I love you."

"No you don't," Remus told him firmly, eyes shut.

Sirius chose this moment to laugh wildly and inappropriately. "Yes I do."

"No you don't," Remus repeated painfully.

"I love that you have sugar lumps in your kitchen when you hate them. I love that you've got all these crazy muggle thingys and Dark Arts Defence gadgets scattered around your house and that you pretend not to care about them but I know if I move one of them you'll be incredibly upset. I love the way your hair always falls over your eyes in the same way no matter how often you get it cut. I love the way I didn't see you for twelve years and when we met again it was as if nothing had changed. I love the look you get when you know I'm right but don't want to admit it because I'm never right. I love the way you used to stand up for Snivellus and would never do my homework for me even when you knew I'd get detention for the next month when I didn't. I love that it's taken me almost thirty years to realise this where as you've known forever-"

"No, you don't," Remus whispered one last time, smiling and crying and hoping desperately that Sirius wasn't just joking or another boggart. "You d-"

"And I love that when I've finally realised I love you more than anything, more than life itself, all you can do is sit there not looking at me and telling me I've gone insane."

And then he looked at Sirius who smiled broadly at him and repeated "I love you," simply, as if it was the easiest thing in the world.

"I destroyed the sugar cubes you know," Remus began, but Sirius leant up again and silenced him again, a kiss shared with Remus' tears, softly: "I don't care, I love you."

"Even without the sugar cubes?"

"Yes Moony," he grinned and kissed the other again, "even without the sugar cubes."

"Well I don't think I love you."

Sirius pulled back. "You don't."

"No. Sorry." But a wolfish grin was spreading over his face. "You'll just have to live with that unrequited love for a while." He tried to get up off the bed but Sirius caught hold of his wrist and pulled him back.

"You know you love me too," he growled playfully as Remus tried to look dignified while looking up at him from the bed.

"No, not at all."

"Not at all?" Sirius murmured into his neck.

"Not at all."

"Shut up or I'll kiss you again."

"Not at a-"

*

"I love you Padfoot."

"I know you moron…. the boggart in particular was a real give away."