Disclaimer: I'm not blonde; I'm not British; therefore, I am not J.K. Rowling - so I don't own the Harry Potter characters. And no one gave me Sirius and Remus to me for my birthday, like I asked.

WARNING: Sirius/Remus SLASH. Flee now, or forever hold your peace.

Summary: Second story in the Mating' trilogy. Sequel to Alcohol and Moonlight'. In which Sirius and Remus discuss Remus' family in France, and Remus demonstrates a French kiss to Sirius.

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-French Kiss-

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What's your family like?

Remus Lupin looked up from his Transfiguration text and frowned, taking off his reading glasses. I beg your pardon?

Sirius Black, Remus' boyfriend as of the past two months, was sprawled out on the bed beside the young werewolf, playing with his hair. He hadn't even opened his own Transfiguration book; since he had gotten Outstanding' in almost all his O.W.L.s last year, Remus supposed he thought he didn't need to study. I asked what your family is like.

Remus closed his book. Nothing out of the ordinary. Why do you ask?

Isn't it obvious? Sirius smiled at him. I want to know something about you, you idiot. You know all about my family, even though the thought of them must make you shudder. Now I want to know about yours. How bad can they possibly be?

Remus hesitated. Okay... but promise you won't laugh.

I promise.

All right. Remus bit his lip and sat back on his heels, unsure of where to begin. Well... you already know the basic facts - my dad's a wizard, my mum's a Muggle, I have two elder brothers and a younger sister.

How did your parents meet? Sirius prompted.

At a bookshop in Nice -

Are we talking France?

Yes, Sirius. Remus couldn't suppress a giggle. I thought you knew I was French.

Yeah, but I figured your ancestors moved here hundreds of years ago....

Not the case. Like I was saying, they met in a bookshop and ended up at a cafe down the street, chatting about books. They both like to read very much. They ended up dating seriously, and got married a year later. My father told my mother he was a wizard when they became engaged, but she wasn't as surprised as you'd think - her best friend had married a wizard right out of school. Anyway. A year after the wedding, my eldest brother Guillaume was born.

Sirius nodded vigorously, recalling a visit to Remus' house the previous summer. The one with the longish hair and the earrings? Always smokes those God-awful, stinky French cigarettes?

He's the one. He's ten years older than I am. Henri was born the very next year. Around that time, my parents decided to move to England. So they did, and I was born here, and so was my sister Serena. And that's pretty much it.

Not yet, Sirius argued. Come on, tell me more. What about aunties, uncles, cousins? What about holidays? D'you ever see your relatives?

Remus surrendered. I do have an auntie, my father's sister Beatrice. She's married to my uncle Nicholas, but they never had any children, and I suppose it's too late now. My mother had a brother, uncle Paul, but he died even before my parents met - he was in an automobile accident. And my grandmamma still lives in France. She lives in Nice with my auntie and uncle, in a chateau my grandpappa built for her when they were married. My parents take us over to visit during the holidays. Mostly we go for Christmas, but a few times we had to reschedule and go during the summer because of... well, you know.

Sirius decided to side-step the sensitive wolf issue. Who else is magic in your family? Besides you and your siblings, I mean.

Everyone on my father's side. Dad and Auntie and Grandmamma and all the rest went to Beauxbatons. But most of my relatives are dead, and one's missing... my father had a cousin, Pierre Lupin, who moved to Canada, but disappeared along the way and was never heard from again. Nobody knows what happened to him.

Sirius said. Do your brothers have any kids?

None that we know of, Remus answered. Gill is always pretty careful, he's just that kind of guy - but Henri probably has a few children running around that he doesn't know about. It's all right with me. I think I'm a little young to be an uncle.

Sirius nuzzled Remus' neck. What's it like, going to France? Is it nice there?

Remus said.

Can I come visit with you sometime?

Of course. But you'll need to give your manners a good polish. Auntie and Grandmamma are death on bad manners. Especially at dinnertime. We always have a traditional French dinner - seven courses, including a cheese course - every night... you know, the kind where you use about ten different kinds of forks and you're not allowed to speak unless spoken to and even the kids drink wine.

Yikes. But then, I always thought you looked a little pudgy after you came back from the holidays.

I don't eat that much. It's not as bad as you think, though. I like doing everything the traditional way - it's like I'm getting in touch with family history.

Do you even have a chandelier?

Of course. Grandmamma's chateau is absolutely gorgeous. It has so many rooms, even I haven't seen all of them.

Sirius whistled softly. Blimey. Hey, I've always wondered - do they eat French toast and French dressing there?

Yes. But we don't call them that. It's just toast and dressing. My uncle is a wonderful cook. He's actually a chef at a hotel in Nice - one of the best in France.

Wow. What does the rest of your family do?

Well. Dad's a professor at the wizarding college in London - he teaches a literature course. You'd be surprised, really, on how many significant writings witches and wizards have produced over the centuries. It's a fascinating topic, really. But judging from the look on Sirius' face, he obviously didn't think so. Mum just likes to stay home and take care of the house and us kids, but since Serena and I are at school for most of the year, she got herself a part-time job at a dressmaker's shop. She trims hats and the like - she's very talented. Gill works for a builder, but he's trying to make a living as a writer. He's gotten a few stories published. Henri's living in France now; he moved there after graduating from Hogwarts. He's on the Quiberon Quafflepunchers, you know.

What position does he play?

Chaser. He was a reserve player for awhile, but got to join the main team last year after Francois Dumarche retired.

I see. Is he any good?

Obviously, as he's joined a national-level Quidditch team, Remus said, rolling his eyes. My uncle is a professor as well, at Beauxbatons. He teaches History of Magic. And my auntie's a painter. He smiled softly. They're all very talented, he said quietly. I love them all so much.

Sirius squeezed Remus' hand. How were they? he asked softly. Your family? When... when you were bitten? If it's not too painful to ask?

Remus squeezed back, his heart sinking slightly at the question. He hated discussing his lycanthropy, but Sirius looked so concerned, he couldn't say no. It's not, and they were very good, he whispered. Well, as good as they could have been, considering their youngest son was now a werewolf. He sniffled. I was bitten when I was only four, on a trip to the Black Forest with my family... it wasn't my parents' fault, I just wandered away... when the werewolf got me, I screamed loud enough to wake the dead, nearly... my father came running and fought it off with a big stick... I can't remember much else. I think I fainted. But ever since then, they've tried so hard to comfort me and make me feel better. He could feel tears pricking at his eyelids. There's nothing else they can do when it happens but lock me in the cellar... but when it's over... my mother's always there by my side, cleaning me up and bandaging me and telling me she loves me... my father, too... I.... The tears leaked down his cheeks. My family - my parents, my brothers and sister, my auntie and uncle and grandmamma - are the only ones, besides you and James and Peter, who have never been afraid of me...

Sirius pulled Remus into a hug. He kissed the tip of his boyfriend's nose before licking the tears from his cheeks. Remus drew a long, shuddery breath. It was silent for a while, as Remus calmed down. When he finally had control of himself, he placed a shy kiss on Sirius' cheek. Thank you.

Sirius murmured. I love you.

I love you, too. Remus snuggled deeper into Sirius' hug. You know what else we've named after the French?

No, what?

The French kiss, Remus whispered. He leaned up slightly to kiss Sirius, slipping his tongue between his boyfriend's lips, tangling his fingers in Sirius' hair. Sirius kissed back, though he was surprised - he had done as he had promised, never pushing Remus into a decision regarding their relationship, never asking to go further than hand-holds and light, almost formal closed-mouth kisses. But here Remus was, doing something so utterly amazing and arousing. Sirius' heart seemed to skip a beat. He knew Remus loved him, but this was the first time in two months he'd done anything that made it clear the thought of sex wasn't disgusting to him, as Sirius had thought.

Finally, they pulled apart, gasping for air. Sirius stared at Remus, wide-eyed. He pushed his hair out of his eyes, but made no attempt to hide the bulge in his trousers.

Remus giggled. I'm glad you liked it, he said, smiling.

You bet I did.

I can tell, Remus smirked, looking down. Sirius blushed, but still made no move to cover the evidence of his enjoyment.

You keep kissing me like that, and you'll have to get used to it. He paused. Do they call that a French kiss in France?

No. It's just a kiss. Remus' smirk widened. Shall I demonstrate again?

By all means, yes, Sirius grinned. I love you, you wolf.

J'adore, ma chien. Remus replied, pushing Sirius back on the pillows and kissing him again.

-The End-

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(A/N: I liked Alcohol and Moonlight' so much, I wanted to write a sequel. Then I thought up an idea for a sequel to the sequel. So I've decided to write a trilogy! Who can resist a trilogy telling how Sirius and Remus became mates? If you didn't read Alcohol and Moonlight', you should. It might help you clear up any confusion you might have over how Sirius and Remus ended up together. (You may also notice this version is not the same as the one I wrote in The Marauders At Hogwarts', but I have such fun thinking up different ways of how Sirius and Remus ended up getting together.)

ANNOUNCEMENT! For all the fans of Black', I am planning a SEQUEL. Yes, you heard me. A SEQUEL. Spread the word! It's under construction! The title I'm planning on is The Haunted'. I know it sounds dumb, but once you begin reading you'll see why I named it that. Keep your eyes peeled!

Stay tuned for the last installment of the trilogy - it will be called Learning To Fly'. Thanks for reading, please review!)