Title: Chasing Love

Disclaimer: Artwork is Sweet's Beast by BTRumple ( btrumple. deviantart art/ Sweet-s-Beast- 319003823)

Rating: M

Warnings: No werewolves have been hurt in the making of this fic. :)

Chapter Eight: Special

Sirius and Remus scrambled to their feet, nearly tripping over each other in their haste. Neither of them could stop looking at Walburga Black as the colour of her face steadily rose. Remus was strongly reminded of all the cartoons he'd watched as a child, where an angry red flush would shoot up like a barometer until the cat or dog would always blow. And blow Walburga Black did:

'YOU FILTHY LITTLE SODOMITE! Is there no limit to the constant wave of shame you bring to me and this family?' She screamed, spittle flying everywhere. Her outburst had shocked everyone into silence, even Remus's nosy relatives. Yet, she seemed completely uncaring of the wide-eyed stares she was receiving. 'They have all been telling me about your trysts; about the LITTLE FAGGOT SLUT that you've become, but I thought surely not! Surely, my eldest son, the heir to the house of my fathers would not go so far as to DEFILE OUR PUREBLOOD NAME!'

Walburga Black paced in little circles, glaring at Sirius so hard that even Remus flinched. One of Remus's younger cousins had started to cry.

'What will I tell people when they ask me about you, Sirius? What will I tell them when they mock the Black name and the UNWORTHY MONGREL THAT IT HAS PRODUCED? Are you testing my patience, Sirius?' She asked rounding in on her son, her eyes boring into his. They were grey, just like Sirius's, but held nothing but contempt and spite. 'I had forgiven you for being sorted into Gryffindor,' her lip curled as if she'd said something truly disgusting, 'overlooked your PATHETIC PLEAS FOR ATTENTION as you wreaked havoc in school. I had come to Hogwarts to have Dumbledore put a stop to all the VILE SLANDER that has been coming forth about your VULGAR HABITS, only to come here and find you here with this boy…'

Remus opened his mouth to retaliate, when he caught Sirius's look of warning and let his mouth snap shut again. Out of the corner of his eye, Remus saw John Lupin coming forward to intervene but was held back by William's hand on his shoulder. It was wise perhaps, not to agitate the woman any further. Remus knew that William held a strict policy against interfering in other people's businesses. Remus respected it; yet, he couldn't help but hope that John would knock her down a peg or two. Sirius was yet to say anything, only staring at her with eyes that slowly changed from fear to an unreadable expression. His gaze was hardening as he took in her constant onslaught of verbal abuse, not so much as flinching even as she nearly spat at him. Had it been Remus's parents humiliating him in such a way, Remus knew that he would have broken down and cried.

Too much. It was too much.

Unable to do much else, Remus reached out for Sirius's hand and held it tightly within his. It was a foolish thing to do and Remus realised it immediately when Walburga's eyes locked on their intertwined hands and her face twisted into an ugly sneer.

'I want to talk to this child's mother,' she barked, jabbing her finger into Remus's face.

Remus stared back defiantly, further tightening his hold on Sirius's hand. He was just about to tell her where she could fuck off to, when William spoke up:

'You can talk to me if you like, Mrs. Black,' William's voice was tight as if battling to keep civil. 'Though I'm sure there isn't much to discuss.'

'I asked for his mother,' Walburga dismissed. 'My son has been swayed and I want this child as far as possible from my son. Men are weak this way. Bring me his mother,' she ordered as if Remus's mother was something you found off a shelf in the supermarket.

William's jaw tightened and Remus could tell by the way his fists clenched that he was having a hard time suppressing his anger. He was the calmer member of Remus's family – rational and usually very compromising but even the way the Lupin clan held their breath, it was obvious that Walburga Black was treading on very thin ice. 'Remus has no mother,' William replied coldly, his arms crossing across his chest as he looked Mrs. Black hard in the face. 'He lives with us.' William punctuated this by taking hold of John's hand, mimicking the way Remus held Sirius's.

Mrs. Black's face turned purple, practically ballooning from anger. For a second, Remus was sure she would whip out her wand and curse everyone in sight out of pure spite. She didn't, much to everyone's surprise. She simply shrugged and then held out her hand in gesture, 'Come, Sirius, I will not condone staying in company of these freaks a second longer. You will be taken home and you shall stay there until your Father and I can arrange for a place in Beauxbatons.'

Sirius's voice was shaky as he spoke for the first time since Walburga Black's arrival, 'No.'

'Sirius,' Mrs. Black bit angrily, 'do not anger me any further. You will do as I say without protest.'

'NO!' Sirius screamed, moving away when his mother tried to reach for him. 'Enough already! Transferring me or locking me up in that fucking house won't stop me from being your disgusting little disappointment of a son! It will not change me or reform me into whatever puppet you've pictured in your bloody head! Don't you fucking get it?' Sirius held up his and Remus's joint hands, 'I'm in love with hi-'

Mrs. Black's hand descended hard onto the side of Sirius's skull.

Several things happened at once. Blood spurted from Sirius's lip split and he fell against Remus, still reeling from the shock of being hit. Remus cried out loudly, holding Sirius protectively to his chest should Mrs. Black decide to come at him again. There were several cries of outrage but none louder than John Lupin who put himself between Sirius and Walburga, pushing the woman roughly at the shoulders.

'Get out!' He growled, pushing her hard again when she came forward. This time, William did nothing to stop him and watched with an almost sick sense of satisfaction. 'Get out of my house this minute before I tear you to shreds!'

Walburga Black pulled out her wand and pointed it threateningly at John. 'Do not talk to me as if you are…' her voice died out when John closed his fist around the tip of her wand and broke it cleanly down the middle. He threw part of it on the ground where it rolled to her feet, crackling with magic before dying out completely.

'I don't care if you're the Queen herself,' John grit out, 'but don't ever think you can raise a hand to your child, least of all in my house. I'm asking you civilly, Mrs. Black, to fuckoff.'

Remus's relatives actually broke out into applause. It would have been embarrassing if Remus hadn't been feeling extremely proud of his father that very moment. He watched as Mrs. Black squared off her shoulders and tried to pick herself up from the humiliation of having been slandered by someone she considered lower than herself. Remus had been expecting her to say something dramatic such as, 'you will regret this till the dayyou die, Lupin' or 'you will all burn'.But she kept silent as she pushed past the crowd of relatives that was now hissing and spitting back insults as she passed.

She stopped fleetingly at the doorway, her eyes still fixed to the front. 'Sirius,' she said calmly, pulling her black cloak tighter around her collar so that it swished rhythmically. 'You have an hour to realise you mistakes and come home. Should you fail, consider yourself disowned. The House of Black has no place for blood traitors who dabble in lesser filth.'

Everyone watched her leave with unconcealed looks of disgust, before William Lupin shooed the rest of the Lupin and Ryder clan out of the room with an overused call of, 'show's over…nothing left to see here…' Most protested, as nosy relatives were wont to do, but they left under William's insistence over privacy. Remus was thankful, yet again, for having parents that while tactless most of the time, were generally sensitive when the situation required.

'Sirius,' John Lupin turned to them, eyes hard, 'we need to talk.'

'Are you going to ask me about my intentions with Remus again?' Sirius supplied with a weak grin.

John grimaced. 'Hopefully, I'll get better answers.' He glanced awkwardly at the closed door, wondering if Remus and Willy had their ears pressed against it in an attempt to listen in. William generally had a decent respect for privacy, but John wouldn't put it past Remus. He craved for the days when Remus had been younger, wide eyed and innocent. Days before his son had been corrupted by black haired boys and a grey eyed devil.

Sirius fidgeted, looking at his shoes. 'Mr. Lupin, I-'

'John,' John interrupted, 'you can call me John but nothing more. Not dad or Johnny-boy, or any other ridiculous name you come up with.

'Yes, dad,' Sirius replied cheekily.

John glared. He was trying, Merlin damn it, he was trying his hardest to be good to the boy because he felt sorry for the little chap and also because he knew that this was important to Remus. Coming from a horrendous woman like that, John was surprised how close to normal Sirius seemed. He purposely stared at the boy to make him uncomfortable and was surprised when Sirius continued to look at him curiously, barely intimidated. John wondered how much of a failure he was as a parent if he could not even perfect his Big Daddy glare. Perhaps it wasn't John but the boy, who wasn't as normal as he had first thought.

'Sirius,' John spoke finally, 'have you slept with Remus yet?'

Sirius broke out into a fit of coughs. 'I thought you were going to ask me about my mother?'

John shrugged. 'Have you?'

'Yes. It was mutual!' Sirius explained quickly.

John felt a vein on his temple throb. 'I would expect so.' He rubbed his face, wishing once again for a time when things were easier. 'Sirius, what do you plan to do now?'

'Well, John, I got shot down this time but I suppose the right thing to do is take responsibility and ask Remus to marry me after school.'

The vein throbbed harder. 'I meant, about your situation at home, Sirius. You have been given an ultimatum by your…mother,´John's face involuntarily curled into a sneer. He didn't miss the apprehensive glance Sirius shot towards their wall clock. Twenty minutes left. Tick tock. 'And for Merlin's sake, don't make a ridiculous proposal like that ever again. Aunt Malory will be spinning fanciful tales about it for years.'

'Moony told me you proposed to William in a bathroom cubicle,' Sirius shot back.

'Those were conservative times.' John grumbled.

'In a gay bar?'

John waved it off, though he could feel a betraying flush creeping up his neck. He would have to talk to Remus later about family secrets and pride. He noticed Sirius glancing at the clock again and sighed heavily. 'Sirius, I need you to tell me the truth right now; has that woman hit you before or is this…?'

Sirius looked away, cocky grin disappearing quickly. 'She didn't hit me that hard. It's barely a cause for concern.' His eyes shifted towards the clock again. Eighteen minutes.

John looked doubtful. 'Sirius, if she's done this before then I need to report her to-'

Sirius burst out laughing. It was bitter, almost pathetic and John felt another twinge of sympathy for the boy. 'With all due respect, John, the Ministry doesn't give a shit. Pureblood parenting methods are quite…liberal. Why do you think our houses are equipped with dungeons? Old traditions die hard, though I must say; the days when they drove stakes through our kidneys are long gone.' He shook his head and fixed his hair. 'I'm sorry, Mr. Lupin, but can I be excused? I want to see Remus now.' Another glance at the clock. Fifteen minutes.

'Don't go back,' John stated, ignoring Sirius's question. He was watching the clock just as avidly as Sirius, though he was counting down the amount of time he would have to stall Sirius to save him from that horrendous family of his. John hated people like the Blacks – deplored them with an unrivaled hatred. 'Perhaps it is not my place to say, but don't go back. I'll give Harold Potter a call explaining the circumstances. He'll arrange for your things and perhaps even a place to stay.'

Sirius glanced at the clock again. Eleven minutes.

'Sirius,' John broke his reverie sternly. 'Don't go back.'

'I want to see Remus,' Sirius repeated, as if pretending not to have heard John. 'I don't want to answer any more questions. I don't want to talk about my feelings or any such thing. I just want to see Remus.'

John fought not to give in to the desperation in Sirius's voice, but he'd never been good at feelings and emotions, or even confrontation. It struck him that perhaps he should have left it to William to do this instead. John hadn't been prepared for an actual talk. He'd merely been trying to stop Sirius from going back or perhaps doing something foolish. He'd also been trying to protect his son from bearing the emotional burden of a child who had clearly been through more than he was currently letting on. The protective side of him didn't want Remus involved in any of this. But there was also a rational side of him that explained that anyone important to Remus was also important to him. It sounded disturbingly like William.

John glanced at the clock. Seven minutes. 'Sirius, perhaps you…' He trailed off when he noticed that Sirius was shaking. The boy's fists were clenched on top of his knees as if trying to assume some semblance of control, but his whole body was trembling. John could even map out the painful swallow of his Adam's apple. Sirius's eyes were now fixed solely on the clock, no longer bothering to be discrete.

'Please, I really need to see Remus.'

Five minutes.

Unable to take anymore, John stood up, positioning himself in front of Sirius and blocking his view of the clock. He put both hands on Sirius's shoulder, firm weight keeping the boy from looking at the time. Sirius looked up at him and his eyes, John thought, at that very moment looked like dirty smudges behind the fill of unshed tears. Sirius looked exactly as he was – a child;just a small, small, helpless boy who didn't understand what he'd done that was so horribly wrong.

Shit,was John's last thought as he pulled Sirius into a hug, wondering how he was suppose to stop the barrage of tears that was soaking his shirt. Muffled sobs pressed against his chest, trying to bury the wails of a child who was clearly in a world of pain. John didn't know how to fix this and it made him feel inadequate. So he held Sirius for as long as it was needed and even afterwards when Sirius moved away and wiped his eyes, embarrassed.

Don't tell Remus,Sirius would plea and John would make it a promise.

'Oi, Snivellus!' Sirius called out with a grin before having the Slytherin boy trip straight into a bowl full of chocolate pudding. The Gryffindor table roared with laughter as James clapped Sirius on the back. They were whispering with a glint in their eyes and Remus had no doubt that they were plotting their next cruel prank on Snape.

Remus couldn't help the frown that passed over his face, nor the spark of anger that came from Sirius's behaviour. Remus hated how insensitive Sirius could be some time; hated how easy it was for Sirius to forget the consequences of the Whomping Willow Prank just because Remus had forgiven him. He wondered when Snape would finally snap and abandon the promise he'd made to Dumbledore to keep Remus's condition a secret. Sometimes Remus caught those malicious black eyes on him almost as if in warning and he found himself almost scared.

Remus understood of course, why Sirius and James did what they did. He understood that James was only spiteful of Snape because of Lily Evans. It was a byproduct of childish jealousy. Sirius had many motivations behind his pranks. Sometimes, he did it for attention – any kind of attention, it didn't matter. He craved to be seen by his parents, even if it was just as a nuisance. Sometimes he did it out of spite, an outlet to have others experience the same amount of pain and suffering that he went through. Sirius hated the Slytherins for being what he could not. Most times, Remus reckoned, Sirius played pranks just because it was fun and liberating. Those pranks were mostly harmless, but would, without fail, always have Remus on his knees scrubbing the second floor toilet while trying to ignore Sirius making lewd cock jokes.

Remus also knew that Sirius was only acting out because of his situation at home. Almost an entire week had passed since Walburga Black's unannounced visit to the Lupin home and not a single letter had come for Sirius. No howlers, no customary envelopes of useless money, not even a request for transfer from Hogwarts. It was almost as if Sirius had never existed as part of the Black family. The Slytherins weren't making things much easier. Added to their jibes of 'faggot' and 'poofter' were now 'blood traitor' and 'Black mongrel'.

It hurt Remus just as much as it probably did Sirius, but that didn't keep him from getting angry as Sirius aimed yet another malicious cutting spell towards Regulus. It was yet another to add to the list of displaying Snape's underpants to the world, stringing Goyle by his trousers to the banister, setting a Kelpie behind Malfoy, and many others. Before he knew what he was doing, Remus had got off his seat and stuck his face into Sirius's, snarling, 'Stopit,Sirius.' His hand closed around Sirius's wrist tightly, keeping his wand at bay. 'You've had enough fun,don't you think?'

James stopped laughing.

Sirius raised an eyebrow and shot a shit-eating grin that made Remus's blood boil. 'Make me,' he replied cockily, other hand straying to grope Remus's arse. Right in the middle of the Great Hall. Very, very tight.

It was Marauder Rule #33. Sirius should have known it all too well by now. He should have known that you should never, ever, under any circumstances fuel Moony's anger. Not unless you wanted a face full of Moony's fist. Not unless you wanted to end up in the Hospital Wing trying to grow back two of your front teeth, while being bed mates with the unconscious boy who had made the mistake of yelling out that Remus threw fists like a girl.

Remus would have done a lot more with his girly fists if James SaintPotter hadn't stopped him. A lotmore, he reckons.

'Moony,' Sirius called out, peering out the gap in his bed curtains towards the figure lying in the opposite bed. 'Moony,' he tried again, when Remus's back stayed turned as if asleep. Sirius knew he wasn't asleep of course. He had spent enough time creepily watching Remus sleep to know the difference. 'Moony, I'm cold,' Sirius whined, hoping to elicit some sort of sympathy from his lover. All he gained for his efforts was a badly aimed pillow to his head and a 'shut it, you stupid mutt,' from James.

Sirius stuck out his tongue despite knowing James couldn't see him. He shot another needy look towards Remus's turned back before crawling out of bed. His bare feet moved quickly across the stone floors to avoid the cold that burned his skin. His pyjama sleeves swished against his wrists, as he pushed back Remus's curtains fully and climbed under the sheets. A quick wandless spell pulled the curtains shut again and Sirius pressed his freezing body against Remus's much warmer one.

Apart from the slight shiver, Sirius's presence was ignored.

'Moony,' Sirius nudged his nose against the back of Remus's neck, his arms wrapping tightly around Remus's waist as he did so. He was hit by a sudden epiphany that he acted quite a bit like his Animagus counterpart and wondered if it was a cause or a consequence. He quickly dismissed the idea when he found that Remus was still not paying him any mind. 'Moony,' he hummed against Remus's skin, pushing his face further in. It smelled lovely – like boyboyboyand cheap shampoo that Remus had chosen only because it smelled the least flowery and poncey out of the lot. He smelled delectable, Sirius reckoned, so he bit into Remus's shoulder. Softly at first and then hard when he realised it really did taste as wonderful as he thought.

'Ow! Bloody hell, Sirius!' Remus cried out, pushing Sirius off him and rubbing his sore shoulder. He glared, amber eyes shining bright in the darkness. 'Just put on a warming charm and get out of my bed!'

'You were ignoring me,' Sirius stated the obvious, throwing in a pout that he hoped was adorable.

'Take a hint,' Remus replied. 'Damn it, I think I'm bleeding.'

Remus was bleeding; Sirius could taste a bitter tang in his mouth where his unfinished front teeth had cut. They were sharper than normal and Sirius ran his tongue over them, wondering if he should ask Madam Pomfrey to file them tomorrow. 'Don't ignore me, too,' Sirius said softly, hating how vulnerable he sounded when he'd meant for it to come as a jest. He wondered if he'd look okay if he shot a last minute grin.

Remus's glare softened. 'I wasn't…' He sighed. 'Padfoot, I was just angry. I understand that things aren't entirely easy for you at the moment, but can't you just…I don't know, maybe tone it down a little?'

Sirius felt a slight twinge of guilt but tried not to show it too much. Remus always did this. Always made James and Sirius feel guilty for things that weren't really all that dangerous. All right, maybe just a little dangerous, but certainly not as cruel.

'Padfoot,' Remus placed a hand on Sirius's cheek. 'You know that I'm here, don't you?'

It was weird. The feeling that was bubbling forth inside – like helium filling his stomach and making him float. Sirius had known all along, hadn't he? He'd known that Remus loved him, cared for him, would never leave him no matter how many ugly sides of Sirius would be revealed. He'd known, yet it was almost as if he'd been waiting for Remus to say those exact words since the beginning of this whole fiasco.

Sirius felt those horrid tears threatening to spill again and he did what he (fortunately) could not with John Lupin to hide them: he kissed Remus. Kissed him like there was no tomorrow, climbing on top of him and burying both hands deep into light brown hair. It felt a bit disjointed when Remus's tongue ran over his still growing front teeth, pushing deeper into Sirius's mouth and exploring every ridge and bump that met its path. It was slow and careful, and Sirius felt some of the urgency to hide leave him. He let Remus flip them over, settling just on top of Sirius's hips so that Sirius could feel how every flick oh his tongue and every moan elicited reactions from Remus just down below. He could feel the push of his own erection against his pyjama bottoms and vaguely wondered if he had anymore clean ones left.

Remus smiled at him. 'All right?' He asked, his fingers purposely tracing down Sirius's neck his collarbone; circling his nipples as it passed his chest and stomach. The light pressure of nails had Sirius's breath speeding up, biting back a moan. They hadn't put up any silencing charms yet and Sirius hoped to Merlin Remus would remember, because his limbs had already turned to useless jelly.

He muffled another gasp when Remus's head went down in time with his pants. Sirius's eyes rolled back to his head as a warm mouth closed on his erection. 'Shit,' he whispered as Remus's tongue licked a long stripe over the underside and then took him in entirely, sucking hard. 'Shit, shit, shit,' he scrambled for Remus's wand on the bedside table, one hand keeping a steady hand on Remus's bobbing head to keep thefuckgoing.His hand shook as he cast a hasty Silencing spell, only to let out a loud moan of discontent when Remus's mouth disappeared. He opened his eyes, only to see Remus staring back at him, eyes blown out to black. His cheeks were flushed pink and his lips were parted, glistening from spit and pre-cum. Sirius had never wanted to kiss him more.

'You're fucking beautiful; did I ever tell you that?'

'Don't be a twat,' Remus laughed, shielding his face with his hair.

Sirius was just about to tell Remus that he was also bloody gorgeous, but found his words caught in his throat when he felt Remus's opening press against the tip of his cock. His eyes widened in shock and her stared stupidly, as Remus threw his head back and pushed all the way in. 'Fuck, that's hot,' he whispered, mouth going dry as he was overcome by the urge to lick a long stripe up the smooth column of Remus's neck. Pale, so blissfully pale that it looked luminescent.

Remus moaned softly, when one of Sirius's hands came up to massage his cock while the other ran up and down his left thigh. 'Please,' Sirius begged, his hips already starting to cant on their own, desperately trying to gain the friction he was yet to grown accustomed to. It was so, sofucking tight and hot and wet;and when Remus finally did start moving, Sirius felt as if he was in fuckingheaven. His toes curled into the sheets and he was so impossibly hard inside Remus's body, fuelled by the keening sounds the werewolf made every time Sirius's cock hit his prostate.

'Sirius,' Remus breathed, sweat dripping off his forehead and as rode Sirius faster. 'I'm…I'm going to-'

Sirius's hand on Remus's cock sped up, wanting them to come together. It was Remus's voice that undid him – that soft keening sound as hot spurts of come spread between them. Their foreheads were pressed together, Sirius's hand still work on Remus's cock until it became soft. He felt a certain sense of loss when Remus pulled away, but kept his eyes trailed on the sliver of white that ran down the back of Remus's thighs. Hot, was his last thought as Remus spelled them both clean.

'Hot,' Sirius voiced his monosyllabic thoughts.

Remus hid his face in Sirius's neck, his chest pressing into Sirius's side, forcing Sirius's arms to wrap around him. 'You were complaining about being cold a minute ago.'

'Hush,' Sirius mock chided, slapping Remus on the bum. He bit his lips when the urge to do it again ran through him. He pushed the thought back, cataloguing it for another day. 'Thank you,' he put in as an afterthought, 'for…you know…'

Remus shrugged and they stayed quiet for a while, basking in the afterglow. Then Remus spoke, 'Padfoot, I know that there is a lot that I can't do for you. I can't bring you your family back or stop them from going into the Dark Arts. I'm helpless most of the time, but that doesn't mean I won't try to at least make things better.' Remus put a hand on Sirius's mouth to stop him from talking. 'I also know that sometimes you feel…inadequate…that we'll…I'll leave you, but those thoughts are really just bollocks and you shouldn't think about them too much because I love you.'

Sirius shook his head. 'They're not bollocks to me.'

Remus sighed exasperatedly. 'Padfoot, do you remember the first time you kissed me? Do you remember the reason you gave me for doing so?'

Sirius smiled, nodding.

'Yeah,' Remus smiled back. 'Ditto, mate.' A sudden yawn escaped him, eyes closing into thin slits.

Sirius watched him, feeling a sudden overwhelming love for him. He bit into the soft flesh of Remus's upper arm, gently this time. He wondered if it was okay to love someone this much, or if he'd crossed some kind of invisible line that dictated what was appropriate and not. He kissed Remus's shoulder this time and pressed his face into it, thinking that maybe it was okay to fall asleep like that.

'Padfoot?'

'Mm?' Sirius mumbled softly, the warmth of Remus's skin making him drowsy. His eyes drooped a little before looking back up. 'What is it?'

'Do you still have that silly plastic ring?' Remus put up his left hand, wiggling his ring finger playfully.

He had that sort of cheeky grin that Sirius absolutely loved. Sleep forgotten, Sirius used Remus's wand to summon the ring out of the back pocket of his old trousers. It looked about as cheap as Sirius last remembered it – a transparent shade of red and missing that bit of hard candy on top because it had been Sirius's favourite flavor. Sirius was almost ashamed of himself for using it, but time had been short and he'd been desperate.

Remus pushed his ring finger through it, wincing when it proved to be too small and got stuck just above his knuckle. When Sirius raised an eyebrow, he simply chuckled softly and snuggled back into the bed. 'Until you get me a real one.'

Remus hears the door to the Astronomy Tower slide open and he curses, when he realises it is Sirius Fucking Black. It is as if there is no escaping from the Black boy, who has set a Vendetta against Remus for no particular reason except that he thinks it's all a right laugh. Everywhere Remus goes, the Black boy is there, turning Remus's legs to jelly or making him grow little puppy ears or turning his hair pink. Remus just wants to fit in. He's dreamed of coming to Hogwarts for years; made himself believe that he would never get the chance because he was disfigured, but he had gotten the chance. And now, he just wanted to be like everyone else. He wanted to be a normal little boy.

Just a normal little boy.

But Sirius Black had to come along and make him into the butt of jokes instead. Remus didn't understand why he had to be the target. Was it because Sirius had found out Remus had two fathers? Or was it something Remus wasn't aware of, like body odour or funny hair or maybe wonky knees.

'Go away!' Remus yells, secretly trying to wipe his tears without Black noticing. 'Why can't you leave me alone for a single second of the day? Just fucking go away for fifteen minutes and then you can turn my nails green or whatever the hell you want!' Remus sniffs, cursing himself as another fresh bout of tears spills from his eyes. He feels so pathetic and quickly turns away to hide his shame.

'Why are you crying?'

'I'm not…' Remus sniffles, moving away when Black comes to sit beside him. 'I have pollen allergies…' He sounds pathetic even to himself.

'There are no flowers here,' Sirius states, looking around as if he actually expects some to sprout magically under their feet.

He shifts closer to Remus again. It is an endless cycle. Remus moves away and Sirius keep moving closer, until Remus's side is pressed to the wall and there is no where left to move. He is trapped and Sirius is pressed against him like paper glue. Their elbows and knees bump against each other awkwardly. The silence is horrible too, because Remus is waiting for Sirius's next move. What will it be this time – overgrown nose hair, bat wings, or bushy eyebrows?

Then Sirius sighs heavily and speaks, 'Look, I didn't think you were going to cry-'

'I'm not crying!' Remus argues adamantly, despite the flood of tears now falling unbidden from his face. He scolds himself internally for being so emotional; he is eleven years old for Merlin's sake. 'And if you feel so bad about it then why do you keep pulling pranks on me? Do you know how hard it is to find counter spells? My hair still has bits of pink in it and I had to hide that tail in my robes for months!'

'I-I-' Sirius bites his lip and looks away towards his shoes. 'I only prank the people I like,' he supplies as an explanation.

Remus blinks and tilts his head in confusion. 'So…so, you actually like Snape?' he asks curiously. Sirius is blushing brightly now and wringing his hands into knots.

Sirius blanches in disgust. 'Hell no! That's not the same thing!'

'But you prank him all the time, too…' Remus reasoned, his voice still coming a little watery despite having already curbed the worst of it. He wipes his eyes with the back of his hand and looks at Sirius again, eyes wide and incredibly amber. It makes Sirius nervous, but Remus doesn't know this.

'I like you,' Sirius repeats again. 'Not like how I like James or chocolate or calling McGonagall stupid nicknames behind her back. I LIKE you.' When it is obvious that Remus is clearly not getting it; Sirius huffs in annoyance. Before Remus can do anything, Sirius leans in and plants a chaste kiss on Remus's cheek, leaving only a bit of slobber where he licked his lips from nervousness.

'You kissed me!' Remus exclaims, pressing a shocked hand to his cheek. No had ever kissed him on the cheek before except his family. His eyes are wide as he stares at a quickly reddening Sirius. 'Why did you kiss me?'

Sirius rolls his eyes, faking an air of nonchalance, even though he is clearly starting to feel uncomfortable. His face already resembles very closely to a tomato and he is just barely keeping himself from stuttering. 'I told you, you're special.'

The End

And it's over! Yay! Thank you for sticking with me for so long and dropping in lovely reviews! They are much appreciated and have always encouraged me to write more. Can someone also tell me why the site is taking liberties with formatting and stringing all italic sentences together. Ugh. Anyway, thank you again for everything and until the next time…cheers!