It was late when Remus returned to Gryffindor Tower, past curfew, but Remus hadn't been a prefect and a marauder for seven years for nothing. He knew the secret places to go for quiet when he needed to study, and the sneakiest ways to get from point A to point B even without the map they'd lost to Filch just last month. Lately, his revising had suffered enough that he'd sworn to buckle down for at least an evening, and he had sent James off with Sirius, who had finally begun to emerge from his blue funk and announce that he was devoting the last of his time at Hogwarts to nothing but mischief and/or pleasure in whatever combinations they presented themselves.

Although he was more than ready for a nice long kip in his comfortable bed, he reveled in the ease with which he navigated the halls, his body having finally settled down to more usual rhythms after the last full moon. He knew full well that it was the promise of James' words that had comforted him, even though he felt without a doubt that it wasn't right, that James was compromising his own happiness and long-held dreams for Remus. The guilt was getting harder and harder to live with, and Remus had been considering what to do about it for days.

He tried to push the thoughts aside for the moment, climbing through the portrait hole and glancing around the common room to see if anyone was still awake. Peter was curled up on one end of the sofa in front of the fireplace, fingers caught between the leaves of his Potion book. He almost woke him, but decided that he looked comfortable enough as he was, so Remus stole quietly past him and up the long flight of stairs to their dorm. As he neared the top landing, Sirius' voice floated down the stairwell.

"...can't keep this up, Prongs!"

James must have been further away from the door because Remus couldn't make out his reply. His sense of honor lost out to curiosity, and he crept silently up the last few steps, stopping on the landing to listen.

"It's going to end badly. You know it is!"

Again, James' reply was muffled, but a loud thud on the door made Remus take a startled step back. He quickly moved to an alcove in the far corner of the landing and pressed against the wall.

"I won't keep it down! No one can hear us all the way up here. You're just trying to avoid the subject."

Sirius must have hit the door. It wouldn't be the first time he'd taken his frustration out on inanimate objects.

"Do you really know what you're doing? Really?"

Remus cautiously took a step closer, wanting to hear James' side of the conversation.

"...better for it to happen now...going to tear him up when...never been happier..."

Sirius must have begun pacing because his voice was fading in and out. Remus took another step forward.

"...know she wants you...even spoken to me about it...don't give me that..."

Completely throwing his scruples to the wind, Remus pressed his ear to the door.

"You say it's only prefect rounds, but Prongs." Sirius' voice indicated what he thought of that claim.

"Think what you like!"

Remus' heart stuttered as he finally heard James speak.

"We were just talking!"

"Not what it looked like to me."

The blood drained from his face, and Remus went cold, his insides burning with an acidic surge.

"What did it look like, then?" It sounded as if James was speaking through gritted teeth. He sounded furious, and Remus hoped Sirius would tread carefully. It was a futile wish, of course.

"It looked like the two of you were very cozy. It looked like she was ready to have it off with you right there in the corridor, and you didn't look too unwilling!"

"I wouldn't do that to Moony! Fuck you, if you think I would!"

Sirius seemed to realize he'd gone too far because his voice changed, became placating. "Prongs..."

"No! Sod off, Black. Keep your fucking opinions to yourself because I don't want to hear them anymore!"

A door slammed and Remus heard the door resound in a loud thud again. He wasted no time making his way back down to the common room. In the end, he woke up Peter and they stayed up half the night cramming for a Potions quiz the next day.

After that night, Remus began paying closer to attention to Lily. He was ashamed to admit it, but he had been making an effort to avoid her, though he considered her a good friend, since he and James had begun whatever it was between them. Now that he was looking he couldn't help but see a difference in her.

It wouldn't be obvious to most people, on the surface she was mostly the same, but he could see that her spirits were low. From time to time, he'd catch her looking at James with something like confusion in her eyes. It was only when she saw Remus watching and offered him a small, somewhat hopeful smile, that he finally got up the nerve to go speak to her.

She'd skirted around the subject of James as they caught up, making small talk about exams, innocuous gossip, and even about the ominous headlines The Prophet had deigned to report lately. Eventually, though, she had slipped in a comment that obliquely referenced James' decreased attentions to her, though phrased as if she felt it a blessing. Remus knew better. He had made light of it, offering the explanation that the four of them were merely making the most of their last schooldays together.

She had tossed her hair over her shoulder and attempted a carefree laugh, saying, in that case, she was surprised they hadn't blown up the castle yet, or at least a greenhouse or two. Remus had laughed along and told her not to rest easy yet. The double meaning didn't escape her, and she smiled more genuinely, squeezing Remus' hand before taking her leave.

That night Remus waited until he knew Sirius and Peter would be away, and he went to James' bed to wait for him. The room was dark, lit only by the lamp on his bedside table, when James finally came in.

"Moony? Are you here?" He pushed the half-closed curtains of his bed back and gasped when he saw Remus laid out and waiting for him completely naked on the crisp white sheets. Slowly, his mouth curved into a smile, and he began tugging at the knot of his tie, pulling it loose and kicking off his shoes before climbing on the bed. "Eager, are we?"

James had always been the one to initiate things before, but Remus could tell that James wasn't put off by his presumption at all. His eyes were already going heavy-lidded, which Remus now knew was a sign that James was incredibly turned on, and if that wasn't enough proof, the front of his trousers grew tight as he watched Remus shift beneath him.

The loose end of his tie dangled above Remus' chest, and he reached up to tug James closer, his other hand rubbing up against between James' legs. James gave a startled moan at the contact, and Remus lifted his to whisper in his ear. "I want you to fuck me, James."

His eyes flew wide, and he stared down at Remus mouth agape. But Remus could almost taste the lust that was barely held in check by whatever compunction that was causing him to hesitate. He tugged sharply at the tie, bringing their mouths together so forcefully their teeth clicked. James groaned, lips mashed against his. "Are you sure, Remus?"

"Fuck me, James," Remus insisted. "Or I'll go find someone else to do it." They both knew that was a lie, but it made James' eyes darken, and he pinned Remus to the bed with a possessive growl. The first time, he took Remus on his elbows and knees, both of them whimpering from the impossible tightness of Remus' arse. The pain was electrifying, though, and it soon faded into a burning pleasure that had Remus begging and James pounding into him for all he was worth.

They collapsed together, sticky and sore, but Remus didn't let them fall asleep. "Again," he whispered against James' sweaty skin when they had recovered enough to begin all over. James had charmed the curtains shut and cast spells to keep noise both out and in, and they had gone all through the night, until they were both raw and utterly spent. Even through the curtains, they could tell that the room had begun to brighten just a little, and they finally fell into a deep and exhausted sleep.

Remus woke first. It was hot, the sheets were in a tangled mess at the foot of the bed, and the stifling air of the space smelled of sex and sweat. He went to stretch and gasped softly as all the aches and pains of his abused body began to make themselves known. It was a discomfort he relished, though, and he deliberately shifted again to feel the sharp twinge in his arse, bringing back the night before.

James made a sound, scooting up behind him and molding around his body. "Morning, Moony," he said thickly.

Remus merely hummed in response, letting James' warmth seep into his skin despite how hot it already was. Eventually, James began to stir. "You as sore as I am?" His lips pressed gently against Remus' shoulder.

"Let's just say I'll be eating all my meals standing up this weekend at the very least, or preferably lying down on my stomach like the ancient Romans."

James laughed. "What got into you last night? Not that I'm complaining, mind you."

When Remus didn't say anything, James shifted back and pulled Remus toward him. "Moony?"

"I just wanted to know what it was like, to be with you that way." He bit his lip, not meeting James' eyes for a moment, then he raised them again. "I just couldn't stand the thought of never having it."

He knew James recognized his own words from what seemed like so long ago, but was, in reality, less than two months. He could see a flicker of hurt and uncertainty in James' eyes, maybe even a little fear. It made his stomach clench.

"What are you saying?" James asked hesitantly.

"You know what I'm saying, James."

"No." A hint of belligerence colored his voice. "No, I really don't, Remus."

"It was only supposed to be a bit fun. Until..." Remus forced himself to look serene, to sound calm and matter of fact and not as if his heart was tearing itself in two.

"Well, that's all changed, hasn't it?" James was scowling at him, but without his glasses he looked young and vulnerable and it made Remus feel even worse.

"Has it?"

"You know bloody well it has!" James sat up, glaring down at him with an intensity that Remus couldn't look away from.

"It's you. I chose you, and-"

"She's good for you. She's what you've always wanted." She's what you deserve, Remus wanted to say, but he knew without a doubt that James would lose it completely if he did, if Remus even hinted that he wasn't deserving.

"You're what I want," James said with stubborn insistence.

"You love her."

"I love-"

"Don't, James." Remus had shot up, pressing his fingers against James' mouth. He let his voice go colder. "This was never meant to be anything but temporary. I knew that, and I thought you did, too."

James just stared at him in shock, eyes wide with hurt and disbelief. He shook his head, running his hand through his already wild hair. "I know what you're trying to do, and it won't work. I won't let you do this."

"It's already done. I've moved on, and so should you." Without even bothering to check if Sirius and Peter were still asleep in their beds, Remus jerked open the curtains and walked away.

James didn't give up that easily, of course. The following week, Remus spent either reiterating his position or avoiding James outright, but it wasn't until he enlisted Sirius' help that the matter was settled as much as it ever would be.

When James walked in on Sirius fucking Remus over his own school trunk, he finally conceded. Within two days, he and Lily were dating, Sirius invited Remus to share his flat, and to all intents and purposes the marauders fell back into their old dynamic with barely a perceptible difference.

When they met in the shack for their last full moon at Hogwarts, they shared a drink and a vow to stay true to each other until the end. He held James' intense gaze for a moment, steeling himself against the emotion he saw reflected there, throat tight as James finally turned away and shimmered into a beautiful stag.

And when Sirius' hand stroked down his back in an intimate gesture, his breath tickling Remus' ear as he whispered roughly, "I'll look out for you, Moony," Remus turned to him and smiled.