DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of these HP characters or the song mentioned throughout the story and in the notes. Nor do I own any of the films, television shows, franchises, products, bands, songs, lyrics or settings referenced in the following story.

August, 2016

Sirius Black speeds down the streets of outer Manchester, making his way back to The Blue Sky Café on Betty – his beautiful, sleek, black motorbike (a Honda GB500).

Why is he speeding?

Well, Sirius has just had an epiphany.

Actually, it wasn't so much an epiphany as it was a discovery.

He had just dropped his friend off at work when he had discovered a most irrefutable argument. He had been heading back to his flat and listening to his 'Shut Up and Drive' playlist through his earphones when, in his ear, he had heard:

It's got what it takes,
So tell me why can't this be love?
Straight from my heart,
Oh, tell me why can't this be love?

And the lyrics had got him thinking... thinking about how he was in love, and how the man that he was in love with refused to believe this fact.

He hadn't planned on it; on falling for his best friend. It had just sort of happened. It had started as a trust thing, then it was a convenience thing, then it had turned into something else altogether.

They had been entering adulthood, getting jobs or apprenticeships or going to University, and Sirius had wanted to lose his virginity but he hadn't wanted his first time to be with someone that he didn't love or care about. He only had a few people that he loved in his life – James Potter, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Regulus Black, Lily Evans, the Tonks family and the Potters – but only one of them was a viable option as the rest were either straight, female, or family. Remus was bisexual and Sirius had always fancied him a bit, so he had decided to ask him.

It had begun when Remus had returned from University for the Christmas break. Sirius had posed the question casually over a takeaway and Remus had agreed to do it because he had wanted to lose his own virginity to someone that he cared about as well. They had agreed to have sex and get their first times out of the way and then move on.

But it hadn't happened like that.

The weekend following the agreement, he and Remus had had sex for the first time. It was fun, if not a little awkward, and they had carried on as normal afterwards. (Sirius had found this strange because he had expected it to at least be a little weird after but it wasn't. It was like nothing had changed and he was glad because he had worried that it would change everything.)

Then the Annual Potter Christmas Party came along and, long story short, he and Remus had gotten tipsy and had shagged again. (It still hadn't been weird after.)

The New Year came and passed without incident. But then, in January, just before Remus was due to head back up to the North East, they had been watching The Grand Budapest Hotel together and it had somehow happened again. (Again, things were completely normal between them afterwards.)

Then Remus went back up to Newcastle University for the new term and they had resumed their normal platonic relationship. That was, until Remus came back down for the Easter break and they had stumbled into bed together again. After that, it was silently but unanimously agreed that whenever Remus was down from University, they would get together.

But then, somewhere along the line, Sirius fell in love with his best friend – the friend that he has just dropped off at work; the one that makes him smile uncontrollably, and his stomach flutter indulgently, and his heart speed up unhealthily, and his fingers tingle curiously.

Sirius has been in love with Remus for a while, truth be told. He just hadn't realised it until recently. When he had realised, he had told Remus immediately but his more-than-friend had reacted in a completely unexpected way...

June, 2016

He and Remus were sitting in the living room of the Lupin home, sharing a bowl of off-brand toffee popcorn and watching a television show from the 1960s, when it had hit him. It was abrupt and jolting and more than a little overwhelming but Sirius couldn't deny that it was true: he was in love.

They were watching an episode of Star Trek: The Original Series (a 'Gorn' or something was attacking William Shatner) when the realisation had smacked him in the face, suddenly and without warning. It was a laughable fight scene but it had struck Sirius then that he was quite happy to sit and watch old episodes of Star Trek and eat junk food with his massive nerd of a friend because he loved him.

No, because he was in love with him.

He was in love with Remus Lupin, Marauder and Nerd Extraordinaire; his best mate; his confidant.

He loved Remus. He loved Remus a lot; enough to watch Star Trek: The Original Series, when he really was more of a Star Wars fan himself. In fact, it struck him that he was happy to watch any of the Star Trek franchise just because Remus liked it. He was happy to do a lot of things for Remus, he realised. And so he decided to voice his feelings.

"Remus," he spoke, and waited for Remus to acknowledge him.

"Hm?" Remus hummed, his hazel-amber eyes still fixed on the television screen.

When Sirius said nothing and instead stared at his friend's profile silently, Remus turned to him and raised an inquisitive eyebrow. Sirius swallowed, hit suddenly with the subtle beauty of Remus Lupin, and blurted, "I love you."

Remus just stared back, a small frown on his brow.

"I mean," Sirius added, a little nervous because he couldn't decipher the frown. "I'm in love with you. I mean, of course I love you – you're my best mate. But I mean that I am in love with you."

Then, not knowing what else to say, he picked up some sticky popcorn and stuffed it into his mouth, nervously but patiently waiting for Remus's reaction.

Remus snorted softly and turned back to the television, an amused (and possibly bitter) smile on his lips. "No, you aren't," he replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

Sirius frowned, affronted and more than a little angry because how dare Remus Lupin dismiss his feelings so easily! How dare he?! "Well, yes. I am," he retorted stubbornly.

Remus sighed and paused the episode. He then turned to face Sirius and said, "Sirius, you're not in love with me." He said it with such conviction that it rendered Sirius speechless for a moment, and it made him doubt himself because Remus was often right about things.

"I..."

"You love a lot of things, Sirius, but you don't love me. At least, not in the way you think you do," Remus stated, calmly, like he was talking to a difficult child. "I am one of your best friends, and we do things that we don't do with the others, and I think maybe you're a bit confused."

"But..." Sirius frowned, because maybe Remus was right?

"Sirius, you're not in love with me," Remus asserted. "Just... Trust me, okay?"

Sirius's frown deepened but he nodded his head slowly in reluctant agreement because he would trust Remus with his life, never mind his heart. And with that, Remus turned back, put the episode on, and nothing more was said on the matter.

(Later, when Sirius was back at his flat, alone and bored, he thought back to the conversation and he pondered his feelings. After a few unsure weeks, Sirius decided that Remus was not always right about everything because Remus was wrong about him. Sirius knew himself and he knew his feelings; he was in love, and he was in love with Remus Lupin!

But, because he didn't know what to say or how to bring the subject up again, and because Remus didn't seem to reciprocate such deep feelings, he kept his mouth shut.

Until today.)

August, 2016

Sirius hadn't thought to argue with Remus at the time. He had only just made the discovery, after all; and Remus telling him that he was mistaken had made him second-guess himself.

But he had taken some time to himself and he had quickly come to terms with his feelings; feelings that grew stronger over the weeks to the point where Sirius could no longer second-guess himself because the love he felt for Remus Lupin was so intense and all-consuming that it was undeniable.

Sirius Black was in love, but he didn't know how to say it or how to prove it, or how to get Remus to feel the same intense emotions he could feel every time he so much as looked at the other man.

But now...

Now Sirius knows exactly what to say.

When Van Halen had come on through his earphones and had asked him: Why can't this be love? He couldn't think of a good answer. He couldn't think of a good reply to why he couldn't be in love with Remus. They are best friends and have been since they were eleven years old; they know each other inside out – the good, the bad, and the messy; and they have fun together (in every sense of the word).

In Sirius's sound mind, he and Remus are perfect for each other.

So because Sirius can't think of a decent reply to Van Halen's question, he wants to ask Remus. He wants Remus to tell him why they can't be together; why they can't be in love. He wants Remus to answer this question, because he certainly can't and he doesn't think Remus will be able to either.

And that is why Sirius Black is speeding through the small town, heading back to the café that he has just dropped Remus off at. He is driving along the tarmac roads of Manchester so that he can put his heart on the line once again; so that he can ask his best friend to fall in love with him, or ask Remus to explain why they cannot be together once and for all.

The question, Sirius thinks, is quite brilliant; truly indisputable. Honestly, he reckons he has a reply for just about every one of Remus's possible questions or comments. For example:

Sirius Black: Why can't this be love?

Remus Lupin: Because we're too young.
Sirius Black: James and Lily are getting married, and Pete's just moved in with Dyanola.

Remus Lupin: Because we're too different.
Sirius Black: Well, opposites attract, isn't that the saying? And besides, we really aren't so different, you and I. We both enjoy cinema and reading and food and cars, among other important stuff.

Remus Lupin: Because we don't know each other that well.
Sirius Black: Bullshit. We have been friends since we were eleven years old. But, if you really want, we could keep getting to know each other.

Remus Lupin: Because we're both men.
Sirius Black: Really, Remus, it's 2016. And, anyway, that hasn't stopped us before.

Remus Lupin: Because I'm in love with someone else.
Sirius Black: ... well, then, why are you shagging me?

Admittedly, the last three responses are unlikely – but not impossible. The only answer that Sirius can't think to combat is if Remus tells him, 'I don't love you and I never will.' But Remus will never say something as tactless as that because Remus is kind and considerate and if he doesn't feel the same way, he will undoubtedly try to let Sirius down gently. That said, Sirius is pretty sure that Remus is in love with him too. Like 99.99% sure; maybe 99.98%...

Worst Case Scenario, Sirius thinks, is that he and Remus don't speak for a week and they stop what it is they are doing: sleeping together (sometimes quite literally because sometimes they don't have sex; sometimes they just sleep together). It would be shit – losing the intimacy that only he has shared with Remus – but at least they'd still be friends.

Best Case Scenario is that he and Remus get together and become an official couple and do lovey-dovey couple-y things and live together for the rest of eternity. Maybe they'll even get married and have a couple of sprogs – adopted or from a surrogate or something.

Unbelievably, the thought of spending the rest of his life with Remus and building a future with the other man doesn't scare him.

If you had asked Sirius Black years ago, before he left the Black family behind, if he would consider a life-long relationship or marriage or kids, the idea would have panicked him so much that he would have been rocking in the corner and humming AC/DC to himself. But now, now he has friends and a family who love him and he has Remus; Remus, who he is in love with and who he actually wants to spend the rest of his days with. With Remus, he isn't scared of the possibilities that lie ahead of him.

(Okay, he is a little scared. But that's normal, he thinks. The point is: with Remus, he isn't as scared as he might have been at the thought. In fact, he really bloody wants a life with Remus: domestic bliss with kids and a house and marriage and game nights with other couples.)

Truthfully, Sirius would do anything for Remus. He would dance around Manchester in a frilly pink polka dot dress if Remus asked him to (and he really isn't a fan of pink). It scares him how much he wants Remus; how much he wants Remus to want him. He has never felt such strong emotions for anyone before, and that is how he knows that he is in love.

Slowing to the speed limit, Sirius drives through the main street of the small town and turns into the near-empty car park of the local public library. It is a free car park (thankfully) and he decides to park Betty there. Just as he is dismounting his motorbike, the final verse of the song comes on for the fourth time in his return journey – because he had decided to put the song on repeat after his epiphany to inspire motivation (and also so that he wouldn't forget what to ask – not that it is a difficult question to remember).

It's got what it takes,
So tell me why can't this be love?
Straight from my heart,
Oh, tell me why can't this be love?

Baby, why can't this be love?
Got to know why can't this be love?
I wanna know why can't this be love?

The song finishes and Sirius takes his helmet off before he removes his earphones and switches his music player off. He then puts his earphones and mobile phone back into his jacket pocket and checks himself in his wing mirror – he wants to look dashing when he professes his love for his mate (for the second time), after all. Once he is satisfied, he starts walking towards the café that Remus works in during the holidays.

Nerves have never really been an issue for Sirius Black. He has always been rather... heedless. He has always had a devil-may-care attitude. In the past, he has been called reckless and brash and boisterous on numerous occasions. More often than not, he acts before he thinks and he rarely ever thinks before he speaks. Sometimes it works out, other times it doesn't. Now, Sirius decides it's time to think about his actions.

As he stands outside of the entrance to the café, he decides to take a moment to think about what is about to happen – to really think about what he is going to do.

He hasn't really given much thought to the possible consequences. What he is about to do, he realises with a jolt, is going to change everything, and he wonders what will happen if Remus says no. What if Remus gets freaked out by his declaration? Will Remus stop being his friend? Sirius doesn't think that a very Remus-y thing to do but one can never be certain. Will their mutually beneficial arrangement stop for good once he reveals that he is arse-over-tit in love with Remus? What will happen when their friends find out? James and Peter have both hinted that they know, but they haven't really said anything.

Most of all, Sirius wonders: Is it worth risking their friendship?

He looks through the large windows of the café and watches Remus. He watches as Remus serves customers with an easy smile and attentive eyes. He watches as Remus is kind and patient with an elderly man who takes forever to count out his change, only for that old man to put that change into the Tips Teacup on the counter.

And then he watches as Remus smiles and laughs with the red-headed she-demon (also known as Lily Evans, James's fiancée and Remus's life-long friend) and he sees their future together – with him as a fully trained Mechanic, with Remus as a Film Studies professor, with their two kids and their lovely house and their two dogs.

Yes, he decides, Remus Lupin is definitely worth the risk. There is no doubt about it, he realises as he observes the other man in the café. It is a scary thought – a terrifying thought, to be honest – but Sirius doesn't mind because he rather wants to spend the rest of his life with Remus.

Shit, he thinks, I actually love him. Fuck.

There it is, Sirius's second epiphany of the day. Okay, so he already knew the second epiphany but it hits him again all the same. Sirius is well and truly fucked (well, not yet; but hopefully if Remus returns his feelings). He is in love and there is really only one way to deal with it.

With that, Sirius decides not to think about the potential consequences (because, really, who knows what the future holds?) and pushes the door open. A bell tinkles, signalling his arrival, and he walks in. The smell of coffee and pastries and general sweetness ambush his olfactory senses and the delicious scents increase slowly as he walks towards the counter.

Lily notices him first and Sirius offers the redhead a charming smile. She raises an eyebrow and taps Remus on the shoulder to get his attention. Remus glances over his shoulder, away from the coffee machine, to find Sirius standing at the counter next to a teenager who clearly has RBF (Resting Bitch Face) as she glares down at her mobile phone and doesn't pay them any attention. Remus offers Sirius a curious smile before he returns to the drink he is making.

Sirius turns his attention back to Lily. She just stares back and they stand in silence while Remus serves RBF Girl. It isn't that he and Lily don't get on. They are actually quite good friends. It's just that they are both quite stubborn and opinionated, and they argue more often than not. Plus, Lily has been annoying him recently because the woman is everywhere! She works with Remus, and she lives with James, and she needs her car fixed so she is at the Garage where Sirius works. She is everywhere, and Sirius just needs some time away from her.

They are not talking because there is no need. (And also because they are still arguing about whether or not Ross and Rachel were on a break. They totally were, but Lily doesn't agree. This argument has been happening since last Sunday.) They stand in silence for a second longer before Remus turns his attention to them and smiles.

"Hello, Sirius," Remus greets before he uses his Customer Service Voice and asks, very professionally, "What can I do for you today?"

Sirius opens his mouth to reply but quickly closes it as he considers his words. He hasn't actually thought about how to start the (long overdue) conversation. How does one bring up the topic that has been avoided for over two months? How does one tell his best friend that he is in love with him and wants them to become a proper monogamous couple? Perhaps he should order a drink first?

"Sirius?" Remus asks, because Sirius has been quiet too long.

Unsure what to say, Sirius lets his impulsive nature take control, and he blurts out: "Why can't this be love?"

From his peripheral vision, Sirius can see Lily frowning at him, as if she is wondering whether to laugh or whether to tell Sirius that he is an idiot. It is her normal expression whenever she looks at him, so Sirius doesn't know how to interpret it right now. Remus stares at him, his face carefully blank but his hazel-amber eyes calculating. Sirius swallows nervously and straightens up, shoving his hands into his jacket pockets. Remus looks like he is thinking of an answer, and Sirius worries for a moment that Remus might find one and that the argument might not be as irrefutable as he had previously thought.

After a moment of silence, Lily bursts into a fit of giggles. Sirius feels his cheeks heat up, whether from embarrassment or from the way Remus is looking at him, he doesn't know. Remus shoots the redhead a Look and she manages to calm herself down, and then he returns his attention to Sirius.

"Sirius, are you quoting a song to me?" Remus asks calmly, curiously, smiling slightly. "Are you quoting Van Halen to me?"

Remus's small smile makes Sirius's heart flutter and he nods sheepishly.

Remus nods slowly, like he is digesting the information, and then asks, "Why?"

"Because..." Sirius pauses, because he knows why but he doesn't know how to explain and he doesn't really want to try and explain it in front of Lily. "I wanted to ask you that question?"

Remus stares at him for a second (though, really, it feels more like ten minutes). "Right..." he murmurs.

Just then, the doorbell tinkles. A gaggle of people enter the café and head for the counter. Sirius sighs and thinks that maybe bothering Remus at his workplace for such an important conversation was a bad idea.

Remus glances at the group before he turns to Lily, gestures at Sirius, and asks "Lil, could you serve him?" (Lily nods and Remus turns back to Sirius.) "I have a break in..." He looks at his wristwatch. "... about twenty minutes. Can this wait until then?" he asks Sirius.

Sirius nods, because Remus is not dismissing his feelings this time. No, Remus actually wants to talk. It can wait until Remus has a break, he decides. It has waited two months, after all. It can wait another twenty minutes.

Remus offers him a smile before he turns and begins serving the horde. Sirius turns to Lily and grins, happy because Remus is willing to listen and maybe he can convince Remus to love him too. Lily just stares at him, clearly unfazed by the turn of events. Sirius sighs and looks up at the board behind her.

"What would you recommend?" he asks.

Lily sighs and places a hand on her hip. "Why don't you just get what you get every time, Sirius?" she asks exasperatedly. (She has considerably less patience than Remus does.)

"Hmmm..." Sirius hums thoughtfully, grey eyes attached to the board. He knows what he is going to order – he orders the same thing every time! – but he really does love winding Lily up. A second later, he hears Lily growl and he grins, happy to have gained a reaction from the redhead. He decides to let her off and says, "Can I have a large caramel frappe, then? Please."

Lily just turns to make his drink.

"With whipped cream," he adds.

Lily glares at him but makes his drink and adds whipped cream to the mix. Moments later, she comes back to the counter and dumps his drink on the surface. She thrusts his hand out and snaps, "£2.50."

Sirius digs around in his pocket and mutters, loud enough for her to hear, "Well, that's great customer service. What happened to 'the customer is always right'?"

Lily glares at him before she plasters an overly-fake smile onto her lips. "Thank you, sir," she says sarcastically as Sirius hands the money over.

Sirius grins back. "You are very welcome, young lady," he replies before he drops some spare change into the Tips Teacup and moves to take his usual seat in The Blue Sky Café.

He sits at the window and absentmindedly watches the townspeople. He doesn't really want to think about what he is going to say. If he does, he'll mess it up. He knows he will. And anyways, Remus is likely to start the well-needed conversation.

So, instead of thinking, Sirius watches the people of his relatively small town.

He watches as people duck in about out of the various shops on the high-street. He watches as young mothers sit with their children on worn benches and eat sausage rolls together. He watches as a schoolboy stands in the middle of the street and performs a dramatic piece for his friends. The kid kind of reminds Sirius of his younger self and he chuckles at the thought. This is his hometown, has been since he was eleven years old and his parents moved them up from London, and he loves it.

Sirius glances over to the counter to find Remus and Lily whispering to each other. He doesn't know what they are discussing but they are making a lot of hand movements and Lily looks serious whilst Remus looks unsure. He thinks that maybe they are discussing him. The possibility becomes fact when Lily and Remus look over at him, find him watching, and stop whispering, straightening up and offering Sirius a twinset of innocent smiles.

Sirius nods curtly and looks down at his frozen coffee, watching them from the corner of his eye. Remus offers Lily a half-hearted glare and they both turn back to the customers. Sighing, Sirius uses his straw to eat the whipped cream and returns to staring absently out of the window. As far as he knows, no one knows about them. But Lily is smart (too smart for James, really) and she will have figured it out and they were probably talking about Sirius's request.

Sirius is startled out of his thoughts a few seconds later when Remus plonks himself in the seat across from him and smiles. Sirius returns the smile, but it is wobbly because it is finally happening! He and Remus are about to discuss feelings and stuff...

"So," Remus begins, hands clasped around a large mug (probably tea, because Remus is a tea drinker). "Want to tell me what that was all about?"

Sirius shrugs. "Exactly what I said," he replies, setting his plastic cup down and looking Remus in the eye. "Why can't this be love?" He pauses and waits for a reaction. All he receives is a raised eyebrow, so he adds, "You remember a little while ago when I told you that I was in love with you?"

Remus nods slowly.

"And you said I wasn't. Well, you were wrong. Because I am in love with you. I really am. And if you don't love me back, that's fine. I mean, it's not fine, but I can't force you to love me. Anyway, I just wanted to know: why can't this be love? Do you not love me back? Because if you don't, you should tell me."

Remus stares at him for a long moment before he sighs and says, "Sirius, it's not that."

Sirius frowns and replies, "Then what is it?"

"I just..."

"Why can't this be love, Remus?" he asks again. "If you love me back – and don't deny it, because you basically just admitted that you do – then why can't this be love? Give me fifteen good reasons why we can't be in love!"

Remus sighs and leans back in his chair, hands still clasped around the steaming mug. "Sirius, it's not so simple," he replies.

"Why?" Sirius asks, because he loves Remus and Remus loves him, so why can't they just be together?

"Sirius, you're... We're very young—"

Aha, Sirius thinks, I knew he'd say this.

"And?" he replies aloud. "James and Lily are getting married. Peter and Dyanola have just moved in together. They're the same age as us, so..."

Remus bites his lip and says, "Alright, but you're doing your apprenticeship here and I'm at Uni for at least another year – unless I decide to do my Masters—"

"So?"

"So we're both busy people and we probably wouldn't see each other very often, and relationships take a lot of time and a lot of effort."

"Right, but we'd probably just do what we do now," Sirius reasons. "I'd visit you up in Newcastle, and you would come down here for the holidays; we'd talk every night on the phone and message each other at least once a day. Hell, we could even have Skype film nights – like we do now."

Remus opens his mouth to argue but promptly shuts it as he searches for another valid reason. He is about to say something else when Sirius interrupts:

"Re, we're good together," he says. "We make each other laugh. We've been friends for years, and we know practically everything about each other – the good and the bad. And I haven't been with anyone else since we started this... or anyone else ever, I guess. Plus, we're pretty compatible in bed."

Remus quietens and stares at Sirius for a few long moments, biting his lip thoughtfully. Sirius watches his more-than-friend closely, searching for a reaction. He can see that his words are having an effect on the other man, but he doesn't know whether it is a good effect or a bad effect. He sincerely hopes it is the former.

"Sirius," Remus says finally. "It's more complicated than you seem to think it is. We're friends and we grew up together, and we both have some fairly deeply rooted issues. You do realise that you're asking for a relationship, right? Relationships aren't easy, Sirius. They take work and commitment. This could go horribly wrong. It probably will, with us. I mean, neither of us has ever been in a real relationship before. And I don't..." He sighs and looks down at his hot drink, hands clasping around the cup. "I don't want to lose you, Sirius. I can't lose you."

"Remus," Sirius sighs. "You are always thinking the worst. You really ought to be more optimistic. You aren't going to lose me. You never will. And yes, I do realise that I am asking for a relationship, and I know that they take work. I understand that it's not always going to be easy, but I'm not asking for easy. I'm asking for you."

"Sirius..."

"I know it's scary," Sirius continued, "But I'm not scared; not with you. I love you, Remus, and I don't think you understand how much. Or maybe you think I'm confused or something, but I'm not. I love you. I love you enough to watch Star Trek, for Heaven's sake! I want to do this, for real. I want to be in a relationship with you, and I want to do mushy couple-y stuff with you; I want to sit in our PJs all day and eat off-brand popcorn, and I want to spend the day exploring those weird pop-up art shows in Town and walking around museums. I even want to go camping with you."

"... But you hate camping," Remus replies, frowning.

"Exactly! But I know that you like it, so I am willing to do it. For you. And that should tell you just how strongly I feel for you," Sirius replies. "I want to be official with you, Re. I want us to be a proper couple who do couple things. I want to hold your hand and cuddle, and I want to do those double-dates with James and Lily, and Peter and Dyanola, though I guess it would be a triple-date then... that's not the point. The point is: I want you, Remus, and I'm hoping you want me too. I want more, is what I'm saying, I guess."

With that, Sirius sits back and stares at Remus across the table; Remus, who has been watching him carefully this entire time; Remus, who he loves and would do anything for. He feels vulnerable, having just laid his heart out for the world to see. He doesn't like feeling vulnerable or exposed, but he knows that it is necessary and so he looks down at his frozen drink and waits patiently for Remus to react, watching the other man from under the dark veil of his eyelashes.

Remus worries his lip thoughtfully, studying Sirius carefully. He glances at his wristwatch subtly before he looks over to the counter and shares a look with Lily. Lily waves a dismissive hand (as if to say: I'm fine here, I can handle the counter, keep talking). Remus offers her a small smile before he turns back to Sirius.

Remember earlier when Sirius said that he didn't get nervous? Well, he lied. He does get nervous, but only after he has acted. And only if it is about something extremely important. Unbidden, his hand moves up and he begins chewing on his fingernails (a nervous habit his mother would have slapped him for).

"You really want to do this?" Remus asks, and he sounds uncertain. "You really want me, to date me?"

"Yes," Sirius answers, putting his hand in his lap again. "I really do. I don't want to date anyone else, and I don't want you to either. I want to be monogamous with you."

"What if we mess it up?" Remus replies. He looks anguished; Sirius does not like that look on Remus. "You've never been with anyone else before, Sirius. Neither have I, really. What if you meet someone and you fall in love with them? Where does that leave me? What happens to our friendship then, eh?"

"Remus, you have been it for me since I was fifteen years old," Sirius admits. "I thought it was just a crush and it went away after a bit, but it came back again and again, and I realise now what it was. I don't want anyone else, and I don't think I ever will; I just want you. And I don't think we'll mess it up. We fix things; it's what we do. If we did mess up, we'd fix it. And our friendship... you will always be my best mate and if you decide that you don't want to do this, then fine. We won't. Because you're my best friend, and our friendship comes first."

"Really?" Remus asks, and he is watching Sirius with a weird expression on his face. (Sirius doesn't want to even try and interpret it.)

"Really," Sirius replies. "So, what do you say, Remus? Want to go steady with me?"

Remus watches him curiously for a moment before he bursts into laughter (probably at the old phrase Sirius has used) and replies, "Alright. Sure. If you think that we can actually do this, then I'm in."

Sirius stares for a second, because did Remus Lupin just agree to be his boyfriend? "Really?" he asks, a giddy smile climbing onto his lips.

Remus shrugs oh-so-casually and says, "Well, we're practically a couple anyways."

Sirius beams brightly and, before he can think about it, he jumps up from his chair and leans over the table, grabbing Remus's face in his hands and pulling the other man into a kiss. Despite the way Sirius dove in, the kiss is gentle and chaste, just a touching of lips, and to Sirius, it is perfect.

In general, Remus isn't a fan of Public Displays of Affection (PDAs). Sirius knows this, and that is why he is surprised when Remus returns the kiss (albeit a bit tentatively). He smiles giddily and so does Remus, and the kiss becomes less of a kiss and more of a two-people-smiling-against-each-other.

With that, Sirius pulls back and shares a giddy smile with Remus before he releases the other man and sits down on his chair again. There will be plenty of time for kissing and other romantic stuff later, he thinks. Remus's cheeks are pink and he averts his eyes, looking down at his tea, shaking his head faintly. He tries to smother his smile by biting his lip but he can't and neither can Sirius. Sirius stares at his... wait, he thinks, he needs to ask properly.

"Remus John Lupin," he says, and Remus looks at him curiously. "Would you do me the honours of being my boyfriend? Officially."

Remus snorts, amused, and nods. "Yes, Sirius Orion Black, I will be your boyfriend," he answers.

Sirius glances over to the counter to see Lily standing there, watching them intently. She doesn't look away when he looks at her and instead smiles knowingly, leaning against the counter with her arms crossed and with one eyebrow elegantly raised.

Sirius picks up his drink and looks into it. It is mostly watery slush now but he doesn't care because he has a boyfriend now. A fucking handsome boyfriend, he adds mentally when he looks at Remus who is staring out of the window and watching people on the street outside. He jumps a little when Remus turns to him suddenly. Remus has caught him staring but it isn't the first time and it won't be the last, so Remus doesn't focus on it too much and asks:

"Sirius, why did you ask me to be your boyfriend with Van Halen lyrics?"

Sirius shrugs and admits, "The song came on and I thought of you. I mean, not... – I mean, I thought us and our situation. Besides, it's a good argument, isn't it?"

Remus frowns and asks, "Argument...?"

"Yes," Sirius answers. "You didn't have an answer, did you? And now we are together, united in coupledom. Go on, Remus: why can't this be love?"

Remus sighs and shakes his head faintly. "I don't know, Sirius," he replies.

A/N: Thank you for reading!

Inspired by: Why Can't This Be Love? by Van Halen.

Written: August, 2016
Rewritten: November, 2018