Remus doesn't even open the Daily Prophet on November first. It's there in big letters, You-Know-Who and the Boy Who Lived, and he knows exactly what it means. He can't stop the tears or the sobs or the lonely, lonely howls. He hears on the street that it's Sirius Black in Azkaban, and that Peter Pettigrew has been reduced to ash and an index finger. Harry Potter's disappeared, but assuredly alive, when no one else Remus cares about (JamesandLily) is. Remus is alone and betrayed and did he have a feeling or what?
--
The arguments get worse and worse. Sirius wants to know where he is all the time, suspicious and snarling. Remus can only reply that he's working for the Order; their separate missions are supposed to be kept secret. But there's a lack of trust that poisons the air, and Sirius tries to prove he's not sneaking around, because Remus finds him home drunk on his days off. He gets much too defensive when Remus confronts him, and snarls back about werewolves and lies and why, Moony, why? So Remus leaves the flat in a state, contacts Dumbledore to say he's still there to help the Order, but he's never, not over my dead body, going back there, because he's pretty sure who the snitch is.
--
They start to bicker like an old married couple, James and Lily tease, but it's actually worse than that. It's worse because there's a traitor in their midst, and Sirius is watching Remus, and Remus is watching Sirius. He finds that he's watching Sirius closer than ever, and the bad traits are even more noticeable when he's looking for them. It's partially because he's watching Sirius that Sirius offers to share his flat. The other reason is because he's flat broke, and he can't afford to look like he's doing well off when he's trying to gain the trust of the werewolf community. Sometimes there's make-up sex, but that's not making love, and most of the time they just leave the fragments lying on the floor to cut their soles again.
--
The Marauders are the first to know that James and Lily are endangered. Dumbledore says gravely that there's a snitch in the Order, and they have to be careful. Sirius' grip tightens around his. Remus can't see straight. Peter is shell-shocked. They all love James and Lily and Harry. Harry's only just new, but Remus doesn't know if he could stand it if anything happened to Harry. The way Sirius is taking the part of the uncle so seriously says that he feels the same way. How could anyone want to hurt a baby like that?
--
They first exchange I love yous that night, after James and Lily fly off into the sunset. They're left with the whole reception to clean up, and it'd take a second if Sirius just let him wave his wand, but Sirius pulls him into a corner and summons a bottle of champagne and pours it into glasses. He lights candles and set them to hover in the air beside them as he says it. Remus' heart is either pumping in overdrive or completely stopped, he can't tell the difference but I love you too, Sirius. And when they're making love, they're making love.
--
They're taking the train back to the King's Cross for the last time when everyone's crying and spending their last hours with their friends. Sirius snorts; it's not like anyone's dying, And anyway, we're still all mates, aren't we? No, all they're doing is entering the real world. It's a terrifying fact, to Remus more than anyone. Hogwarts was his haven. In the real world, his life will be a hundred times harder. The only thing that makes it easier is that he has friends like Sirius and James and Peter. They're actually disembarking the train when Sirius stops Remus with a hand on his arm, pulling him back into their compartment. Sirius grins that shy grin that makes Remus' heart ache. Remus is then kissed, heatedly, as if they are dying, or at least as if they won't still all be mates after this. He's breathless and chases Sirius and Sirius runs. Then he kisses Sirius, just as heatedly as before, and says, "I like you."
And Sirius, embarrassed that he ran and trying to hide his joy, says, "And I like you."
--
It's all downhill from here.
standard disclaimers apply
how many double entendres did you catch?