Title: A Kiss, and All Was Said
Author: remuslives23
Summary: 'Kisses are like tears, the real ones are the ones you can't hold back.' ~Author Unknown
Rating: PG15
Warnings: Boy kissing, very mild references to sexual situations, little angst, little fluff.
Featured Characters/Pairings: Sirius/Remus; James; Lily
Word Count: 2572
Inspiration Art: Temptation, by ericahpfa
Author's Notes: ericahpfa was one of the first Harry Potter artists I found online, and I fell in love with her Remus and Sirius. I'm in awe of her talent and so thrilled to be given the opportunity to write a fic for what is one of my favourite pieces.

In the end, there were no machinations, no contrived set ups needed. In the end, it was a tentative brush of fingers and the breathy recitation of his name that triggered the culmination of Sirius' year long fantasies. As Remus' warm breath washed over his cheek, Sirius felt a bubble of pure happiness burst inside him. Soft lips pressed against his and, just before he lost himself in the jumble of sensation and emotion the gentle touch elicited, he ruefully recalled the quickly concocted schemes and accidental opportunities that had failed miserably where a simple touch had succeeded.

October

'And then she swore at him and hexed his hair bright pink,' Sirius enthused, grinning broadly at Remus as he walked backwards into the dorm. 'Oh, you should have seen his face, Moooooohhh!'

Remus' eyes widened as Sirius stumbled (over his own discarded Quidditch boots – talk about karma) and instinctively reached out to steady him. Sirius grabbed hold of Remus' outstretched arm, but couldn't stop his momentum, pulling Remus down with him as he fell heavily to the floor.

'Ow!'

'Bloody hell, Padfoot!'

The air rushed from Sirius' lungs as Remus landed on top of him, heads narrowly missing clashing into each other. He felt the warm graze of Remus' lips against his neck and couldn't stop the resultant whole-body shudder at the contact. His hands gripped Remus' upper arms, not sure whether he was trying to push Remus away so he didn't notice the physical reaction his proximity was creating, or if he was trying to hold him closer so he would feel the growing bulge in Sirius' pants and the torture of not telling would be over.

Remus levered himself off Sirius' chest with his arms and glared down at Sirius, his eyes holding no real heat. Sirius held his breath. Remus was so close; all Sirius had to do was raise his head a little and...

'This is why I keep nagging you to pick up your shoes,' Remus admonished then, with a shake of his head, he pushed himself to his feet, and the moment was gone.

December

'What are you hiding?' James asked, trying to peer over Sirius' shoulder at the tightly closed hands behind his back.

'Nothing!' Sirius insisted, shoving past James and stalking into their dormitory. 'Just leave it.'

Remus, sprawled across his rumpled sheets, looked up from his History of Magic text and smiled at him. Sirius' heart stuttered in his chest and he grinned back, so distracted by the curve of Remus' lips that he didn't hear James' muttered spell until the object he'd been concealing was flying across the room.

'Mistletoe!' James yelped in delight as he nimbly snatched the cluster of leaves and berries out of the air. He waved it at Sirius tauntingly. 'So who was supposed to be the unfortunate victim then?'

'Fuck off, Prongs,' Sirius snapped, colouring as he desperately tried not to look Remus' way. 'I... found it in the hall. I thought we could charm it for a lark.'

James raised a skeptical eyebrow, but his interest had been piqued by Sirius' hastily concocted excuse. With one last barb... 'Didn't think you were so hard up you had to resort to mistletoe to get a snog'... he threw himself down on Remus' bed and started peppering Remus with questions about suitable sticking charms.

Remus rolled his eyes then, with a sigh of capitulation, closed his book and sat up. He reached for his Charms text book then looked over at Sirius, patting the vacant space beside him on the mattress.

'Come on then,' he ordered Sirius. 'This was your idea, after all.'

Sirius scowled, muttering to himself as he stumped over to Remus' bed, 'This wasn't part of my plan,' and contented himself with watching Remus' lips instead of kissing them.

February

'What's wrong with you?' Sirius asked as Remus stormed into the common room, face like thunder.

He watched as Remus threw down his book bag and fell onto a couch, slouching so low his chin rested on his chest.

'Nothing,' Remus mumbled, staring moodily into the leaping flames of the fire for a moment before he elaborated, 'Hate Valentine's Day.'

Sirius closed the Daily Prophet and moved across the room to sit next to Remus, arm draped over the back of the head rest. 'What happened?' he asked, fingers stretching out to touch an errant curl at Remus' nape before he caught himself and clenched his hand into a fist. 'Didn't you get any offers of undying love and affection?'

Remus snorted and crossed his arms over his chest, his head tilting back until it was resting against Sirius' arm. 'No,' he sulked, bottom lip beginning to curl into a pout. 'Not that I was expecting one, but I hate my lack of a love life being rubbed in my face all day.'

'If you didn't use your... monthlies as an excuse, you'd have girls all over you,' Sirius tutted, smiling at the tickling sensation as tendrils of light-brown hair brushed against his bare arm. 'And some of the blokes,' he added in a mutter.

Remus harrumphed and rolled his head to the side to look at Sirius. 'That's you, remember?' he said with an arched eyebrow. 'Seventeen cards, three boxes of chocolates and a bunch of flowers that screamed filthy suggestions at you until McGonagall Vanished them. That's a record haul for you.'

'I gave you the chocolates,' Sirius reminded him and Remus smirked.

'That makes you my one and only Valentine then, Padfoot,' he teased, shifting so he could burrow into Sirius' side. 'I should probably reward you by letting you get your hand up my jumper.'

Sirius' heart leaped and he licked nervously at his lips. 'Give me a snog and I'll call it even,' he murmured, dismayed to hear the unmistakably hopeful lilt to his words.

Remus stilled and peered up at Sirius through his fringe. 'Wouldn't your admirers be jealous?' he asked.

Sirius shrugged with a contrived air of nonchalance. 'They'd see my tastes lie far beyond their meager charms,' he said softly.

He thought he saw something dark and hot stir in Remus' eyes and held his breath for a long, lingering moment as Remus seemed to waver, swaying slightly towards him. Then it escaped in a disappointed rush when a wave of chatter from the direction of the portrait hole burst their bubble and Remus looked away.

'Nice try, Pads. Look, I don't want to play the 'woe is me' card all night,' he said, nuzzling his cheek against Sirius shoulder, 'but just let me wallow for another few minutes before you do something to jolly me out of it. Something that will leave me with all of my limbs and body hair, and doesn't turn me a funny colour, preferably.'

Sirius nodded morosely. He angled his face so his nose was almost buried in Remus' hair then inhaled quietly, the scent of sandalwood tickling his senses.

'Whatever you want, Moony,' he murmured, letting his hand drop casually to Remus' shoulder, prepared to take whatever contact he could steal tonight. 'Whatever you want.'

April

'Why are you hiding in here?' Remus asked, poking his head around Sirius' half-closed curtains and blinking down at Sirius. 'Shouldn't you be down in the common room with several nubile young women attending to your every whim? Or athletic young men; whichever takes your fancy on the anniversary of the day of your illustrious birth?'

Sirius smiled at Remus and sat up, swinging his legs over the side of his mattress. 'It was getting a bit much,' he admitted as Remus sank down beside him. Their bare forearms brushed together and Sirius stifled a sigh of longing. 'Prongs and Wormy should not be allowed to drink that much of Rosmerta's mead. They're going to be bloody useless tomorrow for my birthday prank.'

'Oh, that reminds me! I still have to look up that hair-growing charm to make sure it can be used with the colour-changing one without killing or permanently disabling anyone,' Remus said, a little frown creasing his brow.

Sirius watched Remus' forehead crinkle and smiled fondly. 'You'll get wrinkles,' he warned, tapping his fingertip against Remus' brow.

Remus smiled and the lines faded. 'I think wrinkles are the least of my problems,' he said lightly, but Sirius caught the undertone of bitterness and instinctively reached out, wrapping his hand around around Remus' wrist.

'No one cares about the scars, Moony,' he said gently, the pad of his thumb absently tracing the path of the latest addition to Remus' battle scars. The raised skin at Remus' wrist was smooth, but still an angry red, and Sirius knew how much each new mark bothered Remus. 'I never see them anymore.'

And no one watches you more than me.

Remus smiled tightly and bumped his shoulder against Sirius' gently. 'Ah, but you're one of a kind, Padfoot,' he said quietly with a hint of sadness. 'No one else like you out there.'

Sirius leaned into the warmth of Remus' side, skin prickling with awareness as their arms pressed together. 'Don't need a cheap copy when you've got the original,' he whispered, hair falling like a curtain around his face as he watched his thumb glide over the delicate skin of Remus' inner wrist. 'I'm not going anywhere.'

He felt Remus shift minutely, and looked up to see the other boy staring at him with an oddly intense expression. 'Sirius,' he murmured, face so close that every time Sirius breathed in, he could taste him. 'I...'

'Oh, sorry!'

Their heads shot up, both staring at Lily Evans as though they'd never seen her before. She bit her lip and shuffled awkwardly in the door way. 'Um, am I interrupti...?'

'Yes.'

'No, it's fine.'

Sirius stared at a blushing Remus who tugged his arm from Sirius' grasp and stood up, shoving his hands into his pockets and avoiding Sirius' eye. 'Are James and Pete getting out of hand?' he asked Lily who nodded as she backed away. 'We'll be right down.'

He turned to look at a point somewhere around Sirius' nose. 'Come on,' he said in an unsuccessful attempt at a jovial tone. He gestured towards the door with his head. 'Can't miss your own party.'

Then, without waiting for Sirius, Remus shuffled out of the room, back stiff and shoulders tense. Sirius sighed heavily and rubbed his hands wearily over his face. Remus couldn't get away from him quick enough. He'd been a fool to think that maybe, one day...

His eyes stung and he quickly blinked the sudden moisture away. 'Happy Birthday to me,' he whispered miserably before plastering a fake smile on his face and heading for the door.

Now

Sirius crept out of the bathroom, still half-asleep but managing to make it almost all the way to his bed before he tripped over what had no doubt been his own shoes; he was making a habit of that. He fell hard against Remus' bed, wincing at both the pain in his hip and the soft screech the bed made as it scraped across the floor. He froze, legs sprawled over the floor and arms braced on the bed, hoping he hadn't woken anyone. When he heard nothing, he sighed in relief and used the bed to haul himself to his feet.

'You know,' came a muted voice from within the burgundy curtains . 'You are a wizard. You have a wand and know the incantation for light.'

Sirius grimaced as the curtains parted and a surprisingly clear-eyed Remus glared out at him through the gap, his face illuminated by the yellow glow of his wand. 'Sorry I woke you,' he whispered, moving back to his own bed, but he paused when Remus' almost inaudible reply reached his ears.

'I wasn't asleep. I... Sirius...'

Sirius looked over his shoulder and saw Remus' naked expression, heard the edge of something raw in his voice as his blue eyes skittered wildly over Sirius' bare chest and old, loose sleep pants. Sirius' heart skipped a beat then settled into a hastened, erratic pattern as he slowly turned on his heel. He gazed searchingly at Remus' startlingly open face and step by painfully hopeful step, Sirius made his way back to the bed. He lowered himself carefully to the edge of the mattress, staring warily at Remus, not daring to allow his heart to believe that the want he could see in Remus' face was for him.

He opened his mouth to say something – anything – but only a hitching breath came out. Remus' wand lit up the cocoon created by the partially closed curtains and the light glinted off the scars criss-crossing his bare chest, making them gleam silver. Sirius could see that chest rising and falling rapidly, and his own breathing sped up. A butterfly light touch fluttered over his fingers and he looked down to see Remus' fingers hovering tentatively above his own.

'Sirius...' Remus whispered tremulously, and that one word told Sirius everything he needed to know.

Gathering his famous Gryffindor courage, he grasped Remus' faltering hand, twining their fingers, then leaned in to meet Remus' lips with his own. Remus' breath escaped with a sigh of contentment and relief, and Sirius felt a moan catch his throat as every single cell in his body screamed, 'Finally!'.

There was no hesitation; they each instinctively angled their heads to gain unhindered access to each others' mouths as their lips parted as tongues tasted and teased. The gentle kiss grew until Sirius was lost in the rolling waves of sensation and then he was falling to the bed, plastered so tightly against Remus that they felt like one entity.

A hand tangled in his hair, fingers raising goose bumps as they skimmed over his nape, and Sirius' hand clenched in the sheets as a shudder racked him. Remus moaned under him, hand clenching at the waist of Sirius' pajama pants as he arched up. Sirius whimpered as Remus' erection dug into his hip and met the next roll of the other boy's hips with a thrust of his own. Remus' guttural groan vibrated through Sirius' body and, with an answering low moan, Sirius deepened the kiss until his head was swimming with the need for air. Remus was the one to finally break their kiss, his panting little exhales wafting over Sirius' cheek as they both struggled to draw breath.

Sirius stared down at Remus in wonder. 'Am I dreaming?' he breathed in between gasps, and Remus smiled a sweet, sweet smile.

'If this is a dream, don't wake me up,' he whispered hoarsely, cupping Sirius' face with a shaking hand.

Sirius' touched Remus' face lightly, dragging his fingertips along the stubble-rough jaw until he reached the tiny scar on Remus' chin. He dipped his head and flicked his tongue over the mark, feeling Remus' sharp exhale of air lift his fringe. Remus' hands trailed over Sirius' bare back, making his muscles flex and tremble in response.

This didn't just feel good; it felt right and, as he dipped his head for another kiss, Sirius echoed Remus' sentiment.

'Don't wake me up,' he murmured, catching Remus' bottom lip between his own. 'Ever.'

fin.