Chapter One

"Just going to the library!" called Lily potter's shrill voice. Normally, Sirius Black would block out anything his best friend's annoying wife had to say – he seriously couldn't what the attraction to women was all about – but this particular announcement made Sirius' ears prick like a little dog hearing the word 'walkies'.

"I'll come!" he almost yelped, leaping off the sofa gracefully while ignoring Lilly's satisfied and smug little smirk.

"What a surprise..." she muttered and once again he pretended not to notice...

"Why. Are. We. Walking. So. Slow?" Sirius grumbled, accentuating each step with a stomp of his foot as Lily trotted behind, trying to keep up with his long strides.

"What's the rush?" she panted though still managed to waggle her eyebrows suggestively to show him she knew exactly why he was in such a hurry. The new librarian had caught Sirius' eye a month ago when Lily dragged him to the library with her. Since then he had been taking every opportunity to return to the location – that had previously been of no interest to him – borrowing books like no tomorrow which he usually never read.

As they entered Sirius gaze flew straight to the counter as always. And there he was. He had dishevelled looking ash blond hair, a straight nose, gorgeous blue eyes and those lips... Sirius felt his lower body stir as he watched those lips, god those lips, wrap around the mouth of a water bottle and he couldn't help but imagine them wrapping in the same tentative way around his –

"Oh stop drooling." Lily's high pitched voice brought him out of his trance – a good thing, too, as Sirius'...interest would have surely noticed soon enough. "I can already tell you're going to be no help at all. Just sit down over there and you can help me carry all my books when I've found them all," she trilled bossily, then bustled off out of sight.

Sirius picked a table that was close enough that he had a good view of the other man but also where he could stare without being noticed. He picked up a random book and thrust it in front of his face, peering over the top. His eyes raked over the man for a few minutes, the counter rudely blocking anything below the waist. Suddenly, the blue eyes caught grey and Sirius hastily moved his gaze to the page in front of him. It was a little while before he noticed something unusual about the words and his usually pale skin flushed deep red as it came to his mortified realisation that the book was upside down. He heard a soft chuckle that did nothing to quell the dull ache in his lower belly. He looked up and, as he expected, the man was staring back at him, an amused, and oh so adorable smile on his enchanting features. Sirius puffed out a rush of air in an attempt to cool his hot cheeks.

"Come on then," Lily appeared behind him out of nowhere with her arms full of books, and with her voice straining slightly under the weight she requested, "help me with these."

Sirius took the heaviest looking books from her, showing off his manliness and generosity in an attempt to impress the other man – and regain some lost dignity. The pair hauled the books to the counter and the usually boisterous, confident Sirius stared at his shoes while Lily greeted the man who had haunted his dreams for many nights now. He didn't know what had come over him, no-one else had this effect on him – usually coming onto any man who caught his eye, but for some reason this man stripped him of his self-confidence and reduced him to a shy little boy with the blink of a beautiful blue eye.

"...this is my friend Sirius," Sirius tuned back into the conversation at the mention of his own name. He looked up to see the other two smiling at him expectantly.

"Er, h-hi?" was all he managed to squeak as those curious blue orbs probed him.

"Remus Lupin" said the until now nameless man as he extended a hand. Sirius eagerly took it, holding in a groan at the warm, calloused yet still soft skin beneath his fingers. He let go before he came right there in his pants.

"Sirius," he whispered and the man nodded his acknowledgement and Sirius noticed a flicker of emotion across those sparkling pools of blue that he couldn't quite put a name to.

"See you again soon then," Lily interrupted, giving Sirius an irritatingly obvious wink.

"Bye, Sirius," Remus articulated, causing the subject of his words to let out a tiny, involuntary squeak as his pants tightened.

"B-bye," he stammered before rushing after Lily like a scared puppy with its tail between its legs.