Remus felt his skin twitch.
Just like it always did after his transformations. Still attempting to heal.
Like the light from the window was sending a full assault team to attack his eyes.
He didn't dare open his eyes.
He felt slightly different this morning. He didn't feel the icy cold on his bare skin. He didn't feel the uncomfortable pain in his neck he normally got for passing out after he returned human.
He was deliciously warm.
He felt safe.
This was very out of the ordinary.
He remembered it was two days before Christmas.
'What a wonderful time of the year' he thought bitterly but it was only halfhearted.
He started to move but was unable to. He immediately went into panic mode.
James and Peter had gone home for the holidays and he figured Sirius would be trying to swoon some girl Merlin knows where in the castle and here he was unable to move.
He was concentrating on calming himself down when he heard a soft snore.
His eyes wrenched themselves open allowing the sun's assault team to take action. He looked at his chest and saw a rather muscular arm draped comfortably around him.
He let his eyes follow the arm to the shoulders of its owner and he was met with the soft slumbering face of Sirius Black.
He felt his chest shudder.
The one person that could make him blissfully happy was asleep next to him.
There were a few extra blankets over the two of them.
Remus being cursed as a werewolf was forced to be nude for his transformations so that he would not ruin his already tattered secondhand robes.
He took a second to allow his hypersensitive senses to determine if anything else was odd. He looked back at Sirius and noticed his shoulders were bare.
He was naked in a bed alone with at the very least a half naked Sirius Black. He watched as Sirius began to let consciousness take over his body and rolled on to his back and stretched his long arms over his head causing his chest muscles to constrict slightly.
Remus watched as Sirius pulled on his body and heard snapping and popping as his bones popped.
Sirius let his arms fall back as he rolled back on to his side and let his arm drape back over Remus' bare chest with a soft sigh.
Remus contemplated going back to sleep after a few minutes of silence.
At least until Sirius began to lazily drawing shapes on his chest re-invoking his teenage morning hormones that he always managed to squash on transformation mornings.
If Sirius knew what he did to Remus he would run for the hills, at least that's what Remus had always thought.
Remus smiled to himself as Sirius began to draw on his chest with nails instead of finger tips.
'Some days it just might be worth it if he happened to love me back…'
But Remus didn't dare take that risk because the cons were horrible compared to the pros.
He couldn't lose Sirius or James.
They were the only ones that kept him from going mental.
"Hmmm… morning Remmie." Sirius said after a few minutes, looking up at Remus with his fathomless molten silvery orbs.
"Morning Paddy." Remus said with a smile.
Sirius stretched again and laid back down on Remus just like before.
"What time is it?" he asked burying his face in Remus' chest.
Remus snickered as he checked his wristwatch sitting on the bed next to him.
"Just before noon."
"Ok, we are fine then."
"Why do you say that?"
"I told Poppy I would come to get you since it was a family and friends time of year she agreed, although reluctantly. She said she would be coming here around oneish just incase I forgot. HA! As if I could forget my Moony." Sirius said smirking with his face still in Remus' chest.
'His moony, I like it.'
"Say Moony, what do you want to do today?" Sirius asked picking his head up off Remus' chest with a small glint in his eyes.
"We could always sleep the day away…"
"We could… but that involves sleep. Not something I had in mind." He smirked slightly.
"Paddy… what do you have planned?" Remus asked warily.
"You'll just have to wait and see my beloved charming Moony." Sirius said tossing the warm covers back to jump out of the bed in his boxers and flicking his wand and making them fold.
He smirked at Remus.
"Happy much, Moony?" Sirius asked tossing Remus a pair of track pants.
Remus looked down and saw that he was indeed happy, albeit cold but happy. He flushed deeply at Sirius seeing him naked but it wasn't something that was new.
"I should ask you the same thing Paddy." Remus joked gesturing to Sirius' boxers.
"Damned morning wood…" Remus heard him mutter under his breath as he pulled on his pants. Remus chuckled to himself as he did the same.
Sirius shrunk the blankets and put them in the duffle he had hidden under the bed after pulling out two thick cloaks.
"Up you go, Moony. Let's go before Poppy attacks us." Sirius said holding his hand out to Remus and pulling him to his feet.
"I doubt she would attack us Paddy. But don't let her frailness dissuade you." Remus said with a small laugh.
Sirius smiled and took Remus' hand as he had done so many times before but this time it sent a wave of voltage straight to his groin.
They walked hand-in-hand down the small tunnel to the tree. Sirius went out first and helped Remus up. He put his arm around Remus' shoulders to comfort him.
Remus placed his arm around Sirius' middle for support.
They walked back to the Gryffindor tower just like that.
They were nearly alone this year.
Only two Hufflepuffs stayed back other than Remus and Sirius so they didn't worry about peculiar looks.
Once inside their dormitory Sirius sat Remus down on his bed tenderly before pulling the blankets out of the duffle and enlarging them back to their original state before spreading them over Remus who was nearly drifting off to sleep again.
The journey back took almost all of his energy.
Sirius flicked his wand at the thick curtains at the windows engulfing them in a sweet darkness.
Sirius smiled and placed a small kiss on Remus' forehead thinking this friend was sound asleep he turned away to go to the common room or maybe the kitchens.
"Sirius… stay…" Remus whispered in to the dark.
Sirius halted in his steps and turned back around and smiled at his friend.
Sirius swished his wand at the door placing a locking charm on the door before stripping back down to his boxers and sliding under the warm blankets next to Remus.
Remus smiled contently as Sirius curled into him and placed his head back on his chest just like they had been not that long ago.
Sirius wasn't the least bit tired but he knew Remus would be running low on energy today and he made himself comfortable next to Remus.
'Too bad we can't do this all the time. His chest really is comfortable.' Sirius thought as he began to lazily draw random shapes on Remus' chest again.
Sirius smiled as Remus' heart beat sped up just as it had in the shack.
Remus' breathing became slightly shallow as Sirius continued.
"Sirius…" was all Remus could say as he tried to stifle a whimper.
"Remus…" Sirius said deciding to play along. Sirius knew exactly what he was doing. Remus let a single moan out as Sirius drew a line from his collarbone to his pant hem.
Sirius smiled at the small victory.
"What's wrong Moony?" Sirius asked playing dumb as he drew a circle around Remus' navel.
"Sir… Sirius… you know…" Remus tried as Sirius bit down lightly on Remus' nipple. The one that just oh-so-happened to be right under his mouth.
"Sirius!" Remus exclaimed.
"Yes?" Sirius asked smiling up at Remus. "Is there a problem?"
"No… not in the… slightest." Remus stuttered as Sirius flicked his tongue at the nipple he just nipped at.
Sirius smirked as Remus gave him a horrified look.
Remus was surprised by his own daring.
He just pretty much gave away his secret.
A secret he had kept hidden for nearly two whole years without raising and suspicion from his mats.
"Really now? And here I thought I was the only one with these feelings…" Sirius mused.
"Feelings?" Remus asked still trying to hide his secret.
"Yes feelings, do I really have to spell it out for you Moony?"
"I… um… uh…"
"I like you Moony." Sounding as if it was obvious.
"I like you too Paddy, mate."
"No Moony, you don't get it, love. I really, really like you."
"I don't… what do you…" Remus stared to ramble but Sirius shut him up by kissing him softly on the lips.
The kiss was an adventure, it was soft yet yearning.
Sirius wanted to know every nook and cranny of Remus' mouth, and body. Remus was lost in the blissfulness of the kiss as he drank in the taste of Sirius' soft lips.
Sirius smiled as Remus pulled him closer to him.
After a few minutes Sirius broke the kiss in deep need of air.
"That… love… is a…'small'… feeling…" Sirius said between gasps.
Remus blushed a deep shade of crimson from his forehead to his navel, expecting Sirius to mock him or tease him.
"I… uh…" he tried as Sirius softly chuckled.
Sirius smiled before laying back down and letting his head rest once more on Remus' softly scared chest.
"Shhh… sleep Moony, love…" Sirius whispered into the darkness of the dormitory.
Remus beamed, Sirius returned his feelings.
Smiling still Remus let sleep overcome him as Sirius' breath became softer and his grip tightened as he hugged Remus in his sleep.
"My Moony…" Was the last thing Remus heard before drifting away.
A few hours later Remus woke to the sound of voices.
He pouted slightly at the cold spot next to him.
He sat up to look around the room.
No Sirius.
That's when he heard Sirius' voice from the hall way.
"Poppy, you'll wake him."
"How in Merlin's name did you get him to sleep?! I have to use a double dose of sleeping draught!"
"Wasn't that hard…"
"Well I was just coming to check on him. He's a right nightmare after a full moon.
"Well I can assure you Poppy that he is fine, tired but fine. And at the moment unless he's woken he's sound asleep. Now go spoil yourself, it's Christmas you shouldn't worry about us. I promise we will do our best not to get ourselves hurt. Besides there's no Slytherins around to hurt that promise now is there?"
"No… but only if you are sure?"
"Yes Poppy"
"Alright, just make sure he gets some chocolate."
"Like I could ever stop him… now go on, I can handle my Remus. I promise you…"
"Alright but you better get me if you need me. "
"I will Poppy."
Remus heard movements and laid back down on the bed just as Sirius walked back into the room in a lose shirt and pants. Sirius stripped down to his boxers before he noticed his spectator.
"Hey…" he said crawling back into the warm bed next to Remus.
"Hey." Remus said smiling at Sirius.
"Sleep okay?" Sirius asked laying Remus' head on his chest and lightly raking his fingers through his soft hair.
Remus had tremendously soft hair that countered his thick coarse werewolf fur.
"Very much so." Remus said enjoying the tattoo of Sirius's heartbeat.
"Good." Sirius said kissing the top of Remus' head.
They sat in silence before Sirius spoke softly.
"How long?"
"Hmm?" Remus said in a daze.
"How long have you known you liked me?"
"Oh… over two years."
"Two years?!" Sirius exclaimed. "How in Merlins names did you hide it?"
"You never asked and it just never came up… you really never suspected?"
"No never… did you at least tell some one?"
"Nope. I didn't know how any one would act so I didn't try…"
"Oh…"
"How about you?"
"Since last new years…I told you though just inconspicuously…"
"That Valentine last year was from you?"
"Yes. A really big risk I now realize…"
"You're braver than me. I wouldn't have taken the risk… I didn't." Remus said hugging him.
"No, I'm not braver than you. It's braver to keep a secret than to give into the first temptation…" Sirius said sadly.
Remus smiled as he looked up at Sirius.
Sirius had a troubled look on his face as Remus took a small risk and kissed him softly.
"It was the best valentine I've ever gotten. I had wondered what a valentine from you would hold and I never realized it was in my hand…" Remus said smiling a Sirius who beamed back at him.
"Really? Are you sure, because you have gotten more valentines than me and James put together…" Sirius trailed off.
"Yes… I loved it… still do really… including the person who wrote it…" Remus said with a small smile as Sirius' eyes filled with warmth.
"Do you mean that Moony?" he asked suddenly apprehensive as he looked away from Remus.
"With all my heart Paddy…" Remus said smiling pulling Sirius' face back to him. "I love you Sirius Orion Lee Black. I have since Christmas to years ago. I loved you then and I love you now. I love you more today than yesterday, but not as much as I will love you tomorrow and that is a promise."
Sirius actually blushed.
Remus smiled at the fact.
He was the first of the Marauders to make Sirius blush.
He felt ecstatic as Remus softly kissed Sirius on the lips.