Remus knew that something was wrong when he was awakened at three o'clock in the morning by someone jumping frantically on his bed. Remus sat up and stretched, noting that the fourth bed in their room was empty, before pushing the jumping Peter off of his bed and pulling a white v-neck t-shirt over his head. He finally looked at the floor, where he saw Peter, looking terrified and teary-eyed.
"Is Sear here?" He asked. Remus shook his head groggily. "Oh Merlin. Okay. Okay. Well, you know he was whimpering and thrashing about all night and then screamed and told the rest of us it was nothing and to go back to sleep and we all did and then he climbed into bed with you and then I just now woke up suddenly panicking and he's not in bed and he's not in the common room and I don't know where he is but he left his wand and that's not like him at all," he said, all in one breath, extending a wand that Remus immediately recognized as Sirius's. James was now standing next to him, and he and Remus exchanged worried looks.
"I'm going to go look for him. Pete, stay here in case he shows up. James, you're going to go tell McGonagall that he's missing – and you're going to tell her everything." Remus ordered, automatically going into command mode.
"And what do we do if one of us finds her and the other two are out panicking?" Pete asked, crossing his arms and biting his lower lip.
"I've been worried about him since he showed up at the start of term with that bloody tattoo on his wrist," Remus mutters, making a strangled noise. "Here." He reaches into his school bag for a piece of parchment and under his pillow for his wand, tapping the parchment twice. The first time doesn't do anything, the second time it splits into three pieces. "Everyone take a piece. If you find him, tap it with your wand and we'll all know he's safe. Pete, give me his wand."
"What makes you so sure that you're going to be the one who finds him and needs to take his wand?" He asks indignantly. Remus's head snaps around and his eyes, normally a warm hazel, turned a bright yellow. Before he could say a word, Pete handed him Sirius's wand. "You're right, you should take it."
"Thank you," he says, his voice deeper than usual. These are the first signs that Remus is upset – his eyes turning yellow and his voice going deep and gravelly. He sticks the wand in his waistband next to him, shoves his feet into his slippers, and runs a hand through his hair. "Good luck, everyone. Let's find her before anything happens to her."
"WAIT! Remus, before you go," James says, bracing himself for Remus's terrifying stare down. "You, you're only wearing pants."
Remus makes the same strangled noise before reaching into his trunk and pulling out a pair of tight jeans and yanking them on. He then sticks the two wands in his back pocket and wordlessly leaves the room.
"That was terrifying," Peter says. James, digging through his trunk for a t-shirt that's clean enough to wear whilst waking Minerva McGonagall in the middle of the night, laughs. Lily, who had been hiding under James's bed, collapses against the wall and sighs, relieved that she wasn't the only one frightened by Remus's intensity.
"You know he worries about him," James replies, pulling a Gryffindor Quidditch shirt over his head. "So. Shall we?" Peter and Lily both nod, and James offers Lily his arm.
"That really was scary," Lily says quietly as they descend the dormitory stairs.
"When Remus is overwhelmed with emotion, the wolf takes over to help him deal with it. It's not uncommon when it comes to Sirius. He loves him, and he worries about him, and it's not easy for him to love. Ironically, I think it's harder for him because he loves him back." The two finish their short walk to the common room in silence, contemplating love and friendship.
Remus knows exactly where to look for Sirius, and immediately breaks into a run for the astronomy tower. He doesn't even care if he gets caught out of bed in the dead of the night. When he gets there (not even sweating or out of breath – times like this make him grateful for the wolf), he pauses at the door, taps the parchment he fishes from his pocket, and watches Sirius through the window for a moment. He's wrapped in the red and gold blanket that Mrs. Potter knitted for him for Christmas in their first year, a mug of tea that must be cold by now next to him. He can tell from behind that his legs are dangling over the ledge of the tower. His long, black hair, tumbling around shoulders in its normal perfect wave/curl combination, is blowing gently in the wind. It's really a beautiful image, and Remus tries to take a mental photograph so he can sketch it later. He slowly opens the door, trying not to startle the vulnerable man. As soon as Sirius hears the door creak, his head whips around to see who's coming through the door. "Hi, love," Remus says quietly, sitting down next to him. Again, he's grateful for the wolf, as his body is generally very warm and he doesn't mind the freezing air one bit right now.
"Hi," he replies quietly, attempting to surreptitiously wipe his eyes with the heel of his hand. With careful movements, he untucks one side of the blanket from under her, wraps it around Remus, and leans into his strong body. His arm snakes around Sirius, and Remus drops his head to Sirius's, planting a kiss in his hair. "I'm assuming I frightened everyone in dormitory and Lily eventually started panicking and decided to see if I was with you?"
"Basically, except it was Peter. Lily was too busy pretending she wasn't there," he replies with a soft chuckle. "What are you doing up here?"
"Couldn't sleep. Bad dreams. Needed air and space to think," he explains and Remus nods understandingly.
"How long have you been here?"
"Oh, a few hours, I suppose."
The two sit in loving silence. Sirius's head has fallen to Remus's chest, and he's listening to the other boy's strong, steady heartbeat while Remus gently strokes his boyfriend's hair. After nearly half an hour of this, Remus begins mindlessly humming their song. He plants another kiss on the top of his boyfriend's head, then carefully extracts the parchment and his wand from his pocket. He taps it once to remove the enchantment, then again to transfigure it into a record player.
Wise men say, only fools rush in
But I can't help falling in love with you
Shall I stay, would it be a sin
If I can't help falling in love with you
Remus slowly pulls his arm away from Sirius's waist, then carefully swings his legs back onto the stone landing and standing. He reaches down for Sirius's hand and gently helps him up, keeping hold of his hand and putting the other hand on his waist. Giggling, Sirius places his hand on Remus's shoulder and the couple starts dancing - Remus in his slippers and Sirius barefoot.
Like a river flows, surely to the sea
Darling so it goes, some things are meant to be
Take my hand, take my whole life too
For I can't help falling in love with you
"When'd you learn to dance?" Sirius asks, still giggling. Sure, he knows how – after all, he's a Black. He began ballet lessons for poise at four and ballroom lessons at seven. Remus, on the other hand, has never been graceful or particularly skilled on the dance floor. Sirius had led every dance between the couple at last year's Yule Ball, but Remus is unequivocally leading him now.
"I took dance classes from a muggle girl in the village over the summer," he replies, twirling Sirius. "She wasn't nearly as good – or as pretty as you." Sirius completes the spin, intentionally pulling himself closer to his boyfriend so that the space between them was almost non-existent.
Like a river flows, surely to the sea
Darling so it goes, some things are meant to be
Minerva McGonagall, heartbroken for the young man after James and Lily's retelling of his abuse and disinheritance during the previous summer, is watching the young couple through the window in the door – she has been since before Remus's impressive transfiguration of the parchment. She knows that she should at least chastise them for being out of bed in the middle of the night, and yet she can't bring herself to even interrupt them. The love between the two deeply damaged students is almost palpable, and she finds herself smiling and swaying along with the music.
Take my hand, take my whole life too
For I can't help falling in love with you
For I can't help falling in love with you
Remus spins Sirius again, loving the smile on his face and the way the wind catches his hair. This time, instead of continuing the dance, Remus pulls him even closer, pauses, and gently presses his lips to his boyfriend's. "It's true, Sear, I can't help falling in love with you. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, and I love you."
"I love you, too, Remus," Sirius responds, standing on his toes and pressing his lips against Remus's again.