AN: Believe me, if I owned them, the story would be a lot different.

Slightly AU, but I don't discuss anything key to the story so it doesn't matter.

"Please come out with me," Sirius begged his boyfriend of four years. "It's just to the shops. You haven't been out of the flat in ages. It's not good for you."

Remus looked at him sadly and took another sip of his coffee, then made a face, as it was still too hot to drink. "I don't want to Siri. I hate being the center of attention, especially negative attention." He passed a hand slowly over the right side of his face, his fingers following the track of a large, raised, knotty scar that wound its way through his eyebrow, right past the corner of his eye, and continued down his cheek.

Three months before he had gotten in a fight with another werewolf while on a mission for the Order of the Phoenix. He had nearly lost his sight in his right eye, and because the wound was inflicted by a werewolf, it had never healed properly. Remus had his whole life suffered from low self-esteem and was especially self-conscious about his appearance, particularly about his scars. He had gone out alone once after his face was healed and had come home in tears. He hadn't stepped out of their flat since.

Sirius was not about to give up. "Remus, babe, you can't spend the rest of your life hiding. Seriously, you have to go out at some point."

"No I don't," Remus said petulantly.

"You're acting like a child," the dark haired man told him. "You will have to go out. And I think you'd prefer it to be with me instead of, oh say, going to my funeral. Honestly, you don't look as bad as you think you do. You're beautiful, in fact."

Remus looked up at him, still clutching his coffee with both hands. "Do you really think so?"

"I only tell you every day," the other said fondly. He took the mug from Remus' hands, pulled him up from the couch, and kissed him lightly on the nose. "Go get dressed and let's go already; the Christmas gifts aren't going to buy themselves."

Remus laughed softly and did as he was told.

They ventured forth into a light snow. It was only a short walk to the shops in the village and they reached the place quickly. Remus tried to use the excuse of the cold weather to keep a scarf wound about his face, but Sirius was having none of it. He took it off and rewound it firmly about the shorter man's neck. They went first into a brightly lit pub, the Wand and Broomstick, and got drinks.

Sirius could detect Remus' spirits rising throughout their shopping trip. However, just as he had coaxed a smile and laugh out of his lover it was all spoiled. They were in a bookshop. Apparently the two teenaged girls at the other end of the shelves of books forgot how far their voices would carry in the quiet.

"Oh my god, Carol! Did you see his face?"

"No... what's wrong with it?"

"Wait- he's turning back this way. See!"

"Oh, that's awful... I wonder what happened to him."

"His friend is bloody handsome though..."

Sirius saw Remus' face fill with hurt. He could have killed those two careless girls for their hurtful words. "Rem, don't pay those stupid kids any mind. They're only judging by face value, literally. They don't know who you are. Who you are is a gorgeous, lovely, caring, intelligent person, with whom I am deeply in love. And I think they," he jerked his head in the direction of the offending pair, "should know it." With those words he took Remus' beautiful, scarred face in his hands and kissed him passionately.

When they broke apart Remus said quietly, "I love you."

"I love you too," Sirius answered.

"His boyfriend more like," grumbled one of the girls.

Out of nowhere, a shopper in the next row over stuck her head into the aisle. "We can all bloody well hear you, you know."

The two flushed and skittered away. Remus watched them go, smiling wryly.