God, Moony was gorgeous.

Sirius wanted to say beautiful, but that wasn't right. Remus was all teenage boy merging uncompromisingly into a manly form, tall with hard, sharp angles, big, intelligent and wicked brown eyes and a nose too full of character to render him beautiful. But God was he gorgeous. He saw it in the way he would ruffle his fringe anxiously whenever James or Sirius would be thinking up some elaborate prank, torn between joining in and respecting his Prefect duties. He saw it in the way his mouth would curl seductively, eyebrow raised, when they could finally get a moment alone. He saw it when his nose would crinkle in laughter or from the smell of Padfoot's wet fur. He loved Remus' slender, scarred torso, both strong and fragile, that never ceased to fascinate him. He loved the way his mouth would curve around his name, either in orgasm or in everyday usage. Sirius would never tire of hearing Moony say his name, in his rough and oh so wonderful tones.

Sirius looked fondly over at his friend, lounging with his legs apart on the common room couch. His Moony. Sirius wished with a pang that he could drape himself over him and plant a deliciously soft kiss on his wonderful, Moony lips. At that moment, Remus looked up and winked at him, arching his back in one curvaceous movement, and Sirius wished everyone would disappear. One day. One day we can tell them and I can kiss him whenever I bloody well please! They needed to pick the right moment, however. Sirius sighed, seeing James and Lily on the rug by the fireplace practising Charms spells and sharing loving glances at each other. He couldn't take it much longer.

'Moony, fancy a walk?'

Moony smiled openly and practically raced him out the portrait hole.

Sitting under the tree by the lake as the sun shot streams of gold through Remus' hair on its decent, Sirius found the word. Perfect. Everything from his well formed features to his wide boyish smile, big nose and long limbs was perfection. There was something glorious in the unfinished nature of Remus, as if someone had painstakingly restored an old statue, but died before its completion. Sirius loved it. He had every intention of telling Moony this, but as he opened his mouth-

'I think we should tell them.'

'W-what?' Sirius, so rarely lost for words unless he was with Moony, who never failed to throw him off guard.

'Sirius, it's been over a year. School's nearly finished and we're moving into a one bedroom flat. I think we should give them time to get used to it.'

'Christ. Yeah, I suppose. James will go spare.' Sirius laughed, but Remus knew just how worried he was. Sirius hardly cared about anyone's opinion any more, but Sirius would have rather lived the spite of his mother as he left The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black a hundred times that have James disapprove of him.

Remus understood his fear; the child he used to be had tried so hard to impress his only friends and hide the secret he was sure would have separated them forever. Luckily for Remus, it had only brought them closer. He couldn't say the same for this secret.

D'you want to do it now, or shall we plan out what we're going to say first?'

'How about, "I'm a ruddy poofter and have been shagging Remus in secret"?'

Remus snorted and raised an eyebrow. 'Maybe you should let me do the talking'.

The next day was a Saturday and the Marauders and Lily had planned a trip to Hogsmeade. Sirius and Remus agreed to wait until they got back to the dorm before announcing their news.

* *

The day passed in a haze of laughter, chocolate and Sirius attempting to flirt with the barmaid for alcohol.

Sirius and Remus both notably quietened on the walk back and were issued thumps from James. The two boys had looked warily at each other before Sirius blurted out that they needed to tell them something in the dorm when they got back. He said it before Lily went back to her own dorm so she could be there, too. It was clear to both of them that she was going to be a permanent fixture in their lives now, and though Sirius had resisted at first, neither could deny that she was now their friend and not just James' girlfriend.

With James, Lily and Peter sitting on James' bed and Sirius and Remus sitting on Peter's opposite, the tension was palpable.

'Em, well, as you know, Remus and I have been looking for a flat and we found one. It's pretty decent, but anyway...uh...'

Remus reached for Sirius' hand, squeezing it tightly. 'It's a one bedroom,' he finished confidently.

'Eh? I thought your uncle gave you enough money, Padfoot. I don't see why you have to be such a tight arse that one of you has to sleep on the sofa,' James replied, somewhat confusedly.

Sirius cleared his throat. 'Well, actually neither of us are. Em, that is to say, we chose a one bedroom...' Sirius faltered uncertainly.

'We're...I guess you would say, dating. Have been for a year and a half.' Remus looked over and smiled encouragingly at Padfoot.

'So that's that,' Sirius concluded wisely.

A long, long silence followed and Sirius shifted uncomfortably whilst Remus tightened his grip on his hand.

Lily got up and walked over to them. She put a hand on her hip in the manner befitting Head Girl before smiling and hugging them both in turn and sitting down next to Sirius. She looked over at James, who had visibly stiffened, and Peter, whose staring face remained impassive.

The silence was beginning to make Sirius increasingly worried. He had the urge to blurt out an apology to James and Peter, but he knew that if they couldn't accept this, they wouldn't accept that either. 'Fuck this,' Sirius announced gruffly, uncurling his fingers from Remus' and crossing over to the door. With a last glance at James, he hurried down the stairs and out the portrait hole.

He bolted down the main stairs towards the Great Hall and found his way out of the main doors and down to the lake. The place where he and Remus had first kissed tentatively in the dark, the place where Remus had first said "I love you" and Sirius had said it back, unable to keep the grin from his face. The place where they had decided to end their secret and share it with the people that mattered most.

Even now, Sirius couldn't think this was wrong. Not when Remus had made him so happy, when he thought he'd have to hide behind fake smiles forever. Not when Remus was perfect for him. He berated himself for leaving him there to face their... Well Sirius didn't even know how they felt. Cursing, he sprinted back towards the castle.

'How the hell did this happen?'

Sirius heard James' outraged voice as he hovered outside the door.

'I love him, James. I know...I know it might not be normal, but surely you want us to be happy. Sirius was so worried about telling you. You're like a fucking brother to him.' Remus rarely swore, and Sirius could hear the strain in his voice.

He opened the door. 'I'm still the same person, you self-righteous bastard.' Sirius punched James hard and knocked him out. Sirius, visibly shaking, turned to Peter who was still sitting on the bed. 'What about you, Wormtail? Are you disgusted?' He snarled the last word and narrowed his eyes.

Peter shook his head and smiled slightly. 'My uncle's gay, so...' He shrugged. 'I was just surprised to be honest.' He looked at James lying on the ground. 'He'll come around, don't worry. Even if Lily has to slap some sense into him.'

Sirius and Remus looked over at Lily sitting on the other bed, who was staring at James' form in shock. She forced herself to look at the boys and cleared her throat. 'I can't say I'm terribly surprised with his reaction, but I did hope he'd be more mature than this. Sirius, you mean everything to him, I think that's why he's taking it so hard. You were hiding something so important from him for so long. It's silly, but he's probably hurt you didn't tell him earlier.'

'I-I couldn't.'

'I know that, but he has a tendency to be rather black and white about things sometimes. He-oh hell, can I please revive him?'

Sirius looked over at Remus who nodded slowly and muttered a quick spell to render James conscious.

James ran a hand through his hair without thinking and straightened his glasses, standing up slowly and glancing at Sirius.

'Sirius you absolute prat. I know you're the same person. I don't expect you to become suddenly effeminate by spending hours on your hair of prancing about like a bloody fairy. No wait, you already do that.' James gave an impish grin before his expression sobered. 'I just need to get my head around thinking of you two as...a couple. Just give me a bit of time, yeah? And don't go snogging each other in front of me.'

Sirius visibly relaxed and pulled James into a hug, barking a laugh into his shoulder.

Peter got up and went over to the boys, wrapping his arms around both of them before giving Remus a one-armed hug.

* * *

That evening down at the lake, Sirius and Remus exchanged hushed words and kisses under the tree that had given them so much shelter. Knowing that life outside Hogwarts wouldn't give them such protection, they clung tightly to each other, knowing that their friends at least would support them.

Sirius pulled back and took in Remus, his eyes reflecting the moon and starlight and his windswept hair tumbling into his eyes. As Remus' hands ran up and down his back, he whispered, 'You're perfect, Moony, you're perfect.'