BLAME IT ON THE MOON

If anyone asked Sirius Black how he felt about the universe, he would've called it a git. He didn't care about the planets and their movements, or that stars were actually dead and what we see today is simply the glow of their explosions, which happened thousands of years ago. He thought Astronomy was just as useful as Divination, and he didn't like to think that the constellations had anything to do with his personality. He was a Scorpio, but the fact that he was mischievous, flirtatious, and slightly temperamental had nothing to do with the positions of astronomical objects that were hovering in the sky on the day he was born.

No. Of course not.

However, despite all his disbeliefs, Sirius Black had conflicted feelings toward the moon.

Yes, it was a giant white orb that incredibly resembled a big ball of swiss cheese, but it was also the Earth's natural satellite, as well as the reason for the turmoil that tormented the one person who made his mind uneasy. Oblivious to what unhinged Sirius's soul, Remus seemed to worry simply about the catastrophes the full moon could bring upon the ones he loved; and no, he wasn't concerned about high tides and floods.

Sirius knew Remus's story. He knew about the werewolf that had bitten him when he was just a kid, and about all the despair that had fallen upon his family ever since. He knew that werewolves were dangerous, and that Remus didn't recognize anyone when the full moon's beams touched the ground. As Remus himself had said many, many times: he would kill his best friend. Notwithstanding, Sirius didn't care about the danger or the likelihood of death. He cared about Remus; his well-being and his safety.

Nothing else mattered.

Now, the full moon was approaching, and Remus was starting to show the telltale signs. His eyes had grown sunken, and he looked tired and dismayed. That, combined with an upswing of his usual fear and angst, contributed to make him experience the sense of hopelessness that constantly preceded his transformation. As his best friend, Sirius felt obliged to make Remus smile again.

"Wanna play Exploding Snap?" Sirius asked, while Remus absentmindedly scribbled in his notebook, in the armchair beside his own in front of the Gryffindor common room fire. "Or maybe some Wizard's Chess?"

"I'm not in the mood, Padfoot," Remus replied, continuing to doodle the outline of a wolf howling beneath a full moon.

"That's an awful drawing," Sirius said, ripping the notebook from his friend's hand. "Come on. Talk to me."

Remus stared at his friend and Sirius was able to acknowledge how purplish the dark circles around Remus's hazel eyes were. Sirius didn't fully understand what it felt to experience the pain of a transformation, because turning into a big black dog was as easy as laughing out loud after a very funny joke. Sometimes, and he would never say this aloud to Remus, he wished they could trade places, just so that Remus could spend some time in the most absolute normality.

"The full moon is coming," Sirius said, and Remus simply nodded at him, staring at his glowing pewter eyes.

When their eyes were locked, Sirius started to feel them again: the awful butterflies that insisted on showing up every time he was close to Remus. It made him feel even worse, because while Remus was struggling with his demons, Sirius was wondering what it would feel like to kiss those forsaken lips. If only Remus felt the same… Sirius would be able to completely make him forget about the proximity of the transformation. He would kiss him and love him, and make him oblivious to everything and everyone.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Remus asked, and Sirius found himself blushing.

"No reason," he lied. "I was just… thinking."

"Remarkable," Remus said with a smirk. "I didn't know you were capable of thinking."

"Git," Sirius said, and lightly punched Remus on the arm. "No, I was thinking about someone."

"A girl?" Remus asked, and Sirius shrugged.

It had become natural to him to simply lie and talk about girls to avoid bringing his feelings to light. He was known for being flirtatious and going out with the prettiest girls in the castle, and though it felt good to be with them, they were just a decoy from what he truly wanted. Who he truly wanted…

Sirius bit his bottom lip nervously. "I think I'm in love with someone."

Remus lifted his eyebrows. "And what's wrong with that?"

"I don't know how to tell this person about my feelings," Sirius said, trying to keep his true intentions as under his skin as possible.

"I think the most practical thing to do is to simply tell her how you feel," Remus said. "All you have to do is say: 'Hey, I'm in love with you.'"

Sirius swallowed hard. "Moony, I'm in love with you."

Remus blinked. "See? That's what I'm talking about. I can almost feel the love."

"Moony, I mean it. I'm bloody in love with you."

"Much better."

"Oh, for Merlin's sake! Are you really this oblivious or is it the moon's fault?" Sirius let out an exasperated groan before leaning forward and planting a kiss on Remus's lips.

As fast as the kiss lasted – much faster than the turning of the moon – Sirius moved abruptly back and eyed Remus nervously. His hazel eyes were wide like the full moon, his cheeks were flushed like the sunset, and he was gaping at Sirius, his mouth hanging slightly open, as if seeing him for the first time. Sirius's heart started beating out of time.

"That was…" Remus started, his voice trembling slightly, "very nice."

"Thank you," Sirius said, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Now what?" Remus asked, looking utterly embarrassed.

"What do you mean?"

"Are you going to kiss me again, or are you going to wait for the moon?"