Chapter Two: The First Chapter

'I don't understand,' Jane said, frowning. 'How does renting out Remus's apartment get Remus a boyfriend?'

Lily laughed. 'You haven't met my husband, but let me tell you that's exactly how we got together as well. Perseverance is the key. My husband chased after me for six years; made sure he always got my attention one way or another. He'd climb rooftops, play ridiculous pranks, serenade me with off tune singing and gross pick up lines. There was no end to it.' Lily had loved the attention and how, even now, his world revolved around her. Not that she would ever admit it, even to a stranger. 'I hated James in the beginning, but having someone in your face for almost six years can really get to you. After a while, even his faults started to look endearing. What I'm trying to say is that James was just trying to give Remus a chance to get to know somebody other than the two of us.'

'It was a gamble, though,' Jane argued. 'You didn't know if things would work out between them. Remus was as likely to hate Sirius, as he was to like him. It was completely unpredictable, don't you think?'

'Unpredictable is not the word, Jane,' Lily said shaking her head as she remembered their very first meeting. 'What happened was something you wouldn't even read in one of those horrid romance novels…'

XxxxX

The minute Remus clicked the door open, Harry came bounding towards him, arms outstretched and a wide grin across his face.

'Moony!!!'

'Hello, love,' Remus called out, catching Harry mid jump. He righted Harry's trousers that always seemed to have the habit of falling off his bum. Lily always bought clothes that were slightly bigger so that Harry could grow into them. The poor child's trousers were always rolled up heavily at the feet; it was miracle he didn't trip more often. Remus didn't know how to break it to Lily, but he suspected Harry might end up on the smaller side of things.

'Guess what Moony has in his hands?' Remus put on his best mysterious face; waggling his eyebrows and twisting his lips into a lopsided grin Harry knew all too well.

'Chocolate!!!' Harry cheered, arms flying in excitement and feet threatening to break into an amateur tap dance.

Remus quickly covered the boy's mouth. 'Shh! You want mummy to find out and cut off my…er…' Harry gazed up at him inquisitively and Remus wondered what he could say to cover up his sufficiently R-rated statement. 'Er…horsies?'

Harry gasped in awe. 'You have horsies? Moony, can I please have one?'

Remus rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. 'Chocolate, Harry. Let's focus on the chocolate. Now hold out your arms and-'

'Moony, is that you?'

Remus quickly stuffed the sweets into Harry's pockets. 'Not a word,' he whispered, straightening up and putting on a fake smile, as James came in to greet him. It wasn't that James was against Remus gifting chocolates to his son, but Lily wrung the poor bloke worse than Remus's mum used to with his wet underwear. It was sickening, really, how even after four years of marriage, James was as love struck as he had been back in their fourth year.

'Moony!' James smiled and enveloped Remus in a tight, very uncharacteristic hug. His son, always the little copycat, proceeded to hug Remus's knees. 'Honestly, it seems just like yesterday that we met.'

Remus wasn't sure what to make of the extra squeeze and pat on his back. It all seemed extremely suspicious. He would have run the other way, but it seemed Harry had taken quite a liking to his knees. 'James, we did just meet yesterday, just as we met the day before and the day before, and practically everyday living day of our lives.'

'But it's still brilliant to see you,' James assured. 'You're a good mate, Moony, the absolute best. I can always count on you for anything, no matter what the circumstance. Did I ever tell you that I absolutely adore and worship you?'

Remus sighed. This was going to be another horrible favour he wouldn't say no to. Why? Because Remus never said 'no' to James. 'You know, you've been coming on to me a lot lately, so I have to tell you this even if it breaks your heart,' He lowered his voice for the sake of Harry's impressionable ears, ' I'm just not gay for you, mate.'

Remus loved teasing James. Despite all the pranks he'd pulled in their school years, James was extremely simple and straight forward. He didn't strategise or think things as intensely as one would expect from a mastermind. He just did things based on other's people reactions and how much attention he was likely to receive. James was one of the smartest people Remus knew, but his leg was so easy to pull, Remus sometimes feared dislocating it.

James was blushing brightly. 'W-Why do you have t-to-'

'Moony, daddy bought me new colouring books today! It's got lots of Quidditch!'

Saved by his son, Remus thought, smiling to himself. 'Is that so? Will you let me colour in it?'

Harry nodded enthusiastically, wrapping a firm hand around Remus's pinky and leading him to the living room. Harry was obviously very happy with his colouring books because they were strewn everywhere, crayons littering the ground in an explosion of colour. Remus reached for one of the red crayons underneath the sofa, before settling down beside Harry on the carpet, He didn't miss the hesitant expression on James's face as he loitered around them, as if confused whether to stand or sit. He also didn't miss the distinct sounds of another male voice coming from the other room.

'Moony, I recently met an old friend of mind at work; cousin actually. One of the few million I have,' James started slowly, as if testing the waters. 'He's a good man; very hardworking and er…sincere. But he's in a bit of a pinch. He lost his apartment and he's honestly been reduced to the streets.'

'Moony! You have to colour her green!' Harry scolded, snatching Remus's brown crayon away and replacing it with a green one. 'She's from Mars!'

'Ah, I see,' Remus nodded, pretending to understand why poor Betty Pittman, star Chaser of the Wasps, was being turned into a green alien. He tried his best to colour within the lines, to avoid Harry's wrath.

James sighed and sat in front of Remus to outdo the attention his son was currently hogging. 'Anyway, you're always complaining about how you want to empty the study, but don't know what to do with it. So why not rent it out to my cousin? You're both struggling to pay for apartments right now, so why not live together and pay half?'

Remus frowned; he had honestly thought James was going to set him up on another one of Lily's blind dates again. If it was an apartment he wanted, then that was just fine. It was time to let go of that study anyway; the study and all the memories that came with it. 'Sure.' Remus shrugged. 'Any inbred relative of yours is always welcome to stay for money. He has to follow my rules though.'

James grinned, shoulders relaxing. 'Brilliant. Oh, and also, he's…er…somewhat like you. I don't mean his personality, but you know…'

Remus wondered if the Seeker was also from Mars. Feeling a little adventurous, he picked up the orange crayon. 'It would be hypocritical of me to reject him for that. Tell him it's not an issue.'

'I'm not talking about that! Well, kind of…but-' James spluttered. 'I meant he's single, like you!'

Remus raised an eyebrow. 'Harry's single, too. Why can't he be like Harry?'

For the second time that day, James was saved from an explanation by a family member. This time it was Lily, his wife, looking flushed and smiling an unnatural amount. The last time Remus saw her this worked up was when Gilderoy Lockhart had commented on how she reminded of his adventures with Fire Fairies in the heart of Africa. He had then proceeded to try and cop a feel; not that Lily minded being groped by the Great Gilderoy Lockhart. She probably would have had she known what Fire Fairies actually looked like. Either ways, a flushed Lily Evans always computed to one result: trouble. This time, Remus could practically smell it.

'Jamie, Sirius would like to meet Remus, if that's alright,' Lily said, poking her head out of the door. 'He's been asking questions about his new flat mate all this time. Remus is okay with it, aren't you, Remus?'

Remus smiled uncomfortably and nodded. There was something wrong. There was definitely something wrong. They wouldn't be this apprehensive about a potential flat mate. Even if the apartment and the study has been a sensitive topic since…Remus didn't talk about that anymore. But James and Lily knew better, didn't they? There was a trick to this request. Maybe the bloke behind the door was some kind of criminal that Remus was being fooled into providing shelter for. It was a possibility, especially if he was a pureblood and related to James. Maybe it was Jewel again and Remus was being tricked into dating him through an underhanded ploy conjured my Lily and James.

'Hello. I'm Sirius Black, and you must be-'

Remus realised that it was a lot worse than Jewel or a murderer. It was so horrible that his mind couldn't comprehend it and had to stare at his orange Seeker to calm his rapidly-bordering-on-arrest heartbeat.

'Blimey…'

All hopes of not being recognised flew out of the window, as Remus wondered if perhaps Harry's blue Keeper would be a better sedative. Blue, after all, often reminded people of the ocean.

On the brighter side of things, it didn't seem to be a ploy on James and Lily's part. They seemed just as confused and shocked into silence. Vaguely, Remus wondered if it would be inappropriate to ask James for another hug.

Slowly, as if hindered by time, Sirius Black walked towards Remus and sat down in front of him. He peered close until they were nose to nose and blinked widely. Remus, usually witty and quick to comeback, was too frozen in position to do anything as Black took off Remus's glasses and inspected him closer. 'Merlin's knickers, it is you!'

A Cadbury's Chocolate Éclair rolled on the ground, passing Remus in a smooth curve, round the sofa, and at Lily's feet.

Harry burst out crying.

'Mummy, please don't hurt Moony's horsies!'

XxxxX

Jane gasped. 'They met before!' Then frowned, confused. 'Again?'

Lily nodded, chuckling at Jane's stupefied expression. She and James had looked at the two of them the exact same way, if not worse. 'They had met before…again. The only difference is that the both of them remembered this incident. And unlike last time, this incident was not so pleasant.'

Jane's eyes widened and she moved closer, looking partly ready to climb the desk. 'How…?'

'I mentioned before that Remus had had a lover before Sirius. Remus first met him when he joined the resistance against…' Lily hesitated, knowing Jane was probably one of those people who still shied away from mentioning the name. '…You Know Who. He was four years older; had more experience on the battlefield, and somehow, Remus came to rely on him. They were together for almost three years before he died.'

Jane breathed in deeply. 'How did he…?'

Lily looked at the picture of Remus on her table sadly, running an affectionate thumb over his smiling face. 'He didn't even find out until late at night. Only a few people knew about them, and Remus wasn't exactly a listed family member. On paper, he was nothing. One of the sisters later contacted him by Floo and broke the news at around nine. Remus just…'

'Broke…' Jane finished knowingly, suddenly looking very upset. 'It must have been hard.'

'Harder because James wasn't there,' Lily said, the old guilty feeling rising up in her again. 'The war had ended only a month ago; everyone was celebrating. We'd gone off to visit James's parents in Norway, so Remus had been left alone. Sometimes I think its James fault for having spoilt Remus so much since they were young. James was always there for him, even if it was something as trivial as broken toenail.' Lily smiled sadly. 'That night, I don't think Remus knew what to do without someone to ground him. Honestly, I don't think he even knew where he was or what he was doing…'

XxxxX

Horny. If there was one word to describe Sirius right at that moment, it would be horny. There was honestly no explanation for it. Not that he ever needed one; Sirius was always horny. Except this was an entirely different class of horny; the kind that made you thankful for tight jeans that kept things down and angry at said tight jeans for keeping things down this painfully, at the same time. Sirius had been this way since morning. It had been an ordinary day; working, eating, and napping when nobody was watching. Except Sirius spent the entirety of his ordinary day trying not to cry from lack of relief. If he'd had any blood left in his brain, Sirius would have tried to find the trigger and used it to find relief.

As it happened, his brain had sufficiently shut down early on and his cock was guiding his legs down the gayest district in London, despite the heavy rain. Gay, at this point of time, could be taken for its literal meaning of happiness. Because that was exactly what his cock was aching for: gayness. Except, Sirius was at his limit and he wasn't in the mood for foreplay. He didn't want to sit and chat over drinks, or ask for first dates, or even ask for a name. What he wanted, he knew he'd find down this street, because that's what this street was famous for. And he just wanted-

Sirius stopped dead in his tracks.

His want was standing right in front of him, drenched to the bone. Standing, while everyone else struggled to find shelter; with his light brown hair sticking to his face and his clothes embracing ever nuance of his lean body. When Sirius approached him, he looked up, pearls of water hanging at the ends of his clumped eyelashes.

Sirius felt his breath hitch.

Then he felt his cock twitch and he walked closer.

'There's a nearby hotel here, if you can spare me two hours,' he whispered into the man's ears, his hands already straying impatiently to the man's arse and squeezing. 'Fuck, come on.'

Sirius didn't even bother checking in properly, throwing a business card at the receptionist in exchange for a key. He could feel the heat of the man's skin underneath his wet clothes and his hands struggled to get to it, stripping and unbuttoning what felt like too many layers. He ripped whatever proved to be too much of struggle, not wanting to separate from that hot mouth and fantastic tongue. By the time, Sirius had kicked the door close to their room; the both of them had already left a trail of most of their clothes outside and were pressed against each other, completely naked.

'Fuck!' Sirius cried out, as lips and tongue and teeth travelled down his neck and torso. 'Oh, Merlin.' Sirius felt his knees buckling as the man's mouth closed around his cock, tongue pressing down on the underside. Hands spread his legs wider, exploring in between and experimenting with his balls. 'Ah!' The back of Sirius's head hit the wall and all he could do to steady himself was to bury his trembling hands into brown, wet hair. He could feel it coming; the burning heat searing through his veins, travelling up his spine. 'Fuck. Bloody shite!'

The explosion was intense, blinding him momentarily with nothing but white, as he clutched on to the man's slim shoulders. His hips jerked on its own erratically, riding out his orgasm. He couldn't believe he'd come so quick and hard. Sirius had even lost control of his legs, as he slumped to the ground and reached for him. More, was all he could think; more, more, more. He could taste his own come on the man's lips. It was foul, but he was too intoxicated to care. He needed, needed…

'Oi! Oi, you alright?' Sirius caught him, just before he fell backwards to the ground. 'Oi, you!' Sirius's hand pressed to the man's chest. Breathing, he sighed with relief, but unconscious. The skin underneath his palm was burning, a mixture of sweat and rain creating a thin film. The heat, Sirius realised with chagrin, was not sexual, but the product of a rising fever.

'How desperate can you be to work when you've got a fever like this?' Sirius asked no one, hooking his arms under the man's knees and neck and carrying him to the bed. Sirius pulled the covers over the thin body, carefully tucking it around the corners to keep the man warm. 'You're pretty,' he commented quietly, curling soft brown hair between his fingers. 'But I'm really not that kind of pervert.'

Sirius summoned his wand and wallet with a heavy sigh. On the brighter side of things, he really wasn't all that horny anymore. Apparently, a partner falling unconscious during sex was all it took to solve his raging problem. He cast a few drying and warming charms over the man, wondering if he should lie down as well. Suddenly, Sirius was feeling utterly exhausted.

Deciding against it, Sirius got up. He never even asked how much the man charged, not that it would have mattered. Shrugging, Sirius carefully folded all the muggle money he'd been carrying and placed it on the bedside table. It wasn't like he needed the money anyway; Merlin knew he had enough.

There was a soft murmur, a small cry almost from the bed; and Sirius had to stop at the door, just for a while, to gather the word:

'Fay…'

Sirius frowned and closed the door.

XxxxX

'Fate,' Jane whispered with awe, after Lily finished talking. 'Just like you'd said. The chances of them running into each other in such a large district. Even the chances of the Sirius wanting sex the same day Remus was completely gullible, and even the fact that James wasn't there at that time. It's ridiculous how well it all fits!'

Lily laughed, patting Jane's hand sympathetically. 'You'd think, wouldn't you?'

'Well,' Jane urged, 'did Remus let out his flat? He must have been completely embarrassed!'

'He did let out his flat, under the condition that Sirius paid full rent. And he was embarrassed,' Lily confirmed, 'but he couldn't exactly give James a reason for denying Sirius the apartment. Not without telling him what he'd done.'

'But aren't James and Remus tight? I thought they told each other everything?'

'Remus and James are brothers in all but blood. And I doubt you will ever find a pair of brothers who are willing to share details about sexual experiences; especially if one of them happens to be gay.' Lily shook her head hopelessly. 'Also, admitting to the incident would mean Remus admitting he was weak.'

'But given the circumstance, that's understandable!' Jane argued.

'They're men, Jane,' Lily explained sympathetically. 'Pride governs everything they do. James is a person Remus holds above everyone else; someone Remus wants to be important to. For a person as insecure as Remus to admit to being weak is like releasing a guillotine down his own neck.'

'Oh,' Jane whispered, obviously losing her argument.

'Oh, indeed.' Lily smiled. 'Besides, it wasn't as if Remus couldn't handle himself. I told you before; despite appearances, Remus was not someone you wanted to mess with.'

XxxxX

Sirius was extremely confused. If there was a rating card for confusion, one being the lowest and ten being the highest; Sirius's confusion would score a ten.

He was standing at Remus Lupin's doorway, staring as Remus ran around the house in his boxers and shirt, trying to multitask. Lupin hopped to the kitchen as he tried to pull on his trousers, gulped down an entire mug of milk in a matter of seconds, and then hopped to the living room to fetch a tissue to wipe his mouth. Remus then ran to his room again, coming out with his jacket hanging off one arm and struggling to put in the other arm while trying to wolf down as many chocolate biscuits as his mouth could possible manage.

'Oh, did you have breakfast?' Remus asked, half swallowing.

Sirius nodded dumbly.

Was Lupin really a prostitute?

'Well, come on in,' Remus called impatiently, dumping his cup and plate to the sink. 'I babysit Harry till two every weekday, so you can come along with me to the Potters and apparate to work with James.' He zipped his jacket, saving Sirius's eyes from having to look at his bright lime green shirt for a moment longer. 'I have work at the restaurant after that, so I don't come home till around eight. If you like, I'll cook dinner for two.'

Was Lupin perhaps seducing him with partial nakedness and promises of food? He had a great body; the type Sirius drooled over really. But that shirt and the way he was hopping around on one foot to get a sock on; all of it translated to zero sex appeal. Minus marks if Sirius counted Remus's struggle with his shoe laces and the truly hideous picture frame stuck on the wall. It was a picture of the brat and Lupin and looked like a cereal box wrapped in blue paper, with shells, sequins, and an enormous action figure stuck to the borders.

'You're going to have to camp on the sofa until the weekend. We'll empty the study then. Feel free to look around and use whatever you need.' Lupin explained, hands pointing everywhere and nowhere relevant. It almost looked like he was dancing.

He had lovely arms though, Sirius noted, and a fantastic build. Firm and wiry; like a lean racing horse.

'There's one golden rule I need you to follow,' Lupin said, finally dressed and standing still on both his feet. 'No magic. I won't take away your wand, but I expect you to live like a muggle while you're here. I don't care if you're on the brink of death. You can walk across the street and save yourself, but not in this house. Understood?'

Sirius put his bags down, wondering if the shrinking charms he put on his belongings counted as prohibited magic. Most of all, why was magic not allowed? And did James know Remus was actually a prostitute? Well, Remus could have been a former prostitute and then cleaned up his act within these two years. But, there really was only one way to find out:

Sirius pinned him to the wall and kissed him.

'Hey, how about some special service for a few extra quid?' Sirius whispered hotly, guiding Remus's right hand to the front of his trousers, flashing his most charming wink and smile.

Remus looked up from his eyelashes and then broke into a Cheshire grin. Sirius noted with a shiver that Remus's canines were slightly sharper than normal. 'Here?' he asked, tilting his head and increasing pressure as he moved lower.

Sirius swallowed. His trousers weren't going to fit in a while if he kept this up.

'I should tell you something,' Remus whispered into Sirius's ears.

'Wha-' Sirius felt his voice die in his throat as Lupin squeezed, hard. Too hard. Painfully, torturously hard.

Lupin chuckled softly, keeping firm of his vice like grip. 'Right now, the only thing more mortifying than living with you is having all my toes cut off. I don't hate you, but the only reason you're here is because of James. Please don't overstep your boundaries.'

Sirius wouldn't have overstepped anything if he'd known he was going to be tortured like this. Bloody hell, he wouldn't even have let his left leg overstep his right, if it got Lupin to let go and let Sirius breathe (and perhaps have the novelty of still being able to procreate).

'Well,' Remus sighed, finally moving his hand away. 'I'm glad we had this chat. I feel much better, don't you?' He smiled and patted Sirius's shoulder casually. 'Come on; can't be late for work now, can we? I hope you can manage walking a few blocks.'

Devil. Sirius's legs trembled, pinched together in pain. He wondered if he should excuse himself and check for any damages or possible hemorrhaging.

You couldn't tell from the face, but Remus Lupin really was the devil. Sirius was still walking funny when they reached the Potter's cottage. He kept a good distance away and made sure to maintain the most civil conversations, as to protect the family jewels.

'Oh thank Merlin you're here!' James Potter nearly cried, running towards them and carrying his wet, crying son, who was stripped down to nothing but his underwear, by the armpits. 'Lily's already gone and I'm running late. I've been chasing after Harry all day and I only just managed to get him in the bath.' He dumped Harry into Remus's hands and sighed in relief. 'Clothes are on his bed. Fuck, Moody is going to have my head!'

Remus wiped Harry's tear stained face with his sleeve and shushed him gently. 'Watch the language, Prongs. Otherwise, Lily will have your head too.' As he went off with Harry, probably to get the brat dressed, Sirius heard him whisper, 'If you promise not to tell daddy, I'll buy you to ice cream today.'

Devil.

'Sirius, now that Remus is gone, I'd really like to discuss a few things with you.' James motioned for Sirius to sit on the sofa and summoned his shoes. 'I don't usually ask a lot of questions, but you understand if I'm not completely convinced by you. I need to know why you're taking this apartment.' He tied his shoelaces and looked Sirius in the eye. 'You're a pureblood with enough inheritance to buy a house, if you wish. I'm not questioning your intentions, but…it doesn't quite add up to me.'

Sirius bit his lip, wondering how he was to answer this. He should have seen it coming really; for James to accept him this easily was an anomaly by itself. 'I worked for the Order as a spy, I'm sure you know.' At James's nod, he continued. 'I had to mingle with the pureblood crowd, monitor and keep track of them. There was a lot of pressure to join the Death Eaters back then, but I felt that there was no turning back if I did. My brother joined, so it wasn't that much of an issue. People assumed I was just trying to keep up pretenses, or make a good image for the family business. But once my brother died, it wasn't that easy anymore…' Sirius looked at his feet, wondering if it was wise to be telling the truth this way. Maybe an excuse would have served the purpose better? 'I was disinherited…'

'Oh,' James replied, looking away awkwardly. 'Well, so long as you're not…you know…a murderer or thief or anything. Not that I thought you were one; just consider this whole uncomfortable conversation a sort of big brother check.' James grinned amiably. 'Moony's always been a bit naïve, so I don't want to get him into any trouble that I didn't cause.'

Sirius blinked with disbelief. 'Naïve? James, perhaps you haven't been looking clearly, but your "little brother" is an utter deviant. Like some kind of three legged oddball spat out from hell,' Sirius pointed out with obvious lack of subtlety.

'Moony?' James exclaimed, laughing as if Sirius had just made the greatest joke in history. 'Look at him!'

Sirius did look at him; Remus was doing the bunny-hop down the stairs with Harry hand in hand. Sirius didn't know if it was Remus's taste or the Potter's, but Harry was wearing the same lime green shirt as Remus. It was truly unsightly.

'Prongs, do you think it'll rain today?' Remus asked, as he hop-landed the last step. 'Harry and I want to see the baby pandas.'

'See, he's harmless,' James declared with a warm, utterly foolish smile. He kneeled down to fix Harry's unruly curls, trying to flatten the back. Sirius wondered if Potter knew that his own hair looked like it had just exploded on his head. 'Harry, don't turn anybody's face blue this time, okay, son? The old lady cried last time. You, too, Moony,' Potter continued, getting up and fixing Remus's hair at the back the same way. 'No sweets, and make sure you take your umbrella in case it does rain.' Sirius wondered if James even knew how old Remus was, or at least grasped the concept that Remus was old enough.

'Potter, we should be apparating,' Sirius pointed out, feeling nauseous over all the affection James was showering. The bloke was really clueless; did he not see Remus's fangs?

'Ah, of course. Oi, Sirius, you dropped your notebook or something.'

Careless. Sirius whirled around, quickly summoning the black notebook before James could reach it. 'Thanks, mate! Let's get going, then.'

'Daddy, we love you!' Sirius heard the brat call out as they walked out of the house. He made the mistake of turning and looking back, and saw that not only did the brat and Lupin have similar shirts, but also very similar hand waves and grins. The type of grins that made no promises about turning other people's hair blue or setting London on fire.

Sirius shuddered. Not only was Remus Lupin the devil, but he also fostering his dirty ways into creating a "Mini Me".

XxxxX

Jane grimaced. 'The black notebook…'

Lily raised an eyebrow, impressed. 'You noticed. You're quite sharp.'

Jane blushed. 'No, it's just…it seemed suspicious. It wasn't as if James was looking through it. Ah, but then, Sirius works for DOM, so I suppose, he's used to being a little cautious and secretive.'

Lily shook her head. 'Your first assumption was correct. And James was also right to suspect, but Sirius Black is probably one of the smartest people I've ever met. He had told James the truth about his being disinherited, but not the complete truth.'

'How do you mean?'

'Sirius was the only living member remaining of the Black family. His mother had died two years ago as well. So despite being disinherited, he automatically got the family fortune as well as the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. There was absolutely no reason for him to rent an apartment.'

Jane blinked rapidly, befuddled by all the information. 'Then…why…it doesn't…ohhh!' Her eyes widened in realisation. 'Sirius Black never does anything without a motive!'

XxxxX

Sirius stared at the photograph. He'd seen correctly, after all. He hadn't been sure the first time, mostly because he hadn't gotten a chance to survey the apartment properly. They'd been running late after all, and Lupin had been rushing him.

Sirius had only seen Fabian Prewett a handful of times, but after two years, there was no way Sirius would mistake that face. Two years of searching and all this time, that bastard had been living under the radar, even in his death. Sirius had researched and studied every link that had connected to Fabian's life; piecing all the elements together bit by bit, and in the end, it was chance that had led him here. His target had originally been James Potter. Yet, inadvertently, he was standing in the very house Prewett had lived in and the very person that was possibly still protecting him.

'He's dead.'

Sirius turned around, startled. He hadn't even heard Lupin come up behind him. Hadn't he been in the kitchen only a minute ago? 'I know,' he muttered bitterly. He corrected himself quickly when he noticed Remus's suspicious gaze, 'The Department of Mysteries works in close correlation with Research and Development. I've had the pleasure of working with Prewett a number of times. His death was…' Sirius looked at the picture again; wondering if their smiles were deceptive as well. '…misfortunate. He was a brilliant scientist.'

Remus pushed the picture frame away from Sirius's hands, as if suddenly becoming defensive. 'Set the table; food's nearly done,' he said stonily, turning away.

'He never talked about you,' Sirius continued, wondering if it was wise to probe. He still hadn't figured Remus Lupin out; didn't know his reaction pattern or limits. 'No one knew he had a lover or anything beyond a very disjointed family.' The Prewetts, Sirius knew, were a pureblood family neither prejudiced towards lineage or sexual orientation. What was the nature of their relationship exactly? Sirius needed a hint; a slip on Lupin's part that he could use as foundation.

'If you were in the Order previously, then you should know that there was a werewolf who acted as a spy for Dumbledore,' Lupin replied quietly, keeping his back faced to Sirius and fists closed in tight balls. 'You should also be aware of the social consequences of associating with a Class Five beast.' Quietly, Lupin turned around, amber eyes ablaze with anger. 'I am that werewolf!'

Sirius's mind went blank for fifteen seconds before flying into a rage of questions. Why? How? What? Where? When? Nothing made sense; nothing added up! Was there a connection and why werewolves? What was Prewett trying to do and how was Lupin involved? How did all of this tie up to Sirius's findings?

'I warned you before, Black; don't overstep my boundaries,' Remus spat through clenched teeth. 'No dinner for you!'

'What?' Sirius asked with disbelief. What did dinner have to do with anything? He wasn't some brat that could be grounded! Of all the random-

'Do you want to turn into an eunuch, Black?'

Instinctively, Sirius's hand went to his crotch, as the morning's events of pain flashed in front of his eyes. 'No dinner it is then,' Sirius laughed weakly. 'I'll just be going to bed…er…sofa then?' He hurried towards the bathroom in case Remus changed his mind and lunged at his cock. Before closing the door, Sirius poked his head out, quickly apologizing, 'Remus…I'm really sorry. I was…curious…but I didn't mean to make things uncomfortable.' Sirius tried to maintain the most of his dignity and not plea for the safety of his nether regions. He needed to stay in this apartment, and for that, he had to be on good terms with the owner of the apartment.

'Fuck.' Sirius locked the door and slid to the floor, wondering how things had to be done at this point. He took out his notebook and touched his wand to it. 'I solemnly swear I'm up to no good.' Clean cursive handwriting spread onto the pages, revealing all of Sirius's accumulated work for the past two years. How much of it was relevant at this point?

Tomorrow, Sirius would have to find out. He had a gut feeling that he had finally reached the end of the line.

It was definitely here.

XxxxX

Hence the completion of chapter two. The plot starts to finally show! I bet all of you were thinking this was going to be random fluff. You're absolutely right, but random fluff must also have not so random sex and plot. :D I hope all of you liked this chapter and thank you for reviewing and showing your support. Much appreciated! Now, onto the replies for my lovely anonymous reviewers! Do let me know if I've missed anyone.

Charlotte: There is no such thing as accident! It was fate that you found this fic. Lol. Sorry, I'm getting carried away. I hope this story makes it to your favourites as well; fingers crossed! Guro: Thank you!!! The next chapters are going to get a lot more exciting, since the plot is starting to come out now. So I hope you like it!