~October 1980~

It was the seventh, Sirius's birthday. Even though he felt he had just come to visit the grave, he had to come on this day. Every year they celebrated together so it felt like his duty to celebrate with his dead lover. Remus had a single red rose in his hand as he walked through the cemetery. He could almost smell the death and decay from the leaves that were covering the grave, originating from the tree above it. As he knelt, he used his free hand to brush them away. Lightly he traced the letters of Sirius's name before setting down the rose where he had the last time he had been there.

"It's your birthday today," he whispered to the cool air surrounding him. "You'd be turning nineteen today, if…" If he was still alive. Every day it was getting easier to function. Every now and then he would still mess up and yell out in their flat for Sirius to get the door or unload the laundry machine or even go make the coffee. Then he would remember and fall apart. People who had lost loved ones already in the war had told him that it was natural for that to happen up to two years after they passed depending on how long you were with them. Sirius had been his best friend for around eight years, and a significant other for two years of that. The fact that he was gone now, was still hitting him. "Do you remember how every year we would do a prank on you for your birthday? I still remember how it all started. James walked over to you when you were talking to that girl you liked, Anne O'Connell I believe, and he pulled your pants, as well as your boxers, down in front of the Great Hall. Remember how you paraded around without pulling it up saying that it wasn't anything new until McGonagall threatened you? That was the day that I really knew that I liked you."

First year was the time he had first discovered that he had a crush on his best friend. And over the years they had grown closer because of that crush; mostly it was because he always wanted to be around him. It didn't matter if they weren't talking or if Sirius was yelling at him, but they were together as friends should. Each time he had fallen asleep in the same bed as Sirius when they had been studying late at night he had felt ecstatic. And when he woke up late in the night, which he was prone to doing, he could just stared at the boy and wished that they could be something other than just friends.

During their sixth year, they had told each other a few things. Remus had told Sirius about his situation at home; abusive father and a mother who could care less about him as long as his father wasn't doing anything to hurt her. That had been the year he had broken down crying because of the owl saying something had happened to his mother. Sirius had walked up to the boy's dorm and found the ever strong Remus crying on the floor. He had held him and comforted him. Then they kissed. From there, it took off.

"And our last year at school—you remember that?—we pulled the best prank on you. But it wasn't really a prank. It was just… fun." In his own mind he played through the events of the day like they were a record, and speaking them out loud for Sirius to hear, if he could hear wherever he was.

~*Flashback: 1978*~

"That was a hell of a good way to wake up," Sirius said happily. "A morning blow job? That's always a good way to wake up, but especially today.

Remus, who was lying on the bed next to him only in boxers he had probably stolen from Sirius—he loved wearing the boy's clothes because of the smell—smirked. "And why is today especially a good way to wake up like that?" He knew perfectly well why, but he always liked pretending to forget; Sirius would never let him forget.

The boy's mouth opened in false shock while his eyes showed amusement. "How could you forget? I can't believe that I'm dating you. Any good boyfriend would remember the significant other's day of birth!" Sirius looked around the area of their closed curtains as if something was going to pop out of nowhere. That was a possibility since it was Sirius's birthday. Already James and Peter had gotten the prank together. And this year it involved Remus, who had no idea what it was yet.

"Shush. Do you want the whole boy's dorm knowing that we're together? I know how you like all the ladies to think that you're completely and utterly straight while you're as curly as a piece of Bellatrix's hair." Sirius pouted at Remus and reached a hand out to grab his chin. He shook it gently before letting it drop.

"You shush yourself. All over me," Sirius grinned at his, failed, attempt to make something sound bad, "I like knowing that girls still lust after me and my good looks. You can't deny that I don't have them Moony, because I sure do."

Remus smiled and crawled so he was about straddling Sirius's lap. "You do have them. And that's what makes me love you." He leaned forward to nuzzle his head against Sirius's neck. "I don't see how you're willing to be with me. I'm nothing, you're somebody."

Sirius pulled him away, holding his shoulders so he could fully look him over. "Remus John Lupin, you are the best guy that ever existed. You are not nothing, no matter how much you think you are because of the family life you have. Do you know what I love about you? Well, I love your smile; it always makes me smile because it's so contagious. I love your eyes; when I look into them I feel that I don't know exactly what you're thinking but yet I do. And I love the color of your eyes; they're like a deep chocolate color mixed with some kind of coffee.

He lifted a hand up to Remus's cheek and stroked his thumb over the scarred cheek. "I love your body, even though it's skinny; I know that if you had to, you could take me on and win. I love your brains; that's the thing that keeps us, mostly me, from doing stupid things that'll get me killed or expelled. And it makes a lot of the pranks we do work the way we wanted them to.

"Lastly I love your scars. They're unique and beautiful. I know that everyone around the school wonders what they're from and how they keep showing up more and more every year. It makes me proud to know that I am one of the trusted few to know what they're from. I love how they cover most of your body. I even love that scar of a bite mark on your neck as well as the one on your upper arm. They make you who you are. I love you."

Remus couldn't help but feel a blush come across his cheeks. Sirius had a way with words that Remus didn't really have. "I love you too." The boy gently pulled them down so they were lying on the bed under the covers, Remus on top of Sirius. He leaned down and pressed his lips softly against Sirius's. It was soft and gentle, exactly how a kiss should be.

Out of nowhere the curtains from around them opened, shrouding them with light. Remus made a noise and pulled away, burying himself in Sirius's chest. Sirius only tightened his arms and raised a hand to block the light. It was then that the murmuring stopped completely. The only noise was one person laughing. Remus looked out to see that they were in the middle of the Great Hall. During breakfast. Everyone could see that they were together in the same bed and had been kissing. And now everyone knew that Sirius Black and Remus Lupin were gay for each other.

Sirius cleared his throat and sat up, pulling Remus up as well. "Hello," he said brightly to the people that were staring at them. "Nice prank Prongs, I congratulate you." Remus could feel himself shrinking into Sirius. The boy put his arm around him and pulled a blanket to wrap around them as they stood from the bed to sit at the Gryffindor table.

~*End Flashback*~

Remus finished the story and looked at the grave. When he looked back on it, no one had truly looked surprised to find out that the two Marauders were together. Maybe they had dropped hints about it too much. It didn't matter anymore. He closed his eyes and tried to hold those tears back. "That was the best prank that James had come up with by himself," he whispered in a thick voice. "We never did get him back for it as I remember. I told him we would, but I never did. I think that he still thinks I'll get him back." He laughed softly as he wiped his eyes off with his thumb.

For a long time he stayed silent. The only sounds he heard was the wind blowing through the trees, which knocked off the leaves that were left on the trees. Off in the distance he could hear a funeral going on; there was someone crying loudly. At Sirius's funeral he had been crying, but softly. Only when you looked at him, you could see that he was. That had been the worst day of his life. Peter had been standing in the back, Lily was next to him with her hand on his shoulder to comfort him, and James had been behind her, holding her hand.

"James and Lily got married," he finally said in a voice that was barely above a whisper. "It was lovely. James couldn't choose a best man because it would have been you. I was the maid of honor, and no, I didn't wear a dress. It was a quiet wedding because of the war, but most of the Order was there. I sat off to the side mostly because I couldn't bring myself to do anything." It had felt wrong being there without Sirius, which was why he had kept to himself.

The whole time he had been there he had imagined what it had been like if Sirius had been there. Sirius would have pulled him out to dance even though he knew that Remus hated dancing with a passion. It would have been a slow song. He would have been held close as they swayed to the beat. "Dumbledore put me on a mission to break into the werewolf society on You-Know-Who's ranks. I won't be able to come by as much."

He leaned down and pressed his lips over Sirius's name in the carved stone. "I love you." Remus looked down at the grave one more time before standing up. Once again he had to turn and walk away from the grave, going home to his empty apartment.

A/N

Part two up of seven! *dances* I hope you enjoyed this one as well. Remember to review! I would love to hear things that I could have done better at or was just fine at