'Cause We Love Trouble: Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Notes: Oh my goodness, we're finally getting somewhere! Sorry to delay the Animagus transformation, I swear that's next chapter, it just didn't fit in this chapter. And I don't think you'll be upset you have to wait for it! Please drop a review and enjoy this chapter!


A few days passed with a tacit understanding that neither Sirius nor Remus was going to broach the subject of what had happened there between them. They worked with a professional detachment; it was cool and considerate, neither got into each other's space and neither interrupted the other. In fact, that day the friends hadn't said a word to each other since they passed through the tiny enchanted door in their cellar. They simply sat themselves down where they had left off the evening previous and re-buried their respective noses back into their books.

Remus was long overdue for a trip to the barber's, being a known werewolf made it rather difficult to go anywhere in public, even just going to get a hair cut, and his long light brown locks were falling into his eyes as he read. Impatiently, he blew a puff of air upwards, hoping to at least shift his bangs out of his eyes. It did no good. The hair just swung back down and in spite brushed over the tip of his nose.

Sirius looked up at Remus' seventh sneeze, a smile blossoming in schadenfreude.

"Now, Moony," he said, standing. "How do you expect us to get any work done when you are being so distracting?"

"Not my fucking problem," Remus said irritably as he rubbed his nose.

"Such language," Sirius smirked. He strolled over and perched himself the edge of Remus' desk. It was the closest physically they had been since that incident, at least, while they were alone. Technically they had sat next to each other during meals and there had been that relieved group hug when Tonks and Remus had discovered Sirius sleeping in the field, but this felt different.

Remus looked up into Sirius' face, his friend was grinning widely and was in full charm mode. He remembered this look well, Sirius had pinned him down with it like a butterfly on a cork board all too often while they were at school. Whenever Sirius got it into his head that he was going to do something nutty to get Remus' attention, and often embarrass the young werewolf in the process, that grin would appear. Any bigger and it would have seemed maniacal, especially when combined with the mischievous glint in his dark eyes. For Remus, during school, that smile had come to be associated with pure sex. Whenever he pictured doing things with Sirius, when he was alone in the shower or had the drapes drawn around his bed at night, that smug grin had always been firmly in place on dream-Sirius' face.

But what was he doing turning on the charm now? Didn't he remember the trouble it had nearly landed them in nary three days previous? Well, no one ever said Sirius had the world's best short term memory.

"I'm finished sneezing now, you cur, go back to work." Remus decided he was going to do his best to ignore his best friend. He pulled his book toward him, out from under Sirius, who had been sitting on it.

"Hey!" Sirius looked put out at having lost his pillow. "That's not very nice, Moony!"

"My apologies," Remus said without looking up.

"You don't sound very apologetic!"

When Remus didn't reply Sirius hoped off the table and bent down to peer into his friend's face.

"You didn't sound very apologetic, I said."

"Sirius, we have work to do, or have you forgotten?"

"We've been working for days without a break! Let's have some fun! Let's have some fun, Moony, please!"

The whine on the tail end of Sirius' sentence shot through Remus. They had been working, nonstop, for days without any progress. He may not have noticed it if no one had reminded him, but now that the thought had infiltrated his consciousness, he couldn't shake it. A break really would be nice!

"See!" Sirius sprang up, elated. "I can tell from your face you feel it too! I'm bored to tears and we're getting nowhere!"

"You're not half wrong," Remus sighed, all pretense of studiousness gone. He leaned back in his chair and tossed the book away.

"I'm always right! Now let's go do something!"

"Like what?"

"Well, this is Dumbledore's library, right?"

"Yes..."

"Then there has to be a way into Hogwarts! Let's go poke around."

Thirty minutes of simultaneous searching for an exit and Sirius cajoling Remus into even considering going along with his plan later they found themselves standing in an empty upstairs hallway. Behind them was the tapestry they had just stumbled out from behind, a goblin princess' marriage seemed to be the tapestry's subject...it was thoroughly hideous. Certainly not something many students were going to bother looking behind, which was presumably why it was hiding Dumbledore's library.

Remus looked nervously down to one end of the hallway and then the other. It didn't seem a very well trafficked spot, which was a blessing. How had he allowed himself to go along with this? Oh yeah, just like he always had in school whenever James or Sirius thought up some mad plot, he got to entranced by Sirius' smile to disagree. Bloody wonderful.

"Come on," Sirius plucked at his sleeve, tugging Remus down the hall. "Let's go check out the Gryffindor common room!"

"It's the middle of the day!"

"Yeah, exactly. Everyone's in classes, so no one will be there!"

They snuck down several stair cases and past several closed classroom doors, they heard McGonagal's strident Scottish brogue ripping through the door and they scurried past like truant second years. Finally they arrived at the familiar hallway that led to the Gryffindor dorms. Remus could barely believe they'd managed to get this far without being caught. He and Sirius strode confidently up the hall until...

"Padfoot! We don't know the password!" Remus suddenly realized. He could smack himself. How could they have possibly got in?

"Ah." Sirius stopped, realization also dawning on his handsome features. "I suppose we don't."

"Then what the hell are we going to do?"

"Well, we could keep mucking about..."

"Sirius! You are a wanted convict and I am a known werewolf and ex Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher! What will happen if we get caught 'mucking about'?"

"Shh!"

"I mean it, Padfoot," but Sirius clapped a large hand over Remus' mouth and dragged him, shocked, into a dark niche nearby. Two grown men, they barely fit in the small nook and they had to press close together to keep their feet and hands in the safety of the shadows.

The sound of footsteps was suddenly heard coming down the hall, heavy and strident. Remus' heart nearly stopped and Sirius' grin faded a bit when Severus Snape's black figure swept into view. Oh Merlin, they thought simultaneously, if we get caught today, don't let it be by Snape!

Snape, however, didn't seem to be on a mission to catch and pick them apart for potion ingredients. Instead, he simply continued down the hall, taking a right at the first outlet, the direction of the Hospital Wing. A few seconds later his footsteps had faded and Remus collapsed onto Sirius in relief.

"Merlin, Moony! What happened to your keen powers of hearing? Or smell?" Sirius' voice was nearly a squeak. "You're a werewolf for God's sake, couldn't you have known he was coming?"

"At least you noticed before it was too late," Remus mumbled, his face pressed into Sirius' shoulder.

Sirius huffed. "Come on now, Moony," he said as he rubbed Remus' shoulders. Remus hadn't moved and was still laying, in apparent shock, against his chest, his head tucked into Sirius' shoulder. "I think we've had enough excitement for today. Let's head back, yeah?"

Remus just giggled sarcastically and didn't move. Sirius sighed and dropped his arms, laying his head down on Remus' shoulder, mimicking his friend's position. Quietly the two breathed deeply, taking comfort in each other's presence and trying to calm down.

As he calmed, Remus began to notice more and more Sirius' scent and the pleasant firmness of his body pressing up against Remus' own. The little nook they were stashed away in was rapidly heating up, two grown bodies put off more than enough heat to warm the small once chilly space. The heat, the physical proximity, and Sirius' intoxicating smell were fogging up Remus' brain. It was overwhelming. He wanted...he wanted...for so long...

Remus pushed Sirius back up against the stone wall and covered his mouth with his. It was just as scintillating as he had always imagined. Sirius' lips were soft and his jaw strong as he pressed into the kiss. Their tongues met in a confused, erotic tangle, both seemingly desperate to consume each other through a mere kiss. Sirius couldn't focus beyond Remus' body and lips pressed against his, he nipped at the werewolf's bottom lip making Remus let out a tiny moan. The sound was enough though, to shake him from his reverie.

"Shit," Sirius panted, leaving Remus whining at the sudden lack. "Moony...Moony, really. We shouldn't be doing this."

They looked into each other's eyes. Remus could see the desire being valiantly held back in Sirius' eyes and he was sure that Sirius could see the same in his.

"Listen, it's not like I don't want to continue," Sirius continued but Remus held up a hand to shush him.

"I know, Padfoot, I know. You don't have to soothe my pride, I can definitely tell that you liked it."

Sirius actually blushed at this. Had circumstances been different Remus would have been jubilant at the fact that he had made the great Sirius Black blush, but this was definitely not the time for that.

"We better head back," Sirius said awkwardly.

"Yeah, we definitely should."

They made it back to the library without incident, thankfully. Once more safely ensconced in the enormously unhelpful stacks of books Remus and Sirius gazed at each other in bashful silence.

"Um," they both began.

"You first," Remus said.

"No, no you."

"Really, go."

"It's fine, you spoke first."

"Alright! Merlin!" Remus cursed. "What I was going to say was," he took a deep breath, apparently steeling himself. Sirius' heart sank at this gesture, knowing in his heart what it must mean. "What I was going to say was, I think we can work this out."

This was definitely not Sirius' day for graceful responses. His eyes bugged out and mouth gaped slightly open.

"What do you mean, Moony?" He asked quickly.

"I mean...well, I had a talk with Tonks the other night after we went to bed."

Sirius remained silent, his interest was piqued but he had no idea where this confession was going.

"She said," Remus continued, his speak broken and hesitant, "that if...if I felt that way then I had the right to act on it."

"No fucking way." Sirius was completely astounded and he wasn't sure he believed what he was hearing.

"Well, what she said was that I had obviously been in love with you for a long time but that obviously didn't stop me from loving her as well. And she says she feels perfectly well loved, even though I also have feelings for you."

"You have feelings for me?" Sirius quirked an eyebrow.

"Of for Merlin's sake, Sirius, of course I do!" Remus drew a shaky breath. "Anyway, because I have been able to love you both simultaneously and satisfy Tonks emotionally and well..." Remus blushed.

"Physically?" Sirius couldn't help letting a wicked smirk flit over his features.

"Yeah. Well, the short and long of it is, we decided that there aren't limits to how much one person can love. And she said that if I wanted to act on it then I could, as long as..."

"As long as?" Sirius prompted. Remus was beet red by now and refusing to meet his eyes.

"As long as she could do the same."

Sirius' eyes were probably going to fall out, they had bugged out of his head so many times that afternoon. Floored did not even describe it. Remus and Tonks? They agreed to this? It sounded too amazing to be true!

"You both agreed to this? To...us three?" Sirius asked quietly, half afraid that if he paused to ask for confirmation the chance would pass him by.

"Yeah. Yeah, Padfoot, we agreed to it, if you're up for it too. The three of us could, I mean...Shit, we all love each other don't we? At least, I love you and vice versa and I love Tonks. She certainly has an interest in you..."

"I..." Sirius cleared his throat, in any other circumstances what he was about to say would be incredibly awkward. "I have to admit I like the thought of...of being with Tonks. She's pretty fantastic."

"She is," Remus agreed. Finally he lifted his head and cast a weak smile in Sirius' direction. "So...I guess, now that I've laid that all out there, are you up for it?"

Sirius walked quickly over to where Remus was standing, leaning up against one of the thousands of bookshelves, and cupped his friend's face in his hands. "I'm up for it Moony. I don't know how it's going to work, it sounds fucking crazy, but I'm up for trying." He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss, full of meaning, against Remus' lips.

Still in mutual shock the two made their way back to the small country cottage without speaking. Remus had grabbed hold of Sirius' hand when they got into the dank cellar and refused to let it go, not that Sirius was trying to get rid of him. He had a feeling that Remus was feeling exactly the same things he was: trepidation, relief, and excitement. They sat down on the back porch, watching the sun set, hands still clasped in one another's.

"Remus! Sirius! Are you guys home?" Tonks' loud voice broke them out of their quiet rest. Sirius jumped and tried to pull his hand free but Remus clung on stubbornly.

"I trust Tonks. She said this was ok, so it's ok." He said, staring hard into Sirius' eyes.

"I...ok," Sirius said lamely, but he let Remus keep ahold of his hand.

"We're out here, Nymphadora," Remus shouted over his shoulder. Two seconds later Tonks came bounding out the back door and skidded to a halt in front of them. Her eyes flicked down to their entwined hands but she continued without making an issue of it.

"Have you guys forgotten?" she was still screaming.

"Forgotten what?" Sirius asked.

"Today my preparations are done! Today I become an Animagus!" Tonks beamed and clapped her hands in excitement.

"Congratulations, love," Remus stood, pulled Tonks into his embrace and kissed her deeply.

"Yeah, congratulations, Tonks," Sirius said, also standing.

"Oh come here you, don't be a stranger," Tonks said playfully as she tugged Sirius closer. She planted an exuberant kiss on his lips and then hugged both men close, her naturally infectious happiness making all three smile.

"I'm sure you'll want dinner before you start working on that," Remus said and turned towards the kitchen but not before he shot a meaningful glance towards Sirius. It clearly said, you two have some talking to do. Sirius couldn't agree more.

Once Remus had gone inside Tonks turned to Sirius. "So I guess Remus finally got you, huh?" She said without preamble.

"Um...yes," Sirius replied. He prayed this would go smoothly.

"So, he told you what we agreed on?" Sirius nodded. "Then you agree?"

Sirius nodded again. Tonks' smile returned in full force and she launched herself at Sirius, jumping up onto his shoulders in and enthusiastic hug. "Good!"

"You're really okay with this, Tonks?" Sirius had to ask.

"Why? Don't you like me?" Sirius could tell she was ribbing him so he simply smiled wolfishly in response.

"Oh I like you well enough," he said, letting his hands slip from where they were holding Tonks around the waist down to her bum, giving the firm muscle a good squeeze.

"Hey now! You're getting handsy pretty quick!" Tonks smiled and gave him a quick kiss. Her lips were soft and full, the slightest touch of them made Sirius' insides quiver, a much stronger response than he had expected.

"We'll work this out, I promise," Tonks said suddenly. "If we all want it and care for each other enough, we can make everyone happy, I think."

Sirius felt his heart constrict. It was exactly what he needed to hear at this moment and he was touched that Tonks could read him well enough to know it. They smiled down at each other, not kissing but letting their noses nuzzle together in the growing gloom of twilight.

"You two coming if for dinner?" Remus' voice called through the screened door. "If we don't eat quick the Animagus spellwork will keep us up all night!"

With a triumphant bark Sirius tugged Tonks back towards the house. This had been an emotionally overwhelming day but it was perfect. For the first time since he got thrown into Azkaban Sirius was truly and unabashedly happy.


Oh man, shit went DOWN in this one! So happy to finally be able to write some lovey-dovey goodness into this. I'm a big fan of triads, and this set up with these characters makes me so excited! We'll get back to plot when I've finished enjoying writing lurrrrrrrrrrve. Have a good week and drop a review! They keep me motivated.