Finding Home

(the sequel to "No Better Mistake")

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, James Potter, or any other related characters from the world of Harry Potter. I also don't own the setting, plot lines, relationships, etc. ANYTHING ASSOCIATED WITH HARRY POTTER BELONGS TO J.K. ROWLING, not me.

NOTES:

So that last one was kind of hot.

This chapter is honestly, mostly just a little fluff. But, as Hermione says, there is a lot of important stuff hidden in the waffle...

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10

Slowly, with the morning light filtering in through the glass, Remus awoke the next day. In sleep, he had moved slightly apart from his still-naked lover, his face now just brushed the side of Sirius' chest, who lay, still passed out, his legs tangled in the blankets. Although Sirius and himself often joked about how "creepy" it was to do so, he couldn't help but stare, just for a moment, and admire Sirius' sleeping form. Sirius was so unashamed of who he was, and how he looked, and this was obvious to anyone who could have seen him at that moment. One of his long arms stretched toward where Remus had lain, the other lay awkwardly near his head; the blankets and sheets twisted around his lower body doing nothing to conceal any part of him. In addition to his injuries from the full moon, he was now covered in various love bites—Remus flinched as he noticed a particularly obvious hickey directly on his neck. They'd have to charm that one away later, but for now, it served as a brand, a red reminder of what had happened the night before.

Though the now glimmering sunlight greatly matched Remus' cheery, admirable mood, he couldn't help but feel a tad guilty over his motives for last night's aggression. He had spent the day in the shop berating himself for feeling like Sirius had somehow not cared by leaving for his job the morning before, and by the time he had made his way home, his mind was made up. Sirius was the best thing that had happened to him, and Remus was going to show him how much he appreciated all that he was doing, even if Sirius was becoming a bit of a Ministry lemming. Now, casting a final look over at him, Remus edged his way out of bed, walking quickly and quietly to get dressed for his Saturday shift.

"Where are you going?" Sirius murmured sleepily as Remus reentered their room, now fully dressed and cleaned. He looked, if possible, even more adorable than he had in sleep—his dark hair was standing on end and his smoky eyes were heavy-lidded. He pulled the sheets around him to a more comfortable position, gesturing tiredly toward Remus. "Come back in bed… stay here."

"I wish I could," Remus grinned, unable to help himself from laying back down in his boyfriend's arms, which, once again, held him close. "But I've got to go in."

"I'll come by," said Sirius, still yawning, his eyes closed and his cheek resting on Remus' damp hair. "I haven't ridden my bike in awhile."

"Okay," Remus agreed, pulling away from Sirius as he leaned forward for a kiss, letting him meet his cheek instead. "You reek, though," he informed him, rolling out of bed to put on his shoes. "Take a shower first, Padfoot."

"That's the Moony I know and love," muttered Sirius, grinning, pulling a pillow over his face to block out the sunlight.

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A few hours later, Remus found himself sitting behind his desk, sipping his usual cup of tea, so deeply absorbed in a conversation with Matt that he almost didn't notice when the tinkling chimes of the door told him another patron had entered the shop. The door had been opening and closing all day—it was, after all, their busiest day of the week—but it wasn't until Sirius had made his way to the back of the room that Remus realized who had come in. He felt his face break into a smile as Sirius snaked through the many piles and stacks of books, nearing the back corner where the two other boys sat.

Dressed, as he had always been while they were at Hogwarts, in jeans and an old t-shirt, Sirius carried his motorcycle helmet under one arm; clearly just arrived. Giddy as they still were from the night before, Sirius grinned at Remus, then turned to Matt.

"Hello," he said pleasantly, and Remus now looked toward the other boy. He had been wondering, since they met, if Matt was also interested in men, and now, as he saw the gleam in his eyes… He was positive he had guessed correctly.

"Matt," he introduced himself, shaking Sirius' hand. He was looking at him, intrigued, and as Sirius shook back, his hair falling back behind his shoulders, and Remus felt a mix of satisfaction and horror—Sirius clearly hadn't bothered to charm off the very obvious hickies on his neck that marked him as Remus'.

"Sirius," he responded, and a look of comprehension dawned on Matt's face. Matt flashed a look at Remus, smirking.

"You're Remus' friend," he said knowingly, "his roommate, right?"

"Right," Sirius now turned to his boyfriend, who blushed. "So, this is the 'office', Moony?"

Before Remus could respond, Matt interrupted: "Moony," he said, remembering the book, and raising his eyebrows.

Remus brushed him off. "This is it," he told Sirius, who was now looking curiously around the bottom floor. "And, this is pretty much what I do," he gestured to his tea, laughing slightly, "not at all what you're used to, I'm sure."

"I like it!" Sirius told him, dropping his gaze from the upwardly spiraling staircase to flash another grin. "Feel like giving me a little tour?"

Matt was still looking extremely smug, but Remus ignored him, standing up from his desk. "Watch this for a second, will you?" he asked, refraining from the strong urge to take Sirius' hand as he guided him up the rickety steps.

They lingered for a few moments in the upstairs levels of the shop—even sneaking, to Remus' horror, a quick kiss in a secluded corner—and Sirius seemed continuously delighted as Remus pointed out each section to him, including, of course, the well-hidden books of magic, as well as the ordinary, Muggle ones. Sirius, who wasn't much of a recreational reader, even hovered for a minute reading A History of Transportation on the top floor, but Remus' couldn't ignore the customers coming in and out for very long, and after a few moments, they made their way back down to the ground level. Matt, who, of course, had been around longer than Remus had, was just ringing up an older man as they crisscrossed back to him. Waving the man goodbye, Remus resumed his seat behind the desk. "I'd better get back to work," he said apologetically to Sirius, who nodded, "I'll see you later tonight?"

"Yep," said Sirius, looking for a moment like he was going to lean toward him, but then thought better of it, "I'll grab some groceries before I head back."

"We're out of milk again," Remus reminded him, and he laughed, grabbing his helmet from the counter. He shook Matt's hand again, and then, casting a final look at the two of them, exited the store. Remus heard the roar of his bike's engine grow, and then fade as he drove off, down the road.

Suddenly, he became very aware that his friend was looking his way, and he turned again toward the smirking Matt. "What?" he asked, in a would-be innocent way.

"Your roommate, huh?" Matt said sarcastically, and in spite of myself, Remus felt himself blush.

"Yes," he said stubbornly, "Yeah, we've been friends for years."

"Yeah, I'm sure that's all you are," Matt laughed, and Remus blushed even harder. "Remus, the man had a hickey the size of London. I never thought you the type to do such a thing…" he laughed, harder, as Remus sputtered, trying to protest, "don't worry, I mean, it's not exactly a surprise." Remus turned away from his, attempting to busy himself with the things around him, still obviously red around the ears. "Well, now I understand why you talk about him so much, the man is gorgeous."

Remus smirked—at least, that part, he really couldn't debate.

"How long have you two been together?" Persisted Matt, leaning in to question him further.

He sighed, rolling his eyes toward the ceiling. "Getting close to a year now," he told the other, whose brown eyes were still gleaming with interest. "We just moved here a little over a month ago, though."

"I thought he worked at the Ministry?" asked Matt, who, now that he had gotten Remus to confess, seemed intent on getting as much information as he could. "You said he was always busy."

"He is," Remus responded, "that's why we try and keep it—our… relationship, I mean—quiet. But he's off this weekend, so…"

"Yeah, I could tell that by his neck," retorted Matt, and Remus blushed so deeply again that he refused to talk anymore about the subject at all, Matt teasing him until he was finally able to go home for the afternoon.

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Cute chapter telling you it's about to get pretty - well - SERIOUS.

Hahhaha.

ALSO HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO HARMONY'S TWIST!