***
"I promised you I'd take you to the place of your namesake one day," Sirius whispered, pinning Remus against a dirty stucco wall in a damp, narrow alley. "You can't say I back out of my promises."
"Never," Remus keened in reply, leaning his head further to one side to allow his lover better access to the smooth skin of his neck.
"But there's one more stop I want to make before it gets too dark," he continued, tugging at long, dark hair that had finally regained the shine and strength it had before twelve years spent in Azkaban.
"We can go tomorrow," Sirius whispered seductively against the thinner man's ear. He tugged on the earlobe gently with his teeth, doing his best to persuade his lover to go back to the inn right then.
"No," Remus said firmly and pulled harder until Sirius' lips left his skin. "We have to see it today. You'll even like it, I promise."
"What is it, another boring church of historical importance?" Sirius whined.
Remus knew it wasn't the first time Sirius was regretting agreeing to take this trip. In general, though, he had been willing to follow Remus around the city with very little complaint, and Remus made a mental note to make it up to him when they got back to the inn.
"This one is quite fascinating," Remus grinned at him, taking his hand as they continued to make there way down the narrow streets and alley ways of Rome. "It's where St. Lawrence was martyred."
"Oh great, another story about a dead guy. Whoever said Muggles were innocent and should be protected definitely didn't know about the ridiculous ways they killed people."
"St. Lawrence is my favorite saint, you know," Remus commented off-handedly as the narrow alley opened up into a small, but open, piazza. On the opposite side of the square stood a wall of white stucco that was graying with age; two staircases led halfway up the wall to a grand entrance, which is what Remus was dragging Sirius towards while Sirius put up a mild struggle just for appearances.
"So why is this one so important?" Sirius asked once inside, looking around the small church. It looked like the last twenty or so they had visited, only this one was smaller and was virtually empty.
"Because St. Lawrence died here," Remus rolled his eyes at his uninformed lover. "Now shut up so I can tell you the story."
"Yes, Moony," Sirius replied sarcastically, though he had enough sense to look properly chastised.
Remus led him to the high alter, which portrayed a twelve foot tall image of a man being roasted over an open fire. "Lawrence was one of the deacons of Rome, who was responsible for cataloging and archiving the Church's possessions and inventory," Remus explained, choosing to ignore Sirius in favor of examining the painting. He pointed at the gridiron encased below the altar before continuing, "After the pope died, the emperor was able to have him executed by burning him to death."
"Bloody hell!" Sirius exclaimed next to him. "And why is he your favorite?"
"Besides being the patron saint of librarians and archivists," Remus grinned at his friend, "he is also the patron saint of comedians."
"Why's that?" a look of bewilderment was firmly in place on Sirius' face. Remus had the lingering thought of 'dumb dog' on his mind, but pushed it aside to tell the best part of the story.
"Because when they were roasting him alive, he said, 'This side's done. Turn me over and have a bite.'"
Sirius' bellowing laughter echoed in the church, the knowledge that he caused it warmed Remus to the very tips of his toes. He joined in the laughter until there were tears in their eyes and they could barely stand upright.
When their amusement finally subsided and they began to make their way out of the church, Sirius asked curiously, "So why was it so important to see this one today? Not that I'm complaining or anything," he added quickly.
"Because today is the feast day of St. Lawrence," Remus explained, stopping to wrap his arms tightly around Sirius' shoulders. He placed a chaste kiss on Sirius' cheek before moving to whisper in his ear, "And after we go back to the inn so I can fuck you into the mattress, I have a surprise for you later tonight."