When the movie ended, Peter went off to his room to call his girlfriend. James took the empty beer bottles and the remains of the pizza into the kitchen. Remus slept on, snoring lightly, his head resting on Sirius's shoulder. Sirius gazed at him fondly. He did not want to wake him, even though he needed to use the bathroom.

"I thought Pete and I were going to have to suffer through two and a half hours of gross, sloppy kissing noises," joked James quietly, coming back from the kitchen.

"I guess you guys lucked out," Sirius whispered, grinning.

James sat down on the sturdy coffee table. "How long did he last?"

"About ten minutes."

"Shouldn't you wake him? He said he couldn't stay very late."

"Yeah, but that's just because he needs to be up tomorrow morning. What does it matter if he sleeps here or at home?"

Sirius tucked the blanket more firmly around Remus, kissing the top of his tousled head.

"I changed my mind," said James, frowning. "You shouldn't tell him tonight."

"Why not?"

James gave him a shrewd look. "Because of the way you're looking at him right now. Great weed might give you a high that feels like love, but it's not. It'll just make you make choices that you'll regret tomorrow."

Sirius scowled. "I'm not that high. Not anymore. I just - I really like him, all right? Anyway, I wasn't planning to - say anything tonight." He glanced at Remus to make sure he was still sound asleep.

"You promise?"

Sirius made a face. "I promise. Not tonight. Happy now?"

"I'm just looking out for you," James told him, giving his unoccupied shoulder a fraternal pat. "If you want to tell him tomorrow, when you're both sober, I won't try to stop you."

Sirius relented. "I know that. I've been thinking about -"

A sudden loud beeping sound made all three of them jump. The screen of Remus's phone, sitting on the coffee table, lit up with the message, take meds!

"Jesus!" gasped James.

Remus threw himself across Sirius to grab his phone, shutting off the alarm and shoving it into his pocket.

"I have to go," he said looking panicked.

Sirius sat up, heart pounding from the sudden surge of adrenaline. "I'll get your clothes."

He dashed to the laundry room, and met Remus at the door of his bedroom, shoving his dry jeans and socks into his hands.

While Remus was changing, Sirius ducked into the bathroom. On his way out he bumped into James.

"Meds?" James whispered. "Is he sick or something?"

Sirius just shrugged.

Remus was waiting in the entryway, practically vibrating with urgency.

"I have to run," he told Sirius. "Sorry. I'll text you tomorrow."

"Do you need a ride?" Sirius asked.

Remus bit his lip. "You don't have to. You're in your pyjamas."

"It's fine," Sirius assured him. "Really."

"OK," said Remus, giving in. "Thanks."

Sirius's car was cold, and both of them were tense and jumpy. The cozy intimacy that they had woven between them during the afternoon and evening now hung in ragged shreds.

"Where am I taking you?" Sirius asked.

"Lily's place."

"Is that where your meds are?"

Remus gave him such a sharp, hunted look that Sirius almost bit his tongue.

"Yeah," muttered Remus, and turned away to stare out the window.

"I - um - I've never been to Lily's place," said Sirius hesitantly.

In a few terse words, Remus directed him through the streets towards the north end of Capitol Hill. Apart from that, and the ticking sweep of the wipers shunting the rain off the windshield, they spent the drive in silence.

"Here," said Remus, as they pulled up to a cluster of gray, rundown apartment buildings.

Sirius parked beside the curb.

"I-I had a nice time today," he said tentatively.

Remus hesitated, one hand on the door handle, looking tense and wary. "Aren't you going to ask what I need medication for?"

"No," said Sirius. "Whenever I ask you questions, you just run away. But I am going to wait here for thirty minutes, if you decide you want to come back out and talk. If you don't, that's OK, too," he added quickly. "You can text me and tell me to go."

"Trust me," said Remus grimly, "it's not something you want to hear about. And I don't want it changing the way you see me."

Sirius reached over and gave Remus's arm a squeeze. "I get that. Trust me, I know exactly what that's like. But - I feel like I saw you tonight, Remus. And I don't think there's anything you could tell me that would change that."

He leaned closer, and Remus tensed.

"In case this is 'good night'," said Sirius softly, and very gently kissed Remus on the mouth.

When he released him, Remus all but leapt out of the car, letting in a burst of damp night air.

"G'night," he said hurriedly, slamming the door shut behind him.

Sirius sat back in his seat and flicked on the dome light. He left the engine running for the heat, and fiddled with the radio, trying to find some decent music.

Since learning that he had been wrong about Remus living with an abusive partner, or having a partner at all, Sirius had been baffled about what Remus's secret might be. If it was an illness, Sirius could understand him not wanting to discuss it. Illness was a private, personal matter. Mental illness, especially, carried a weighty load of social stigma. But that did not seem to explain anything else about Remus's behavior towards Sirius to date, or why he would be keeping his medication at his best friend's apartment.

Sirius wondered whether even trying to guess Remus's secret might be considered an invasion of his privacy. He shoved aside the guilty thought, and reminded himself that it was not a vulgar desire to satisfy his own curiosity that drove him, but a desire to know and understand Remus better. Even more than that, Sirius wanted Remus to trust him - for them to be able to trust each other with all their secrets.

Sirius glanced down at his phone. Twenty-five minutes left, and no text from Remus yet, telling him to go. He waited, trying not to hope too hard for Remus to come back.

Lily was standing in the open door of the apartment, waiting for Remus. She must have been watching for him. She had texted him three times while he was sleeping to ask him when he would be back, and to remind him that he needed to take his meds. He had texted her from the car to let her know that he was on his way, and that yes, he knew; she knew as well as he did that he had an alarm for that. Not that that had done him much good tonight. For the dozenth time, Remus swore under his breath at his own carelessness.

"Cutting it a little close, aren't you?" Lily said anxiously, keeping her voice down and glancing at her parents' closed bedroom door as she followed him into the living room.

"I lost track of the time," muttered Remus, falling to his knees and digging through the outside pocket of his overstuffed backpack for his pills. "I'm only a few minutes late."

Lily's eyebrows went up. "Lost track of time? That good, huh?"

"Yeah. It was great," he admitted.

Remus closed his eyes briefly, remembering how warm and comfortable and happy he had felt, snuggling on the couch in Sirius's arms - and how panicked he had felt upon waking, all sense of wellbeing evaporating in a heartbeat, realizing his mistake instantly, and not being able to explain his distress to Sirius. A bad ending to what was so nearly a perfect date.

With a sigh, Remus stood up, pill organizer in hand, and stumbled to the bathroom. Lily followed him.

"So? Tell me about it," she said, as he filled a glass with water from the faucet.

Remus shrugged, dumping his pills for the day into his palm. "There's not much to tell. We went for a walk. Got some ice cream. Then went back to his place for pizza and a movie. I fell asleep."

He tossed back the pills and took several swallows of water.

"You fell asleep?" Lily's lips curved into an amused smile. "Sounds like an exciting date."

Remus leaned against the counter. "It was nice. Comfortable. I just felt really relaxed."

Lily gave him a delicate sniff, and grinned. "I can't imagine why."

"It wasn't just that we got high," said Remus, rolling his eyes. "It felt good, being with him - until my alarm went off."

"So was James there?" Lily asked, trying to sound casual.

"Yeah," said Remus. "And yes, he asked about you."

Lily sighed. "I just - every time I talk to him, I remember that stupid scene with Severus. I still can't believe he showed up like that. It was such an awful day, and then on top of everything else, I had to deal with his shitty attitude ... I didn't want James to see that. It was something I needed to deal with on my own. But he did see it, and now he probably thinks I'm some stupid girl with terrible taste in men who needs to be rescued -"

"I think he likes you," said Remus. "He said tonight that your only mistake was being nice to someone who didn't deserve it. But if you're really worried about him thinking that, maybe you should let him get to know you better. It wouldn't take much for him to see that you're the last person who needs rescuing."

He gave her a fond smile, which she returned.

"You're probably right. C'mon, I'll put on some tea."

While she was in the kitchen, putting the battered kettle on the stove, Remus went to the living room window and peeked between the blinds. Sirius's car still sat at the curb, interior light creating an inviting glow. Remus looked down at his phone. Twenty-two minutes left to decide whether or not he was going to take Sirius up on his offer.

"What are you looking at?" asked Lily.

"Nothing," said Remus quickly, letting the blinds snap shut.

Lily frowned and walked over to see for herself. Remus did not try to stop her.

"Is that Sirius? What's he still doing out there?"

"Waiting for me. He wants me to tell him what I need meds for."

Lily frowned. "That's none of his business. He shouldn't ask you about that."

"He didn't," said Remus. "He just said if I wanted to talk about it, he'd wait."

He glanced at his phone again. Twenty minutes.

Lily's coppery eyebrows rose. "Are you going to?"

Remus shrugged uncomfortably. "I dunno. Maybe."

He could count on one hand the number of people he had voluntarily told about his diagnosis, without even running out of fingers.

"You don't have to," said Lily, touching his arm. "And even if you do decide to, it doesn't have to be tonight."

"I know. I just feel like tonight - it was really nice, being with him. I want to spend more time with him. But I can't do that, and keep my whole life a secret, too, can I? If I tell him this part of it, at least I'll know how well he deals with heavy stuff."

Lily nodded. "That makes sense, I guess. It's not like HIV is a death sentence nowadays. He probably knows that already. And this isn't directly related to any of the other stuff you don't want to tell him yet. You can tell him about it without it bringing up any other awkward questions."

"You think I should tell him?" asked Remus anxiously.

Lily gave him an tentative smile. "I think you've already decided about that."

Remus took a deep breath and straightened up, pulse racing. In the kitchen, the kettle began to whistle, rising towards a piercing shriek which matched Remus's mood. Lily hurried into the kitchen to snatch it off the burner. Remus hovered in the doorway as she poured boiling water into two mugs.

"Keep mine warm for me?" he said.

"Of course." She came over to give him a quick hug. "Good luck, Remus. No matter what happens, you're a wonderful guy, and I love you. I'll be right here when you come back."

"I love you, too, Lils. Thanks."

Heart beating fast, Remus stepped out of the apartment and walked down the stairs, and to the parked car waiting on the street. Opening the door, he slid into the passenger seat, startling Sirius, who almost dropped his phone.

"I-I wasn't sure you were coming back," said Sirius.

"Neither was I."

"So ... do you want to talk?"

Remus took a deep breath, and let it out again, heart beating fast. "I leave my meds at Lily's sometimes because it's the only place where I can be sure they won't get stolen."

"I guess that makes sense," Sirius nodded. "If you have shitty roommates -"

"I'm HIV positive," said Remus abruptly, staring straight ahead at the rain-spattered windshield, forcing out the words around the tightness in his throat.

Sirius's eyes bulged. "Shit, Remus ..." he trailed off, at a loss for words.

It did not matter. As far as Remus was concerned, there was nothing he could say. Nothing would change the facts, or make his life any easier.

"I'm not dying," Remus went on flatly. "I don't want pity, or to be treated like I'm fragile or broken. I'm managing it. If I take my medications every day like I'm supposed to, I won't get sick, and I'll have a minimal chance of infecting anyone else, especially if I use protection, which I always do. So you have nothing to worry about, all right?"

Sirius nodded, still staring. "I-I'm not worried. I know it's not - not as big a deal as it used to be, if you ... er ... catch it in time."

"I got tested within a month of being exposed," said Remus.

"Oh. So you ... um ... know how you got it?"

Remus winced. "That's a really personal question, Sirius."

"Sorry." Sirius dropped his gaze, embarrassed. "You're right. Forget I asked."

Remus clenched his jaw and looked down at his hands, balled into fists in his lap. "I was raped. When I was sixteen."

Sirius made a choked sound.

"I've learned to live with it," said Remus, forcibly shrugging off the oppressive memory. He looked up at Sirius's distressed face. "So now you know that much about my life. Still think you want to get involved?"

Sirius's mouth opened and closed soundlessly a few times, before he finally got control of his face. He sat back in his seat and stared out the windshield, saying nothing for more than a minute.

"I-I'm so sorry, Remus," he said at last.

"Yeah," said Remus bleakly. "Me too."

"It's awful. I dunno what to say."

"It's OK," Remus told him. "You don't have to say anything. And I get it, if this changes things. We were having fun, and now it's not fun anymore."

"No!" said Sirius quickly. "It's not - this doesn't change anything."

Remus gave him a skeptical look. "Doesn't it?"

"No," Sirius said again, more firmly this time. Hesitantly, he reached over to touch one of Remus's clenched hands, stroking one bony knuckle with the tip of his finger. "I still want to do this. If you do."

Remus bit his lip, uncertain. Once Sirius had time to process this new information, he might still change his mind. And even if he did not, the knowledge might make things too awkward between them for their nascent relationship to survive.

"I still want to do this, too," Remus admitted. "So ... what happens now?"

Sirius cleared his throat. "Well - um - I know this is kind of short notice, but there's this thing I'm going to this weekend, if you want to come. It's a Christmas gala fundraiser at the library. Mom - James's mom - always gets tickets. James and Pete and I were planning to go stag, but then Pete invited his girlfriend, so ... if you wanted to ..."

Remus frowned. "That sounds ... fancy."

"It is. Black tie. Dancing. Finger foods. All that sort of thing."

"I don't have anything to wear to something like that."

"That's no problem," said Sirius. "I could find you something."

"I dunno ..."

Sirius's fingers curved around his, and Remus looked up into pleading gray eyes.

"You don't have to say yes, Remus," he said warmly. "But I'd like it if you were there with me. If you think you could get the night off on Saturday?"

"Maybe," said Remus uncertainly.

"I'll take that." Sirius gave him a tentative smile. "Would it be all right if I kissed you now?"

Hesitantly, Remus nodded.

Sirius leaned in and pressed his lips softly to Remus's. When he pulled away, Remus could not suppress a huff of laughter.

"What's funny?" Sirius asked him, brow furrowing.

"Nothing. I told you I'm damaged goods, and I think you just asked me to prom."

Sirius grinned. "Nah; prom sucked."

Remus shrugged. "I never went to mine."

"This should be better. At least, it will be if I'm there with someone I like." Sirius lifted Remus's fingers to his lips and kissed them. "Remus Lupin, will you do me the very great honor of going to prom with me?"

Remus laughed, feeling strangely light. "Well, when you put it like that ... I think maybe I will."