A/N: Short, a bit sappy, not at all original… just some nice, angsty fluff. Yup. Contains the mildest of HBP spoilers, but if you're any kind of HP fan, you should've already read it, so no worries there :). Regular present. Italics flashback. Easy enough, yes?

WARNING: This is SLASH. Not your ship? Get swimming. No flames because of the pairing, thank you.

Disclaimer: I don't own Remus or Sirius or Tonks or anything. Because if I did, Sirius would not be "dead", and Remus and Tonks would never have gotten together! (wtf is with that, eh?)

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"Really, Tonks, I've explained it so many times. I just can't – I'm sorry, Tonks, I can't." Remus Lupin, normally so mild-mannered and easy-going, was reaching his limit. He was not, of course, a foolish man; it had not escaped his notice that Tonks watched him from the corner of her eye, obeyed his orders before any one else's, and even followed him on occasion. He had known for months that she would confess, sooner or laner, and he would be obliged to politely turn her down. But that confrontation had come and gone, and it was becoming increasingly clear to Remus that Tonks could not take no for an answer. And Remus knew, too, that eventually he would have to tell her the real reason why he could never become involved with her. It was flattering, really, to have such a young, beautiful witch fall in love with him. But that was, in fact, the source of the problem – she was young, beautiful, and a witch.

"Moony?"

"Hmm?" Remus looked up at Sirius, on whose chest he was lying, having been startled awake just as he was drifting off.

"Would you ever date a girl?"

"What?" Remus tried to clear his mind of the sleepy fog that had settled over it. "Um, I dunno… why? I've got you, haven't I?"

"Yeah, I know. But if you didn't have me… would you?"

Remus sat up, alarmed, to look Sirius directly in the face. "What do you mean, if I didn't have you? What're you –"

"Hey, calm down." Sirius grinned wolfishly. "It was a rhetorical question. I'm not going anywhere, ever – you know that." His voice became soft and tender as he stroked Remus' hair.

"Oh – right. Well, then…" Remus thought for a minute. Since he'd been with Sirius, he honestly hadn't given any thought to anyone else, male or female. And Sirius was certainly the only person he'd ever been in love with, no doubt about that. Remus tried for a moment to imagine being with a girl – soft breasts where a broad chest should be, curved hips instead of a slim waist – and failed miserably. "No," he announced finally. "No girls."

"Yeah, me neither."

"Remus, listen to me! I don't care that you're a werewolf, I think you're beautiful anyway. It doesn't matter that you don't have money because I can support myself. And you're not that much older than me. Please, I don't see why –"

"Sirius, I need to talk to you for a minute." Remus approached his lover, who obligingly looked up from his game of solitaire and scooted his chair back from the kitchen table so that Remus could slip into his lap.

"What's wrong, Moony?" Sirius asked, noting the other's solemn expression.

"I just thought we should – well, I wanted to discuss – I mean, we've both been in a lot of danger for some time now, but ever since Voldemort's come back –" Remus stopped to run his hands through Sirius' dark hair, as long and silky as ever, but now shot with streaks of gray. Sirius waited, with a patience he never could have managed at seventeen, until Remus found words. "I think there's a very high chance that one – or both – of us will be killed in the war that we know is coming. You know it's true," he added, as Sirius tried to protest his dark outlook. "And I just want you to know, I want to make sure I tell you, that I love you, always have, always will, but I want you to move on with your life if – if I die. Promise me, okay? Promise me that you won't waste your life, because you know as well as I do how short life is. And – I just want –" Remus broke off, burying his face in Sirius' shoulder as tears filled his eyes.

"Moony," Sirius whispered, lips brushing Remus' ear. "I'm sorry, love, but that's one promise that I can't keep. Listen – you are the only one for me, and I know that's the truth. I could never move on; there would be nowhere for me to go. Even if we lose each other for a while, I'll always find you. I love you, Remus. I love you, and that's all there is to say. Nothing could keep us apart for long."

"Tonks, I love Sirius. I'm sorry, but that's how it is. I could never feel about anyone the way I feel about him, even if he's gone. I could never love you the way you deserve to be loved because I can't stop love him. I'm sorry, Tonks."

oooooooooo

A/N: Crap, yes, but passingly sweet? Maybe.