Remus looked at the notice on the common room wall: due to popular demand there would be a Yule ball this year.
/Oh great, the first chance for the entire school to see I have no one to take to the ball./
He could hear James asking Lily Evans if she would go with him, and apparently Peter had already been successful in asking a tall Hufflepuff fifth year to accompany him. Sirius entered the common room to calls of, "Who are you taking then, Sirius?"
He looked around the room and the eager faces, all the Gryffindors had placed bets on which lucky girl would be dancing the night away with Sirius, and they were all keen to discover if they'd won their share of Chocolate Frogs.
"I haven't asked the lucky one yet," Sirius replied, with an award-winning grin, "but I'll let you all know tomorrow."
Remus tore his eyes away from the muscular body of Sirius, it was no use kidding himself that his friend would take him to the ball: Sirius would be taking some beautiful girl, not a gay teenage werewolf.

That evening, Remus decided to take a wander down to the Quidditch pitch after the Gryffindors had finished their training for the next match. He was hoping Sirius would be down there in his Animagus form, as there were lots of emotions running through his blood that needed to be taken away by stroking his hand through the rough black fur of Padfoot. As he approached the pitch, he didn't spot Padfoot, but there was a figure on the opposite side of the pitch, looking like it was expecting someone to arrive. From the other person's height, Remus guessed it was a student, as most of the Professors were rather taller (apart from little Professor Flintwick who'd recently joined the school). The other person looked up, and Remus recognised them instantly.
/Sirius... but what's he doing down here as him? He must be planning to meet the girl he's going to take to the Yule ball - as far as I know he's not asked anyone yet, and he needs to have a name by tomorrow morning, when the rest of the house ask who he's taking. I might as well walk away... but I can't, he's seen me/

Remus drew closer to Sirius, who motioned for him to sit down on the small seat Sirius appeared to have magically made earlier. The air was silent between them, as if neither could bear to make the first sound, or decide what they were going to say. Finally, Remus decided to break the silence and quietly uttered,
"so, Sirius... have you decided who you're going to take to the yule ball yet?"
Sirius looked up, staring to the left of Remus' eyes, in the manner he'd become accustomed to, and drew a deep breath.
"I've decided, and Padfoot wants to lead me to the person I'm taking."
Slight confusion was shown in Remus' eyes, but Sirius didn't notice as he screwed up his eyes and concentrated. The big black dog of Padfoot took two small steps forwards and sat in front of Remus.
Remus looked around, surely the girl Sirius was meeting would appear soon, but he was quickly shaken from his thoughts, as Padfoot raised his left front paw and placed it on Remus' knee.
"Me?" Remus' voice came through the crisp still air, "what do you mean you want to take me, you're not... are you?"
Sirius transformed back into himself. "If you mean am I gay, the answer is yes. If you mean am I in love with you, the answer again is yes, and if you mean am I offering to take you to the Yule ball, then a simple yes from you will seal it..."
Remus took a couple of seconds to let Sirius' words sink into his mind. He took a breath to answer, but the powers of vocal communication seemed to have deserted him. He simply nodded his head at Sirius, who grinned back and let out a bark-like laugh, "or of course, a nod will suffice."
/What will everyone say tomorrow when he says he's taking me? I don't care, really... my ultimate fantasy partner has come true/

The following day, Remus was again in the common room, and the entire house was awaiting Sirius' entrance, and subsequent announcement of who he was taking to the ball. Eventually, he entered the room, and an expectant silence greeted him. The voice of an eager sixth year carried across the room,
"so come on then, Sirius. Who are you taking?"
Sirius looked around and the even more eager faces, and gave a toothy grin.
"I am taking the person who means the most to me, the one who I feel is my soul mate. The one I want to be with forever."
He walked over towards Remus, who looked slightly embarrassed at the stares of their housemates on him. As Sirius neared, he wrapped his arm over Remus' shoulder and leant down to him. Remus looked up and melted into his kiss to the surprise and shock of the female students. Neither boy was aware of the reactions in the room, the happy tears streaming down Lily Evans' face at the sight of Remus finally finding a partner, the shocked look on James' face, or Peter having fainted and being revived by some of the third year students. Remus and Sirius were only aware of the kiss that brought them together forever, that seemed to last an eternity, but when it was over, needed to continue,

--

Remus stared at the pensieve. That and his collar were the only two remaining connection he had with the Sirius he loved. For twelve lonely years he'd worn his collar in a silent vigil for his incarcerated mate. He knew there was very little chance of Sirius being released from Azkaban - even if he was, there was a strong possibility that his mind would have been irreversibly changed by the presence of the Dementors, and the Sirius that returned would be different to the one he'd lost. They'd altered the collars slightly after the Yule ball, changing the non-transformed state of them into golden chains, with small figures on them to constantly remind them of their relationship, and display it to whoever looked closely at the collars.

Each morning, Remus made himself a mug of tea, and made a mug of coffee with one sugar. He'd sit down at the small table, placing the mug of coffee at the empty place setting, on a placemat with a large black dog in front of a crescent moon on it. Sirius had always liked their little routine each morning, after he'd gone to live with Remus when they'd left Hogwarts, and Remus was determined to keep that in place. In fact, he was sure the only reason he did that was to ensure Sirius' memory stayed vivid and fresh in his mind.

Remus saw an owl flying towards the closed window of the cottage, and rushed to open it. Just as the owl appeared to be destined to crash into the glass, he opened the window and caught the copy of the Daily Prophet before the owl flew off again. Remus had given up on reading the entire newspaper, preferring instead to read just the front page before binning it. Sitting down at the table again, Remus leant over the mug of tea and inhaled the scent. It didn't seem right without Sirius completing the routine by inhaling the coffee aroma, but he did it anyway. He unfolded the paper and looked at the front page, only to find Sirius' picture staring back at him.
/Sirius... broken out of Azkaban... my Sirius... free.../
It didn't seem possible, but as he looked closer at the photograph, Remus could tell Sirius still had his own mind, that he somehow hadn't been affected by the Dementors: Sirius was still wearing the collar he'd given the dog all those years ago. The golden chain, with links concealing a small dog and wolf forever entwined.

As he set down the paper and drank some of his tea, Remus knew in his heart that Sirius was innocent. He knew Sirius would return to him, his mate, as he was still wearing the collar. Remus finished his tea and walked to the front door with a new spring in his step. Sirius would come back to him, and he would be ready. Standing outside the front door, he pulled out his wand and set Dementor-repelling charms on the pathway and house, waiting for the day when Sirius would find him again.