It was about a week later that James picked up on their frequent absences. It was normal for Remus to hole himself up somewhere and study without the frequent distractions of their dormitory or the Gryffindor common room- but Sirius was now nowhere to be found during their normal Marauding hours, and James found that a little worrying. He'd had his suspicions after the Goblet Incident, as it was now referred to, but hadn't voiced them, preferring to bide his time.

Friday evening rolled around, and Remus had the dormitory window open, leaning his elbows on the sill and breathing in that delicious twilight scent. The door opened behind him, and a moment later he felt a pair of arms slide around his waist.

"Hey, Pads," he said contentedly.

"Got you, Moony," came James' voice in his ear, and Remus jumped so much he almost fell out of the window.

"SHIT!" He turned to see the satisfied smirk on James' face.

"Knew it. I knew something was going on with you two. What, you thought I wouldn't notice?" James snorted incredulously. "I know Pettigrew's as unobservant as a tree stump, but I thought you'd both give me a bit more credit than that."

Then he noticed the stricken expression on Remus' face, who looked like he was about to hyperventilate.

"What's up?"

Remus gaped at him.

"You're…ok with it?" he managed, and James laughed.

"Yeah, it's fine! A bit weird," he admitted, "but go for it. You do sort of balance each other out. To be quite honest…" he continued, sitting down on his bed, "I've had a vague idea it was Sirius you were loopy about for a while. You know the goblet?"

Remus nodded, sitting down on his own bed.

"Did you never wonder how I got my spin to land on Lily?"

Remus raised an enquiring eyebrow. "You put… more into that charm than you told us?" he hypothesised slowly.

James nodded. "It'll land on whoever you're in love with. I wanted to find out for sure." Then he grinned. "And, I'll admit, I also wanted the chance to get with Evans!"

He ducked as Remus threw a pillow at him, then grinned, pushing up his glasses from where they'd slipped down the bridge of his nose.

"You're an utter bastard, Potter," Remus said without rancour. Then his lip twisted with worry. "You won't tell Peter, will you?"

"What? Why n- Oh. Kevin Smithson?"

Remus nodded. Smithson was a fifth year who'd all but stalked Sirius the previous autumn. Peter had reacted particularly badly to the attentions his friend had received.

"He avoids the poor guy like the plague… All right. I won't tell him. I'd dread to see that look on his face!"

Just then, the door burst open, and Sirius bounded in, dripping wet and shaking his hair out of his eyes.

"What happened to you?" asked James, grinning.

"Several of Peeves' water bombs," quoth the drowned Sirius, and Remus laughed.

"You dare to ridicule my plight, and I shall shake water all over you, Lupin."

"Do your worst, Black," responded the boy, and Sirius leaped at him. Remus yelped, rolling out of the way, and fell off his bed, whereupon Sirius promptly pinned him to the floor.

"I should think you'd at least have the courtesy to wait until I'm out of the room, Sirius," commented James laconically from his vantage point on his bed.

Sirius looked at James oddly, then stared at Remus, who was grinning up at him.

"He knows?"

"Have done for at least a week," confirmed James. "I'm assuming this charming liaison came about when Lupin swooned in your arms last Friday?"

"I did not swoon!" objected Remus hotly, but Sirius grinned.

"Oh, come on, Moony, he's not freaking out, is he?"

Remus raised an eyebrow. "Not right now, but he will if you're thinking what I suspect you're thinking," he warned.

"Awww!" Sirius moaned. "I just want to see the look on his face. Please?"

Remus looked up at him thoughtfully. Raising up a hand, he brushed a few loose strands of black hair behind Sirius' ear.

"No," he said regretfully. "Much as I would love to, he might tell Wormtail."

Sirius grinned, but looked up as James jumped off his bed.

" 'He' is leaving you to it, Moony," their friend said as he left the room, laughing.

"Well," murmured Sirius, "He took it well, didn't he? I presume he guessed?"

"Yes. Well, I'd never tell him, would I? He said- ahh… Sirius, what are you…ah…what are you doing?"

"Kissing your neck," answered Sirius. "Got a problem with that?"

"Um…no…ahh…God, no…ah...definitely no problem…"

Remus' breathing quickened, and he could feel his heart pounding beneath his ribs. The touch of Sirius' lips on his neck sent shivers down his spine, and when he drew away, Remus looked up at him with undisguised longing.

"Don't stop…"

Sirius' lip quirked upwards as he said, "This room may be warm enough for you, but my robes are soaked in cold water." Standing up, he shrugged off his robes and, due to the fact that it was also sodden, pulled his shirt over his head.

Leaning on his elbows, Remus looked up at Sirius. His black hair curled wet around his face, just brushing his shoulders, and a hint of stubble outlined his jaw, his mouth set in that inscrutable half-smile. Sirius reached down, a hand out-stretched, and Remus let himself be pulled to his feet.

"You know, it's at times like these," he said thoughtfully, "that I realise just why half the school is crazy over you."

Sirius shook his head. "Why you always feel the need to talk is beyond me…" he said, and gave Remus an extremely good excuse to remain silent.

As Remus found his hand twining itself through Sirius' hair, he was incredibly aware of the single layer of thin cotton between them both- his own robes were neatly hung over his bedstead, unlike Sirius' in the sodden heap in the corner. And Sirius' skin was so warm… His free hand ran slowly up Sirius' spine, and Remus felt him shiver agreeably before he fell back onto Remus' bed, pulling the other boy with him.

Remus found himself looking down at Sirius for once, and smiled. "You do realise," he murmured, lowering his head to Sirius' ear, "I could have bitten your tongue off just then?"

Sirius chuckled. "We'd have a job explaining that to Pomfrey." He leaned forward, running the tip of his tongue along the edge of Remus' ear, who gasped, his hand tightening involuntarily on Sirius' back, and sought Sirius' mouth with his own.

Sirius sighed contentedly, lying back against Remus' pillow.

"Lupin, for a beginner, you're pretty damned good at this."

"A beginner!" Remus cried indignantly, propping himself up on his elbow as he turned to glare at Sirius.

Sirius grinned at him. "My dear Remus, I would know if you'd had any girlfriends."

"And what makes you think I'd tell you?"

"You wouldn't need to. I'd be able to tell," countered Sirius confidently. "Quite apart from the fact that you told me yourself I was the first person you ever kissed.

And you completely ignored that compliment. I don't dish them out like jelly-beans, you know."

"Gosh, you're right." Remus smiled. "And from the connoisseur himself. I must be good."

Sirius laughed. "Aren't you going to return the favour?"

Remus turned onto his side, studying the boy next to him.

"Very well," he said slowly. "You are the most vain, self-absorbed, conceited person I know. And the most damned beautiful." His thumb stroked Sirius' cheekbone, and Remus kissed him softly, adding almost inaudibly, "…and I love you…"

And then Remus found himself being hugged so tightly he could barely breathe. He heard Sirius' voice say, muffled,

"…don't ever leave me…"

Remus laughed softly.

"How could I?"

He flicked his wrist, and his wand slid out of his sleeve into his hand. Giving it a swift wave, his bed curtains slid closed.

As he rolled over Sirius to put his wand on the bedside table, the boy caught him around the waist.

"What on earth are you doing?

Remus smiled down at him.

"Well, I don't want it to get broken, do I?"

He sat up, his knees either side of Sirius' hips.

Sirius shook his head in amazement.

"Lupin, you bloody prefect, you're still wearing your tie…"

"Oh, God yes…why the hell…"

Remus loosened it with a finger and pulled it over his head, undoing his collar.

"Better?" he enquired.

Sirius nodded lazily. "Much better. Now come here," he added, "I can't be bothered to move."

Remus laughed. "Yes, master. I live to serve." Lowering himself down onto his elbows, he found that his nose was an inch from Sirius', which he bit affectionately.

"Now that I like the sound of," murmured Sirius. "Though I must reprimand you, slave. Don't bite your master like that. His nose is too shapely to be molested."

"Ah, how can this unworthy one gain your forgiveness?"

"I'm sure you'll think of something," grinned Sirius, and Remus recognised the glint in his eye.