Disclaimer;;
I am not J.K. Rowling. I am just borrowing her characters to play with and promise to put them back when done.

Warnings;;
Boys kissing and a bit of language

3. Light


"Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Remus, happy birthday to you!"

Sirius placed an enormous chocolate cake in front of Remus, grinning at the werewolf happily. The cake was lopsided and one could see where Sirius had run his finger through the icing on the side. Remus smirked, counting the candles quickly. Twenty-three candles.

"And one for good luck," Sirius winked.

"Thanks Padfoot," Remus said.

"Oh, just make a wish!" Lily said, grinning. James had an arm wrapped around her shoulder and pulled her close, smiling also. Lily held their newborn, Harry. He was almost nine months old and one of the quietest children Remus had ever met. He glanced at Sirius who grinned broadly and chose his wish. All twenty-four candles winked out at once, to the amusement of Remus' friends.

"You guys didn't have to do this," Remus said as Sirius began to pick out the still smoking candles. He dropped them in a small pile on the table.

"We wanted to Remus. You do so much for us a birthday party was hardly out of the question," Lily said, sitting down carefully. James took the chair next to her.

"Besides, Sirius begged us for days because he wanted Lily to teach him how to bake a cake," James said, grinning. Sirius scowled, concentrating far more intently than necessary on cutting the cake into decent slices.

"Oh, really now?" Remus said, looking at Sirius.

Lily nodded, "Yup. I think after the second or third cake he finally got the hang of it." Remus laughed and Sirius continued to scowl as he plated the slices of lopsided cake. He handed Remus the largest piece.

"Enjoy," Sirius growled, stabbing the piece of cake with a fork.

"Aw, come on Padfoot. I didn't mean anything by it," James said, stealing a slice of cake.

"Whatever," Sirius muttered although he was starting to grin again as he handed a plate to Lily. The cake was interesting to say the least. It wasn't amazing or perfect but Remus enjoyed the fact that Sirius had taken the time to make it by hand. The Animagi disappeared for a moment before coming back with four goblets and a bottle of wine.

"Are you stealing my good wine again?" Remus peered at the label but Sirius turned it around so that he couldn't read it.

"Why not? It's your birthday after all. A time for celebration and merriment," Sirius said, uncorking the glass bottle and pouring a healthy amount in each of the goblets.

"Happy birthday Remus," Sirius toasted once all of them had a glass. The other two murmured the toast and all took a sip.

"At least you managed to choose my favorite even if it doesn't go with lopsided chocolate cake," Remus said.

"After practically living here for the last month and half I think I would know what kind of wine you enjoy," Sirius replied. Remus made a face but drank his wine anyways. The four of them drank and ate Sirius' lopsided cake, talking and embarrassing each other with stories from school and drunken parties. The latter stories mostly involved James and Sirius. Eventually, Harry began to fuss, sending James and Lily home.

"Thanks for everything Sirius," Remus said, starting to clear off the table. Sirius made some sort of noise, picking up a candle and licking the frosting off of it. He looked up at Remus pulling the candle from his mouth and picking up a second one and starting up all over again. Remus paused, holding a glass of wine. He swallowed and forced himself to turn and take his plate and glass into the kitchen.

His hands gripped he sink as he tried to get the image of Sirius out of his mind. It wasn't working too well. Sirius had been teasing him this way for the last month and a half and Remus hadn't a clue why. Well, perhaps that wasn't correct. The lycanthrope had some idea as to why Sirius was doing it. The Animagi had discovered Remus' secret desire: him. Remus had always been fond of Sirius but the fondness had recently grown into something more. He relied on it a lot to be honest with himself. Mostly when his disease grew too heavy a burden and the idea off death a far more pleasant one.

"Problem?" Sirius' voice called from the small dining room.

Remus cleared his throat before answering, "No, no. Just thinking." He returned to the dining room to find Sirius licking frosting off of his finger. Merlin. Remus leaned against the door frame, crossing his arms on his chest.

"Something wrong?" Sirius smirked, cocking an eyebrow and doing that hair flip thing that made Remus want to jump him.

"Nothing at all," Remus murmured. Sirius grinned but said nothing, proceeding to lick more frosting off of his finger again. Remus couldn't help but recall the times this idiot of a friend had helped him live through one more full moon. Not because he was there, but because Remus was able to focus on the one bright spot in his life. Sirius made dealing with lycanthropy so much easier, even if Remus wasn't able to hold the Animagi or take him to bed.

"Remus."

The werewolf snapped out of his thoughts, trying to fight through the dark depression that threatened to pull him from his birthday bliss. He looked at Sirius and wondered at the confusion in the other's eyes. Sirius was never one to be unsure. He was never the timid, second-thought, questioning one. He always just did or said what was on his mind.

"Yes, Sirius?"

The dark haired man stood up, wiping his previously frosting covered finger on his pants and dropped his gaze to the floor. Remus' eyebrows knit together, confused. Sirius looked up, opened his mouth as if to say something and stopped.

"What's the matter Padfoot?"

"You."

The word was mumbled, ragged and tattered like an old sweater but you didn't want to throw it out because it was comfortable.

"Me?"

Sirius nodded, glancing up. His eyes were partially hidden from his hair that had fallen into his eyes. Remus had always liked his hair long. It made Sirius look so much better than the awful short length his mother had insisted on.

"You, Moony. You are my problem," Sirius said.

"Like I said, you didn't have to throw me a party at all. If it was too much of a problem, you shouldn't have," Remus said, although he was pretty sure that wasn't what Sirius was talking about even if he didn't what he really was trying to say.

"It's not the party Rem," Sirius sighed, coming closer to the werewolf and suddenly taking a hand in his own. Remus could have melted. If he was a sixteen year old girl he supposed he would have. Too bad he was a twenty three year old man whose heart shouldn't be quivering just because his best friend was now holding his hand.

"Please tell me you're not drunk Padfoot," Remus said.

Sirius laughed, although the utterance was quiet and almost devoid of all emotion, "No. I most certainly am not drunk. I…I'm just tired of keeping something from you and really want to tell you Remus even though I'm not sure if you even really think the same thing as I think you do but I just can't keep not saying anything and live here and watch you every day-"

"What are you talking about?" Remus interrupted. The words from Sirius' mouth made no sense, being all rushed and tumbled as they were.

"This," Sirius said, seeming to steel himself. Remus tilted his head, confused but was suddenly pressed against the doorframe as Sirius kissed him. A small moan escaped his lips as Sirius moved more fully against him, still holding one hand and the other braced on the wall for support. The kiss was clumsy, hurried, needy and the best Remus had ever received in his life. Sirius tasted like that silly lopsided chocolate cake and a hint of that red wine he had stolen. Remus gripped Sirius' waist, needing to pull him close as Sirius deepened the kiss. A moan escaped from one of them again, Remus couldn't tell who they were pressed so close to each other.

Remus' eyes fluttered open as Sirius pulled away. Both were breathing a tad heavier than normal, hands still gripping each other. Remus didn't get it. Was Sirius teasing him again? Taking Remus' desire and fucking with it? The lycanthrope tugged away, suddenly wanting to be as far away from Sirius as possible.

"Remus, don't," Sirius murmured, "I didn't…I thought…I…" He faltered, leaning in as if he was going to kiss Remus again but stopped.

"You're such an arse," Remus growled, tugging away again, "You didn't mean to kiss me. You thought it would be funny, didn't you? You thought wrong Sirius." He dropped his head, trying to tug away again but Sirius simply pinned him to the door frame with his body.

"I thought you liked me," Sirius snarled, a bit more harshly than he probably meant to. He pulled back slightly although his grip on Remus' hand never loosened. Remus looked up at the pureblooded face from under his eyelashes.

"I do like you," he whispered, dropping his eyes again, "Far more than I probably should."

"That's what I thought," Sirius said.

"So? So what if I do? What does it matter?"

"It matters to me," Sirius paused again, "Very much."

"Why? So you can tease me about it more? So you can bother me day and night about this?" Remus didn't even bother trying to tug away this time. Sirius wasn't going to let him go at all.

Sirius huffed, apparently frustrated, "No. I want to…I want to be able to hold you. I want to be able to kiss you if I want too. I want to do this." He held up their intertwined hands, making Remus looked at the clasped fingers.

"Why?"

"You're such a bleeding idiot sometimes," Sirius muttered, glancing down before quickly looking back up, "I like you, you idiotic werewolf. Perhaps more than like but I had to know if what I suspected was right."

Remus was shocked. Sirius Black, infamous woman lover, liked him? Watch out, the world was going to twist on its head and Muggles would suddenly be able to use magic too!

"You're lying," Remus whispered, although he half hoped that Sirius wasn't at all.

"Would I have fucking kissed you if I was lying?" Sirius growled, although the anger behind the words wasn't actually there, "No. As much of a lover boy as I come off as, I don't just randomly go around kissing people for the hell of it. Especially my best friend."

The werewolf didn't know what to say. What did you say to your best friend after he just confessed that he liked you and perhaps a bit more than that? Especially since you felt the same way?

"Say something, please. Anything."

Remus licked his lips, still able to taste the wine and chocolate cake and Sirius' own mouth, "Thank you."

Sirius cocked an eyebrow, although the movement was partially lost under his tangle of hair, "That's it? No 'take me here and now'? No 'I want to confess my own undying love to you Padfoot'?"

Remus laughed softly, shaking his head, "No. Just thank you. At least I know that birthday wishes can come true."

A smirk broke Sirius' face, "You wasted a wish for me?"

"It wasn't a waste. It was a perfectly good hope and it came true," Remus said, slowly melting back into the love-soaked creature that he tried to not be around Sirius, "Thank you." Sirius sighed, rolling his eyes and as about to say something but Remus kissed him.

"Shut up," he murmured against Sirius' lips, "Just shut up for once Padfoot."

Sirius didn't argue.