Disclaimer: No copyright infringement is intended. All credit goes to JK Rowling. If you see something you remember from the books or films, it does not belong to me. You can't sue me, I don't have any money.
Authors note: Now, it could be that I've lost the plot but I swear I can remember a piano appearing in the 7th film. As always, if you find any mistakes, please point them out to me, I'll fix them.
Sirius spent the last hour wandering around the house, unable to find any rest.
With Arthurs attack and the house full of people Christmas seemed to have passed in the blink of an eye. In a few days the children would be going back to Hogwarts and Molly and Arthur would return to the Burrow. He couldn't blame them, he didn't want to be here either, but having so many people here meant that they needed extra security, and Remus was asked to move back in for the time being.
He missed him. It was strange really, how could you miss somebody who lived in your house? It wasn't lust, it would be easy enough to find someone to... Fulfill his needs. Even in the order, there were more than enough willing bodies. He wasn't a teenager anymore.
It was the closeness that he missed, the companionship. Somebody who would be there at night when he locked the front door behind him, an extra heartbeat, somebody to fill the empty space in the bed at night. Somebody to hold him when he couldn't sleep.
Somebody to wash the dishes with him.
He was surprised, that afternoon when Remus sent Molly away, getting up to fill the sink with hot water and rolling up his sleeves. Sirius stopped him.
"I'll wash, you dry?"
"Sure."
That was the last thing either of them said, they simply worked in silence, only the clattering of plates and the occasional splash of water interrupting the peace. It was the closest he'd felt to Remus in months. Even the fight they had before Christmas seemed to be a thing of the past.
Tonks's words came drifting back at him.
"I can't believe two otherwise intelligent men could possibly be so bloody stupid."
He wasn't stupid, he was a coward. He didn't have the guts to talk to Remus.
"You still care for each other."
He still cared for Remus. He loved him. Fourteen, no, fifteen years later he still felt the same way, but did Remus still love him? He had no idea anymore.
He knew he needed to do something, they needed to talk. Surely the worst that could happen was that Remus would confirm what he already suspected, that it was over between them, but he wasn't sure if he could take it.
Somehow he drifted into the family room on the first floor. Nobody ever used the place and despite their cleaning efforts a thin layer of dust had already settled over everything again.
He sat down on the piano stool and the ancient thing creaked under his weight. He tested the cover and found it unlocked, so he lifted it up completely and removed the green velvet cloth. He absent mindedly ran his fingers over the keys and found that it still sounded fairly good.
He needed to do something. If they didn't talk before Remus left, they probably never would.
He tried a few of the keys, playing a simple tune. Most of them were still in tune, others didn't even sound. He played on, skipping around the dead keys.
There was somebody standing in the doorway, somebody who cast a shadow in the light from the open door. He didn't stop playing and the person moved closer, placing a hand on his shoulder. He stopped and looked up.
"Remus!"
The other man gave a small chuckle and placed a cup of tea on top of the piano, using a discarded copy of some glossy magazine as a coaster.
"Enthusiastic response..."
"I'm sorry, I thought you were on duty."
"I was, Hestia let me of early."
Sirius moved over a bit, letting Remus sit on the edge of the stool.
"Nice of her."
"Yes, it was. I have her reports as well, I left them on the table by the front door."
"Thank you, I'll make sure they get to the right people."
Remus played a few notes before going on.
"You know, this is the first time I've heard you play since you've been back."
"I haven't really felt like playing. Anyway, this thing is in a terrible state."
Remus didn't say anything, he just sat there for a moment studying the bare wall in front of them. He looked better than he did that night in the kitchen when they argued over his health, but Sirius still felt something was wrong. There was an unnatural sort of stiffness in the way Remus acted around him, something that didn't even go away when he appeared to be relaxed. He had to know, he had to find out what was wrong. It wasn't just about getting his lover back now, it felt like he was losing his oldest and dearest friend too.
Sirius took a deep breath and tried to scrape the shreds of his courage together.
"Remus?"
"Hmm?"
"Please don't get angry..."
"Why on earth would I get angry?"
"Because there's something I want to talk to you about, and I don't know how you're going to take it."
Remus turned to look at him. It took a moment, but when their eyes met Sirius could see understanding there. For a second Sirius thought Remus would say something, but at the last moment he seemed to change his mind and he let out a long, shuddering sigh instead.
"Please, my old friend, we need to talk about this."
"Yes, we do, but not right now. It's almost time for dinner and I don't want interruptions. Let's talk tonight, when the others have gone to bed."
Remus got up, but Sirius grabbed his hand, he didn't want to let him go. Remus looked down at him and gave his hand a gentle squeeze.
"Tonight, I promise."
Sirius let him go and watched as the other man left before turning back to the piano.
"Remus! Your tea!"
"It's yours!"
He smiled and picked up the cup taking a small sip. Tonight...
Authors note: Just a short update - This story hasn't been abandoned and I definitely haven't forgotten about it. The problem is that I'm finding the next chapter nearly impossible to write. It has been half completed, but now I'm stuck. I'll try to get it up at some point later this month, please be patient and try to stick with me. At this point reviews and words of encouragement can only help...