AN: Inspired by a story request from tigergirl-moonstar. Please note that I have taken some personal liberties with the storyline and certain characters. For example, Tonks is born in 1962 instead of 1973.

Disclaimer: All characters are owned by JK Rowling except any OCs.

Warnings: Slash, torture, angst, abuse, abduction, sexual themes

Chapter 10

The Green Carnation

Remus came to with a start, a fresh sheen of sweat across his brow and his heart beating furiously. Vague images of Bellatrix cackling as she pointed her wand and the a room filled with Death Eaters, their faces all upside down lingered as he gained his bearings. Above him was just the simple, off-white ceiling of his flat, and soft, wispy breaths played against his neck. He was at home, safe. Sirius was next to him and they were definitely not in Malfoy Manor surrounded by Death Eaters. Remus took a deep breath, deciding he should get out of bed. He couldn't quite see Sirius, but he could feel him, his head resting on his shoulder, curled into his neck, one arm draped over his torso, his hand on Remus' chest, just above his heart.

The events of the previous night came to Remus as a steady stream until he remembered the night in its entirety. Sirius had taken him on a date, they'd had wine, they'd gone for a walk, then Remus had taken initiative. Despite knowing that their relationship - if that's what this is now - would benefit from a slow start, Remus didn't want to wait. He could be abducted Death Eaters again, or worse, Sirius could be taken for his betrayal, killed even. Icy fingers of fear ran down his spine, eliciting a shiver despite being so warm wrapped up with Sirius in the comfort of his bed. He'd meant what he said the night before: these were war times. He'd wasted far too much time trying to live a normal life with Dora and now it was high time he just did what would make him happy, in case this was all the time they had.

He wriggled a little to see if he'd be able to get out of bed without waking Sirius and winced a bit. Last night he'd allowed Sirius to take him. Remus mulled that over in his mind a bit. Having just come out of a heterosexual relationship, if he'd put any thought to it prior wouldn't he have wanted to be the one on top, so to speak? Then again, hadn't Remus put thought to it? His mind flashed to the other day in the shower when he'd been thinking about Sirius, and then drifted again to the night before. It had happened so fast, had seemed so natural. Deciding it was time to be awake too, his cock started to stir between his legs. Quickly, he focused his mind on other things. He wasn't sure how Sirius would feel about the roles being reversed and he knew he was far too sore for a repeat. Besides, he really needed to go to the bathroom.

Slowly, Remus slipped Sirius' arm off of him, trying desperately not to awake his sleeping lover, but at the same time needing to also answer the call of nature. Just as he thought he'd gotten away unnoticed, firm, but gentle, fingers closed around his wrist, drawing his attention back to the sleepy, dark-haired man taking up half his bed.

"Wher' you goin'?" Sirius' question was muffled against the pillow, his eyes only just open, the lashes still touching.

"I'm just going to the toilet. I thought I might make some tea after that. Did you want something for breakfast?" A smirk crossed Sirius' face and he found himself pulled back into the bed, a strong arm wrapping around his waist and urging him close. Without hesitation, Sirius' lips found his own and kissed him softly, insistently. After a moment they parted, Sirius leaning forward to press a kiss to Remus' forehead and whispering that tea sounded great.

"Alright then," Remus said with a breathy smile. "You've got to let me go now so I can get started on that." He felt Sirius stubble graze against his forehead as he smiled and another shiver went down his spine, but for an entirely different reason.

The morning was spent quite normally, despite everything that had happened lately. Remus made tea, Sirius turned on a record and spent some time talking to the owl, Strix, who had taken to hooting quite loudly and looked a little out of sorts. Remus supposed he should pay a little more attention to him and resolved to send a letter later. Earl Grey tea was enjoyed with lemon and even though they were both a little hungry they decided not to leave, though Sirius joked that Remus really needed to do some shopping.

Somehow, the idea that they needed to stay inside was an unspoken agreement between them. Remus had this overwhelming feeling that if they left the flat their moment of peace, of bliss, of happy little nothingness would be tainted by the world around them: the pressure Remus felt to return to work - his real work, not the desk duty he would be assigned to, the pressure he was sure Sirius must be feeling to find his place in a world outside of his family and Voldemort, the stress of explaining their new relationship (not everyone was as understanding as James and Lily), not to mention the entire war effort; all of this was destined to rain down on them and stain their perfect morning after, where they could pretend it was just them in the world and everything was fine.

"What are you thinking about?" Remus lurched from his thoughts, his full attention brought to Sirius who'd stopped feeding treats to Strix, who was looking much happier now, and flopped onto the couch. Flopped was truly the only word for it. Sirius had, in one swift movement, gone from a standing position to a completely relaxed position in which he was spread across the entire length of the couch, his head somehow finding its way into Remus' lap.

"I was just thinking about how nice this is." Sirius hummed his assent.

"You'll be back to work the day after tomorrow, won't you?" Remus nodded.

"I'll be back to work, alright, but it won't be my work. Kingsley's having me sit at a desk 'until it is determined that I can return to the field'." Remus punctuated his sentence with air quotes and a terrible impression of Kingsley's voice, eliciting a snort of laughter from Sirius.

"Don't worry, I'm sure it's only temporary. Your wounds've all healed." Remus hand drifted to his chest where some of the deeper marks hadn't fully faded.

"Yes," he agreed. "Kingsley seems to think I need more time, though. It's a load of bollocks, really. He needs me in the field. I'm the only one who can get the trust of the werewolves and at this rate we are going to lose any chance at an allegiance with them." Remus sighed, feeling defeated at the very thought. After everything that had been done to the werewolves, Remus couldn't fully blame them. It was only his overwhelming beliefs that the world could be changed for the better and that Voldemort was the worst scum of the earth that kept his spirits so high, even when he himself had been discriminated against for his condition.

"Don't worry, you'll be back in the field in no time," Sirius assured as he stretched languidly across the sofa and Remus' lap. "I suppose I need to start work, too." Remus sighed, but didn't disagree. Much as he'd like to say he'd support Sirius so that he didn't have to, he knew it was necessary. Sirius would want to support himself and not rely on Remus, and, to be quite honest, being a new auror didn't exactly line Remus' pockets as much as he'd hoped.

"Have you considered what you'd like to do?" Sirius frowned at the thought. It was more of a pout, really, and it made Remus want to take his bottom lip in between his own.

"No, not yet. I'll think of something, I'm sure."

"Yeah, you will. I can help you look around if you like." Sirius smiled up at Remus and the room seemed a little brighter despite the uncomfortable thoughts that had begun to move in on their happy morning.

"That'd be great. Before we start looking, though, can we get some pizza?" Remus felt his own stomach grumble at the thought and let out a soft chuckle. He supposed it was time to face the world, anyway.

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Pizza had to be the most amazing food in existence. If gods existed, Sirius was convinced they dined on the delicious, greasy, cheesy concoctions regularly. He lifted another slice to his mouth, relishing the warm, gooey deliciousness.

"Sirius," His attention turned toward Remus who was talking around his own bite. "Have you considered working here?"

"Here?" In a muggle establishment? Sirius hadn't considered the idea at all.

"Yeah," Remus inclined his head toward the register where take-out orders were picked up. There, taped to the front of the register, was a small white paper that stated in simple black letters "Now Hiring, Inquire with the Manager". Sirius turned back toward the other wizard, not at all sure he'd be great at working in a muggle restaurant. He didn't know anything about muggles! How would he be able to work with them?

"I don't know, Remus. I don't know anything about muggle money or customs." Remus waived him off as though his concerns were invalid.

"I can teach you everything you need to know, it's easy!" Sirius was not convinced in the slightest.

"Look, I'll give you the money to pay for this meal so you can see how easy it is." He shrugged and washed down the last bite of pizza with his cola. "Besides, I bet the employees get free pizza, or at least discounted." Now, there was a perk!

"I suppose you can try to show me the muggle ways."

"It's simple, honest!" Sirius still wasn't buying it.

When the time came for the check, Sirius was right. He felt like a complete imbecile trying to count out the coins and funny bits of paper that Remus assured him were real currency. Cindy the waitress looked annoyed, but waited patiently for him to count it out with Remus' help.

"He's from out of the country," Remus explained to the waitress, who only shook her head, not believing him for a moment. After all, she'd heard Sirius speak before and he'd certainly not had an accent as one would expect from a foreigner. Sirius wondered if he should try. Perhaps French? As it turned out he didn't need to worry about it. They'd paid soon enough and were already out the door, Sirius only slightly mortified.

"That was good, Sirius! You just need to practice it a bit more."

"I'm not so sure I agree with you. Even if I learn muggle money, I don't know anything about muggle life."

"That's not entirely true. You know about music and the record player, which means you have some experience with electricity."

"Electa-what?" Remus sighed and Sirius knew he must feel like he was giving him a hard time, but Sirius really didn't know anything about electricity, and he only knew about the record player because he liked music so much. "Maybe I'd be better off trying some wizarding establishments?" The question hung in the air unanswered as they approached the door to the flat, both of them thinking the same thing. Yes, Sirius could try a wizarding establishment. However, being a Black he wasn't entirely unknown. In fact, his family was fairly well known. He couldn't risk Death Eaters tracking him down by finding out where he worked, and any job that might provide some protection from that - the Ministry or Hogwarts - wouldn't take him in, because, as far as everyone is concerned, he himself is a Death Eater.

"Perhaps," Remus said with a shrug of his shoulders. "Dumbledore seems to agree with me that you've turned a leaf. Maybe you'd be able to work for him at Hogwarts." The idea that Dumbledore might take him in surprised Sirius, but then he would have to move to Hogwarts, which was in bloody Scotland, while Remus lived here in England. No, Sirius decided, that wasn't a viable option.

"I'll figure something out," he assured instead.

Once inside the flat, Sirius became aware of a tapping sound and Strix's hoots of indignation. Walking toward the bird he soon became aware of a gray owl with bright yellow eyes just outside, a scroll of parchment tied to it's leg.

"Oh! That's Alfie!" Sirius watched as Remus quickly opened the window and the strange owl swooped in, circling the room for a moment before alighting on Remus' outstretched arm. "He's James and Lily's owl," Remus explained. After giving the owl a scratch between its wings, he untied the scroll of parchment and let the owl join Strix at his perch, much to the other owl's annoyance.

"Do you think we should let Strix out?" Sirius mused aloud.

"It has been a while since I've sent a letter," Remus agreed as his eyes scanned the parchment. Sirius could just make out large looping cursive that looked like it must belong to Lily. He was certain that any handwriting of James' would probably look like his owl wrote it, not that his own was any better. Looking up at Sirius, Remus announced that Lily had invited them to visit for dinner and that she'd invited Peter as well. Despite being a bit nervous about meeting Remus' friends, Sirius decided this was a good thing. After all, he'd need to meet them at some point if he and Remus were going to have a relationship. Why not just make that time now instead of later?

"Excellent! Now I'll get to meet with all of your close friends."

"Great, I'll send an owl back," Remus responded as he took the letter into the small kitchen. Sirius heard him opening a drawer, probably to find a quill, as his nerves settled in. What if Remus' friends didn't approve of their relationship as much as James had? What if this was some kind of intervention for Remus and they were actually just trying to get him to see the error in his ways and get back together with Dora? What if it was some plan to capture him so he could be punished for his involvement with the Death Eaters? What if they just didn't like him?

"Hey," Remus' voice pulled him from the onslaught of questions filling his thoughts. He appeared to have written a response on the back of the letter and held one of those funny muggle quills that don't have feathers or pots of ink. Soft lips pecked him first on the cheek then the lips. "Don't be nervous. I've been friends with these guys for as long as I remember. Besides, they all went to Hogwarts too. You might even recognize them."

Sirius smiled at Remus' reassurances, though they didn't really make him feel any more confidant. Even if they had all gone to Hogwarts, he'd been so wrapped up in his concerns with his family and Voldemort that he was hardly friendly to anybody that didn't bring him reprieve from his thoughts or his mother. That meant tedious friendships with other Slytherins and secret relations in the night. Still, he nodded his head and watched as Remus tied the note to the Alfie and sent him off before tying another note to Strix, who seemed pleased for the work, and sent him off as well.

"Who's the other letter for?" Remus shrugged a bit in response and hesitated before answering.

"My father." Remus hadn't spoken much of his family at all and Sirius found himself curious. "My mother passed two years back. We don't see each other much, but I send him a letter every now and again. I just... don't want to disturb any peace he's found. My mother's loss was hard on both of us." Sirius remembered the loss of his father when he was young and how it had turned his mother to Voldemort even more than she'd already been. Deciding not to say anything at all, he wrapped his arm around Remus and pressed a kiss into the hair on top of his head.

The day passed fairly quickly after that as Remus showed Sirius some new records, which ended up dissolving into a heavy snogging session right on the floor of the lounge, which then turned into something much more after they'd stumbled their way into the bedroom. Now, they were fully dressed, freshly showered, and holding hands in the lounge.

"We're going to meet them now?" Sirius couldn't believe the bird had enough time to return the letter unless the Potters lived somewhere very close.

"Yes," Remus assured. "They said they wanted us over tonight. Don't worry about if Alfie gets there in time or not, they're expecting us." Sirius didn't know how that made sense - guests who arrived too soon, too late, or, especially, unannounced were heavily frowned upon in the upper class wizarding society he was used to. RSVPs were clear and meant to be sent and returned well before the event. Remus was confidant, though, and Sirius recalled how James had shown up unannounced and Remus hadn't been upset at all. He supposed strict adherence to plans wasn't required outside of the old wizarding families.

"Alright then," Sirius said, trying to quell his nerves and squash the 'what if' questions that plagued him. Remus nodded and in an instant he felt his feet leave the ground and a great stretching and pulling sensation as the two disapparated, only to find his feet almost immediately on hard ground again, standing in front of what looked like nothing until Remus pulled him forward. The action allowed Sirius to know the secret location of the Potters and the home materialized before his eyes. Warmth and pride filled his chest as he realized this act embodied just how much Remus trusted him. Silently, he vowed not to break that trust. Of course, he couldn't share the location even if he wanted to, not being the Secret Keeper. Still, he wanted to make sure to not let Remus down.

As they approached the door, it flung open and a thin red-haired woman with a wide smile appeared, enthusiastically wrapping her arms around Remus, who let go of Sirius' hand to return the embrace.

"Remus! You beat Alfie here!"

"Well you hardly gave him enough time to make the trip!" James materialized behind the woman, who Sirius was assuming was Lily. She didn't look pregnant, though Sirius figured it could still be too soon to see it.

"Is Peter here," Remus asked as he tried to look beyond James as though at any moment Peter might jump out with a smile as well.

"No," Lily replied, "Not yet, anyway. So, this must be Sirius." Suddenly, Sirius found bright green eyes focused in on his. Years of etiquette training kicked in as he held out his hand. Lily gingerly placed hers into it and he bent to kiss it with a small bow as he announced his name, all so automatic and fast that he didn't realize how silly he must look to the far less formal trio until it was all said and done. Remus and James were laughing and Lily had a slight blush and a smile herself, but Sirius felt mortified. He'd not intended to come off so smug and upper-class, it just happened!

"There's no need to be so formal, Sirius!" Lily said with laugh. "Come on in, we can have some tea."

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Remus couldn't believe how well everyone was getting along. After they all took turns ribbing Sirius a bit Lily asked him a little about his past. Nothing major, just his interests and what it was like in Hogwarts for him because, despite being in the same grade and vaguely knowing of each other, none of them had really spoke at Hogwarts. Part of that was because Sirius was in Slytherin while Remus and his friends were in Gryffindor. Another part, as Sirius confided in a particularly touching spot, was that he knew he was destined to become a Death Eater. Having friends would only hurt him in the end if he was forced to turn on them or they him. Sirius did, however, recount with great relish how he'd practiced becoming an animagus to get out of the worst of his mothers 'Death Eater training' as he put it.

Once it became clear he liked to use his animagus form to play pranks on some of the other Slytherins and his brother, he became fast friends with James. The two of them went on for nearly an hour about various pranks they'd played, Remus and Lily sharing exasperated glances and the occasional laugh at some of the particularly funny story telling. In the end, Remus began to feel a little jealous. If Sirius had been in Gryffindor, there was no doubt in his mind that he and James may have been best mates. James seemed to pick up on Remus' discomfort because he started telling the story about how Remus had played an integral role in a prank on Severus Snape, which greatly amused Sirius as he knew Severus quite well, having shared a dormitory with him, though they'd never gotten along.

"I don't know how you did it," exclaimed James at hearing Sirius' living arrangements at Hogwarts. "I mean, what did you do about the grease?" Sirius snorted.

"His hair was always so greasy! I used to order my mother's special hair potions and leave him on his night stand. Alas, I don't think he ever took the hint!"

"Oh come on, boys," Lily protested. "Severus wasn't that bad. He was actually quite pleasant to me until the end, and even then I think it was only because he was provoked. If you hadn't strung him upside down I'm sure that he never would have said what he did." She was referring to when James had bullied Severus and held him upside down. His robe had fallen over his face and he'd been very embarrassed. Remus had to admit it wasn't one of James' finest moments. Even now he looked ashamed.

"What happened?" Sirius wasn't there for the event, so he was out of the loop, looking between James and Lily questioningly. James sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, mussing it up even more.

"I was being an arse to Snape, held him upside down and Lily came by and demanded I leave him alone. Snape got mad and he, well, he called Lily a mudblood." Lily nodded.

"We used to be close friends, but we didn't talk anymore after that." Sirius didn't say anything back. In fact, he seemed to have a far away look on his face, like he was thinking about something very important.

At that moment there was a rap at the door and Lily excused herself, happy to be away from the unpleasant memory.

"That's probably Peter," James said cheerily, also happy to no longer be on the topic of his faults. Sure enough, Lily came back into the lounge with Peter and a strained expression on her face. Remus wasn't sure what the cause of the expression could be until Dora followed behind them and everything set into place. Her eyes fell first on his, then on Sirius' and her own features darkened into a scowl.

"What is he doing here?" She spat toward Sirius. "You do know he's a Death Eater?" Lily smiled at Dora as she sat down, tapping the tea pot with her wand and eliciting a thin stream of steam.

"He used to be a Death Eater, Dora. He's defected and saved Remus and, since they've grown so close, we've invited him to visit so we could get to know him." Dora turned her nose up the small group, clearly annoyed. "I don't know why you're so bothered, really. I told you we were going to invite them some time." Dora crossed her arms and started Lily and James down.

"I know you said that, I just didn't think it would be so soon. At the moment he's done nothing to prove we can trust him! It's a little rash if you ask me." James sighed, but smiled at Dora pleasantly.

"He saved Sirius and warned us about the taboo curse on You-Know-Who's name. Besides, it's not like he can reveal our whereabouts. Only Remus can and he's not going to do it unless we ok it first." Lily nodded her agreement and put a hand on James' knee. Red-faced, Dora turned her full attention to Sirius.

"I don't know what you've done to wrap Remus around your finger or why everyone seems to trust you so much, but you'd better hope that you don't break their trust or I'll turn you in to the dementors myself." She didn't stay after that, choosing instead to turn on her heel and leave the way she came.

"I'm sorry about that," Lily spoke up, directing her words to Sirius. "I told her this wasn't a good time, but she was so insistent." Sirius waived her off with a smile.

"It's fine, really. She'll come around eventually I'm sure." Peter, who hadn't said anything up until this point, sat down in the chair between the love seat where James and Lily sat and the sofa Remus and Sirius were on. His eyes kept shifting between Sirius and Remus, taking in their close proximity.

"So," he began in his meek voice. "Are you two really, you know..." He trailed off, but a glint was already in Lily's eyes and she settled them directly onto Remus' own.

"Yes, Remus, do tell us. Are you two really, you know..." Her voice trailed off at the end, but with a smile that let everyone know how eager she was for the answer. Remus had told them they were going on a date. His friends must have been dying to ask about it the whole time.

"Come on mate, tell us!" James was eager to know as well, but more in a way that said he already knew and just wanted to hear it from the source. Remus felt the blush on his cheeks, but tried to settle it down.

"Well, if you must know, the date went very well." This wasn't good enough. Lily was sipping her tea, practically on the edge of her seat. Peter was looking a little uncomfortable, but was also unable to turn his eyes away.

"Did you snog? I'll bet you snogged." James was being an arse, of course, but he was smiling the whole time and you couldn't help but love the guy. Remus rolled his eyes.

"Yes," he answered, still not giving any details.

"Well go on then!" Finally, with Lily's encouragement, Remus went into detail about the date. How they'd gone to Geoffrey's and it was right there in Godric's Hollow, how Sirius had gotten them private dining, the wine, the snow, the walk toward the church, how nice it had all been. Of course, he left out the part where they'd found themselves in Remus' bed.

"So you did kiss?" Peter's quiet voice, asking for clarification.

"Of course," Sirius answered. "Remus insisted." His eyes sparked with amusement as he looked down at Remus and he wanted to kiss him again, but was too embarrassed in front of his friends.

"Didn't it feel wrong though?"

"Peter!" The mousy-haired man shrugged looking back at Lily who seemed positively shocked that he'd said that at all.

"I'm just saying," he tried to explain hurriedly. "I mean, no offense to you Sirius, you seem like a fine bloke, but Remus and Dora only just broke up out of the blue -"

"It wasn't out of the blue," Remus interjected. "We'd been fighting for months!"

"Even so, he's, well, he's a man, Remus. I'm sorry, I love you all, but... it just seems wrong."

"Don't be so closed-minded, mate," James said, defending Remus and Sirius. Peter shrugged.

"I can't help it, that's what I think." Remus sighed. He knew not everyone would be welcoming of their relationship. Besides, Peter, while half-blood, was raised by his grandmother who was pure-blood and shared a lot of the views of the pure-bloods, including the belief that it was the duty of witches and wizards to continue their magical lines by reproducing with one another, even though her own son had married a muggle.

"Its fine, Peter," Remus said. "I get it." Beside him, though, Remus could practically feel Sirius seething.

"So, Sirius, what are you planning to do now? Have you got any work lined up?" Lily was smiling pleasantly at Sirius, eager to change the subject since Peter had dampened it.

"I'm not sure yet," Sirius responded, relaxing his tense posture. "I've never really worked before, so I'm not sure where to begin." They talked about various jobs Sirius could get without much training or experience: Knight Bus conductor, any of the shops in Diagon Alley, magical pest removal. Sirius was polite regarding the recommendations, but you could tell he had no real interest in pursuing any of them. Despite Lily's efforts, the mood could not be regained after Peter had expressed his disapproval of Remus and Sirius.

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"Thank you for having us over Lily, James." Remus was thanking their hosts as they were leaving, Sirius with his hand already on the door. Truthfully, he enjoyed Lily and James' company. James had the personality he'd always wished for in a brother and Lily was charming and sweet. Peter, on the other hand... Well, Sirius supposed he meant well, but he couldn't help feeling angered by his accusation that Remus and Sirius were in the wrong. Still, Peter didn't seem like he was trying to insult them, just express his genuine confusion by their choice.

"Hang on," James said suddenly, with a look at Lily before he returned his attention to Sirius and Remus. "I'm going to go with you." In that brief glance it seemed like anything that needed to be communicated to the pair was. Truly, the two understood each other in a way few did, that only those who truly loved each other could. Lily smiled and waived them off, as if she'd known the whole time this would be the plan and it wasn't just suddenly decided upon right then and there.

"You guys have fun. Peter and I haven't seen each other in a while, so we're going to catch up. The three men were out the door and it shut behind them with a last cheery goodbye and a peck on the lips between Lily and James.

"Er, James, we were just going back to my flat."

"Nonsense, Remus!" James threw one arm around the crook of Remus' and the other around Sirius'. "I believe I said I owed a pint to the man who saved my best mate!" Without warning, the three of them were suddenly careening through time and space ending in a dark alley just off of a busy street.

"Urgh, where have you taken us, James?" Remus sounded a bit sick, the sudden disapparation having probably caused a small bout of nausea.

"Not too far from your flat!" James was cheerily walking ahead already, leaving Sirius and Remus to follow. Just outside of the alley to the right was a bar with a large lit up sign that read 'The Green Carnation'. Sirius had a sinking feeling about this, and Remus exchanged a glance with him that said they had every reason to be worried.

Inside the establishment, which turned out to cater to muggles, Sirius realized that wherever James had taken him, he must have thought it would please them. All around them were muggles in varying states of dress, or un-dress as it often appeared. There was loud dance music and nearly all of the patrons were male.

"James," Remus spoke up, "Is this a, er..."

"A gay bar, that's right! I thought that this would cheer you up, mate." Remus looked like he didn't know how to respond and just smiled as they walked toward the bar where a muggle man in lipstick and jean shorts was pouring shots for some other patrons.

As they closed in on the bar, the song changed and Sirius saw out of the corner of his eye strange lights coming from a section of the floor where sweaty bodies were moving against each other. The new song had a heavy bass line and strong beat, driving the muggles into an ecstatic frenzy as they danced with one another. Remus' arm was on his elbow. He appeared uncomfortable, but Sirius was starting to enjoy the scene. How ever did muggles manage to make all of this music and these strange throbbing lights without the use of magic? It was exciting, drawing Sirius' interests even more into the muggle realm that he was never exposed to.

"What'll you have to drink?" Sirius' eyes were drawn away from Remus and their surroundings to the bar tender, who was eying James up and down hungrily. James, for his part, was completely oblivious to the attention.

"Just a pint each for me and my mates," James responded cheerily. The bartender seemed bored by their drink choices, but poured the beer and accepted the money from James - who, much to Sirius' surprise, knew how to count out muggle currency. They took the beers to one of the few small tables and stared out at the dance floor, enjoying their beverages. "I'm sorry about Peter," James spoke up, grabbing Sirius' attention. Sirius shrugged in response, not wishing to think about it too much.

"Is Lily talking to him right now?" Remus asked. James nodded.

"She thinks she can get him to come 'round."

"You didn't have to take us here, you know. We could have gone to a normal pub." James smiled at his best mate and swung an arm around him, pulling him into a one-armed hug while taking a long pull from his pint.

"I know I didn't have to! I wanted you to know I really support you and Sirius, though." Sirius smiled as he drank his own beer, his eyes drifting back over to the bar and, there, behind the bar keep, was a help wanted sign.

"Oi, Remus," Sirius began. Remus and James turned their eyes to look at him.

"Do you think I'd make a good bar tender?"

After that the discussion turned toward what Sirius would have to learn before he could even hope to get a job in a bar: the names of popular muggle drinks, how to count muggle currency, and various topics of muggle interest. Remus said there was probably some kind of license he'd have to get to serve alcohol as well, but Sirius knew this was his best bet. No Death Eater would be caught inside of a muggle bar, much less a muggle gay bar. Besides, Sirius really enjoyed the music.

That night, once again fuzzy from the alcohol, Sirius and Remus fell into a jumble in Remus' bed, lips and hands caressing, kissing, and licking at the over-heated sensitive flesh they found. Sirius allowed Remus to take him, despite his nervousness. It had been a long time since he'd allowed anybody inside of him. Even when he was younger at Hogwarts, he'd almost invariably been the one in control.

Remus had taken control the moment they'd set foot past the threshold, though, and Sirius had felt powerless to stop him, not that he even wanted to. When he felt Remus push into him, it was a sensation like no other, coiling in his abdomen, causing his muscles to tense until he thought they couldn't be any tighter, and then Remus had struck that spot within him that made him just lose it. He was begging for Remus and his lover responded eagerly, thrusting deep inside of him until they both fell over the edge. First, Sirius came, and as, his muscles tightened around Remus, he felt him come too. They collapsed against each other, pressing kisses into one another's faces and running their hands down one another's sides as they tried to catch their breath.

"This feels too right to be wrong." Remus' words, whispered sleepily into the crook of his neck, were the last thing that Sirius heard before he fell asleep, as he nodded his head in agreement.