red [complete]

2.2

Sirius' ringing phone is what wakes Remus up the next morning. He rolls onto his back and without even looking, runs his hand from the tip of Sirius' shoulder blade to the small of his back. Sirius doesn't react from where he's sitting on the edge of the bed. With his other hand, Remus rubs his face and tries to wake his ears up to eavesdrop on Sirius' phone call. He can already tell by the way the muscles of his back are pulled together that it's a tense conversation.

"No, babe-" Remus hears Sirius say.

The other end of the line is muffled. Remus can't tell if he's talking to his girlfriend or his boyfriend. Surely, Sirius is gay. Right?"

"Theo-"

He is interrupted again.

"Jesus. Fuck, Theodore. I'm not going to call you every five minutes when I'm out of town. It was-"

More garbled response. Remus feels Sirius tense up again so he rolls back onto his stomach and slides over on the bed to snake his arms around Sirius' hips.

Before Sirius responds to whatever Theo said, he places a hand on Remus' were they are linked at his waist. "Why? Because it was only one night. One night I didn't tell you I love you out of how many? Almost a year. Fuck- do not hold that over my head."

When Sirius is interrupted again, Remus presses a kiss to the small of his back then noses his way up a few notches of his spice.

The soft, sudden contact makes Sirius shiver and gasp into the phone. "No one, Theo. I'm not discussing this with you right now. I just fucking woke up." And with that he hang up. "That was a dick move," he tells Remus.

"You cheated on your boyfriend last night."

Sirius hangs his head. "I know."

"That was a dick move."

"I know." Sirius swings his legs back into bed. "But he's a dick too, so."

Remus' head sits nicely on Sirius thigh and Sirius' hands are immediately carding through his hair.

"You see," Sirius starts suddenly. "When I told you all about me leaving here, I completely left out the few months I spent hardly conscious. I used- everything and a lot of it. Theo and I met at a party and got clean together, but let me tell you. He's a better person when he's high. That or I cared less when I was."

"You're clean now?"

"Seven months sober."

Remus can hear the pride in Sirius' voice. "Proud of you," he mumbles as he presses his lips to the skin right next to the hem of his boxers.

Sirius' fingers pause in Remus' hair. "Really?"

"Of course," Remus lifts himself up on his elbows and knits his eyebrows together. "Sirius, of course." He tries to lift his hand to hold Sirius' face, but as he does he looses his balance and face plants into Sirius' crotch. "Oh my God," he says when he rights himself, he's blushing like a tomato. "I'm so sorry."

Sirius just smiles and pulls Remus' face towards his own. After kissing him, Sirius says, "will you let me cheat on my boyfriend again."

Remus bites his lower lip and studies Sirius' face. "No, Sirius. You don't want to. And- and I really need to go."

"Why?" Sirius pouts.

"Sirius. It was nice seeing you again." Remus pulls himself out of Sirius' lap. "But-"

"But I used you to cheat on my boyfriend and I'll probably never see you again."

"Yeah." Remus tugs on his t-shirt and jeans from last night and hauls Sirius in for one last kiss before showing himself out.

He only lets himself think about Sirius once a week for the next two years.