Sirius's Furry Little Problem

Chapter 7

Sirius paced nervously back and forth past the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy, checking his watch every so often. He'd asked Remus to meet him here after classes had ended, but his boyfriend, normally the punctual one of the two, was running late. Just as Sirius was beginning to worry that he wouldn't show up, Remus appeared at the end of the corridor looking tired and agitated. Sirius grinned broadly at him.

"You made it!" he said happily.

"Of course I did. You asked me here, didn't you?" Remus stopped in front of Sirius. "So what's so important that I had to skip the knitting club?" His eyes drifted towards the wicker basket that Sirius had clutched tightly in his hands and his eyes narrowed. "Is that a picnic basket?"

"It is," Sirius confirmed with a curt nod. Remus looked out of the nearby window and saw the rain battering fiercely against the window pane.

"As nice as a picnic would be, it's not really the weather for it," he pointed out.

"When have we ever let a little thing like rain ruin our fun?" Sirius winked. Remus stuffed his hands into his pockets and sighed.

"What's this all about, Sirius?" he asked wearily. "I don't have time to take part in one of your pranks or schemes. I've got a lot of homework to catch up on before the full moon. I don't want to fall behind."

"I promise this isn't a prank or a scheme," Sirius assured him. "It's an apology."

"You've already apologised," Remus reminded him, lowering his gaze. "And I said that it's fine. Really, it is. Let's just forget about Valentine's Day and move on, please."

"I know, but—" Sirius grabbed Remus's hand and tried to catch his eye. "I am sorry, I really am. It was a lousy gift and I should have made more of an effort. And the rabbit pun, that was stupid and insensitive of me. I thought that I was being funny and clever, but I know that your condition isn't a laughing matter. The last thing in the world I'd want to do is hurt or embarrass you, and I ended up doing just that. I'm so sorry."

Sirius worried for a moment that Remus would pull his hand away and leave, but instead, he listened carefully, his expression stony but his eyes were glassy with tears. "You can be an insensitive prat at times, you know that?"

"I know." Sirius gently traced his thumb over the top of Remus's scarred knuckles. "I'm insensitive and stupid and completely incapable of taking anything seriously. But if there's one thing in my life that I'm serious about, it's how I feel about you. I love you, Remus. I might not love you as well as I should, but I'm going to try harder if you'll let me. Please, let me make it up to you."

Remus finally looked up and met Sirius's eyes, giving him a searching look. Sirius hoped that Remus would believe his words were sincere, otherwise he didn't know what else to say or do to fix this between them. The tension eased in Remus's shoulders a little. "You're the most ridiculous, infuriating person I've ever met."

"I know," he grimaced.

"But...you're also the most kind and loyal..." Remus shook his head and gave Sirius a small smile. "And, more fool me, I wouldn't have you any other way."

"Really?" asked Sirius hopefully. Remus nodded and pulled Sirius closer.

"Really. But you're going to have a hell of a job making it up to me," he joked before pulling Sirius into a searing kiss. Sirius let out a breath that he hadn't realised that he'd been holding and melted into Remus's embrace, relief and love and lust coursing through him like the ebb and flow of the tide. He might just have a chance at fixing this after all. When they finally parted, Remus whispered, "I love you, too."

Sirius sighed contentedly and nuzzled Remus's neck, "I promise that I'll make it up to you."

"You don't have to," said Remus reassuringly, pulling away to look at him. "Lily and James told me how much effort you put in trying to find the perfect gift for me; how you tried your hand at poetry and baking..."