Mates and Mash
Sirius shook his head, passing the potatoes to Remus on his right. “So, let me get this straight. You spent an entire year with Morgana while you were a dragon, fighting battles and such, heads together trying to make a body for you, the two of you spent months preparing the ritual itself, and then once you’re in your new body, you spend days…” Sirius glanced at the young ones at the table, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Draco, Ginny, and Gabrielle Delacour, all thankfully chatting among themselves and dropped his voice. “Testing it out together…and then you just…leave?”
Grandfather Black’s face flushed crimson and he hid his face behind Morgana’s wild black curls. Which, okay, was as cute as hell.
“I asked what else she wanted…”
“You asked what else you owed.” Morgana sighed, leaning her back against him. “As if I would force you to stay out of obligation. I was so bewildered and hurt that I didn’t have the wits to ask you to stay or to chase you down. Which I tried to do, the next day, actually, but then I was recaptured by the fae, but that’s another story…”
Grandfather held her tighter as though the mere idea of her being captured and taken away again was enough to make him want to wear her under his skin. Sirius glanced at Remus and well…he kind of got it.
“What um…what happened with the fae?” Remus asked as Sirius slid a little closer to him.
Morgana shrugged. “Oh, I survived, obviously. Remained a little while. Became their queen traversed the realms to find Orion. And he was married, of course.”
Grandfather Black was laughing in a way that made Sirius immediately forgive him, probably because he saw Regulus in his face. And hell. This part was necessary for any of them to be sitting here now. “Morgana, you cannot keep leaving out how time passes differently in the fae realm. Three hundred years had passed here. As far as I knew, you were dead.”
“Excuses, excuses,” Morgana pouted, stabbing viciously at her food with her fork even as she cuddled Grandfather’s arm closer with the other.
“And there were others for you,” Grandfather prodded gently. “Among the fae.”
“You rejected me. You walked away. For all I knew, I would always be among the fae and unable to return. You chastise me for this? In the company of your children?”
“I am merely trying to make certain that my children do not murder me after this.” Grandfather Black laughed softly. “I do not blame you in the least. Hell, I thought you had forgotten me.”
“And so you forgot me?”
“Well, yes. As I fell in love with my wife, as I cared for my children and grandchildren, yes, Morgana. Your memory, though dear, became distant. As it should have done, when I committed myself to another.”
Tears were pouring down Morgana’s face. She moved as if to escape, but Orion Black’s arms stayed around her. “But you forgave me for that, Morgan Le Fey. Or else, you would not be here. And I never forgot you, else my wards would not sing to you as they do.”
She relaxed into him once again, tears still streaming down her face. Sirius, aware that he was an intruder on a private moment that should probably not be happening at their dinner table, tucked himself under Remus’ arm and began talking to him quietly about mashed potatoes.
Remus raised an eyebrow at him but held him close and kissed the top of his head. “The potatoes are fantastic.” He agreed politely, because his Remus was the absolute best. Remy took another bite of them and nodded sagely. “Yes. Neville grew these, did you know?”
“I did not. Nev, that’s fantastic!” Sirius called down the table.
Neville leaned from between his mum and dad. “I…sorry. What’s fantastic, Lord Siri?”
“Okay, that’s adorable, but Siri or Pads or Padfoot is fine, Nev. Siriusly.” Sirius cracked his favorite tired joke and got about half and half of giggles and groans, so he counted it as a win. “But we were talking about your greenhouse potatoes and I’m in love.”
“You’d better be,” Remus growled near his ear and okay, that wasn’t where he was trying to steer this conversation but hell if it didn’t give him the pleasurable shivers.
“Thanks,” Neville said, ducking his head modestly as usual. “I’m tryin’ a few other everyday kinds of vegetables, but they aren’t ready yet. Mum and Dad’ve been helping.”
“Excellent,” Sirius said agreeably, trying to breathe as Remy’s hand settled near the back of his head and caressed slowly, his breath warm and lips soft as they brushed almost carelessly against his neck as he whispered something about belonging and later and my lord. Sirius leaned into it, dazed as he tried to answer Neville. “It’s a great idea. Alice and Frank good farmers or are you having to talk them around, Nev?”
Neville grinned a little cheekily and Sirius could have cheered at that. “They’re right terrible but getting better. Dad was weeding and killed all our first round of potatoes.”
“But right good fertilizer they made!” Frank said cheerily and Sirius could have cheered again. And also cried. Because Frank and Alice were sounding like their old selves. And if they were their old selves…if they didn’t need to stay…then Neville…
Remus cupped his face with a big rough hand and kissed him lightly. “It’s going to be alright.” He muttered and kissed him just under the jaw. “We’ll figure it out. We’ll keep them as long as they’ll stay and then make it so he’s only a portkey away.”
“Do we have a mate bond I’ve missed somehow?” Sirius laughed a little as the conversation around the table moved on to the different kinds of turnips people would like to have Neville grow. “Or have we just been together long enough that you can read my mind?”
Remus stared at him for a moment, his eyes glowing gold. “I just…I just know you.” He stammered, which was weird, because Sirius was the one who got flustered and forgot how to speak in this relationship. “I could tell what you were thinking. But…but the other thing. The…the mate bond. The mind link. Would you…would you want that? With me?”
Sirius laughed. “With you? Like there’s anybody else in the fucking universe I would possibly want something like that with? What a weird way to phrase that, Moony, love.”
“So you…if it was possible…”
“Have you been fucking holding out on me, Remus?” Sirius demanded incredulously, gripping Remus’s surprisingly guilty-looking face. “Could we have had a mind link this entire time?”
“There’s…there’s a bite. I’ve been afraid to give you the bite,” Remus said, unable to meet his gaze. “Hell, I’m still scared of that, Sirius. It shouldn’t turn you, but it could. And I can’t do that, Siri. Please don’t ask me to.”
“You won’t let me go through that. Even to be with you. It’s too painful, even with Wolfsbane. I know, Remy. How many times have we been over this since fifth year?” Sirius leaned in and kissed Remus’ cheek, because the man was shaking and maybe crying a little, and Sirius couldn’t bear that. “If a mind link is going to stress you out this much, then don’t even think about it. It would be amazing, but as you’ve just demonstrated, we can already basically read each other’s minds.”
“Yeah, yeah that’s true. But um…I think there’s another way.” Remus still wasn’t looking him in the face. “If, um. If you’re still interested, at all.”
“I…you’re gonna have to help me out here, Moony,” Sirius smoothed back Remus’ hair and kissed his jaw. “You seem to be on pins and needles about this, and I don’t know what you want from me, here. Because being able to talk to you mind to mind? Being able to find you if we got separated? Hell can you imagine…” Sirius shook himself. “I think it would be fantastic.” He caressed Remus’ hair and the man’s breath released, eyes sliding closed. “But I…the tension I feel in your fucking bones, love? That’s…I don’t want that. So you pick, okay? Whatever makes you feel good is what we’re going to do. Because if this feels invasive or weird to you, we don’t need it. So…”
“I want it,” Remus said, cupping his face and pressing their foreheads together. “God, Sirius, I’ve always wanted it with you. But it was dangerous, I thought. And I thought it was just a werewolf thing. Until Harry, Sev, and Fleur opened theirs with Narcissa. No biting required. And I…I think we could do it. If you wanted to. Except…if…if we aren’t true mates…like werewolf-ly…”
“You don’t know that for sure?” Sirius asked, a little panicked.
“I’m…Remus is well aware that you are my soulmate, Pads. No doubt here. But the Moony side of things…you know that’s harder for me. I’ve always run from it. But I’ve got to do better. I know I do. What with Harry, Celeste, Fleur, Grandad? They’re all going to need help and support with their creature sides. I’ve got to be able to lean into Moony and trust him. And…and Moony’s never hurt you. Has he? Like, he’s knocked you around once or twice…” Remus wrapped his arms around him and drew him close as if to soothe even that memory away. “But he’s never scratched or bitten you in all the years that you ran with him.”
“True,” Sirius hugged Remus, holding him tightly. “But if we try the mind link and Moony doesn’t see me as his mate?”
“Then we go back to this,” Remus said softly, and pressed a kiss to Sirius’ neck. “Just as we are now. And just have to endure.”
“Oh, the horror,” Sirius muttered and then cupped Remus’ face and kissed him. “I love you so much, Remus. Moony. Whoever the fuck you are.”
“I love you, too, Sirius. Pads. Merlin, you’re my entire world.”
Sirius was having trouble breathing - in fact, this kiss was getting wildly out of hand, and he had absolutely no regrets…when there was a hush over the room and an abrupt rattle of silverware.
“I object; I strenuously object!” Draco Malfoy yelled, and Sirius had to break away, laugh, and hide his face in Remus’ neck, because yeah. They were sitting at the dining room table, making out ravenously in front of the entire family.
“I call foul on Lord Black the current, and Lord Black the original, and their respective partners. Rooms, you have them. Consider making use of them. Alternatively, I would like to be excused. Everywhere I look, these days…” Draco muttered.
“Please stay and finish your food, everyone.” Remus said, holding Sirius close and caressing his head and back. “This one was entirely my fault.”
“I’m recently out of prison, of a sort,” Grandfather Black sounded a little choked. “Forgive my poor manners.”
“Nonsense,” Morgana sniffed. “This is your home, your table. A few kisses are nothing. Why, among the fae…”
“Nope!” Harry yelled. “Permission denied for fae storytime, Morgramma!” Sirius felt Morgana turn to stone and Sirius couldn’t tell if it was because the woman had been interrupted or claimed as a grandmother. Perhaps both. “And now,” Harry continued in a voice like a television announcer, flourishing dramatically and using a chicken leg as a microphone. “We turn the conversation over to Ronald Bilius Weasley! Tell us about all Quidditch, Ron!”
“Um…it’s a game. With two beaters, a keeper, a seeker, and three chasers. You know all this, Harry. What do you want me to say?” Ron groaned.
“How are the Cannons this year?” Harry prodded with a sigh.
“Oh, not the Cannons!” Fred groaned.
“Do not get him started on the Cannons…” an odd sound came from George’s way and Sirius peeked out a little more from being wrapped up with Remus to see George banging his head against the table.
“I suppose now isn’t the best time to let everyone know we’re courting?” Bill said from across from Sirius, so quietly that no one but Sirius, Remus, and Narcissa heard him.
“No, William, you have to tell your parents, first.” Narcissa squeaked, the most undignified Sirius had ever heard her.
Sirius fairly clawed up Remus’ back in excitement and the man laughed softly into his shoulder. “Did you know?” Sirius asked, delighted at the bit of news.
Remus shrugged a little. “A small suspicion. Nothing certain.”
“Let’s sneak away and make a mind link.” Sirius murmured, pressing a kiss to Remus’ shoulder.
Remus laughed a little but waved to get Narcissa’s attention and she followed them out, tugging along a confused-looking Bill.
Sirius sat cross-legged, knee to knee with Remus and gripped his husband’s hands when Narcissa told him to. He breathed in the warm woodsy scent of Remus and even with his eyes closed couldn’t help leaning slowly toward him. Remy must have felt the same, because their foreheads bumped lightly and Sirius had to laugh, feeling the warmth of Remus’ breathy chuckle brush his face. And damn, he forced himself to remember that his cousin was in the room and not shelve the whole ritual in favor of kissing Remy senseless.
Remus’ lips brushed his and Sirius had to laugh and kiss him back.
“Let’s focus please, love,” Sirius murmured and then laughed again kissed his cheek, eyes still closed. “It’s a rare day when I’m the one telling you that.”
“God, I love you, Pads.” Remus pressed his face into Sirius’ shoulder.
Sirius released a deep sigh, leaning into him. “You’re my everything, Remy. You know that.”
“I don’t fucking deserve you, Sirius Black.” Remus muttered. “Nobody but you would put up with me with all my idiotic nonsense all these years. Nobody but you would do this with me. Nobody else could do this with me.”
“Remus, sweetheart, what are we doing, right now?” Sirius pressed a kiss into Remus’ neck and laughed a little. “You’re my rock. My past, present, and future. You can talk me down and light me up from one minute to the next. I’m yours, my love. Now, hush. If we’re doing this, we have to listen to Cissa.”
“You two are actually doing excellently,” Narcissa said softly, almost hypnotically. “Now, I’d say the two of you already have a high level of physical and emotional comfort with each other. I want you to take a moment to ground yourselves in the feeling of your physical closeness. Breathe deeply. Enjoy the peace and connection of physical closeness.”
Sirius kissed Remus’ shoulder as Remus large rough hands caressed his. God, Remus felt so good. If he could refrain from jumping the man’s bones, he could easily fall asleep in his arms.
“Very good,” Narcissa said. “Now, think about all the reasons you feel safe and loved when you’re with your partner. The things that you love about them. The things that make you feel at home in their presence.”
Sirius found himself laughing a little. “Just…everything…” he muttered and felt Remus kiss his jaw. “The way you’re so kind, every fucking day. You can be exhausted or in agony, and hell, you often are. But your patience is just endless. With the kids. With Kreacher. With me.”
“God, Siri, it’s so easy to be kind to you. Have you met you?” Remus gripped his hands and was pressing fervent kisses to his face. “Merlin, you’re the sweetest, most generous, delightful, electric person I’ve ever met. I can’t keep my eyes off you; I’m addicted to you. Of course I’m kind to you, Siri, I’d be a bloody idiot to treat you any other way. You’re my world.”
And Sirius was being kissed again, and he was powerless to do anything but kiss Remus back.
Narcissa was laughing and that was the only reason Sirius could bring himself to move back and press his forehead to his husband’s.
“I think we can consider the physical and emotional link well established between the two of you.” Narcissa laughed softly. “So much so that I think we can move on to forging the mental link, if you two feel sufficiently physically and emotionally comfortable.” She said the last bit with a touch of sarcasm.
Sirius laughed in sweet tandem with Remus.
“I think we’re fine,” Remus murmured.
“Very good,” Narcissa murmured with a smile in her voice. “Now,” she said, shifting back into her warm hypnotic tones. “Keeping hold of your warm and stabilizing feelings, I want each of you to imagine your own hands, as clearly as possible. Imagine the back of your hands, the palms, the fingers, the knuckles, the nails. Once your hands are as clear and sharply defined as you can imagine, I want you to fold them calmly and wait.”
This was the hardest part yet, for Sirius. Honestly, the rest had not been difficult at all. But the focus… Remus ran his thumb slowly across Sirius’ hand and he was able to focus on imagining his own hand. At last, the mental image came clear.
“Now, each of you, extend your mental hands to the other. Reach out slowly to your mate. You are relaxed and at peace, reaching out to your mate.”
Sirius breathed slowly and his ghostly fingers wrapped around Remus’s, first with one hand and then the other. And wow, that felt good. He leaned into Remus’ shoulder and released a long slow sigh.
“Very, very good.” Narcissa praised slowly. “Now, you are maintaining a physical, emotional, and mental link. Take a few moments to ground yourself in feeling this physical closeness with your partner, the emotional bonds of comfort and trust between you, and the mental link of the mental image and sensations of your intertwined hands.Breathe deeply, fully embrace the sensations, emotions, and images connecting you and enjoy the peace of this moment.”
Sirius had not been prepared for the intensity of his emotions. Remus pressed slow soft kisses to his neck and shoulder and Sirius was both relieved and sad to feel Remy’s tears soaking into his shirt. Sad, because he had a visceral reaction, almost a compulsion to comfort a sad Remus, and relieved because, well. At least he wasn’t crying alone.
“At this stage, we may pause the ritual and return to it later if either of you feel weary or lacking in concentration. Remus, would you like to pause here and continue later, or do you feel able to continue now?”
“I can…I can continue if Pads is alright.” Remus said, his tone hoarse.
“Sirius?” Narcissa asked.
“I can keep going,” Sirius could have cursed the break in his voice.
Remus kissed his cheek and hell, this was all a little intense but sharing this closeness with Remus was a dream.
“Very well. Continuing, I want you to consider again, the comfort that you share between you. Lean into that complete sense of safety and trust. And now,” Narcissa said after a long moment. “I want you to focus completely on your mental link,” Narcissa said. “I want you to grip the mental hands tightly and carefully. I want you to slowly pull each other closer.”
Sirius was only slightly devastated to shift focus from physically being present with Remus, but the mental hold was fascinating and came with a cool tingling sort of sensation and weirdly enough, Remus’ mental hand felt big and rough and safe, just like his physical one, even if the rest of him was shrouded in misty mental fog.
“Keep your concentration,” Narcissa said from somewhere far away. “Keep drawing closer to the other. The sensations will change, you may feel disoriented, but keep moving toward the center, toward your mate.”
Sirius leaned into the feeling, the knowledge of Remus. And disappeared into the fog.
He was aware of nothing but utter darkness until big hands gripped his shoulders, and he was being kissed ravenously, endlessly. His brain whited out to nothing but Remus’ hands and mouth and scent and feel and Merlin, maybe they should create mind links every day. Remus was growling into his mouth; Remus was whimpering, Remus was crushing him against a wall, hands pinning him at his hips in wildly familiar and intoxicating ways.
It was only then that his previous thoughts came through and he remembered his cousin was in the room. He pulled back and Remus released an almost inhuman whine and pressed his face to Sirius’ shoulder.
“Remy, baby,” Sirius said, holding him close, head spinning as he tried to peer through the darkness. “I don’t know where we are with the mind link situation. Let’s try to…let’s try to figure out where we are with that. After that, hell. We’ll do whatever the hell you want.”
“Pads,” Remy’s voice was deep, guttural. Broken. “Please. Do not go.”
Sirius held him tightly and pressed a kiss to his shoulder. “Hey. The whole reason we’re doing this is so that we can be connected all the time, sweetheart. I’m not leaving you. Not ever.”
“You love Remus,” Remus growled against his neck.
“Well, yeah, honey. Duh. Why did you…why are you…?” Sirius went still and Remus proceeded to whine softly and growl against his shoulder. “Oh, shit.” Sirius whispered. Remus whimpered and started to draw back. Sirius held him tighter. “Oh, baby. You’re Moony, aren’t you? This is the wolf side.”
“Do not go, Padfoot.” Remus…or Moony…or the wolf was shaking against him. “Please.”
“Not if you need me, love.” Sirius said, leaning against the metaphorical wall in the blackness of Remus’ mind. Because that was a normal thing to do. He kept Moony close and found himself shaking his head, because is this who Remus had been so afraid of all this time? True, Sirius couldn’t see him well, but he knew Remus’ hands, Remus’ arms, Remus’ skin, Remus’ voice, Remus’ woodsy scent better than his own. Remus was Moony. Moony was Remus. Remus was afraid of himself?
Yeah, actually. That tracked.
“All alone in the dark, huh bud?” Sirius muttered and kissed the top of Moony’s head. “Been here a long time?”
“Remus,” the growly voice sent delicious inappropriately timed chills through Sirius’ body. “Locks me away. Though I am only the wolf on the moon.”
“So rude,” Sirius hummed, holding him close. “What would you do, if you were free?”
Moony kissed him then, with such wild abandon that Sirius lost himself in it for a long while before he found himself laughing and tucking Moony into his shoulder. “Well, that’s something to look forward to. What else, love?”
Moony whimpered softly. “I want my cub. I barely ever see or scent him. I want to run with my pack.”
“Hell, we haven’t run for a while, have we? Fuck, not in years. We’ll run, okay? The next moon. You and Padfoot. Like old times.”
“And cub?” Moony gasped, and fuck, Moony was crying and that was like a knife to the gut. “Cub will be there?”
“I…I’ll figure something out. He’s a dragon, now. He could fly along with us.”
“Yes,” Moony gasped out desperately. “And…and the flower cub?”
“The…the flower…” Sirius laughed from his toes. “Mooney…my love, you want Neville to run with you?”
“Flower cub is ours,” Moony growled into his shoulder. “Harry cub is ours. Our pack. Need pack.”
“Yes, you do, my love. We all need our pack. Our family. You’ve been locked up a long time.”
“Remus hates Moony,” Moony growled. “Steals everything from Moony. Everything. Light. Padfoot. Pack.”
“Sweetheart, you are Remus. He is Moony. I’m not stolen. I’m right here. And both of you are afraid to lose to the other. Remus is terrified you will hurt me or someone else.”
Moony growled. “Pads is mine. Would die first.”
“Yeah, I’ve got that impression, Big Guy.” Sirius murmured and kissed the top of his head. “I love you, too. So much.”
Moony whined softly and kissed his neck.
Sirius went very still. “Can you…can you bite me, Moony?”
Moony crushed him against his chest. “Will never hurt you. Never.”
“I’m not talking about hurting me…”
“Will not turn you. You are perfect. Must not change. Must not hurt.”
“Yeah, yeah, you and Remus are nothing alike.” Sirius laughed, kissing each of his temples. “Neither of you are wildly protective or anything.”
“Remus,” Moony growled.
“Yeah, he’s been repressing you for years, locking you away, hiding you. It’s gotta suck. I’m so sorry, babe. But he’s done it because he’s terrified of hurting me or a cub, or anyone who’s innocent. Because he’s never had control. And as far as I can tell, neither have you.”
Moony growled into his shoulder. “Could have control. If Remus would not fight. Always, he fights. Will not give even one day without the thick drink. Never can run. Never can breathe.”
“Okay, so, I think I need you to bite me, Moony,” Sirius said after a long moment just kissing Moony’s head and caressing his back. “Not to turn me,” Sirius cut off the immediate growly protests. “But to open the mind link. I want to be able to hear and speak to you and Remus all the time. That’s why I’m here, after all. And once the link is open, you and Remus can finally talk.”
“Remus hates Moony,” Moony growled, holding Sirius wildly tightly. “Will fight. Always fights Moony.”
“Yeah, but I’ll be there to referee. And I love you…all…” Sirius muttered with a soft laugh. “One of the reasons we decided to do this is so that Remy can make peace with you.”
Moony stilled. He moved back and stared into Sirius’ eyes, his own glowing gold. “Remus wishes peace?”
“You and Remus,” Sirius said fondly, still caressing his back. “Always obsessed with the pack. Harry is going to need help with his dragon, Grandad too, and Celeste with her basilisk. And he’s realized that he can’t help them if he doesn’t know how to get along with you. He wants to try. He’s willing. Are you?”
“What does Remus wish?” Moony said, golden eyes blinking warily.
“To make peace,” Sirius repeated. “To connect with you. And I think biting me will do that.”
“Will not hurt my Pads. My Sirius. My mate.” Moony had him pinned to the invisible wall and was kissing him desperately again.
“See,” Sirius gasped, willing himself to keep his head and not fall under the drugging influence of Moony’s mouth and hands. “See…that’s why you can do it. And as for how…we’re in your mind, love. Anything that happens here won’t affect my physical body. You can’t hurt me.”
“Can feel you. Can smell you.” Moony’s mouth captured his and Sirius could only moan. “Can taste you.”
“I know,” Sirius gasped, wildly out of his depth at being the logical one. “I know it’s strange. But I’m sure it will work. Do you know how to do it? The bite? For the mental link to your mate?”
“You are my mate. Say it.” Moony breathed against his neck.
“I’m your mate, Moony. You know that.” Sirius held him close. “Yours, always and forever. Now. Can you give me the link or not?”
“It will not hurt you?” Moony muttered, holding him close. “It will not change you?”
“It won’t do any permanent damage,” Sirius assured him, as if he was an expert on metaphysical werewolf bites. “This is all happening in our minds. My body won’t change. The only thing that will be different is I will be able to talk freely with you and Remus all the time no matter how far away we might be.”
Moony nodded slowly. “It will be here,” Moony said slowly, sliding his hand to that place where Sirius’ neck and shoulder met and caressing gently with his thumb. “My instincts are strong with this. My fangs will extend. My venom will not come out. I will take a few drops of your blood. And then…I think you will sleep. And awaken on the outside.” Moony’s arms tightened around him, and he pressed his face to the place the potential bite would be. “Swear to me that this will not harm you.”
“I…I can’t swear it won’t hurt or harm me in some way, love. But I don’t think it will. And I think it would be worth it. Even if it turned me, if I get to have this connection to you.”
“My mate,” Moony’s arms threatened to crush him. “I do not deserve my mate.”
“Yeah, you and Remus are sooo different.” Sirius was crying a little as he laughed. “Except you’re literally the same. God, I love you so much, Moony.”
“I love you, Sirius Black,” Moony whispered softly. “Are you ready?”
“I’m ready,” Sirius said, and leaned up to kiss his mate. “See you soon.”
“Mine,” Moony growled. Hot breath fanned over the sensitive skin and sharp teeth sank into that spot between his neck and shoulder. Sirius cried out, his knees going weak as Moony’s hot mouth closed over his shoulder and his hands caressed his body. It was pain, yes, but it was exquisite, and Sirius was reaching vainly for Moony as he fell into darkness.
He felt Remus’ worry and love before his eyes came open and he was reaching for Remus almost before he felt his arms around him.
“Siri, love,” Remus said, but Sirius was kissing him wildly, avidly, and Remus was laughing a little as he pulled away. “Sirius, I lost you, I…you’ve been unconscious for ages…”
“Two minutes,” Narcissa remarked dryly. “Excuse me, gentlemen. I’ll leave you to it.”
“But…the mind link. What happened?” Remus asked as Narcissa retreated.
Sirius hid his face in Remus’ neck. Moony. He sent down the mate bond.
Remus jumped and then held him closer. Siri. How…?
Remus, my love. Sirius caressed the back of Remus’s head and neck. I need you to talk to Moony.
But…but I am Moony, Sirius. Remus held him so tight Sirius could barely breathe and damn if that didn’t make him want to cry.
Yes, in every way that counts, but he needs to know that. Sirius kissed Remus’ neck. Talk to him. Please.
I…now?
Right now. Sirius confirmed breathing in the scent and feel of Remus Lupin. I’ll start. Hi, Moony, love. I’m out. I’m not hurt. You did so well.
Remus went stiff in his arms, but Sirius shook his head and held him close.
My mate is safe and well. Moony’s growly voice came down the bond and Sirius could have wept. And well, okay. He did cry a little. See that you keep him so, Lupin.
Moony? Remus said in disbelief. You…what?
I have a voice. Moony growled. I am not a monster. And I do not like it, Lupin, but I am you. A side awakened by pain and horror, but I am you. And Sirius is mine. Treat him poorly and I will destroy you from the inside out.
Would…would you be opposed to talking with us and Narcissa? Remus said, his voice faint down the mate bond. Because I am terribly confused. But I agree with you wholeheartedly. Sirius is ours and I will cherish him until the day I die.
Good. We shall speak soon. My mate needs rest. There was a long pause. Our mate. Moony corrected and Sirius was bawling into Remus’s shoulder.