One lazy Saturday afternoon, Remus was sitting across from a fireplace in the empty common room, quietly enjoying his book.
James took Peter to the garden so he could sneak out as a rat and take a few very rare leaves for the next prank. The shorter boy was reluctant to do most of the risky job, especially since he had a bad relationship with the professor teaching herbology, but Potter insisted because "Blimey, Pete! You're perfect for it, and if anything goes wrong, I'll be able to hide both of us with the cloak since you're so small."
Most of the students were finishing lunch and getting ready for a trip to Hogsmeade, so the werewolf decided to have a few minutes for himself. But this peacefulness didn't last long.
"Moony..." - Sirius whined from the stairs to their dorm. He had been sitting at this spot for bloody 10 minutes, trying to get attention from his friend.
Remus really wasn't in the mood to hear about ideas for an upcoming prank or get into the details of Hogwarts' latest rumors, but he was getting more and more amused by Padfoot's attempts to get him engaged. He had already tried to use every possible variation of his nickname, charmed the book so it reflected changes in his mood, and nearly squeezed him to death with his whole body weight.
After another "Oh dear Moonikens, would you grace us peasants with the beauty of your silky voice," he dropped on the stairs with a defeated sigh.
Remus would never admit it, but he liked this kind of attention from someone as attractive and charming as Sirius Black. The bastard was also very skilled with charms since after his remark, the deep blue book cover turned a bit purple, though Moony was doing a very good job at hiding it.
It began last year when they started to throw teasing comments at each other. That's what it was. Teasing. Definitely not flirting. And then there were stolen glances when others weren't looking, light touches, and gentle reassurances if one of them was feeling a bit down.
And little did they know that everyone at school could see the pure adoration and love they had for each other. They just failed to comprehend that the feelings were mutual, for now...
So now Lupin wasn't really reading. He had been staring at the page for some time now. And when he didn't hear another "The moon of my life," he began considering the idea of reading again.
And as he started the sentence anew, a big black furry muzzle landed right on his open book that he was holding on his knees.
His heart immediately jumped to his throat as he whipped his head behind the couch to make sure they were alone in the room.
"Sirius, are you mental?! Change back right now!"
The dog only shifted closer to him and once again made himself comfortable on his lap, successfully pinning the book and making it impossible to read.
"It's not funny. We're in the middle of the day. Anyone can walk in and see you."
The dog just let out a tiny "woof" and nuzzled his arm. He was obviously very pleased with himself for getting a reaction out of the previously unresponsive reader, his tail wagging so hard that it basically became a blur.
The sight of it got a little laugh out of Remus.
"Pads, sod off. I'm listening now, are you happy?"
With a smile, he gave his idiot friend a pat between the ears and made an attempt to wiggle the book out. He was rewarded with a tangible but very gentle bite.
Remus huffed and tried again. Obviously, Padfoot wasn't having it, so he bit him again and started playfully chewing his hand to keep Moony's attention to himself, but making sure not to actually hurt him.
And when Remus opened his mouth ready to make a sassy remark, he heard the portrait open. There were voices of several people walking into the common room, but his body went completely cold, and he couldn't make out a single word. Both he and Padfoot froze with wide eyes.
"Rem, are you ready for a trip to Hogsmeade?" - That's Lily. He couldn't help but throw her a panicked glance from behind the couch.
Even as his mind short-circuited, he managed to come up with a very intelligent and high-pitched "Huh?"
As Lily and Marlene were making their way into the common room, Moony risked glancing back at Padfoot, and that's where his brain short-circuited again. His poor heart couldn't take so many scares at once, let alone a sight in front of him. Because he wasn't looking at Padfoot anymore. No, his eyes bore into the beautiful silver-grey eyes of Sirius Black, who managed to turn back into his human form but stayed in the same position the dog was a second ago. And that's when Remus took in the whole picture. Sirius was sitting on his knees with his chin on the book, the book that rested on Remus' lap, with his fingers still between those pretty sharp teeth.
Before moving away, Sirius, being the dog he is, smirked, and there were unmistakable sparks of mischief in those eyes, the cocky bastard.
"Are we interrupting something?" - said Marlene in a naive voice and with a devious smile.
Lupin once again opened his mouth, but Black was faster.
"Oh no, we're done. Just let Remmy zip up his pants, and he's good to go."
The second the words left his mouth, the book landed on his head, hard. So hard that Sirius saw all celestial bodies after which his relatives were named. After a few seconds, he looked at Moony with a pout.
"Don't look at me like that, you deserve this one."
"We really don't need to know any of this" - said Lily with a grimace.
Padfoot just rolled his eyes, smiled, and turned to the girls to draw their attention to himself, asking about evening plans while Remus was heading upstairs to grab a sweater for their Hogsmeade trip.
On his way to the dorm, he tried to get his breathing under control and hide the cover of the book, which now had a very bright red color.