While the music throbbed in the crowded room, drowning out all other sounds, Remus found himself standing by the bar, his heart beating in a mixture of anticipation and anger. It had been a year since his encounter with Sirius Black, and the mere thought of it sent a wave of conflicting emotions rushing through his veins.
He scanned the room, his eyes landing on the dark-haired man who was laughing with a group of friends on the dance floor. Anger erupted inside Remus as memories of their last encounter flooded his mind. He couldn't even explain why the simple act of being ignored by that boy had left such a mark on him. Sirius probably didn't even notice that he was innocently ignoring one of Marlene's New Year's party guests, with hundreds of people around trying to catch his attention. But it hurt, he remembered the way Sirius dismissed him (he just couldn't answer a stupid question from Remus), as if he was insignificant (Remus was probably hidden amongst the crowd), as if he was beneath him (it’s not that serious, Remus).
But deep down, Remus couldn't deny the connection he felt when he saw Sirius' eyes. Despite his anger, he couldn't help but feel a magnetic attraction towards Sirius, an attraction that would completely erase his irrational anger. And as much as he tried to convince himself otherwise, he knew his heart wouldn't stop racing for the man on the other side of the room, seemingly unaware of the storm and turmoil in Remus' head.
Determined to keep his emotions under control, Remus took a deep breath and made his way through the pulsating crowd towards Sirius. Each step was a battle between his desire to confront Sirius and make a fool of himself in front of those starry eyes, and running back home to scream at his pillow. When he reached Sirius' side, he forced a nonchalant smile, ready to mask his true feelings.
"Hey," Remus said, his voice laced with a touch of false indifference.
Sirius turned towards him, his eyes meeting Remus' with a mixture of surprise and something else, something Remus couldn't decipher. "Oh, hi," Sirius replied, his attempt to feign forgetfulness failing as a flicker of recognition danced in his eyes.
Remus couldn't help but notice the slight tremor in Sirius' voice, the way his fingers moved ever so slightly. Suddenly, the anger that had consumed him moments before vanished, replaced by a glimmer of hope. Maybe Sirius wasn't as indifferent as he had thought.
"We met last year, at Marlene's party," Remus blurted out, slowly regaining the self-assurance that had shattered since New Year's. "Forgive me if I'm mistaken, but I think you're confusing me with someone else." Sirius' friendly smile couldn't hide the mockery in his eyes, as if he believed he was toying with Remus. If he wasn't sure before, he is now, he truly believes he's above Remus.
The forgotten anger flooded back into Remus as he realized he wasn't mistaken, Sirius was a fucking arrogant prick who found it amusing to have all the mere mortals invading his royal orbit eating out of his hand.
Remus clenched his fists and took a deep breath, trying to keep his calm. He wasn't going to allow this stranger affect him that way again.
"Mistake me for someone else? Oh no, Sirius, I don't confuse you at all," Remus responded with a defiant smile. "I'm surprised at how narrow-minded you must be to not remember the only decent person who tried to have a conversation with you."
Sirius raised an eyebrow at Remus' change in demeanor. He seemed taken aback by the audacity of the comment. Remus continued, relishing the bewildered expression on Sirius' face.
"It's unpleasant how someone as charming as you can be so arrogant. Don't worry, I'm not offended that a piece of trash like you thinks they're better than me," Remus said, crossing his arms and tilting his chin slightly as he looked at Sirius with an intense gaze.
Sirius was momentarily stunned, before letting out a nervous laugh. "You don't have to get all worked up," he said with an ironic smile. "But now you seem a bit more interesting. Why don't you remind me of your name?"
Did he really completely forget about Remus? Or did he want to keep messing with him? Either way, Remus smiled, a part of him didn't want to lose Sirius' attention.
"I could remind you, but what do I gain by wasting my time on someone like you?"
Sirius moved closer to Remus, the music seemed to fade around them, as their eyes locked. "You could dance with me," he whispered, with an intense look that made Remus' heart skip a beat.
Remus could be pissing himself, but at least the most beautiful face he had ever seen was two inches away from his. Without knowing what he was doing or what his plan was in the first place, he decided to take the risk.
"Screw you," Remus said, taking Sirius' hand. "Dance with me."
Sirius was surprised by the acceptance, but he squeezed Remus' hand and followed him onto the dance floor. As they moved, or attempted to, to the rhythm of the music, Remus could feel the connection between them growing. The shitty music, the laughter, and the conversations around them disappeared, leaving only the two of them in their own bubble.
Their locked gaze was interrupted when a shrill sound shattered their fantasy. Remus, annoyed by the screams warning of police alarms, grabbed Sirius by the waist and ran with him out of the bar through the back door.
"What the fuck was that all about?" Sirius gasped, stopping at a street corner after running two blocks. "I have no fucking idea, if that blond asshole hadn't stunned me with his war cry, maybe I would have found out."
Sirius burst into laughter, and Remus, who had collapsed onto the pavement, raised his head to admire him. How the hell did he go through all these emotions in one night? One moment he was sure he wanted to completely destroy Sirius Black, and the next he was planning the names of their damn cats they would have together.
"Did the run leave you breathless?" Sirius asked with a playful smile, wanting to tease the taller man a little more. "I'm going to leave your face breathless if you keep annoying me."
Remus could kiss him, the moonlight reflecting in his beautiful hair, and in his fucking eyes he had the whole galaxy. But he was too tired to think of a clever way to convince the dark-haired man to kiss a stranger on their second encounter.
"Are you going to make me go another year without knowing your name?" Sirius joked, trying to start a conversation. "You son of a bitch."
"Or maybe you could kiss me so my brain wakes up and remembers with your magical kiss."
Remus stood up with a speed he had never experienced before, grabbing Sirius by the shoulders and kissing him with all the intensity of his pent-up frustration.
"Remus, and if you pretend not to know it again, I'm going to kick you so hard in the balls that you'll forget your own name," Remus said amidst the kisses, satisfied to finally have the idiot where he wanted him.