A/N - I own nothing.

Set in Pompeii - 79 AD

Sirius ran back into the city as the crowds tried to push him back on their way out. Why had he left? He could be dead before Sirius got to him, and Sirius couldn't use magic in front of so many Muggles. He slipped into a doorway, turning his back on the crowds. If he could get inside and the house was empty, he could apparate to the gardens of their property.

The door was locked.

He slipped his wand from his sleeve. "Alohomora," he whispered, but the door didn't open. Sirius suspected that the door had been barricaded from the inside. The unlocking spell wouldn't work.

Realising every moment he stood still was a moment closer to his death, he cast a muggle-repelling charm on himself, hoping it would cause Muggles to move from his path, and he hid his wand, rushing back into the crowd.

The spell made it slightly easier. People were constantly being pushed into his path, but they were moving back out of it quickly.

...oOo...

"Sirius, we're here so you can pick a slave," Orion said, looking at his son.

"Why?" Sirius asked. They hadn't needed slaves when he had been staying with his family in Rome, there were a couple of servants, but Sirius could understand the difference. Servents were treated better than slaves.

Plus, they had house-elves.

"Because society demands it," Orion stated. "Either you choose a slave..." his eyes fell on a woman younger than Sirius, "or I will."

Sirius didn't like the look in his father's eyes. For the sake of saving a girl from whatever fate his father had in mind, he nodded.

"I'll choose," he agreed, leading the way to the male slaves.

He had only returned from Rome two days ago.

...oOo...

Finally the villa was in sight. There was a fire in the gardens already and Sirius didn't know how long he had. He could taste the ask in the air as he rushed towards it.

He pulled at the doors, but found them locked. A simple locking spell wasn't enough to get him inside and he didn't want to damage the house due to the earthquakes they had been suffering. He didn't want to risk his home collapsiing on top of anyone.

Moving around to try other doors, he found that the place was locked tight, the doors sealed with his parents spells. They had left by apparation, not even thinking about the one muggle in the house.

They could have unlocked the house before apparating out of there, or they could have taken Remus with them.

...oOo...

"You don't want one of these slaves," the man in the room said.

Orion approached the man. "Mr Pettigrew," he greeted.

"Mr Black." The man bowed low. "These slaves are heading towards the arena. Come, I'll show you the -"

"Wait, what about that one?" Sirius' gaze was on a man who seemed close to Sirius' nineteen years.

"He's not for sale. His last owner paid extra to see him in the arena," Pettigrew said, trying to herd them from the room.

Sirius felt anger flow through him. The rest of the men looked like they could fight, but this man... Sirius just wanted to get him out of there. He looked strange amongst the rest of the men.

"That's the slave I want," he decided, turning around.

"He's not for sale," Pettigrew insisted. "Mr Greyback paid me to put him in the arena."

"Do you mean to tell me that I've come here for a slave and you're refusing me the one I want?" Sirius snapped.

"My son requested that one. Boy, come here," Orion ordered. The slave took a hesitant step forward.

"Now," Orion snapped, and the slaved rushed to move closer, his eyes darting between the three men before meeting the ground.

Sirius knew his father would insist on this one, mostly because a muggle refused him to have the slave. Sirius knew that Orion Black hated to be told 'no' by a muggle.

"My son wants this one, therefore we will take this one."

"But..." Pettigrew looked like he wanted to argue.

"I will pay double, I assume that will cover the amount that Mr Greyback paid you." Orion turned to Sirius. "Take your slave back to the villa, ensure he knows his duties. I will return later."

Sirius nodded, and gestured for the slave to follow him.

...oOo...

There was no way in, Sirius rushed to the garden again, thinking it looked sturdier and there was no-one to see him perform magic.

Even though he would have to run through the house to get to where their rooms were situated.

"Bombarda," he shouted, the wand pointed at the wall. He watched the wall explode and he rushed through the hole. He needed to get to Remus fast, as he could taste the ash from the volcano, and he knew the house could come down at any minute.

...oOo...

"Why me?" Remus asked as they walked back inside. "If you don't mind me asking... master?"

"Master?" Sirius said, frowning. He hated the word coming from another man's lips. It felt wrong. House-elves calling him master was one thing... but another person.

It felt wrong.

"Do you have to call me master? Is there anything else?" Sirius asked.

The slave hesitated for a minute. "It's what I'm supposed to call you," he replied, his gaze on the floor.

"I don't like it. Can't you call me Sirius?"

"I doubt your father would like that," the slave mumbled.

"I suppose," Sirius said with a sigh. "What is your name?"

"I'm Remus," he replied, looking up to meet Sirius' eyes.

Sirius felt his breath catch as he looked into the most amazing eyes he had ever seen.

...oOo...

Sirius looked around, the taste of ash more prominent, and he moved quickly through the house. The walls to the side were crumbing, and he was scared to open his mouth and breath in any of the poisonous air. He knew he could stop and do some spells, but every moment wasted, was a moment that the house could collapse and Remus would be dead.

That's if he wasn't dead already.

The thought terrified Sirius, and he darted through the downstairs of the villa, looking for Remus. Looking for any signs of life. Nothing. He found his way towards the bedroom just as some flaming pumice smashed into the house from where he had just come.

He checked Remus' bedroom, but couldn't see him. He rushed towards his own and froze in the doorway.

Remus' voice. Remus was in Sirius' room, praying.

"... My parents and Sirius. Protect them all and keep them safe -"

"Remus," Sirius shouted, getting his attention. He grabbed the shocked man, pulling him to his feet. "We need to get out of here."

"Why are you here?" Remus asked, his eyes wide. "You could have been out of the city by now."

"You were locked in," Sirius replied.

"I'm your slave, your concern should be to getting yourself out," Remus replied. "You should have gone. I don't matter."

Sirius felt sick as Remus said those words. Had he not told Remus the same thing - that he was only a slave and nothing more... it had only been hours ago.

And Remus actually believed them to be the truth.

"No, you're more than that, Remus," he replied. "I'd die if something happened to you. I couldn't let you die here. I need you."

"I..." Remus looked at him with longing, before he dropped his gaze. "I don't know what to say, master."

"Say that you forgive me," Sirius said, panicking slightly as the wall behind them crumbled. Would the breaking walls affect the wards? Would they make it so he could apparate from inside the house?

"I forgive you," Remus said.

...oOo...

"Draw me a bath please, Remus," Sirius requested, returning from dinner. "I'm going to turn in early tonight."

Remus bowed slightly, before following his command. It was a little while before Remus returned and Sirius insisted Remus follow him into the bathroom.

Remus' looked away as Sirius stripped, stepping into the bath to wash.

"I want you to tell me why your old master wanted to have you in the arena," Sirius asked. Remus had been there almost a month without talking about it and Sirius couldn't hold in his curiousity any longer.

Remus' gaze shot to Sirius.

"You don't have to worry, I'm not going to do the same," Sirius insisted, wondering if that's what the concern was.

"He... he was cruel," Remus began. "I was there for only four months, doing everything for him. Finally he tried to take something that wasn't on offer, so I... defended myself."

Sirius felt anger surge through him at the thought of anyone attacking Remus.

"How?" Sirius asked.

"A knife," Remus said. "I suspected where his thoughts were heading. I was chosen by him becuause of how I looked. I will serve my masters, but not as their plaything. That is one thing that remains my own choice."

"No-one here would ever force you into anything like that," Sirius promised.

"I know," Remus said, smiling at Sirius and meeting his gaze again. "You're different. I trust you and... I'm yours."

Sirius felt his heart pound at the words. He wasn't quite sure how Remus meant them, but he could imagine... pretend that he meant them in the way Sirius needed to hear them.

He wanted Remus to be his.

...oOo...

"Say you love me," Sirius begged.

"Why?"

"Because we could die in a minute," Sirius said, trying to feel the wards around him. They were falling around him, as the house fell. Just a little bit more.

"What do we have to lose? Say what you said to me just a few days ago. Say you're mine."

"I'm yours," Remus said.

"And that you trust me," Sirius pushed.

"I trust you," Remus said. "Of course I trust you, but -"

Sirius moved forwards so his body was against Remus'. He gazed into Remus' eyes. "Do not let go of me no matter how strange this feels, no matter what panic you feel. Hold me tight. Do you promise me that?"

Remus' gaze fell towards the missing wall, the ash had become a poison in the air and nodded.

"You shouldn't have come back," he said. "You could have lived." Remus' voice was husky now, sounding as though he couldn't breath properly.

Sirius shook his head. "Of course I'd come back, I love you," he said, before pressing his lips against Remus'. He wrapped his arms around Remus as tightly as possible, focusing hard on the Potter's home.

He could feel Remus shyly returning his kiss, but Sirius' mind was on something more important - saving Remus.

He put every ounce of strength into apparating them out of the house, moments before the ceiling fell in.

...oOo...

Sirius couldn't resist anymore. One minute Remus was dressing Sirius, the next moment Sirius had him pressed into the wall.

They stared at each other for a moment.

"Aren't you going to push me away?" Sirius asked, his whole body against Remus'.

"No," Remus whispered. "I'm yours."

Sirius' lips crashed against Remus' and his body pressed tighter.

Finally Sirius moved away slightly.

"Master..." Remus said, slightly breathless. "I... I love..."

Sirius jumped away from Remus quickly.

"No," he said, panicking. "You can't say those words, Remus."

Remus' eyes widened as he realised the line he had began to cross.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, his gaze falling to the floor.

"You need to remember what you are. You are just a slave," Sirius told him. What would his parents say if he became involved with a slave. With a muggle? They would disown him, they would hurt Remus. They would give him back to where they had bought him, and he would end up dead.

Remus said nothing, but didn't move from his spot as Sirius finished dressing and left the room. He left the villa and headed out of town to think of what to do.

He couldn't be with Remus, but he wanted to be with him more than anything.

It was a couple of hours until he saw the volcano explode and he stood staring at it in shock. Minutes later and his brother's hand was on his shoulder.

"Sirius, we're going to Uncle Cygnus' home for safety."

Sirius turned to see his parents standing behind Regulus.

"Where is Remus?" he asked.

"The slave?" Walburga asked. "He's still within the protective wards of the house. We weren't going to waste time finding him."

Sirius stared at them in shock and he stared as people began to rush towards them.

Remus was locked in the house where Sirius had left him and he could die.

...oOo...

The men fell to the floor as they apparated into the Potters. Sirius hadn't accounted for Remus collapsing from the ash and smoke inhalation. Remus had already been weak, and the sensation of apparating was clearly too much for him to take.

His cousin rushed into the room, wand drawn. "Sirius?" he asked, his wand lowering at the sight of his cousin.

"The volcano erupted," Sirius choked out. "I got him out just in time."

"Who is he?" James asked, rushing to help Sirius pull the man up. He pulled one arm over his shoulder as Sirius done the same to Remus' other arm.

"Someone very important to me," Sirius replied, meeting James' gaze.

James nodded in understanding. "Wizard?"

"Muggle. He was locked away, I had to go back into the city. I couldn't leave him to die... we need to heal him."

...oOo...

"Please let him be alright," Sirius muttered to himself over and over again. If Remus lived, Sirius would do anything. He would pray more often, he would treat Remus equal to him - how he should have treated Remus.

He would do anything. He just needed Remus to be alive.

He loved him, and didn't know if he could live without him. He didn't want to find out either.

...oOo...

Remus woke up in a bed and quickly panicked. He had been sleeping on a thin bed on the floor, nothing as luxurious as this bed he was currently in and he tried to get out of the bed.

If his masters saw him, he would be punished. Orion Black had already taken the whip to him on two occasions over the last couple of weeks.

"Remus, lay down," came a voice that instantly soothed Remus and stopped him panicking. "Please, you won't get better if you don't get rest."

"But I..." Remus croaked out. "I need to..."

"You need to rest and get better for me," Sirius said.

Remus nodded. Of course Sirius needed him better. What good was a sick slave?

He didn't realise he said the words out loud.

"You're more than that," Sirius whispered. "You're free now, Remus. You can do whatever you want, or you can stay with me. Not as a slave, but as a friend... or anything else if you want."

Their last moments in the villa came back to him.

"We got out and appeared straight here," Remus whispered.

"I have magic," Sirius replied."I'm glad it worked."

"Magic?" Remus said, confused. "Was there a chance it wouldn't? Can you tell me more about it?"

"There was a chance," Sirius confirmed. "But I couldn't let you die. I couldn't live without you. I love you, Remus."

Remus' eyes opened quickly and he winced at the light as his eyes found Sirius'.

"No, I'm just a -"

"Not here you aren't," Sirius said. "You're a free man, Remus. You can stay here with me at the Potter's home or you can leave. Either way you are free. You are no longer a slave."

Remus contemplated his options.

"What will happen if I choose to stay?" Remus asked. The thought of leaving Sirius terrified him. Sirius said he couldn't live without Remus and Remus felt the same. He would choose whichever path kept him with Sirius.

"Then you will have another choice. Whether you want to be mine or not."

Remus didn't know how to answer the second choice. He wanted to be Sirius', but Sirius pushed him away the first time. Would he push him away again?

As though Sirius could hear Remus' thoughts, he reached out to touch Remus' cheek.

"I love you, Remus. Whatever we have will be secret from the outside world, but I can show you another world where we can be together. I only want you."

"I love you too," Remus whispered. "I'm yours."

...oOo...

Remus nervously followed Sirius from the bedroom. The strange drinks and the magic from the wooden stick had quickly made Remus better after he woke up.

He couldn't believe how fine the clothes were that Sirius offered him. It felt like he was in another world already. He was just a slave and he was being treated as though he was equal to Sirius.

"So, this is the boy you risked your life for?" Came a woman's voice, and Remus' gaze immediately hit the floor.

Sirius chuckled, reaching for Remus, bringing a hand to his face. "You're not a slave anymore," he said softly. "You'll need to learn that you can look at people."

Remus nodded, looking up at the people in the house.

"Welcome to our home, Remus," the man said, with a smile. "We would give you your own room, but Sirius has insisted you are to stay in his quarters. Should you prefer your own room -"

"I'm thankful for anywhere you choose to let me stay," Remus said, shyly.

"What a pleasant boy, James, you could learn some manners," the woman said, looking at a man who was around his own age. "Remus, you can call us Dorea and Charlus. If you need anything, please let us know. Now, won't you sit with us for dinner."

Remus looked at Sirius in a panic. It had been so long since he had sat with a family to eat, and Sirius led the way to the table, gently pushing Remus into one of the chairs.

"Where are we?" Remus finally asked.

"Rome," Dorea said.

"I... grew up here," Remus said, smiling slightly.

"What is your family name?" Dorea asked, curiously.

"Lupin. My mother thought it wonderful to name me after a wolf, as my name meant the same."

"Your parent's names?" She continued.

"Hope and Lyall," Remus replied, the smile still on his lips.

...oOo...

Remus had stayed at the Potters for three days and he was beginning to see that life was very different there than when he was at the Blacks.

Dorea often spoke to him as though she was speaking to her nephew or her son and Charlus was polite, teaching Remus about society, arranging for Remus to come with him to visit his businesses as Remus confessed that he couldn't stay unless they allowed him to do something.

But this time Remus was being offered a paid job rather than being a slave.

Three days after he had arrived, there was a knock at the door.

"James," Dorea said, and James left the room to open the door.

"Mrs Potter, you requested me to collect your washing," a soft voice was heard before the woman followed James into the room.

"Yes, thank you," Dorea said. "Remus, please escort Mrs Lupin with our laundry."

The woman's eyes widened as they darted around the occupants in the room, finally landing on the man who was looking at her in shock, tightly gripping onto Sirius' arm.

"Remus?" she whispered, rushing across the room and throwing her arms around him, almost knocking him over. "Oh, we never stopped trying to find you, your father will be so happy to know that you're safe." She began sobbing into her son's chest as he clutched her tightly.

Finally she pulled away and wiped her face. She thanked Dorea before leading the way from the house.

With the widest smile Sirius had ever seen on Remus' face, he also thanked Dorea and the rest of them for everything they had done for him, he promised Sirius he'd be back soon, and followed his mother.

...oOo...

"Sirius, we are your family. Are you really going to go after a slave? A muggle slave?" Walburga said. "Are you really going to choose him over us?"

Sirius looked at his parents, his gaze falling on his brother.

"Yes i am," he said, before turning towards the city and running to find the man he loved.

3430 words

ritten for the Bot-Battles - Prompt - Pompeii: Bastille.