I actually got this done it time. Yay me! This is for Sirius Black who would be turning 56 today if it wasn't for Bellabitch, ahem, I mean Bellatrix. :) (Wasn't me, Bellatrix, I'm completely innocent, I swear!)

Feel free review, follow or favourite. I do love getting notifications being told when someone has responded to my stories somehow. (Subtle hint, wink, wink)

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, but if I did Remus and Sirius would be MINE!

Anyway, HAPPY BIRTHDAY SIRIUS!

It was September 1st and Sirius Black nervously sat in the compartment on the Hogwarts Express that he had sat in every year with his friends since he started school. He had made his way there as soon as he had escaped his pureblood supremacist family. He had once been close to his parents and brother, but it had changed once he had been sorted into Gryffindor in his first year, instead of Slytherin like everyone else in the Black family. Even Uncle Alphard had been in Slytherin. Sirius was known as the white sheep in the Black family. Sirius was not normally nervous but he had come to a startling revelation during the summer holidays. In his first four years at Hogwarts, Sirius had gained a reputation of being a charmer and a womanizer as well as a prankster and a Marauder. However, during the holidays he found that his thoughts often turned to a certain werewolf friend of his, Remus Lupin. He groaned as he imagined Remus' delicate hand drifting across parchment as he wrote his essays, his amber eyes lighting up as he laughed at a joke. He imagined running his hands through Remus' tawny hair as said boy dozed on his lap. He shook his head to clear it of such thoughts, Remus would not appreciate it. That was why Sirius Black, who was notorious for his confidence and nonchalant elegance was so nervous. He was sure that Remus would know of Sirius' feelings for him and would want nothing more to do with him. Sirius was sure that he loved Remus and would not, could not, survive without him. It was much better to have Remus as a friend than not at all.

Remus Lupin took a moment to straighten out his shabby clothes and survey his surroundings after crossing the entrance to platform 9 and ¾. Even though he was not yet in his uniform, his gold prefect badge glinted in the light from where it was pinned. He was proud of his achievement. With all the mischief he got up to with James, Sirius and Peter, he didn't think he would be made prefect. His parents had been proud, too. Though money was always tight with the Lupin family, Hope and Lyall Lupin had allowed their son to get a few books as a reward for his achievement. Naturally, Remus had to get books on Defense Against the Dark Arts, his favourite subject. Remus made his way to the back of the train where the Marauders usually sat. He had said goodbye to his parents already. His mother had to stay at home and his dad had dropped him off on his way to work. Before he could get to the compartment however, he found his way blocked by a familiar figure.

"Moony, old chap, good to see you!" exclaimed Prongs, also known as James Potter, who engulfed his friend in a manly hug.

Remus laughed. "Good to see you too, Prongs," he replied, returning the hug. "How are you?"

"Ahh, you know, the usual. Abso-bloody-lutely awesome, amazing and incredible!" James said with a big grin in his face. "Let's go find Sirius, I saw his little shit of a brother back there with Avery and Mulciber, so he's got to be here somewhere."

As Remus followed James, he was glad that he hadn't been left to find Sirius alone. He'd always found the dark haired youth to be devilishly handsome and had developed a crush on him in second year after he'd confronted Remus about his little furry problem with James and Peter and said that he must be a baby werewolf and therefore had to be too cute to be that dangerous. 'Honestly,' he'd said, 'it shouldn't have taken us this long to figure it out. I mean your name literally means werewolf mcwerewolf.'. But over the summer, Remus noticed that his feelings had gotten a lot deeper. After all, he thought, absence makes the heart grow fonder. He couldn't let Sirius know about his feelings. The dark haired Adonis would want nothing more to do with him if he found out. Remus would be lost without Sirius. Even if it was only friendship, Remus would treasure every moment they had together. Remus would smile and laugh and act as if nothing had changed. After all, he was good at hiding secrets, and this one would be easier to mask than his being a werewolf. He hoped.

The compartment door slammed open and Sirius looked up, startled from his musings, ready to give whoever interrupted him from his thoughts a piece of his mind. Instead of seeing a nervous first year as he expected, he came face to face with his best friend, James Potter.

"Hey Padfoot!" James exclaimed, entering the compartment and sitting down by the window, on the opposite side from where Sirius was.

"Hey Prongs, Moony." He replied, trying to dislodge the lump that had grown in his throat when he saw who had been behind James.

"Hello Sirius," Remus said in his soft voice, taking the seat next to James.

Sirius tried to swallow his disappointment that Remus had decided not to sit next to him but at the same time was overcome with a sense of relief. Having the werewolf sit next to him would have been highly distracting and Sirius didn't trust himself to not give into the temptation of brushing Moony with his hands. The three boys settled comfortably for the ride to Hogwarts and were shortly joined by the fourth member of the Marauders, Peter Pettigrew. They all shared stories from their holidays and exchanged gossip. In a manly way, of course. Unwittingly, Sirius found his eyes drawn to where Remus was sitting, reading a book, the werewolf having given up on conversation when James and Peter had started a game of exploding snap and Sirius becoming content with staring out the window, watching the fields pass by. Remus looked up when he felt a heavy gaze on him. He felt his heart thumping loudly in his chest when his eyes met another pair and found that it was Sirius who had been staring at him. The moment was broken when Sirius looked away. When he did, Remus felt a sense of loss, as if everything in the world did not matter if Sirius kept looking at him. That's Sirius. He told himself. One of your best friends and definitely straight. He wouldn't appreciate being the object of your affections, you'd only succeed in scaring him off. No matter how much Remus tried to convince himself that his little moment with Sirius meant nothing, he couldn't help his thoughts wandering back.

September came and September went, bringing October. Before anyone knew it, November was upon them. Sirius Black loved November 3rd. Why? Because it was a day all about him. Who wouldn't love having a day all about themselves? Growing up, birthdays had been a dull affair for the Black heir. It was just another occasion for his parents to flaunt their two handsome sons to society while Sirius had to deal with the cold, appraising look from old relatives alongside their snide, sneering comments about how he could be improved. Oh, the comments were never said to him, but to his parents, even though they suggested that all of the faults were his doing alone. No matter as his status as the heir to the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black, he was still a child and therefore was someone to be seen, not heard, and definitely not talked to. Once Sirius reached Hogwarts though, things changed. James showed him that birthdays were something to be enjoyed. He had presents, cake and even a small party in the Marauders' dorm. He even received a gift from the Potters. Mr and Mrs Potter had sent Sirius a home-knitted Gryffindor scarf, and, even though it wasn't near Christmas yet, they sent him Christmas Pies as Sirius had confided in James that they were his favourite pudding. Ever since then his birthdays had been great, and this year was no exception. He had gotten many well wishes from people he didn't even know and tons of presents from friends and admirers alike. James had even thrown him a big party in the Gryffindor common room, which was where he should have been rather than out on the Astronomy Tower, but he had managed to slip away. Yes, his 16th birthday had been great, but he hadn't gotten the one thing he wanted above all else. He was shaken from his thoughts by the sound of footsteps climbing the stairs up to the main viewing platform where he was.

"Fancy seeing you here tonight, shouldn't you be in the common room?" It was Remus who spoke.

"Shouldn't you be there too?" Sirius retaliated.

Remus chuckled. "Yes, but I'm not the Birthday Boy."

Sirius sighed. "I don't feel like partying." he confessed, causing Remus to frown.

"Why not?"

"Don't get me wrong, today's been great. It's just-" he sighed again, "I feel as if something's missing. No, I know something's missing. Someone. But I can't tell them because it's wrong and they'll hate me and I can't have them hate me because if they did they'd leave and they can't leave because while it hurts to see them but not have them they can't just leave because just the thought of them being gone makes it impossible to breathe and I-" Sirius' tirade was cut off when soft lips landed on his own. It was as if time had frozen. The months Sirius had spent imagining this could not compare to the reality. It was this kiss that he realized. He realized that Remus was his world, the only one for him. He would go to hell and back just to keep Remus safe and happy. Sirius' arms wrapped themselves around Remus' waist and pulled the lithe boy closer as Remus tangled his hands in Sirius' hair. Eventually they had to pull away or otherwise pass out from a lack of air but Sirius found that he would not mind if he did. His only complaint would be that he would be unable to gaze upon the amazing creature in his arms. When Sirius gained his breath back he spoke,

"Who are you and what have you done with my shy Remus?"

Remus, who had stiffened at Sirius' first words, relaxed and leaned his head against the taller boy's chest after sending him a smirk. "I stunned him and tied him up, leaving him in a broom cupboard on the fourth floor." he replied.

Sirius laughed. "Well, we should go rescue him shouldn't we?"

"Nah," said Remus, "Let's just go back to the party before James gets hexed by Lily, again."

"Ah, yes! We must save Messr. Prongs from the wrath of the she-devil, Evans!"

Remus' laughter carried down the stairs as they descended together. "So did you get everything you wanted for you birthday?" he asked.

"Mmmhmm." Sirius replied, tightening his hold on the shorter boy. Remus smiled as they made their way to the Gryffindor common room to face the wrath of James for abandoning the party.

"Well, in that case, Happy Birthday, Sirius."