Author's Note: Aww, last chapter! ): I hope you enjoy it! It's pretty long, haha. Prompts were lights and"Remember, as far as anyone else knows, we're a nice, normal family." Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who has reviewed, I really appreciate it!! :)

December

It's been Christmas break for five whole days, and Remus hasn't seen Sirius at all, and he thinks he's going through withdrawals. They've been exchanging letters, but Sirius is with James, and Remus is stuck at home with his overly-protective mother and his withdrawn father.

Remus is sitting at the kitchen table, glumly eating an apple, when an owl taps on the window. Remus' heart leaps (rather pathetically, he thinks irritably), and he quickly opens the window and takes the letter from the owl. He opens it and begins to read:

Dear Moony,

Well, you sounded right depressed in your last letter. So James and I, being the fabulous best mates we are, devised a fabulous plan to cheer you up. And then I came up with my own plan for you. Ready? Here's mine. Okay. Letter sex! I read about how Muggles do this weird thing called phone sex, but since I don't know where a phone is or what I'd do if I saw one, I think letters would work great, don't you? Okay, so. "I wink at you suggestively." Then you continue with something that you do in your next letter and so on!"

At this point, the letter is splattered with ink spots and is crinkled, suggesting a brief struggle.

"Moony, this is Prongs. If you engage in this so-called "letter sex" with Pads, I will be forced to gouge my eyes out with Wormy's tail. I don't think you understand that Sirius leaves his mail lying around in random places, and while I've put up a brave front on unsuspectingly seeing things like you expressing your love for Mssr. Black, here, I draw the line at seeing you winking suggestively or doing anything of the sort! Also, I will of course demand to see your next letter, as it will pertain to the fabulous plan Sirius and I came up with (that he has yet to tell you since he's do busy winking suggestively…git), so NO LETTER SEX. That is all.

Merlin, James is bitter, because you write me all the time and a certain red-haired someone has neglected to write back after THREE WHOLE LETTERS, PRONGS. THAT DOESN'T SOUND LIKE SHE IS JUST BUSY, IT SOUNDS LIKE SHE IS IGNORING YO- Ow. Moony, James is abusing me. You should come put an end to this.

OH. Speaking of which! Let me tell you the plan! What are you doing for New Year's Eve? I'll tell you what you're doing. You're dragging your parents to the Potters'! Just as Peter shall be doing, once we inform him, that is. Marauders' New Years! The Potters will be hosting and they're chuffed, trust me. In fact, it was their idea because James said you sounded like you were miserable at home (don't blame me that he read your letters. I can't help it that he's a nosy git.) and they were all concerned. You're like Sirius part two, heh heh heh.

Well, tell your parents and get permission and write back ASAP. And don't listen to James about the letter sex, he needs to learn how to keep his nose out of our business anyway, he's starting to resemble Snivillous……………..I AM NOT. YOU LEAVE THEM OUT, IT'S HARDLY MY FAU-………too much protesting, eh?

Anyway, love you, miss you, hope to see you soooooon!

Pads xx

--

Remus, still laughing, puts down the letter and walks into the living room, where his mum is sitting on the couch, engrossed in a Wizarding soap opera.

"Mum?"

His mother clucks her tongue sympathetically as the witch on the television wails, and looks up. "Yes, dear? Would you like to watch this with me?"

"No," Remus says impatiently. "Listen, what are we doing for New Year's Eve?"

"I was thinking I could make a nice roast," Mrs. Lupin says distractedly.

"Mum!" Remus says, making a face. "I don't want a roast, I have a better idea?"

"Oh, Cynthia, no, honey. I always say, if he sleeps with your sister, he's no good! Honestly, Polyjuice Potion," Mrs. Lupin says, shaking her head in disgust. She looks at Remus. "What, darling?"

"I said I have a better idea," Remus says loudly, trying to drown out the soap opera.

Mrs. Lupin frowns. "Well, no need to shout, dear. Let's hear it."

"You remember the Potters? My mate's James' family?"

Mrs. Lupin casts a longing glance towards the television. "Yes, of course. Nice couple. Their son seems charming."

"Yes, well, he has invited us all to his house for New Year's Eve. And our other friends, Peter and Sirius, will be there, and Peter's parents, probably," Remus adds, skipping over the fact that he and Sirius were a little bit more than friends.

Mrs. Lupin sighs. "Well, dear, I think a nice, quiet New Year's at home might be…"

"Mum," Remus interrupts, slightly panicked. "Please, I miss my friends so much, can we just spend a few hours there?"

Mrs. Lupin looks at the television again and then nods. "Fine, dear. I'll talk to your father about it. I would like to meet your little friends again."

Remus hides a grimace. "Great, thanks Mum." He leaves her to her soap, and races back to the kitchen, where he grabs a sheet of paper and begins to write.

Dear Sirius (and James too, I suppose),

My mum said yes!! I'll see you on New Year's Eve, then. Can't wait.

Honestly, Sirius, I don't think letter sex exists, and I think there's a reason for that. I don't want to be responsible for Prongs being eye-less and Wormtail having a disgusting tail, so I'll ignore your suggestive wink.

Maybe you can wink at me again on New Year's! Since I'll be with you and all!

See you in ten days, love you,

Remus.

--

Ten days later, Remus is standing on the Potters' doorstep with his parents. His mother, clutching a steaming casserole, had rejected the Floo invitation, for a reason Remus couldn't understand, but earned a nod from his Muggleborn father, who was still uncomfortable with magic outside of a wand.

"Remember," Remus says sternly, hesitating before knocking. "As far as anyone else knows, we're a nice, normal family."

Mrs. Lupin frowns. "I don't know what you are implying, dear, but I'm certain I don't like it."

"Mum," Remus says patiently. "I just think it would be better if you, er, didn't fuss too much over my friends, or me for that matter, I'll be perfectly fine. And Dad, er…" He looks at his father and sighs. "Well, just try to have a good time."

"Honestly, Remus, this is silly," Mrs. Lupin says briskly, reaching over his shoulder and tapping sharply on the door. "This will be perfectly fine, and you ought not to worry about us, so much as yourself, I hardly think that-"

The door swings open and Remus suddenly can't breathe, due to a large force that has been hurled upon him. "Sirius," he gasps. "Can't breathe."

Sirius draws back from his bear hug and grins at Remus. "Miss me?"

Remus looks hastily at his parents. "Er, yeah. Mum, Dad, this is Sirius, my friend. He's a good friend of mine," Remus stresses, throwing Sirius a pleading look. "Yes, Sirius here is a wonderful friend."

Sirius looks confused but steps back from Remus and nods politely at Remus' parents. "Sirius Black," he says, shaking their hands firmly. "Pleased to meet you. Happy New Year's Eve."

"Nice to meet you too," Mrs. Lupin says warmly. "Any friend of Remus' is a friend of ours'."

"Yes," Remus says loudly. "Sirius is indeed a friend we all should have in our lives…as a friend of course."

Sirius shoots Remus an annoyed look, as Mrs. Lupin chuckles. "Well, Sirius, is your family already here?"

Sirius' eyes, almost imperceptibly, tighten. "No ma'am, they won't be here today," he says, seemingly unconcerned.

"Oh, why not?" Mrs. Lupin asks, her brow wrinkling in concern.

Before Remus can say anything, James strolls into the foyer. "Sorry for keeping you waiting," he says casually, grinning at Sirius. "Just helping my parents with some last-minute cooking. And I thought I'd give Sirius and Remus a few minutes to reconnect; they're such good friends!" He smirks at Remus, who blushes. Sirius rolls his eyes.

James' parents quickly come out of the kitchen and usher Remus and his family into the kitchen, talking animatedly. Mrs. Potter has pressed a cup of tea in his parents' hands and they've all sat down when a bell rings.

James leaps up. "That'll be the Pettigrews. At the Floo."

They all rush to the living room to greet Peter and his parents, but Sirius grabs Remus' arm.

Remus looks at him. "What? We need to go say hi to Pete, this is rude."

"No," Sirius says slowly. "I think that pretending that we're just friends to your parents is a bit ruder. Or are you even pretending?"

Remus makes a sound of impatience. "Of course I was pretending. Relax, Pads, they just don't know about me being gay yet. I was waiting for the perfect time, which is not now. So please, I'm sorry, just-"

Sirius' shoulders slump, as if in relief and he smiles. "Don't worry about it. But am I really expected to stay away from you? Act like I would with James or Peter?" He makes a puppy dog face, and Remus laughs.

"We are experts at hiding in bathrooms," he points out.

Sirius' eyes light up. "Right you are. In fact, we are alone right now…."

Remus takes a step closer to him. "And Mrs. Pettigrew talks an awfully lot."

"And Peter would understand," Sirius says, his eyes darkening with desire and flicking to Remus' lips.

"So really," Remus says, standing tantalizingly close to Sirius. "Really, there's no reason why we shouldn't…"

Sirius kisses him, then, sighing softly in pleasure as his lips crash against Remus' and their tongues meet. Remus has just raised a hand to Sirius' hair when James walks in.

"They're coming in," he says loudly.

Sirius and Remus spring apart. Peter walks in, grinning at them madly, followed by the three sets of parents.

"Hey, Pete, good to see you," Remus says, grinning, his heart still pounding.

"Yeah, good to see you," Sirius echoes distractedly. He glances at Remus.

James snorts and rolls his eyes. He mouths something to Sirius, who visibly perks up and gives Remus another intense look. "I'm going upstairs," he announces, winking at Remus, and quickly leaves the room.

Remus pauses for a moment, and then, after a glare from both James and Peter, excuses himself as well. He walks upstairs, looking around. "Sirius?" he hisses. All of a sudden, a hand darts out and grabs Remus, pulling him into a dark, cramped space. Remus tumbles in and the door slams shut. "Sirius?"

"No, it's the resident ghoul," Sirius cracks. Remus can see the flash of his teeth in the darkness as he grins. "Isn't this genius?"

"Where are we?" Remus asks, frowning slightly. "And why are the lights off?"

"Closet," Sirius answers impatiently. "And so we're not discovered. Any more questions?"

"Yeah," Remus whispers. "When are you going to shut up and snog me?"

Sirius chuckles softly and they fumble in the darkness until Remus is practically sitting in Sirius' lap, and Sirius' hands are entangled in Remus' hair, and Remus' hands are skimming across Sirius' chest, and they're throwing all the passion and lust that comes from fifteen days apart into their heavy kisses with their tongues moving tantalizingly inside each other's mouth and their lips molding perfectly together.

Sirius moans and Remus quickly shushes him by covering his mouth with his own. Sirius laughs and bites at Remus' lips. Before Remus can do anything besides growling low in his throat, his eyes dancing, there is the sound of rapidly approaching voices and the door swings open and the light shines into the closet.

There is an awkward pause, as the Pettigrews and the Potters avert their eyes, James and Peter exchange guilty looks, and the Lupins gape. Sirius and Remus quickly separate and there's a moment in which they blink confusedly at each other, before everyone starts talking at once.

"Mum, Mum please, I'm sorry. Dad, listen, I was going to tell you but-"

"Sorry, Mrs. Potter."

"Mates, I'm really sorry, I tried to avert their attention-"

"I even fell down the stairs in an attempt to distract them!"

"Sirius, please, there's nothing to be sorry about, and I thought I told you to call me Ellen."

"Remus, I don't understand, I-"

"In my day, we certainly saved all this for the bedroom, not a closet in someone else's home! Pete, I hope I raised you to not skulk around in closets."

"Right, thanks Ellen."

"Dad, please."

"Mum, I'm gay, okay? And Sirius and I- well, Mum, we love each other, so it's okay, and please don't be mad at me."

"Nobody's mad at you, son, but I think we'd have liked to find out a different way."

"I just don't believe this, Remus!"

"Well, Mrs. Lupin, think of it this way- at least you didn't find out that Remus is secretly a vampire werewolf."

"Shut up, Prongs."

"Yeah, James, shut up. Mum, I'm sorry I didn't tell you. Do you hate me now?"

The last is said with a noticeable quiver in the voice, and the group falls silent, waiting for the answer.

Mrs. Lupin scoffs. "Don't be ridiculous, of course I don't hate you." Remus falls into her arms, and Mr. Lupin pats them both on the back.

Mrs. Pettigrew sighs. "Oh, it's just like the soaps I love!"

Mrs. Lupin straightens up. "Oh, I love those! Can you believe Cynthia?"

The adults begin to drift downstairs, talking animatedly about the latest scandal of the soap opera. Mrs. Lupin pauses and kisses Remus' head. "I love you, dear. But next time, you tell me and stop the silliness. And really, stay out of other people's closets, darling, it's terribly impolite."

"Yes Mum," Remus says, grinning. She pats his head, and heads downstairs.

James winces. "Sorry."

"No, that was good," Remus says happily.

Sirius sighs until James rolls his eyes and drags Peter to his room to admire the Quidditch book he got for Christmas. Once they're gone, Sirius grins. "Where were we?"

"Right about here," Remus says, as they tumble back into the closet, turning off the lights and meeting each other with messy kisses and grabbing hands.

"Would you have ever thought," Remus pants, as Sirius' tongue trails across his neck and ends up by his ear, punctuated by a slight nip of Remus' earlobe, "this time last year, that in a year, we'd be snogging in James' closet?"

"It's been a hell of a year," Sirius agrees, gasping slightly as Remus licks his collarbone.

Remus laughs softly. "Love you."

"Love you too," Sirius says, before they sink into each other and there's no room for talking, just kissing and grabbing and fireworks and love.

in five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes

how do you measure a year in the life?

how about love?

how about love?

how about love?

measure in love.

-"Seasons of Love"

fin.