Your wonderful reviews made my night. Literally squealed with joy I did. Caused mayhem with my pets.

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Chapter 2: White Isn't My Colour

Sirius burst into the small flat, unintentionally smacking the door against the wall and sending a flake of paint to the floor in his haste. Paint aside, Sirius ignored it and closed the door behind him.

"Moony, I need to talk to you".

No answer. Sirius frowned. He poked his head into the lounge room where Remus should have been nestled in his chair reading a decidedly boring book with his curiously endless supply of chocolate and tea at his elbow. No Remus. And no tea either. Their flat always smelled like tea as Remus was constantly drinking the stuff. Sirius was a coffee man himself but he preferred the smell of tea as it reminded him of Remus and coming home to him in the evenings.

Still frowning, Sirius made his way over to the kitchen to discover that there was indeed no fresh tea made. So either Remus wasn't home or he was truly bothered by Sirius' proposal, enough to forgo one of his compulsive rituals. Sirius continued to search the rest of the house, nosing his way around their bedroom, glancing around the bathroom, checking the laundry, all the while calling out variations of, "Moony, get your gorgeous arse over here. I need to talk to you about me being a prat".

Just as Sirius was thinking that maybe Remus wasn't home after all, the idea hit him.

It was cold up on the roof, although there was only a light breeze. Sirius clambered up onto the roof tiles, quite adept at the maneuver after the countless times he'd done it before. Indeed it had been he who had introduced Remus to the roof in the first place.

Panting slightly, Sirius finally found the object of his affections and obsessions, sitting elbows on his bent knees, looking down at his clasped hands between them. Sirius climbed over to him and collapsed down next to Remus, resting back on his hands with his knees bent in front of him. Remus didn't look at him. Not knowing quite how to start a conversation like this (the way his previous proposal had been received had made that clear), he barreled on like he usually did.

"So, why'd you run out on me?"

Sirius watched a frown crease Remus' brow as he replied evenly, "I thought I made that clear, Sirius. We both need time to think about things, you especially".

"What's there to think about?"

Sirius knew he wasn't saying the right things, judging by the way the crease in Remus' forehead was deepening, but that had never quite been a problem with Remus before. Remus had always understood and put up with his personality. As James had once wisely said, Sirius was never going to find another person who could ever put up with him like Remus could. Sirius took this to mean that Remus was a keeper. And he couldn't help but agree.

"There's plenty to think about, though lately that's something that you don't seem fond of doing".

Ouch, so he was in a snarky mood now, was he? That was okay; as much as Remus was able to put up with Sirius, Sirius was able to put up with him.

"Alright, I don't think enough. Go on".

Remus finally looked at him.

"What?"

"Go on. I want to find out why you don't want to marry me. I'll find out then I'll fix it. We've established that I'm not big on the thinking things through: reason number one. Keep going, we both know there's plenty more".

"That's not what I was saying", Remus exclaimed, exasperated, "And I distinctly remember telling you why I don't want...marriage. In front of our best friends too".

Remus said the last with a hint of shame and Sirius felt a rare stab of guilt for making Remus so uncomfortable. He knew how private Remus could sometimes be and he'd gone and proposed to him in the middle of a pub, in front of their friends without ever thinking how that might have made him feel or react. He really didn't think things through.

"Right, you mean all that stuff about werewolf marriage", Sirius sighed, waving his hand dismissively, "I can't believe that I actually have to explain this to you but when I proposed marriage I was actually planning on staying married until we die anyway. You know, growing old together and all that stuff that Lily and James harp on about. I don't need some magical bond to make me do that. So it really makes hardly any difference".

Remus stared at him hard.

"It makes all the difference, Sirius. If we got married now and next week I died fighting death eaters, you would die too. No matter where you were, what you were doing, how you were feeling, you would die".

"And you thought that I'd ever actually live without you?".

Remus gaped at him and Sirius turned away, trying to ignore the uncomfortable embarrassment making his skin crawl. He hadn't meant it to sound so sappy but it was true. He couldn't imagine life without the werewolf next to him, he didn't want to imagine it and he certainly would never live it. Whatever it took, he wouldn't live without him. Then a thought struck him. An unpleasant one. What if the real reason Remus didn't want to get married was because he didn't want to die when Sirius did? Maybe he wanted to go on living even after Sirius had died. Understandable but still...disheartening. Did Remus not need him as much as he needed Remus?

"Is it because...you don't want to die too soon?", Sirius asked hesitatingly.

"No!", Sirius stared in surprise at the immediate reply and the blush crawling over Remus' cheeks, "It's not that...it's just that I don't want to be responsible for your death".

Sirius snorted, "You wouldn't be responsible for it and I'd rather it this way, okay?", he caught Remus' gaze earnestly, "This is the way I want it to be. For as long as we live".

Sirius could see the resolve crumbling in Remus' eyes and he knew he had won. Smiling, he leaned over and wrapped his arm around Remus' back, pulling him close as he muttered, "You know if you really want me to do the whole surprise, romantic, down on one knee thing and ta-da – ring, I will".

Remus laughed and Sirius smiled against his temple.

"That would be quite amusing, but no, no more public proposals", Remus ordered, mock sternly.

"And what about private ones?"

"Private ones are open to criticism", Remus smirked.

Sirius groaned, "How am I going to be tied to you for the rest of my life when I know I'll lose every argument?"

"Tied to me?", Remus quipped, arching an elegant eyebrow, "You make me sound like a ball and chain".

"It's marriage, that's the general idea", Sirius joked, laughing when Remus turned his head and raised both eyebrows threateningly at him.

"So, is that a yes, Moony? You have to say it, you know, that you're going to marry me, so you can't sneak off and start shagging other far more upstanding and richer blokes than me because we don't have an official thing going on".

Remus chuckled, leaning back into Sirius' half-embrace to escape the cool breeze.

"Yes, Sirius Black, I'll marry you", then as an after thought, he added, "though only if you wear a white dress on our wedding day".

Sirius gaped in mock shock.

"A white dress, Moony? A white dress? You know white isn't my colour".

Remus laughed again and Merlin's beard, Sirius would never tire of making him laugh.

"Well, white is the colour of virgins after all. I need to know I'm not marrying some despoiled little slag", Remus teased, turning to leisurely kiss the side of Sirius' neck.

"Really? But don't you want to despoil your little slag right now?", Sirius smirked, his skin tingling where Remus had kissed his neck and where his hand was now stroking over his stomach.

Remus hummed against Sirius' throat as he apparently thought deeply about Sirius'...proposal. He smirked at the pun before replying, "I suppose I could. We'd give the neighbours a right shock if I did though".

"I didn't mean on the roof, Moony. Godric's balls, never knew I was marrying such a pervert".

"Liar, it's why you're marrying me", Remus smirked, pressing closer against the warmth as he wrapped an arm around Sirius' waist.

Sirius finally conceded defeat and agreed. As if he could ever win an argument against Remus. But that was something he was willing to spend the rest of his life trying to disprove, no matter how futile a goal it was. And, excited about spending the rest of their lives together, they did end up giving the neighbours quite a shock after all.

OOOOOOOOOOO

The ending is a bit abrupt but these two could keep talking all day. Like a couple of old women they are. Except...no...because I never want to imagine old women talking about and doing the things that these two do O.o

Right, now I've disturbed myself, let me know what you think of my fic. :)

Comments are loved. This is my first non-M fic, so I'm nervous. Kind of missing it, actually. Don't know if I should actually add the smut or if I should leave it like this. Also, if I think up a good sequel I might do it. Wedding night, perhaps? Reader's thoughts are always helpful ;) Again, comments would be great!

Thanks for reading!