One More to Love

by Krethes, TherestheSnitch

Summary:

When his boyfriend kicks him out, Remus is grateful that his friends James and Sirius don't mind him moving in. When he finds out that he's expecting, things get complicated. Just what is an unmated, pregnant omega supposed to do when living with his two alpha best friends?

Notes:

Written for the Mixed Up Writers Fest, Round 2. This means that we were given a prompt and a ship, and have to write a story without planning. We were given:

Prompt: C finds themselves pregnant with no place to go. A and B agree to let them stay at their place get really invested in C's unborn child, including reading all the pregnancy and parenting books and attending all their appointments/parent meets. It's almost like....A and B are dating C....

Trigger Warning: As you might expect, this chapter contains early pregnancy mess, including nausea, vomiting, exhaustion, and discussion of options like termination.

This chapter is written by Snitch. 😘

Chapter 1: Week Five: Apple Seed

“This is all you're taking?” Sirius stands in the middle of the flat, hands on his hips, looking around at everything that is being left behind. 

Remus shrugs, tucking one damp curl behind his ear. “None of it is really mine to take. Evan bought it all.” 

Sirius scoffs. “You’ve lived with him for five years. It’s as much your stuff as it is his.” 

James thinks that Sirius had a point, especially considering Evan told Remus on a Thursday that he had to be out by Monday, then skipped town for a weekend. It would serve him right if they pack up the entire apartment and leave behind nothing but sour milk in the fridge. 

Remus, of course, would never do that, which is probably why Evan felt comfortable leaving his jilted ex alone in his apartment to move out. He definitely didn’t count on Sirius though. 

“Come on, Moony, at least take the television. You charmed it to work here! Evan doesn’t care about television.” 

Remus rubs the back of his neck with his hand, and his face twists as he considers it. “I suppose you’re right. He doesn’t even use it unless I turn it on.” 

Sirius smiles, then points his wand at the television to shrink it, and tosses it in the box in front of him.

“Be careful with that, Padfoot.” James catches it before it lands and wraps it in conjured cloth. “It could break if you just toss it in.” 

“Alright, fine, fine.” Sirius turns back to Remus. “What else?” 

Remus shrugs. "I don't really need anything else." 

Sirius groans and heads back to the bedroom. "What about the mattress? Didn't you guys just buy it?" 

Remus follows him. "I don't need a mattress. What am I going to do with a mattress?" 

James doesn’t follow. Instead, he grabs the packing tape to seal the box in front of him. 

They'd been here for just over an hour, and Remus seems to have opened up a bit since they’d arrived. When they knocked and Remus opened the door, he looked small, like he was folding in on himself and reducing his size until he fit in someone else’s mold. James felt something fiercely protective roar to life inside of him as soon as he saw it, wanting to take Remus and protect him from anyone who could make Remus small . He is cheeky and snarky and clever and adventurous and loyal and…

He is not small. 

James shakes himself out of the thought, trying to dispel his protective instinct that still burned inside of him. Remus doesn’t need James to go all alpha on him right now. He just needs a friend.

Remus texted them earlier today, on a Sunday, and James hadn’t even known anything was wrong. He had simply asked for some help moving some boxes, and it wasn’t until James and Sirius showed up and found him in red flannel trousers and a large tshirt, half tucked in, looking like he'd just rolled out of bed without showering for three days straight that they had any idea that something was wrong. They’d made him shower and change, then helped him continue packing. Remus had already packed his books and clothes, intent on leaving everything else behind. 

Evan was lucky that he wasn’t here when they showed up, because James very much wants to have a word or two with him. Those words might be Furnunculus or Calvorio or Slugulus Eructo, or worse if he could get away with it. 

James cuts a long strip of tape and presses it down just as Sirius walks out of the back bedroom with Remus on his heels, a half dozen shrunken items in his hands and midway through a conversation. “–then he deserves to not have one, Remus. I’m sure he can afford another one, or he can just go use the one at mummy and daddy’s house.” 

“The bed?” James asks. 

Sirius smiles wickedly. “We left the box spring behind. I’m sure he’ll be comfy.” 

Remus groans and buries his face in his hands. “Can we just get out of here? I just want to be done.” 

“Absolutely, Moony.” James wraps an arm around his shoulders, pulling him close. “We just don’t want you to leave with less than you deserve.” 

“I just want to be done with him, and this place.” Remus wraps his arms around James. “I don’t even know what I’m going to do with the bed. I don’t have anywhere to put it.” 

Sirius tilts his head to the side, looking at Remus. “What do you mean?” 

“Well, I don’t have anywhere to put the bed. My room at my parents’ house already has one, and it’s not like there’s extra space.” 

James and Sirius exchange a look over Remus’s head. They communicate the way they always have–a raise of Sirius’s eyebrow that means we can’t let him do that; a raise to James’s eyebrows and lips pressed together meaning what else can we do? It’s enough. 

“Remus, you can’t go back to your parents’ house,” James says slowly, knowing that Remus might resist them anyway. 

Remus pulls away from James, far enough to look up into his face. “I don’t have anywhere else to go.” 

“Of course, you do.” Sirius raises his arms at his sides before letting them fall back with a hard slap. “With us.” 

Remus shakes his head. “No, I can’t. That’s not why I asked you both to help me.” 

“You may not have asked, but we are offering.” James pulls his hand from Remus’s shoulder and runs his fingers through Remus’s hair. “Stay with us while you figure something else out. It’ll be better than your parents.” 

“Come on, Moony. We were roommates for years,” Sirius says.

“When we were kids.” Remus pulls away from James now, walking to the other side of the room. “That was before we all presented. You can’t think it would be a good idea for an omega to move into a flat with two alphas.” 

James shrugs. “Why not? We’re your friends, Remus. We won’t do anything.” 

“What about when my heat comes? It’s three weeks away.” Remus crosses his arms over his chest. “You have a two bedroom flat. Am I just supposed to hang out on the living room sofa? And you’ll what, stay in your rooms?”

“We’ll figure it out, Moony.” Sirius shrinks the last box, shoving it in his pocket. “If you’re still at our place by then, we’ll make a spot for you. It’ll be fine.” 

“This is a bad idea.” Remus shakes his head. 

“So come with us for a few days, and if it doesn’t work out, you can head to your parents’ then.” James takes a step closer to Remus, holding his hand out. “Come on, you’re safe with us. I promise.” It is not a statement he makes lightly. Remus is safe with them regardless of how long he stays, and James will do everything in his power to make sure he stays that way. 

Remus ducks his head. “I really don’t want to go back to my parents’ house. My dad will be so smug when he finds out that Evan ditched me. He never liked him.” 

“Well, give yourself a few days at least,” Sirius says. “Come stay with us, as long as you like.” 

“Alright. Alright, yes.” Remus runs his fingers through his hair, loosening some of the curls that had clumped together from the water. “I’ll come, but it’s only going to be for a few days. I’ll be gone before my heat.”

Sirius holds his hands up, as though giving up on this one thing, though they all know he’s won the war (and the pleased look on his face proves that he knows this too). “Whatever you say, Moons. Let’s get you home.” 

---

James unlocks the front door and steps in. He slips his trainers off and walks on socked feet into the living room. “Let’s put Remus’s things in my room for now. We can find a better place for it later.” 

“Are you sure?” Remus toes off his own shoes, brown leather oxfords that look a bit worn at the toes, and James considers whether he can repair them or just replace them for Remus. “I don’t want to be in the way.” 

“You won’t be.” Sirius unlaced his doc martens, bent over at the waist by the door. “James has all that extra space in his room. It’s the perfect place for a few boxes.” 

They place the boxes in the corner of James’s room, unshrinking a few so Remus can find his clothes and books. They leave the bed in a box though, because Remus was right–what are they supposed to do with an extra bed?

Sirius and James try to keep spirits up through the afternoon, talking and laughing and keeping Remus from having too much time to think about Evan. It mostly works, James thinks, but he can feel Remus’s sadness pealing at the edges. 

They order food for dinner, Thai and sushi from Remus’s favorite spot, and try to engage him in conversation throughout dinner. He allows them to, but the longer they go, the more Remus seems to retract in on himself. 

“Well, Moony, what do you want to do now?” James clears the table with a wave of his wand, sending the dishes to the sink to wash. “We could just watch a movie or put on some music. We could play a game?" 

Remus tucks a wayward curl behind his ear, pulling one leg up to wrap his arms around his knee. “If it’s alright, I’d really like to just go to bed. It’s been a long… well, week, really."

James stands up, offering a hand to Remus. “Alright, why don’t you go to sleep in my room, then?”

“No, James, I can’t.” Remus shakes his head so vigorously that his loose curls swing around and hit his forehead. “I can’t kick you out of your own room.” 

“You’re not kicking me out.” James grabs Remus’s hand, pulling him to his feet. “I’m giving you my bed. Besides, Sirius and I will probably be up for a bit, so where are you going to sleep? Our laps?

Remus lets James lead him by the hand through the living room and into his bedroom. “Are you sure? Where are you going to sleep?”

“I’ll sleep on the couch–” Remus makes a noise of protest “–or I’ll go sleep with Padfoot.” 

“Yeah,” Sirius says from somewhere behind them. “We’ll have a nice cuddle in my bed.” 

“You should sleep in your own bed.” Remus pulls off the jumper he had been wearing–one of James’s, which hung past his wrists and made him keep pushing up the sleeves. “You could come in here and sleep too.” 

“Nah, I wouldn’t want to wake you up. You need sleep.” James stands by the door, next to Sirius, and watches as Remus sheds his trousers and climbs into the bed in only his pants and a tshirt. “Let us know if you need anything else, Rem.” 

James closes the door quietly, and the two of them retreat to the couch. Sirius summons a bottle of firewhiskey and two glasses from the kitchen, pouring them both two fingers of it. He hands one to James. “I could kill Evan right now.” 

“Get in line.” James takes a drink, feeling the burn of the whiskey as it goes down. “Did you ever catch why he called it off?”

Sirius shakes his head. “Moony never said. It couldn’t have been a good reason.” 

“I’m betting it’s another man.” James takes a drink. “Or a woman. Maybe he finally gave into his parents’ demands that he settle down with a nice girl and carry on the family name.” 

Sirius snorts, draining his glass. “Sounds about right. Honestly, good riddance. I never liked the guy.” 

Sirius reaches for the bottle to pour himself another glass, but freezes with his hand over the bottle when a sound comes out of James’s room. They both listen in the quiet for a moment, not completely sure they heard right, but Remus has always been shit at silencing charms when he’s upset, and the sniffles are quite evident in the quiet flat. 

James sets down his drink and is on Sirius’s heels as they head back into James’s room, not even bothering to knock. Remus raises his head as James and Sirius slide into the sheets on either side of him, groaning. “Fucking silencing charms. Why are they so hard?”

James pulls Remus against him, head on his chest, and strokes his hair. “They’re not. You just know that you don’t want to suffer alone.” 

“So I’m going to make you both suffer with me? Shit friend.” 

Sirius presses himself along Remus’s back, wrapping his arms around both of them. “Hey, don’t talk about my friend Remus that way. He’s a great friend.” 

“I don’t understand what’s wrong with me.” It comes out in half a sob, words slurring with tears. 

“Nothing is wrong with you.” James presses a kiss to the crown of his head. “You’re perfect just the way you are.” 

“Evan is just an arse.” Sirius buries his head into Remus’s neck. “You’re better than he deserves.”

“It doesn’t feel like it.” Remus clung to James tighter. “I loved him.”

“I know, Re.” Sirius murmurs into his hair. 

“I loved him, and I wasn’t good enough for him to love me back.” The words are garbled, spoken against James’s chest, but they are clear. 

“No, Re, it has nothing to do with how good you are.” James doesn’t know how to hold Remus harder, or make it better, and he can feel Sirius clinging on the other side.

“I don’t know if I believe that.” 

Sirius lets out a sound of derision. “Well, then we’re just going to have to believe it enough for you.” 

They hold him, murmuring nothings into his ears, until he falls asleep with them wrapped around him. They don’t extract themselves when his sleepy whimpers turn into soft sighs, but stay with him until they fall asleep as well.

---

When Sirius wakes in the morning, he is pressed into Remus from knee to shoulder, and his head is tucked against Remus’s neck. Remus is lying half on top of James, with one leg draped over James’s, so Sirius’s leg is draped over them both, and they’re one big cuddle pile. Sirius examines his position, and he’s fairly certain that he cannot extract himself without waking both James and Remus up. 

(Not that he particularly wants to move, especially as more parts of him start to come awake and press against Remus’s absolutely delicious arse. Although perhaps that’s not the best way to wake up your friend who has just been dumped by his arsehole boyfriend.)

Sirius lets himself wait a moment though, wrapping himself up in the feeling of being with his best friends. He inhales deeply, then buries his face in Remus’s neck and does it again. He smells…different. It stirs something deep inside of Sirius, something that makes him hold Remus tighter, cling to him more. James is holding Remus, and if it were anyone else, Sirius knows he would want to grab him and roll him away to protect him. 

Sirius shakes himself, pulling his nose away from Remus. His friend doesn’t need him to protect him, not from James. What an absurd thought. 

Sirius slowly pulls away from Remus, doing his best to keep him from waking, but a hand grabs his. He looks up to find James also awake. James nods his head at Remus, and Sirus wraps an arm around his chest and lifts him off of James, ignoring the way that Remus’s arse pushes against Sirius’s very bossy dick. When James slides out from beneath him, Sirius rolls forward so that Remus is clinging to the pillow James places in his arms. Sirius allows himself one more inhale, then extracts himself again. 

He follows James out to the kitchen, where he charms the kettle hot as Sirius settles in at the little table. “Did you notice his scent is different?” James starts preparing tea, steeping the black leaves. 

“I did. I’m not sure what it is. It doesn’t smell like heat.” Sirius accepted the cup of black tea that James offered him. 

“No, definitely not.” James sits down and stirs milk and honey into his tea. “Maybe its just because he’s feeling sad?”

“It must be. I don’t know what else would do it.” 

They sit for a while, sipping their tea without speaking anymore. Eventually, Remus comes out of the room, curls mused on one side from sleep and once again wearing James’s sweatshirt. He ducks his head as he sits down, scratching the hairs at the base of his head. 

“Good morning, Moony.” Sirius can’t help but smile at the way Remus blushes, glancing at him and then looking away. 

“G’morning.” Remus folds his hands in front of him, picking at the cuticles on one hand. “Listen, I’m sorry—“ 

“If you’re about to apologize for last night, you can stop right there.” Sirius grabs Remus's hands as James stands up to get him a cup of tea, adding a splash of milk. 

“He's right, Moony. You have every right to be upset, and we’re your friends. You don’t need to apologize to us.” James set the cup in front of him. 

“It feels like I should. Ta.” Remus releases Sirius's hands and lifts his cup toward James, then brings it to his lips. He takes a small sip, then grimaces and sets it back down. “I think the milk is spoiled.” 

James looks into his almost empty cup. "I thought it tasted fine." 

“Really? I feel like I can smell it curdling.” Remus sniffs his cup again, then set it down again. 

Sirius grabs it from him and takes a sip. “Tastes like milk with tea, which is gross on that basis alone. It doesn’t taste spoiled though.” 

Remus reaches for Sirius’s tea and takes a sip. “Yours tastes fine.” 

“Yeah, that’s because I didn’t ruin it with milk.” Sirius fills his cup again and slides it to Remus.

“Thanks.” Remus takes a sip. “Maybe it’s me. My stomach does feel a little off. It would just be my luck to get sick now, wouldn’t it.” 

“You don’t work today, right?” James asks, and Remus shakes his head. “Well, spend the day relaxing. Maybe you just need to get the shit out of your system.” 

“Yeah, that’s a great idea.” Sirius leans back in his chair, not hiding the smirk on his face. “Take a nap, take a bath, jack off… You’ll feel better.” 

Remus sips the tea again. “I’m not going to do that.” 

“You could.” Sirius pushes back from the table. “You’ll be here alone. No one will know the difference.” 

James laughs, and it’s deep and full. “Until Padfoot asks you when he gets home, of course.” 

“What, I’m invested in my friend’s happiness!” Sirius turns back to Remus, trying to keep a straight face. “Really, Moony. You can use my bed if you need a place to do it. I won’t mind.” 

Remus pushes back from the table, walking to the door.  “Alright, enough of that, then. Have a good day at work, and don't worry about me. I'll watch crap TV and eat junk food and be really sick by the end of the day." 

“Put a towel down before you go to town, please!” Sirius calls behind him. “It’s only considerate.” 

Remus holds up his middle finger over his shoulder, making both of them laugh. 

---

Sirius arrives at the flat just as James is opening the door. The fact that they don’t work in the same place but still manage to arrive home at the same time nearly everyday is, frankly, surprising. Or, perhaps it’s not, considering they both apparate to and from work. Aside from Sirius’s after-hours emergencies, they both keep relatively the same hours. 

He nods at James as they both walk in, dropping their jackets and bags on hooks by the door. There’s a low murmur from the television coming from the main room, but the only other light in the room is from glass doors to the patio at the other end. In the low light, they can just see the pile of blankets on the couch. 

James sits next to the couch, uncovering Remus’s head. His curls poke out over the top of the blanket, and James uncoils a few with his fingers. “Moony, love. Wake up.” 

Remus’s eyes blink open, bleary with sleep. “Wa’ time is’t?” He clears his throat. “Did you come home for lunch?”

“Moons, it’s after five.” Sirius grabs the telly button box and flips it off. “Did you sleep all day?”

Remus rubs his eyes and sits up, yawning wide. “I—uh—I guess I did. I was watching some show after you both left, but I don’t remember much. I guess I fell asleep.” 

James lay a hand across Remus’s head. “You don’t feel warm. Do you feel sick?

“I don’t know. Maybe a bit off?” Remus held a hand over his stomach. “And hungry. Really hungry. I’d kill for some garlic right now.” 

Sirius raises an eyebrow. “Garlic.” 

“Yeah, garlic.” Remus licks his lips. “Maybe garlic bread? Or pizza again. Except—“ Remus grimaces and goes a bit green “—definitely not mushrooms.” 

James made a face. “What if I made my mum’s creamy garlic soup? Soup will be good if you’re feeling a bit sick, but maybe it’ll be garlicky enough for you.” 

“Mmm, yeah, make that. That sounds great.” Remus bit his lips. “And maybe some cheese toasties? You could add some garlic in with the cheese, that would probably be really good.”

James and Sirius exchange a look. Sirius looks back at Remus, who doesn’t seem to recognize the oddness of his request. “You know, Moony, if you didn’t want me to kiss you, you could have just said. No need to eat all that garlic.” 

“I—what?” Remus’s cheeks color as they laugh. “That’s not what I mean. I just feel like garlic sounds good.” 

“Oh, well good, because I’d probably kiss you anyway, garlic and all.” 

Remus’s cheeks darken, which is adorable considering it wasn’t the first time Sirius had made such a joke. Whatever was going on with Remus, he was clearly feeling more affected by his advances, which Sirius loves. 

Not that he is interested in Remus. They’re just friends. Well, sometimes he smells really good, and Sirius has definitely considered what it would be like to fuck him, but that’s just a product of the fact that Sirius is an alpha and Remus is an omega. It’s not like he has feelings for him. 

…right?

“Why don’t you go take a shower, Moony.” James grabs his hand and pulls him to stand. “It’ll take me a bit to get the soup going, and you’ll probably feel better if you do.” 

“Alright, yeah.” Remus pushes the sleeves of James’s jumper, which had fallen down over his hands. Sirius felt a warmth in his chest over the sweetness of the movement.  

Sirius follows James into the kitchen, who starts pulling out bulbs of garlic to roast for the soup. Sirius leans against the counter. “Do you think he’s okay? Sleeping all day, not eating, weird cravings.” 

James shrugs as he slices the garlic open with a spell. “Probably just need to expel the crap from his system that is Evan. Which, Merlin, he needs to do.” 

“Right?” Sirius grabs the thick slices of bread they kept on top of the fridge. “Hopefully he’s better tomorrow, or the full moon might be a bit rough.” 

“We’ll take care of him.” James cast a heat charm over the garlic, roasting them perfectly in a moment. “Whatever he needs, we’ve got him.” 

They work together, preparing the soup and sandwiches, and by the time Remus came in, freshly showered and dressed in a pair of joggers and a large tshirt, they were already laying the table with steaming bowls of soup and a pile of sandwiches. 

Remus sat at the table, pulling his leg up under him and licking his lips. “That smells fantastic.” He lowers his head over the bowl, inhaling deeply. 

“I’m glad, Moony.” James scoots into his seat. “You definitely need to eat if you’re getting sick.” 

Sirius joins them at the table, grabbing a sandwich and pulling it apart. He watches the cheese string apart, noticing just beyond his sandwich that Remus is wrinkling his nose. “What’s wrong, Moons?” 

“I thought you were putting garlic in this?” 

James jerks back. “There’s like double the regular amount of garlic in there. You can’t taste it?”

Sirius sips his own soup. “Moons, this is strongly garlic flavored.” 

Remus dips his spoon into Sirius’s bowl, tasting it and scrunching his nose. “I just don’t taste it. Do we have any more garlic?”

James points his wand at the cabinet, and a whole bulb of garlic flies across the room. He catches it and hands it to Remus. “Thanks, Prongs.” 

Sirius watches in horror as Remus unwraps a clove of garlic and pops it raw into his mouth. He chews for a moment before a smile spreads over his face. “Perfect.” 

James’s eyebrows practically disappear into his hairline. “You alright there, Moony?”

Remus looks between them, still chewing what must just be a wad of garlic in his mouth now. “What?”

“You’re eating a whole, raw hunk of garlic.” Sirius can’t hide the grimace. “You’re just, eating garlic.” 

Remus shrugs. “It sounded good. I don’t know.” He unwraps a few more and pops them into his soup like some sort of grotesque crouton.

James and Sirius watch as Remus downs three bowls of soup and two whole bulbs of garlic, one clove at a time. It is, honestly, frightening to watch. He uses the last of his sandwich to sop up the last of the garlic soup, licking his fingers clean when he does. 

“That was really good. I’m feeling a lot better now.” Remus sits back in his seat, hands on his stomach like it would bulge out under the food he ate. “What now?”

James shrugs. “We could put on a movie. There’s that one you were showing us earlier that you wanted to watch.” 

Remus looks at Sirius, who nods, and they all relocate to the living room couch. Remus sits in the middle, with a blanket draped over his legs, and starts the movie. Before they make it more than 15 minutes in, Remus is snoring against James’s shoulder. 

“Is he sleeping again?” Sirius grabs the telly button box and switches off the movie. “Surely he’s slept enough today.” 

James nudges Remus. “Moony. Wake up.” 

Remus’s hand comes up to brush his eyes. “Wha’ happ’n. Did you finish the movie?”

“No, Re. It’s barely started, but you fell asleep.” James put his hand to Remus’s head again. “Are you sure you feel okay?”

Remus sits up, a hand over his stomach. “No, I actually–” He retches, pushing himself off the couch and racing back to the bathroom. They can hear him getting sick from the living room.

“I think he might actually be sick.” Sirius says helpfully, earning himself a smack on the arm from James. 

James walks toward the bathroom. “Moony, do you need anything?”

A groan is followed by a request for a glass of water, and Sirius fills a glass and takes it back to him. James is looking a little green himself and standing off to the side. 

Sirius sits next to Remus in the bathroom. Remus accepts the glass and leans his head on Sirius’s shoulder. “Sorry. I don’t know what happened.” 

“It might have been the garlic,” Sirius offers. 

“Or maybe you’re getting sick,” James suggests.

Remus shakes his head. “The full moon is tomorrow. It’s probably just that, mixed with all the shit with–with Evan. I’m sure I’ll be fine after the full.” 

“Alright, if you’re sure,” Sirius says. “If you’re not, though, you should head to the doctor.” 

“I’ll be fine.” James and Sirius both glare at him until he rolls his eyes. “Fine, I’ll go, but there’s nothing wrong with me.” 

“Okay, Moony.” Sirius stands up and offers Remus a hand. “Ready to get out of here, or do you need a minute.” 

“I think I’m fine.” Remus takes his hand, letting Sirius pull him up. He sways slightly, and Sirius puts a hand on his arm. “I’m alright. Just a bit lightheaded.” 

“Let’s get you to bed, then.” Sirius starts leading him out of the bathroom to the bedroom. 

“Actually,” Remus looks toward the kitchen. “Do you think you have the ingredients for tuna salad? That sounds so good right now.” 

---

Remus sleeps most of the day before the full moon, and James side-along apparates him to the forest they regularly spend full moons in. Remus sits down next to a tree, leaning against it. He feels so run down, far worse than what a full moon typically makes him feel, and he can’t imagine how the night is going to go. “Okay, maybe there’s something wrong with me.” 

“You should really go to a doctor tomorrow.” Sirius crosses his arms as he stands next to him. 

“I’ll try, if I’m feeling alright.” 

“Do you want to take your clothes off, or I could spell them away?” James pulls his wand out, like he already knows Remus is too tired to get up and remove his clothes. He nods, and James points his wand to cast the spell. James smirks at him. “I’ve always wanted to use that spell on you, Moony.” 

Remus doesn’t even try to cover himself. “If I had any more energy, I’d have a good comeback for that.” 

“I’ll give you some come… back.” Sirius says, squinting slightly at the poor pun. James laughs. 

Remus sighs, rubbing a hand across his eyes. “I hate you both. Why am I friends with you?”

“You love us, Moony.” James squats in front of him. “You don’t know what you’d do without us.” 

“Plus, you’d also laugh if you weren’t feeling like shit.” Sirius walks a few feet away, kicking a small stone across the ground. 

“That’s all probably true.” Remus curls in on himself, holding his stomach. “It’s coming. Change.” 

James and Sirius shift, and the last thing Remus sees before the wolf takes over is a large black dog and a deer standing over him.

---

When Remus becomes aware again, James is squatting over him again. “Alright there, Moony?” 

Remus raises his hand and brushes his hair out of his face. “I–uh, too soon to tell. Do I look alright?”

“You look stunning as always, Moons.” Sirius sits next to him, leaning back on his arms but looking over at Remus. 

Remus sits up, taking a quick assessment of his body by looking at his arms and legs. “I don’t seem to be hurt. Was it a rough moon?”

“No, the opposite, really.” James sits on the ground next to him and crosses his legs. “The wolf was practically docile. Kept sniffing around on the ground like it was looking for something. Eventually, it stopped at this hollow tree, and kept bringing branches and things into it. Just before moonset, it laid down in it and just rested.” 

Remus presses his lips together, eyebrows furrowing. “That’s odd.” 

“Isn’t it?” Sirius lays back now, grabbing a small branch off of a nearby bush and pulling leaves off one by one. “As far as a full moon goes, it was pretty boring.” 

Remus feels something roar up inside of him, burning in his chest. “Well, I’m so sorry that my horrific transformation wasn’t exciting enough for you.” Remus grabs his clothes from next to James and starts pulling them on. 

Sirius sits up straight, tossing aside the small, now-bare branch. “Remus, that’s not what I meant.” 

“Whatever.” He could feel his eyes stinging, and he isn’t sure why. He isn’t about to cry. This is ridiculous. “Let’s just go home. To your home. Fuck, I just want to get out of here.” 

“Alright, Moony.” James stood up and offered a hand. “Let’s go home.” 

---

Sirius offers his room when they get back to the flat, but Remus diverts to James’s. He changes into a pair of joggers and James’s sweatshirt–why he’s been particularly drawn to them, he can’t quite say, but there’s something about the warmth and the scent of James that makes it worth the annoyance of pushing up the sleeves all day. 

James gives him a sympathetic look as he climbs under the covers. “He really didn’t mean it, you know.” 

Remus lay on his back and covered his face with his hands. “I know he didn’t. I know it wasn’t even that bad, but there was just something about the way he said it. It’s like he doesn’t realize how horrible it is for me. It’s not fun or a game.” 

“He’s always been a bit irreverent when he talks.” James moves to the dresser, grabbing the vial of pepper up potion that will keep him running through a marathon of meetings and consultations over twig length and handle polish–honestly, Remus isn't sure what goes into broomstick design. “He doesn’t mean it like that though. He knows how much it affects you.” 

“I know he does. I just wish sometimes he was a bit more considerate when he talked.” Remus rolls to his side, facing away from James.

James walks around the bed, with no concern for the fact that Remus is trying to avoid him, and squats next to him. “You’re right. It’s not a small thing, and he shouldn’t downplay it. I’m sorry it feels that way. I’ll talk to him.” James presses a kiss to his cheek, and walks to the door. “I hope you feel better, Moony.” He closes the door and turns out the light. 

Remus ignores the way his heart drops when he hears the low murmurs of conversation and the door to the flat closes. They’re gone, and Remus is alone. 

He’s always alone. 

He tries to sleep, but instead of being exhausted after the moon like he normally is, he feels energized. Which, in turn, makes him restless. The scent of James doesn’t actually help, either. In fact, if the way his pants are fitting a bit too tight has any bearing on it, it’s actually worse. He considers switching to Sirius’s bed, thinking that maybe it’s just James that is driving him to distraction, but even just standing in the door to Sirius’s room, the scent is overpowering. 

And now, Remus is hard and a bit desperate to come. 

He goes into Sirius’s bathroom–it’s the only one of the two bathrooms that has a tub–and runs a warm bath. If Sirius asks, he’ll tell him that the hot bath helped with his post-moon aches. They won’t question him when it comes to how the moon makes him feel. Really, though, as the water laps around him, it’s the best place to move his hand down to stroke himself without being consumed by their scent. 

He lets his mind wander, trying to picture a big, strong alpha who comes into the bathroom to give him a hand. Except, as much as he tries to keep the image indistinct, the man keeps shifting between long dark hair or hazel eyes. He can’t seem to dispel his friends even after he’s moved away from their scent. 

Remus gives in, letting himself picture both James and Sirius in the bathroom with him. They sit at the edge of the tub, alternating who gets to stroke him, fighting over who gets to make him come. Remus arches out of the tub as Sirius’s fingers find his nipple, twisting and pulling them to tease him as James runs a thumb over the head. 

It’s good, but it’s not enough. Remus isn’t just horny, but desperate to be filled. He doesn’t usually need that when he’s by himself. He can come without it, usually, but there’s something about today that makes it hard to think other than how good it would feel to be full right now. 

Remus drains the bath, charming himself dry and carrying the towel with him to James’s room. He’s so achingly hard now that it’s pulling down on him, pulling on his stomach, almost painful to walk with, so he wraps a hand around and continues stroking himself. 

He sorts through his boxes in James's room until he finds one particular box of things he packed before James and Sirius showed up to help. He digs in it until he pulls out another nondescript box, one that contains toys that Evan purchased for him to use on his heats when Evan wasn’t around to–or more likely, didn’t want to–help him through it. 

He’s got a few options. One set of dildos, each with a knot that gets progressively larger. They’re training toys, intended to prepare omegas and betas for alphas with larger knots. The smallest has only a half-inch knot, which Remus barely felt even with no preparation, and was laughably small during his heat. They progressively get larger, half an inch at a time, with the biggest one topping out around 5.5 inches. Remus never needed the largest sizes when he was with Evan.  

Briefly, Remus wonders what size would be most like James and Sirius, but banishes the thought before he can consider it too much. 

There are a few plugs that don’t particularly work for thrusting but can expand, should he feel the need to sit with a knot in him for a while, and one toy that the knot steadily grows as he fucks himself. He considers this one for a moment, but turns his attention to the last toy–the one that’s always been his favorite. 

It’s unassuming. It’s a long, thin dildo that has a ring on the end. The ring fits around his own cock, either tightening to prevent his orgasm or merely as a brace. The dildo, with the right spell, will fuck him until it eventually knots him without barely a warning, much like an actual knot. 

Remus takes this one and a bottle of lube, and walks out to the living room. He considers the bedrooms for a moment–Sirius did say he wouldn’t mind if Remus used his room, but that really is crossing a line… isn’t it? Even if fucking himself surrounded by Sirius’s scent would be absolutely perfect right now, Remus can’t imagine actually laying in Sirius’s bed while letting a toy knot him (and he’s definitely not picturing it now.)

Instead, he spreads his towel out on the living room floor, enlarging it slightly, and lays down on top of it. The toy works best if he lays on his back, which is a shame since he’d really love to be pounded on his hands and knees now. He lubes up himself and the toy, setting it against his hole before casting the charm. 

He doesn’t stretch himself, wanting to feel the burn as the toy works him open, but he finds himself surprisingly loose and far more lubricated than he should be. He feels a twinge of disappointment, but it is short lived when the toy is fully seated inside of him and rubbing against his prostate. 

It takes no time at all for Remus to feel close and a bit needy for the knot. During his heats, he can only come when he is knotted, and that’s exactly what it feels like now. Even as the toy fucks inside of him, and his hand is wrapped around his cock, he knows, implicitly, that he’s not going to come until it is knotted and locked. 

Remus lets himself slip into fantasy again, not even pretending that he’s not picturing James and Sirius this time. They walk through the front door and join him on the floor, one of them replacing the toy with their own cock and the other filling his mouth, and Remus can feel himself getting wetter at the thought. 

(That should not happen outside of his heat, but it feels so good right now that he can’t care to question it.) 

He can feel the light shake of the magic in the toy, knowing the knot is close. He pumps his hand along his cock, and when the knot explodes inside of him, Remus explodes across his chest. Finally.

The knot dies out around six minutes after it fills him, and Remus wishes it was a little longer. He reaches between his legs and is surprised to find the toy covered in slick. 

That should not be possible. Slick only comes during his heat. He’s still got two and a half weeks until then. He’s supposed to move out before his heat, or at the very least figure out a way not to invade the flat of two unmated alphas with the scent of his heat before it starts. This is… this is just about the worst possible timing. 

He goes into a bit of a panic. It wouldn't do to leave the scent of it. There's no telling how James and Sirius will react, and Remus is a guest in their house. He stands up, feeling the slick dripping down his legs. He wraps the towel around him like a diaper to keep it from dripping on the floor, and carries himself and the toy to the bathroom. He cleans everything–himself included–using magic first and then soap and water. Then, for good measure, cleaned them with magic again. 

Remus jumps in the shower, scrubbing until he is pink and he's sure the scent isn't lingering on his skin. He charms the shower clean, then dresses in new clothes. He takes his old clothes, the towels, and James's sheets, for good measure, charms them all clean again, and then tosses them in the muggle washing machine. 

He hears low voices in the hallway, and just before the door opens, he flips on the telly, sits on the couch, and tosses a blanket over his legs like he's been there for hours. 

James and Sirius stop as soon as they take a step into the flat, and Remus sees the way their smiles freeze on their faces. Their nostrils go wide, and almost instantly, the front of their trousers tent in obvious arousal. 

Apparently, he missed cleaning something. 

Remus groans and throws the blanket over his head, trying to hide from them and the way his cheeks flush. Unfortunately, the blanket doesn't stop their voices from reaching him.

"Moony? What happened?" James's voice has taken a deep timber, and fuck if that doesn't go straight to his cock. 

"It smells like–is that slick?" Has Sirius's voice always been such a gorgeous rich melody, or is it just the way Remus is hoping he takes mercy on him and touches him. "Are you in heat?" 

"No, that doesn't smell like heat," James says. "It wouldn't end that quickly, right?"

"I don't think so, no. Remus, would it end that quickly?" 

"It's not heat." Remus peeks over the top of his blanket, unable to ignore the tight front of their trousers, or the fact that neither of them had moved any farther into the room. "At least, I don't think it is. It doesn't feel like a heat. I tried to clean it up, and I thought I'd done an okay job, but I must have missed something and I'm sorry, I just–"

"Remus, what is it?" James's voice edges on an alpha voice, which makes Remus whimper. He wants that, so much. Why does he want that so much? 

"I–I was feeling a bit restless and– I tried to take a bath and-and- It wasn't enough, though, so I pulled out my, um, my knotting toys and I used it, and it worked but then I was covered in slick and I didn't know that could even happen if I wasn't in heat?" Remus covers his head again, unable to look at them any longer as he was torn between wanting to submit to them, both of them, and wanting to run and hide. 

For a long moment, neither of them says anything, and Remus is ready to self-combust on the couch to get out of this. Sirius clears his throat, and Remus readies himself to be thrown out. 

"Alright, Moony. I'm going to go to the loo and, uh, take care of some things. I imagine James is going to need to make the same swift exit." 

"Yup, yes. Definitely need some, uh, alone time." James clears his throat again. 

Remus peeks out over the blanket again. James adjusts the front of his pants, and Sirius is tying his hair up, leaving the front of his body unblocked, and Remus fights an urge to kneel in front of them. He lets his eyes fall closed. 

"Moony?" Remus's eyes open to find Sirius looking intently at him, a softness to his silver eyes that Remus is not used to seeing. "We're not mad at you, okay? I'd come give you a hug, but I really shouldn't get any closer right now." 

"Me too, Remus.  We'll figure this out, as soon as we get back " James looks around the room. "Also, I think it might be in the air. Did you try an air freshener spell? It might help." 

"Fucking Merlin, I knew I was forgetting something." Remus runs a hand through his damp hair. "I'll take care of it."

They disappear into their separate rooms, and Remus stands to filter the air. He casts the spell two, three times, but he doesn’t really know what will be enough. He can’t smell the scent of it the way James and Sirius can, so even if he thinks it’s gone, it may not be. Remus returns to the couch to hide under the blanket. 

He wakes to James’s gentle hands on his arm, shaking him out of sleep. “Moony, are you alright?”

Remus jumps, but James is sitting next to him, and Sirius is standing behind James, and they both look like they’ve found more control. Remus groans. “I’m so sorry. I hope the smell is gone, now.”

“It is, mostly.” James runs his hand down Remus’s arm. 

“We’re under control, though. Took care of ourselves.” Sirius tilts his head to the side. “I think you should go to the doctor though.” 

Remus sighs. “Yeah, I suppose you’re right. Maybe they can tell me what’s wrong.” 

Sirius offers Remus a hand and pulls him to standing. “St. Mungo’s has an after hours clinic that takes walk ins. We could go there.”

“We?” Remus asks. 

James stands. “Yeah, and if everything’s okay, we could pick up food from that pub down the street. If you’re feeling up to it, that is.” 

“You don’t have to come with me.” Remus shivers, feeling cold now that the blanket is off, but it’s quickly replaced by his jacket that Sirius wraps around his shoulders. “I can go by myself.” 

“Honestly, Moony, I’m just going to worry about you until you get back. I’d like to come along, if that’s alright.” James slips his arms into his own jacket. 

“If it’s not alright, I’m still coming.” Sirius pulls his leather jacket off the hook. “I’ll sit in the waiting room if I have to, but I’m going with you there, at least.” 

Remus looks between them. “Am I going to be able to talk you out of this?”

“Nope.” Sirius grabs his hand and starts pulling him to the door. “Let’s go, Moonpie, and get you better.” 

---

Remus waits alone in the little exam room. He is covered with paper shirt that came down to his knees that opens at the back. He’d asked James and Sirius to wait down the hall during the exam, though now that he is alone and waiting, he regrets this a bit. He’d probably be less nervous if James was here cracking jokes and Sirius was poking through all of the cabinets, using the medical equipment for things that were very clearly not the appropriate uses for them. 

The thought of it makes him smile, and Remus knows he’s lucky to have his friends. 

The door opens, and Healer Collins steps back in. He’s a tiny, hunched old wizard who looks like what you’d get if you mixed Dumbledore and Flitwick in a cauldron and poured them out. Remus has been fighting laughter ever since he first walked in. 

“Mr. Lupin, your test results are back, and it’s exactly what I suspected.” Healer Collins pauses to climb onto the small stool, and Remus is torn between laughing and anxiety over what the results could be. Healer Collins turns to him with a small smile. “You’re pregnant.” 

Remus chokes on the words. “I’m–I’m what? I can’t be pregnant.” 

“Mr. Lupin, you do know how Omegas–” 

“No, not that.” Remus scoffs. “I know I can get pregnant, but I cannot be pregnant. It’s not possible; it’s not–” Remus feels like he can’t breathe enough. The air keeps getting caught in his throat, and he thinks he might suffocate under the words. 

Healer Collins looks at him kindly. “I understand you’re having a bit of a shock, but I’m sure your mate will be excited for your new addition. Especially the next nine or so months, since I’m sure you’re already feeling extra touchy” 

Remus shakes his head, not even thinking beyond the word mate. “I don’t have a mate. He won’t–My boyfriend and I split up. He kicked me out.” 

Healer Collins’s face crinkles in concern. “Do you have somewhere to stay right now? It’s not good for a pregnant, unmated Omega to wander about alone.” 

Remus nodded. “I’m staying with my friends.” 

He nodded. “Good. Omegas should stick together.” 

Remus doesn’t bother to correct him. “What do I do now?”

Healer Collins folds his arms over his legs. “Well, I suppose the first question is if you want to keep the pregnancy. If not, it’s early enough that you have a lot of options.” 

Remus rubs his fingers across his forehead. “I don’t–I’m not sure. I, um. I need time to think about it. Is that okay?”

Healer Collins smiles kindly at him. “It is, but you should decide quickly. The longer you wait, the fewer options you have. However, if you decide within the next week, it can be easily taken care of.” 

“And–” Remus takes a deep breath, steeling himself for the next question. “And what if I don’t want to?”

“Then you should prepare for pregnancy.” He stands and wanders over to the pamphlets behind the door, grabbing a few. “We’ve got a few informational things here that you can take with yo. There are some changes to your diet, and you should start taking prenatal vitamins. You should make sure you have some good knotting toys. Your friends may be able to help you, but you will feel at times like you can’t come without a knot. A toy should do fine for that.”

Remus tries desperately hard not to think about James and Sirius helping him.  

“What else do I need?”

Remus walks down the hallway with an appointment card with an obstetrician, a handful of pamphlets, and a bottle of prenatal vitamins shoved in a plastic bag. The pamphlets vary from discussion of his options to what to expect when you’re expecting to choosing a delivery center , and he can’t look at any of them. The bottle of pills features a smiling woman who is running her hands over her belly. 

This cannot be real.

He sees James and Sirius through the clear door back to the waiting room before they see him. They’re sitting next to each other, and they seem to be playing some sort of game that involves slapping each other’s hands, and he can see them laughing. He hesitates just before opening the door, knowing that he’s going to have to tell them that he’s not sick, but he’s not exactly fine either, and what is he going to choose?

He has to make a choice. 

What the hell kind of choice is this?

Sirius looks up then and meets Remus’s eyes. His face breaks out into a worried smile, and he elbows James. They both stand up, and Remus knows he can’t wait anymore. He has to go through the door, walk up to them and… 

He opens the door and walks out, clinging to the bag with all the answers to questions he hasn’t even begun to think about asking. James and Sirius walk up to him, neither of them speaking and that must mean that his face says more than he’s aware because James and Sirius are never quiet, so they must know, and it must be written all over his face and what is he supposed to say–

“Remus? Is everything okay?” James’s hand is a steadying force on his elbow, and he takes a deep breath before looking up at them. 

“Can we go home?” 

He hears the way his voice shakes, and they don’t argue with him. James side-along apparates him home again without asking, which Remus is grateful for. They don’t ask him anything as they walk up to the door and open it, but Remus can feel the way they’re looking at him, patient but expectant. 

He has to say something. He has to tell them. How are they going to react? How does he even want them to react?

James moves to the kitchen and puts on the kettle, and Sirius leads Remus to the couch, wrapping the blanket back around him. He wonders what they think it is. Do they think he’s dying? (Is he dying? Would dying be preferable to being preg– he can’t even think it.) 

It seems like no time at all before Sirius is prying the bag of pamphlets and pills out of his hand, and James is replacing it with a hot mug of tea. They sit on either side of him, and he’s out of time. He can’t look at them. He can’t see their faces. He doesn’t want to see the way they react. He just has to say it. Just has to get it out. Just has to–

“I’m pregnant.” 

–say it.

Chapter 2: Week Seven: Blueberry

Notes:

This chapter is written by Krethes. ❤️

T/W: There is some werewolf-related dubcon and withholding of information, but none of the parties involved are harmed by this.

"I'll kill him." Sirius grabs his wand, Summons his jacket from the hook near the door, and shoves his feet back into his boots, still warm from use scant minutes earlier. "I'm gonna kill him. He's dead. Fucking. Dead!"

He's never liked Evan, slimy little worm that he is, and no love has been lost since Evan broke up with Remus (aside from Sirius feeling badly for Remus, who is hurting), but this… this is fucked up. This is a crossed line. A blight on the soul, surely! Unforgivable. 

"Padfoot, maybe-"

"Maybe I should do it the Muggle way? You're right." Sirius snaps his fingers affirmatively at James, Transfigures a pen into a long-bladed knife, and examines it. "Perfect. This way, I can chop off his tiny di-"

"Sirius, no!" Remus has thrown himself in front of him, his arms spread wide. The blanket falls off his shoulders and he looks like he might vomit. Vomit because he's pregnant. Because Evan…!

Sirius growls low in his throat, every instinct he has as someone who loves Remus and as an Alpha screaming at him to get revenge, to make Evan pay . "He doesn't just get to…to knock you up and then leave !" Sirius snaps. "No. You know, my family's not had anyone brought up on murder charges this generation, I think it's high time to correct that, don't you? Keep with the tradition?"

James's hand grabs his shoulder but Sirius shakes him off to stalk towards the door. Once more, Remus gets in his path, only this time he's pushing, hard, against Sirius's chest and there are tears in his eyes and then just like that, he's bolting off for the bathroom to throw up. Sirius watches Remus go, breathing heavily and shaking with rage. He doesn't know where Evan is but Sirius has "friends" in his circles, he could find him with the right palm greased. Find him and throttle him until his stupid snobby face turns purple and his beady little eyes bug out, and-

"Padfoot, you-"

"How are you not furious?!" Sirius shouts. "How…he's our best friend, Prongs! He's our best friend and his irresponsible arsehole of a boyfriend convinced him to drop the contraceptive charms or condoms or potions and got. Him. Pregnant! That's not right! That's…that's so…" Sirius blusters, looking for words that won't come, words that don't feel strong or weighty enough to convey his anger.

"Fucked up," James supplies. He wipes his hands on a tea towel and sighs, the kind with the weight of the world behind it, the kind that warns of sanctimonious shit. "I'm not outwardly furious because being angry isn't helping Remus."

Sirius scowls, feeling another growl bubble in his throat. Not helping Remus?! Remus needs this kind of help. He needs someone to track down that snakey viper and beat the ever-loving shit out of him, at minimum! He needs that. He needs someone to protect him. Sirius can't protect him from the horrors of the full moon or go after the werewolf who bit him as a kid, but he can sure as hell go after Evan Rosier. 

"Sirius." James pries the knife from Sirius's hand, changes it seamlessly back into a pen, and puts both hands on his shoulders. His calm rankles Sirius. James has always been better at reining in his emotions, even after they presented as Alphas, a skill Sirius has never had a good grip on. He can't help it. He's passionate about the things and people he loves and he loves Remus. They both do. "Want to breathe with me?"

"No." He wants to rip Evan's micro dick off and shove it down his throat with a fistful of puking pastilles and dungbombs. 

"Sirius."

Sirius rolls his eyes and clasps James's forearms when offered. "Fine." They take several deep breaths together (in-two-three-four-five-six-seven-eight, hold-two-three-four, out-two-three-four-five-six-seven-eight) and afterwards, Sirius is feeling oxygenated and still like he wants to tear Evan into a billion little prat-shaped pieces, but it's much less of a compulsion and more of a simmering rage, a crocodile lurking under the pond scummy surface, ready to snap the twiggy legs off of a gazelle named Evan. 

"Can I trust you not to murder anyone while I go check on Remus?"

"No."

"Siri-"

"Well, you can't, so I'll check on Remus! Hey," Sirius grumbles, interrupting James's protest, "I'll be good. Ixnay on the urdermay and everything." Sirius draws an x over his heart with his index finger and side-steps James's staying hand again to walk down the hall. 

Remus, in his haste, left the door ajar and Sirius peeks through into the pale light of the unlit bathroom. Remus isn't throwing up anymore, but he's slumped against the wall with his face pressed to the cool tile, his legs drawn up to his chest. He looks so small like this and it threatens to reignite the rage that's plagued his family like a curse for generations. Sirius remembers feeling like the small one whenever they were in school. He and James have always been evenly matched, but Remus was a beanstalk, shooting up taller and faster than even the girls in their year, all gangly limbs and sharp angles. 

When they presented, Remus didn't grow any further. His angles softened, fat clung easier to his moon-scrawny body, and his wild, feral allure became more of a beauty. Meanwhile, James and Sirius grew tall and strong and hard, all muscle and grit and machismo that they had to beat out of each other. They got into so many fights that first year without Remus's dry wit breaking them up, without Remus bodily pulling them apart and setting them on opposite sides of the room. 

Remus has always been their missing brick, but their patch job of James learning to talk about his feelings (and then forcing them out of Sirius with a headlock or two) and having separate living spaces (being able to shut his door and just be moody on his own was Founders-blessed) has been working. Mostly. James is Sirius's best friend, but Remus is their best friend. The spellotape. 

He's here now, though, and the reason for that makes Sirius's anger lift its spiky head again. Remus deserves better. Should have better! He shouldn't be left to maybe-raise that bastard's kid on his own. The only good thing Evan Rosier has ever done in his miserable life was not Bond with Remus.

Sirius clears his throat and raps gently on the door. Remus doesn't jump, doesn't even look up, just makes a noncommittal gesture Sirius chooses to read as a 'well alright, come in, then, you daft brute.' He drops down next to Remus on the floor, sprawling his long legs out, but keeps his hands to himself no matter how badly he needs to touch Remus, to hold him and tell him it'll all be okay. "Moony, I-"

"Can you sit over there, please?" Remus asks tightly. He gestures to the empty shower and Sirius furrows his brow. Is he still cross with him about the moon? Surely not, but…

"Uh. Sure?" Sirius complies, though he does feel altogether ridiculous for sitting fully clothed in a dry shower. It's not the bathtub, at least. Sirius hasn't been able to even walk into his own bathroom without picturing Remus pulling off in there, and he knows he'll have to come to grips with it (and his own dick) eventually, but avoidance usually works out well for him. 

Remus wipes his nose with the back of his hand and turns his head to take several deep breaths. "You reek."

Instinctively, Sirius gives himself a cursory sniff under his armpits. He smells fine! Like deodorant. Maybe a little like St Mungo's but Remus would then, too. "I can change my deodorant spell if that's…upsetting you-"

"No, you reek of Alpha. Dial it back, Jesus Christ."

Grimacing, Sirius tries the breathing technique of James's again, willing his protective (and inappropriately horny) instincts to subside (for now). He should have noticed sooner, the way Remus's face was flushed and sweaty, how his eyes had gotten darker, slightly glazed over. You're an idiot, Black. "Better?"

"Yeah…sorry."

"What the fuck are you sorry for? Remus, no . You don't need to apologize for- you've done nothing- ugh. I know, I'm getting worked up again!" Sirius gives himself a shake and lets his head thump against the shower wall. Deep breaths. "I shouldn't have threatened to kill him in front of you."

"'In front of me'?" Remus's words are just this shy of scathing, but when Sirius steals a glance at him, his lips are quirked in a poorly hidden smirk. Little shit. 

It emboldens Sirius, and he shrugs carelessly. "Yeah, I should've just done it and brought you his moldy head or something on a platter."

"Not silver, I should hope."

"Nah, silver's for toffs. Only the finest gold for my Moony." Their eyes meet, and warmth floods Sirius, because there's an actual smile on Remus's face and Sirius feels the tension leave his body. Just like that. Poof. Gone. 

Remus searches his face, golden eyes sharp, reminding Sirius uncomfortably and brilliantly of the wolf's, like he's looking for something, some answer to a burning question, and Sirius hopes he finds it. He feels raw under that gaze, and can't help but be drawn into it physically. He crosses the low lip of the shower without getting up, and when he draws near, the scent from earlier hits him like an erumpent. 

Sirius can hear his own heartbeat thundering in his ears, can feel himself harden in his trousers as arousal rushes through him, unbidden but as unstoppable as the tides. "Moony," he chokes out, trying desperately to breathe through his mouth, but he can taste it, taste the want radiating from Remus—from Remus's body —and it goes straight to his head (or, rather, his dick). There's a dark patch between Remus's drawn-up legs and a noticeable tenting between them, and Sirius can't think straight. "Remus, y- fuck!!" 

Ice cold water pours out of the showerhead, soaking Sirius in moments. A murderous look at the door reveals James aiming his wand with a tea cozy over his mouth and nose. 

"Shit, I'm sorry!" Remus jumps up, slips past James who looks like watching him go is causing him as much physical pain as it is Sirius, and Sirius hears the door to their balcony open and close. 

"Fuck, Prongs, I didn't-!"

"I know, Pads. You wouldn't. What even happened in here?"

"Nothing!" Sirius protests, cupping himself through his sodden trousers. "I apologized!"

"Well can't blame him then. Such a rare occurrence that I can't help but sploosh a little, too."

"Piss off!" Sirius growls. "He's…"

"Let him cool off for a few minutes. You know he's going to try to stay somewhere else now."

Sirius grimaces and stands up, guilt slowly replacing the lust. "We can't let him go to his parents'. And nowhere else is safe for the moons. But fuck, Prongs, we're going to have to wear filtration spells or something if he keeps… if his body keeps producing slick at the drop of a hat."

"I guess it's a pregnancy thing?" James twirls his wand between his fingers thoughtfully. "But like, aside from him being our best friend and recently out of a really shitty breakup and finding out some very big and possibly shitty news…would it be so bad?"

Sirius squints at him, suspicion and no small amount of interest rising. "Would what be so bad?"

"If we fucked. Us. Ugh, us and him! If we fucked Remus!"

"I'm going to pretend like you've not just said that, because I'd like a chance at maintaining my sanity and status as an Alpha who has never assaulted an Omega, thanks." Sirius looks up at the ceiling and takes several deep breaths. He's fine. He and James are more than their secondary sex. Yes, they're unmated Alphas who are living with an unmated, pregnant Omega, but that Omega is their friend. He's not a nobody. 

"Oh, don't be so…" James cuts himself off and groans, slumping against the doorjamb. "Yeah alright it's a terrible idea and it would be horrible because of all of those things."

"And because you're a shit lay."

"Oi!" James launches himself at Sirius and they wrestle in the still-running shower, hands slipping on wet skin, hair sticking to their faces and necks, cold water beating down. 

"Hey guys, I'm really sor- …nope. Nope. No. Uh-uh." 

Sirius cranes his neck around the bulk of James's shoulder to see Remus (a Remus with incriminatingly tight trousers) back away with one hand over his eyes and the other over his nose and mouth. Sirius looks back at James and down, seeing their shirts clinging to their chests, their hips flush, and noticing for the first time that they'd started to rock against each other. 

"Your fault," James mutters and finally turns off the shower. 

"How in the fuck is that one my fault?" Sirius, incredulous, gives James a little shove. With his hips. Because his arms are tired. 

James shoves him back and pins him to the shower wall, leaning in until they're nearly nose-to-nose. There's a low rumble in his chest that Sirius can feel vibrate against his ribs, and he's not even embarrassed about the answering one rising in his own, or by the further stiffening of his cock. "You're older. You should know better."

Sirius's growl comes out as a wheezing laugh, and he pushes a cackling James away. "Right, right. Tosser." Sirius spells himself dry (James can sort himself out, the pillock) and steps out of the shower. He can't smell Remus anymore, which is a good sign. Probably. "Alright. First things first: I kill Evan Rosier, and-"

"No!" Remus's shout echoes down the hall and Sirius scowls. Stupid werewolf hearing. 

"Fine!" Sirius yells back with unnecessary force. "First things first: tea. Tea and takeaway and trashy television, yes? Pron- where the fuck are your clothes?"

James, standing there naked-as-you-please, shrugs. "Clothes are wet. Don't want to catch my death and die. Then who will keep your ego in check?"

"Moony."

"The boy's pregnant, he got enough to deal with, don't you think?" James rolls his shoulders and saunters past Sirius in his sculpted bronze statue of nakedness, yelping at the well-placed stinging hex Sirius slings his way.

---

Despite the drama in the bathroom, James is decently relaxed in their joint sprawl across the couch, a wild assortment of takeaway containers in front of them. Remus couldn't decide on what he wanted to eat, so in true James fashion, he placed large orders with five different places and brushed off Remus's insistence that they split the bill. They're eating lazily now and watching, as prescribed, trashy television, some Muggle drama about doctors Sirius is disturbingly into. James thinks most of their problems could be solved by a little magic, but that's Muggles for you. 

Remus started off in between them, but soon declared he was far too warm to be in the middle, and is now curled against James's side. His curly hair keeps tickling his nose, but watching him pop pieces of breaded chicken into his mouth with a happy little hum is worth the mild irritation. Remus dozes off a few minutes after finishing his carton of food, and James's heart squeezes uncomfortably as he takes in the raw vulnerability of his sleeping face. 

He's never thought of Remus as needing a protector . He's a werewolf, for Merlin's sake! Sure, he's an Omega, but the wolf still has its own power over Remus's body and lends him strength and heightened senses. Plus, he's a damn good duellist and James never wants to be on the receiving end of his wand. Of his magical wand. Sirius has never been bothered or intimidated by that, though, and James has had to break up squabbles dozens of times before they presented. 

But after… everyone started treating Remus like he was some delicate flower. Like he might break if you look at him wrong. He and Sirius are the only exceptions, but even Sirius is milder around Remus. James doesn't see the point. Just because Remus can get pregnant and smells Founders-damned delicious once a month in a way that makes James's entire body feel like it's on fire doesn't mean he's any less capable. 

Remus like this, curled up and making soft snoring sounds against James's shoulder, doesn't look very capable. There's no swell to his belly—well, there's a bulge from all the food he's eaten tonight that James finds irresistibly cute—but something has changed. Something's made him softer, unsure of himself, an echo of the scared boy he was at eleven who didn't think he'd ever make friends because of the monster inside him. 

James loves every side of Remus. He sees no monster. 

"I still want to kill Rosier," Sirius murmurs quietly, his breath barely a push of air next to James's ear. "I don't…I can't tell Moony what to do, but keeping that idiot's kid…"

"You're right. We can't tell him what to do." James bumps his head against Sirius's. "But we have to support whatever it is. You know that. No matter what he picks. We're not…we're not leaving him alone."

Sirius nods and grinds his forehead against James's in a familiar gesture of strange affection, wrought from their adolescent misadventures. "Of course not. Made that promise fifteen years ago, but even if I hadn't…" Sirius leans back on the couch to look at Remus, still asleep. "Even if I hadn't, I'd make it every day."

"Yeah." James exhales slowly, pushing out his nerves, trying to bank the smouldering anger in his core, the part of him that wants to go with Sirius, wants to find Evan Rosier and make him take some damn responsibility. James isn't bonded yet and he has plenty of time, but it's hard to wait until he finds the right person. He's wanted kids for far too long to be reasonable, given they're only in their twenties, but he loves them. Loves the idea of raising little humans into bigger humans and teaching them to be good, to do good. 

If Remus wants to go through this pregnancy, James will stand by him. 

"Yeah. Me too," Sirius murmurs, nuzzling into James's face obnoxiously and into his neck, much less obnoxiously. 

James wraps his arm around Sirius's shoulders. "We'll be the best uncles in the world."

Sirius scoffs. "Speak for yourself. I'm going for godfather."

"Godfather. You?"

"Yeah, what of it?" Sirius lifts his head, scowling. 

"You're not exactly the beacon of moral guidance, Pads," James says drily. 

"Wow. Wow. You wound me. I am dead. You've killed me. Deceased. Expired. Unsubscribed from life." Sirius puts his hands over his heart and does a dramatic performance of dying, complete with gasps and plenty of groans. 

"D'you have to fuck next to me? M'sleepy," Remus groans, burrowing further into James's side. "At least use a silencing charm or something. Put…towel down."

James just barely catches his laugh before it escapes, and Sirius helps him by clasping his hand across James's mouth. They share a conspiratorial look and, well, it's just a little fun. 

"Unh, Jamie, there, right there!" Sirius pants, really pouring it on thick. "Gimme that fat knot, Prongs, c'mon, put…uh…"

"Puppies in you?" James offers helpfully. 

"Mmm yeah, puppies, sure, put a whole litter of puppies in me, babe."

Two pillows hit them both in the face, followed by a loud grumble from Remus. "Seriously?"

"Well-"

"Don't. You. Dare." Remus brandishes his wand at Sirius threateningly as he scrambles to his feet. The quilt around his narrow shoulders doesn't really add to his intimidation attempt, and James just reclines back with a little smile. 

Sirius pouts, putting on his best puppy dog eyes, and bats his eyelashes at Remus. "I just want Prongs's puppies!"

Remus snorts and flings another pillow Sirius's way. "Think they'd be fawns, or maybe you'd get a deer puppy hybrid? Wait, is it James fucking you or is it Prongs?"

The tension breaks and the three of them burst out into side-splitting laughter, helpless to the giggles that overtake them.

"Yeah if anyone's gonna have puppies, it's you, Moony," Sirius teases. 

Remus's laughter dries up instantly, like he's only just remembered he's pregnant, and his eyes go wide. "Fuck."

"Fuck, sorry, Moony, I didn't-"

"Fuck!" Remus sinks to the floor on his knees and balls his fists in his lap. 

"Hey, hey," James soothes, and he and Sirius immediately slide down to join him. "It's alright, Moony. We're here, aren't we Pads? We're here for you and no matter how many puppies- er, babies you have or don't have, we're not going anywhere."

"I'm fucking pregnant," Remus whispers, horrified. He gasps and looks at both of them, panicked. "Fuck me, what if I do have puppies!?"

---

Getting Remus settled in bed after that was truly an act of patience and willpower. Eventually, they ended up Floo calling Madame Pomfrey (Minnie was not pleased) and asking for, you know, no reason at all, if sleeping draughts were safe for pregnant people. (The answer was no, but she did send some calming draught through and gave a list of safe herbs that promote sleep. And several vials of contraceptive potion with a strongly-worded warning from Minnie.)

Still, Remus wakes up in the middle of the night shouting from a nightmare, and Sirius and James pile into his bed to comfort him. It's distracting, laying there curled up next to his favorite werewolf inferno, knowing that just under his hand, draped across Remus's flat stomach, is a little bundle of DNA, a tiny little monster as opposed to the rather large one Remus has lived with for his entire life. 

It's distracting thinking about how Remus got in this situation, and his anger at Evan gets diluted by helpless want and covetous jealousy because Evan got to do this to Remus. Evan got to have Remus's love, every inch of him, every single last freckle and scar revealed for his perusal, his silent judgment. Evan might have "accepted" Remus's lycanthropy, but Sirius didn't see him becoming an Animagus to help Remus every month. 

Evan didn't deserve Remus five years ago and he certainly doesn't now. Sirius curls his fingers against Remus's stomach, prompting a quiet little moan, and he swears under his breath. In the dim, James's eyes glint gold and that doesn't help Sirius's rapidly-growing erection in the slightest. Fuck. Fuck. 

He has to get his dick away from Remus now . And his hands. And his tongue. And teeth. Because they way he's curled up behind Remus, it would be so easy to just lean forward and bite that scent gland at the curve of his neck and shoulder. The biggest fuck you to Evan, the biggest display of friendship (Sirius is aware it's not normal to want to mate bond to your best friend), of…of everything. Remus doesn't need Sirius to be safe, but Sirius wants to do it anyway. 

Shower. Now.

Sirius winces at the sudden intrusion to his thoughts. He glares at James from over Remus's shoulder, an irrational spike of possessiveness shooting up at the command from another Alpha when there's an Omega between them. James sends another wave of Go! at him, though, and Sirius bites back his snarl. It's for the best. It's for Remus. 

Sirius carefully extracts himself from the bed and stalks across the flat into James's room and through to his bathroom. Before he can even wave the lights on, James is there and pushing him into the shower. His shout of protest (for the shoving, nothing more) gets lost in James's mouth crashing against his, more teeth than tenderness, all surging need. 

"Yeah?" James asks, reaching between them to grab Sirius's more-than-semi. 

"Yeah." Sirius spares a final braincell to hope that Remus doesn't wake up to an empty bed and think they've ditched him and uses the remaining energy to throw up a silencing spell and strip the both of them to nothing. 

"Keen, aren't you?" James's low chuckle does horrible things to Sirius's ability to remain cool. Sirius bucks into his hand a few times before grabbing James around the middle and pushing him to the opposite wall. He's got an inch or two on James, but James is much broader, so Sirius has learned to get creative. "Oh good, didn't have the energy to fuck you anyway," James taunts. 

"You lazy sod!" Sirius bites down hard on the firm edge of James's shoulder, drawing blood but not stopping. James, now grinding frantically against Sirius's thigh, does nothing to slow him down, just tips his head back and moans like a Knockturn whore. 

The world lost a phenomenal Omega when James presented as an Alpha, of that Sirius is sure. 

This isn't the first time they've helped each other out. Alpha-Alpha relationships might be rare and rather frowned upon, actually, but it's just practical to have someone to go through ruts with who can't get pregnant. Their shags are brutal and bloody and they often leave with limps and bruises, but their spirits are settled and their friendship closer than ever. Tenderness was lost when they presented, immortalized in Sirius's memory as a fumbling kiss in Fourth Year, a questioning hand in Fifth, an eager mouth in Sixth. 

Sirius doesn't think he has the energy to fuck James, either (it's so much body to move), but he just needs to get off. He's been inundated with Remus and Remus's scent and Remus's…Remus-ness for far too long without having some proper release. His hand is nice, but James's cock, slicked up with Conjured lube and precome, is much, much better. 

"D'you… he's got toys…" James pants, his nails biting into Sirius's arse as he grinds against him. "How…how big?"

"Oh fuck, Prongs, please, I can't-" Sirius cuts himself off, his mind whirling as it produces images of Remus naked, Remus in the bath, Remus licking the flared tip of a dildo, Remus forcing a fake knot into himself. 

"Yes… hah, yes you can," James baits. "Evan…prob'ly small. He's…oh fuck…!" 

Just the mention of Evan's name ignites a new anger in Sirius's soul and he flips James around, shoving his—laughing—face into the tiles. He doesn't bother with niceties, just hisses a crude prep charm and thrusts into him with a snarl. James is painfully tight even though Sirius knows he's as relaxed as can be, and the little shit actually squeezes around him. 

"Fuck you, Prongs," Sirius gasps, seeing stars.

"I'd like that, yes. Go!" James barks. He braces his hands on the tile and fucks himself on Sirius's cock, fast and graceless. 

"Now look who's keen. Thought you were too tired."

"Shut up and fuck me so we can go back to bed."

Sirius laughs and loops his arms under James's to draw him flush against his chest. James groans, deep and low as he's finally fully seated on Sirius's cock, and, for once, lets Sirius set the pace. 

Like always, it's borderline violent, the room filling with the lewd, rhythmic sound of skin slapping and punched-out moans, of fuck, yeses and faster, you dicks permeating through. Like always, it's fast, and Sirius has James coming into his fist within minutes, with just enough time to pull him off his cock and come thick ropes across his toned back and spank-reddened arse. 

They catch their breath under the cool spray of the shower and James heals the crescent-shaped gouges from Sirius's skin with a pass of his hand, and reluctantly lets Sirius close the bleeding half-moon on his shoulder. The water turns scalding and they scrub their skin pink until no trace of the other is left behind, no trace of what they've done. During ruts, they wear their marks proudly, an instigation to start another round of vigorous sex, but this was a maintenance fuck. They have bigger things to worry about than any weird feelings or emotions. Remus needs them. 

And Remus means the world to them. 

James casts an air freshening charm and three rounds of cleansing charms on both of them and the bathroom before they deem it safe to go back into Sirius's room where Remus is, thank fuck, still sleeping. He rouses a bit when their combined bulk makes the box spring squeak, but Sirius whispers facts about magizoology and James talks about the latest broom line, the Zephyr, and eventually Remus drifts back off to sleep.

---

Remus wakes up to an empty bed and, most importantly, the smell of strong coffee. His sense of smell has always been tops, but this smells like he's shoved his head in a bag of coffee beans. He's sore and nauseated, but there's a small vial of pale pink liquid next to the nightstand with Poppy's pretty script on the label. It's not addressed to him, and if it had been from any other wix, Remus would have panicked, but Poppy…Poppy is good. Poppy was his life raft at school. So however she knows, however she's figured it out…he's fine. 

The contents of the vial go down smoothly, tasting faintly of rose, and his stomach settles in moments, reminding Remus that he's ravenous. He dresses quickly and follows his nose to the kitchen, hoping that coffee perhaps also comes with bacon or, oh , anchovies would be amazing, with a little ramekin of sour cream? 

"You're up early," James greets without looking at him. He's in a hooded sweatshirt that has the sleeves ripped off and has a fry-up going on the large skillet at the hob. Remus notices a distinct lack of anchovies and sour cream, but the coffee smells so divine, he thinks he can overlook it. 

"Prongs, hey- ah, fuck. Moony, you ruined the surprise!" Sirius comes through the door with an armful of pomegranates and apples.

"Should I… go back to bed?"

"Yes!"

"No," James laughs. "We were just going to bring you breakfast in bed, that's all. Let you have a lie-in."

Remus smiles and runs his fingers self-consciously through his hair, trying to untangle his riotous curls. "That's… really kind. Thank you. But this is still great. Can I…mug? Coffee?"

"You can have Padfoot's mug since he's forgotten to set the others to cleaning," James decides. He levitates a red mug with tiny black dogs all over it to Remus with his wand. 

Sirius mutters darkly under his breath, but Remus catches fragments of it, something about being an errand boy, a fruit fetcher, woken up at the arse crack of dawn, that sort of thing, but even his grumpiness can't dim Remus's good mood and sudden clarity. 

They eat, Remus adding jam to his eggs and clotted cream to his coffee (to the revulsion of both his friends), but a full belly and a caffeinated mind only further cement his decision. 

"I'm keeping it."

"The mug? I mean sure, you've tainted it with sin, so have at it…?"

"The baby."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Is that mad? No. Don't answer that. It's mad. I'm mad. This whole thing is-"

James looks up from where he's clearing the table. " Moony. It's your choice. It's your baby." 

"It's Evan's baby, too," Remus says softly.

"Have you told the ars- the…him?" Sirius asks around a mouthful of apple. 

Remus catches the glare James shoots his way but says nothing about Sirius's intended comment. "I um…"

"You haven't, have you?" James's hands cover his, big and warm and steady, not shaking and clammy like Remus's are, and he forces Remus to look him in the eye. "You haven't told Evan."

"No, I, uh,...haven't."

"Good!" Sirius declares. "He doesn't deserve to know, scummy twat."

James rolls his eyes and thumps Sirius with the back of his hand. Sirius thumps him back, and Remus can sense a food fight coming, and snatches the apple core Sirius predictably chucks at James's head in mid-air. They each give him a sheepish, chastised look, and settle down. Honestly. 

"I don't know how to tell him."

"Well, I'm a big fan of, 'hey ex-boyfriend, what are you doing like 34 weeks from now? Nothing? Well, think again!'" 

Remus tuts at James, though honestly it's not a bad idea. "It's complicated."

"What's complicated about it? Alpha fucks Omega. Alpha knots Omega. Omega gets pregnant."

Remus throws the apple core at Sirius and feels a twinge of self-righteous satisfaction when it plinks off of his shoulder. "No shit, but no. The Evan thing is complicated. He doesn't even want kids."

James raises his brows and crosses his arms over his broad chest. "So why the fuck is he with you? Shit, sorry!" James waves off his outburst and shakes his head. "He was with you because you're an amazing, wonderful, sexy, smart guy, but…why is he with an Omega, specifically? The whole…appeal…is y'know, kids. And great sex. Amazing sex. …what was my point again?"

"Point is, Evan's even more of a knob than I thought. Maybe he gets off on heats… well, obviously he gets off during them, but you know what I mean. A fetish. Kink. Something like that?" Sirius suggests.

Remus flushes at the memory of his last heat. He's been on fertility suppressants ever since he presented, but as they run right before or coincident to the Full Moon most months (his fucking luck), they make his Transformations awful. There isn't a lot of research on Omegas who are also werewolves (go figure) and even if there was, it's unlikely anyone would be willing to help him on that front. At first, Remus thought his difficult moons were because the wolf was just upset that he presented as an Omega and not an Alpha, or that maybe the huge shift in hormones was doing something fucky. 

It was getting really bad, though, and he'd accidentally on purpose skipped a dose while Evan was out of town for business. Remus went through that heat as normal and rode it out with the selection of toys Evan gifted him, sent Evan some bottled pensieve memories of himself bent in half with one of the toys just railing him as a sordid thank you, and his next full moon was…so, so much easier. He hurt himself a lot less, to the point where even James and Sirius commented on it, about how the wolf just seemed happier. How he'd played with them, even, for the first time in years. For the first time since they all presented. 

(Remus has a foggy memory of the wolf perhaps being a little more than friendly with his friends, but he could be misremembering. Memory dreams and fantasies often overlap, especially if they're embarrassing.)

His experiment was so successful, Remus did it again, just grateful to have found even a tiny reprieve from the monthly agony he's suffered for nearly two decades. It isn't perfect—turning into the wolf is still fucking terrible—but that heat went well, too. James and Sirius weren't as effusive as they were previously, but that didn't mean anything. 

"Evan didn't have any reason to think he'd get me pregnant…"

"But… no. Remus. You weren't taking your contraceptives?" James asks. "I thought this was just one of those 'only 99.9% effective' things and you have shit luck."

Remus feels his cheeks burn and shakes his head. "They make the moons…awful. Really awful. I um…I haven't taken them for three full moons now."

"You what?!" Sirius exclaims and he and James share a long, frantic look that deeply unsettles Remus. "You um, you sure about that, Moonbeam?"

Remus frowns. "Yes, Starlight. Some of us keep track of what we put in our bodies." 

James must sense a storm brewing and physically breaks Remus's line of sight to Sirius by stepping in between them. "Remus," he says slowly. He glances over his shoulder at Sirius, who nods tersely. "You don't think…well. So. Remember in Seventh, when um…"

"When…? No. No." He refuses to entertain the possibility. It's absurd. It's…well, it's not impossible.

"You said you, um, well, you explicitly forbade us from telling you if it happened again?" Sirius offers weakly. He's gone shockingly pale under his usual ivory skin and Remus feels just as shaken.

Horror mixed with mortification and perhaps the tiniest little droplet of relief crash over Remus and he staggers backwards onto the kitchen table. "Did I…did we…?" He casts an imploring look at James.

"Moony uh…well, the wolf doesn't really do subtlety and-"

"It wasn't forced!" Sirius is quick to say. "I mean. I didn't…" He buries his face in his hands and groans. "Prongs? Please?"

James guides Remus, too shocked to protest, away and into his bedroom with one arm around his shoulders. It's very distracting, and probably the only thing keeping Remus from a complete shut down. When James gently pushes him to sit on the edge of his bed, Remus looks up at him. "I fucked Padfoot?'

"It…well. The wolf did. Yes."

"But then it's fine. I mean it's not fine because my in-his-right-mind best friend got mounted by a werewolf but it's not like he-"

"It went both ways."

Remus's jaw drops and he just stares at James. 

"Moony wasn't really taking a no. That's why Sirius said he wasn't…well, forced. It wasn't his idea! He did try…to stop. But- well, your heats are always really close and if I wasn't a deer and y'know, always a little too aware of how edible I am...I'd probably have tried…to…yeah." 

James's cheeks are flaming red and Remus swears he can feel the heat coming off of them. "Oh God. Okay. Um." This isn't happening. This isn't happening. "Did he uh…kn-knot me?"

James nods stiffly. "Yeah…Remus, I swear, we would have told you, but-"

"But I made you promise. On your honor as Marauders. As people who love me…"

"And we thought you were on your suppressants because, well…yeah."

Remus swallows hard and looks up at the ceiling. "How many times?"

"W-what? How many times what?"

"How often…has this happened?" Remus isn't sure he wants to know the answer, but he needs to know. 

James's hesitation to answer is doing nothing to calm Remus's nerves, but he eventually speaks. "Full on…everything? Just twice. That first full together, which you, um, you know about. And uh…moon before last."

"Which is right about the time I got pregnant. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!" He can't breathe. This is… well, it's so much worse, isn't it? He made his best friend in the entire world fuck him on the full moon because Remus was too chicken shit to take his fertility suppressant, too afraid of the pain. He'd cheated on Evan because he was too scared of the Transformation. It's his fault. His fault for stopping his potion. His fault for accosting Padfoot. His fault Evan left him after five years. Because Evan must know. He must! What other reason does he have for dropping Remus now? He must have smelled Padfoot on him and gotten so angry he couldn't even look at Remus anymore. And Remus can't blame him. He'd blame himself. He does blame himself. 

"Moony…"

Remus whips his head around so fast his neck cracks. He winces, seeing Sirius half-hidden behind the bedroom door, just a sliver of his face visible. "Padfoot, I'm so-"

"No. Don't you dare apologize," Sirius interrupts. "You can't control what you do as the wolf. I… I can control what I do as Padfoot and I should never…I should not have even put myself in a position where this was possible. I should've just-"

"What, let me transform on my own? I've been saying this for years!" Anger fills the space his panic left, raw and hot and righteous. "If you didn't want to be "put in this position" then why the fuck are you still coming with me? You know what could happen. What has happened!"

Remus fought tooth and nail to keep James and Sirius from following him on his Transformations after they all presented. It already wasn't safe for them. What would happen when two Alphas were around an Omega werewolf? Would the wolf try anything? Would they all lose their heads? Would the smell of them draw in others? There wasn't enough research. There wasn't enough of anything to know what could happen. If they weren't allowed to room together, surely them seeing him naked on the regular wasn't a good idea anymore! (Nevermind that James and Sirius both have told him that while Remus naked is a wonderful sight, Remus naked and bleeding is very unsexy.) 

Them accompanying him had already been a risky move. One he tolerated and entertained because, again, he was scared.

Everything boils down to his fear. 

He was afraid to Transform alone so his friends found a way to appease him. 

He was afraid to live alone after Hogwarts so he fell in with the first person who wasn't repulsed by his lycanthropy. 

He was afraid of the pain of his Transformations, so he stopped taking his potion. 

He is afraid of what Sirius might say about being the potential father of his child, so he grabs his wand and-

"Expelliarmus!"

Remus's wand flies into James's hand and James fixes him with a hard, unamused look. "We are not having this argument again."

"Prongs, give me back my wand."

"No."

"James!"

"I'll give it back when you stop with your self loathing and guilt tripping, Moony! Look. Padfoot, would you be upset if this baby is yours?"

Remus sneaks the quickest glance at Sirius, afraid of what he'll see reflected on his beautiful face but unable to stop himself. But he looks…open. Vulnerable. Young. Scared, yes, but…not angry. 

"Of course not. I'd be… fuck…" Sirius walks into the room fully and drops to his knees next to the bed. "I'd be fucking brilliant, actually. Scared shitless? Yes. Absolutely yes. But… a kid? With my best friend? I mean not the ideal situation because I didn't get to knot you properly, but… not upset. Not even close, Moony."

Remus has a wildly inappropriate mental image of Sirius knotting him properly and quickly snatches his wand back from a suddenly-dazed James to cast a rapid-fire air freshening charm. He needs to read up on…ardor dampening ones or something. Sirius exhales sharply through his nose to clear it but doesn't move away. He looks up at Remus, his silver eyes bright and so damned earnest, it makes Remus's heart ache. "Moony, if you want this baby, I'm here—we're here—to support you. If it's Evan's kid, sure. If it's…if it's my kid… I'm going to love them just as much because it's your kid."

It's too much. Too much understanding, too much forgiveness, too much love. Remus crumples, folding in on himself like somehow he'll just disappear and stop being a burden to his friends. The tears come and he can't stop them. He's never cried this much, but he supposes that's the fucking hormones and the magnitude of this situation. His body shakes, shudders like it may rattle apart, but just as he's feeling truly like he might shatter, four arms engulf him, enveloping him with warmth on all sides. 

"You're not alone in this, Moony," James whispers into his hair.

"You're stuck with us whether you believe you're 'worthy' or whatever rot your rude brain tells you. We've got you."  

---

"I still say we could've done this at my clinic," Sirius grouses. "People hospitals smell wrong."

"Oh, because your hippogriff ward smells like daisies." Remus rolls his eyes and Sirius scowls at him.

"Oi! That's a natural smell, thank you. Not this…sterile horsecock."

Remus nearly chokes on the sip of water from a tiny cup a nurse gave him. James, helpful lad that he is, rubs Remus's back soothingly and shoots Sirius a glare he feels is entirely undeserved. "What? 'Horsecock'? Oh please, Moony, you've heard worse than that." Sirius smirks. "You've had worse than that."

"You said you weren't going to take the piss!"

"I was talking about Evan  Merlin's teeth, Moony!" 

James reaches over to pinch his side, hard, and Sirius is only stopped from engaging in a truly justified scuffle by a nervous whimper coming from Remus. Sirius sighs. "Sorry, Moony. I'll be good. It'll be fine. Quick in and out. Little scan of your tum to see how many sprogs are in there and-"

"Oh God."

"Sirius!" 

"And it'll be one. Maybe two. Three max. A perfect normal number of pup- of kids! Of kids! Kid! Baby! Singular! Ow, Moony, ow!!"

Remus has slid off of the exam table and his close-range stinging hexes have turned to pinches and hard grabs, but the pained look is gone from his face. He's flushed and laughing, his curly hair gone every which way, and the neck of his shirt has been pulled to one side, exposing a very delicious expanse of collarbone that Sirius just wants to lick. 

"Mr Lupin. You did not tell me your friends were Alphas."

Remus jumps near out of his skin at the return of the Healer, and Sirius nearly growls for how instantaneously Remus withdraws from him and into his shell. The Healer might look like a Flitadore…Dumblewick hybrid, but he's ruined Remus's good mood! 

"Which one of you is the other parent?" The way the Healer looks at Sirius reminds him eerily of Dumbledore, too, and of Flitwick when he knows Sirius is about to feed him a story about why he's not done his essay. His pale eyes land on Sirius and he nods. "You, then."

"How did you-" Sirius looks at James, James the traitor , who is pointing at Sirius unabashedly. "Prick. I…well. I might be."

The Healer's brows raise and Remus turns a very concerning shade of maroon. "Mr Lupin…"

"How about we just do the scan, yes?" James interjects. "And there's a spell, right, to check for the other father?" 

"Yes, but it cannot tell us who the father is if it isn't…?"

"Sirius Black."

"If it isn't Mr Black. Who else might be the other parent?"

Sirius does growl then, protective instincts flaring up. The Healer probably means well, but he's basically implying Remus is a slag! Sure, Sirius is pretty sure Remus likes sex, a lot, but he doesn't sleep around. He's loyal. He's steadfast. And even if he is a slag, it can't possibly be medically necessary information!

…Okay, it absolutely can be, but that's beside the point! 

"It's fine, Padfoot," Remus murmurs, his fingers cool as they encircle Sirius's wrist to stay his hand. "Just one other. I'm…I don't have contact with him, though."

The rasp to Remus's voice and the ache in his eyes must convey something important to the Healer, because he draws his wand and nods briskly. "Right then. Let's get started. Are you comfortable with both of them being present during this? It's a rather…"

"Yes. They can stay. If they want."

James looks at Sirius and Sirius nods. "Of course we want. Not going anywhere, Moonbeam." 

The look Remus gives them burns away all of the sticky anger Sirius is feeling towards the Healer, and he and James each give Remus's hands a bracing squeeze. Healer Collins has them step back and he rolls up the sleeves of his neon yellow robes. The spell he casts sounds like the Ancient Greek version of the detection spell Sirius uses for his patients, and he viciously agrees with his past self that he could have done this from the comfort of their couch if Remus had just let him. 

A soft, gauzy purple mist drapes over Remus's middle, followed by a spell Sirius has never heard before, and a yellow ribbon of magic unfurls from the mist and lashes around Sirius's wrist. Sirius looks down, panicked, and over at the Healer, whose mouth is set in a grim line. 

"Well, Mr Lupin, Mr Black appears to have fathered at least one of these children."

Remus squeaks and Sirius would faint if not for James's arm suddenly around his waist. "'At least one?'" Remus echoes shakily. 

Healer Collins flicks his wand and the mist spins to reveal two distinct forms of light, each with their own pulsing heartbeat. "Yes, Mr Lupin. You've got twins." 

 

Chapter 3: Week Eight: Raspberries

Notes:

Warning: This chapter contains some Omegaverse-typical situations of force and coercion, including one scene where our sweet Omega is being non-sexually forced against his will. If you want to skip this, skip to the next line break after someone else enters the loo.

This chapter is written by theresthesnitch

"Twins?" 

It takes Remus a moment to realize that the weird echo in his voice was actually Sirius speaking at the same time. Remus looks at him, and Sirius is pale. James has his arm around Sirius's waist like he couldn't stand up on his own without the support. Maybe Sirius isn’t as sure about being the father of Remus's baby as he'd said. 

Babies. Remus's babies. Fuck. 

"What does that mean?" James asks. "The other guy could still be the father?" 

"It's possible if the offending copulation happened close enough to the heat." Remus grimaces at the word copulation. The healer turns back to him. "You would have to have been with both of them within twenty-four hours of your heat starting or ending." 

Remus buries his face in his hands. Evan hadn't joined him on his heat that month (which Remus thought meant he didn't have to take his contraceptive again), but they had shagged the night before it started. Remus had been a little desperate for it, and he'd convinced Evan to knot him before he left for his parents' house. His heat had started the next morning, and the full moon was the night after it ended. "It's possible." 

"Well, there you have it. The risks of copulation without contraception." The healer cancels the spell showing the two heartbeats, and Remus feels a pang in his chest as it faded away. "Perhaps after this pregnancy, you will consider being more responsible with your potions."

Twin growls erupt from James and Sirius, and their protests are lost as they talk over each other. The healer turns on them. "Both of you need to leave, now." 

Sirius huffs. "If you think that we are going to leave Remus alone, you should think again."

"I have to do a physical exam of your friend, and we do not allow unmated alphas to be present for the exam." The healer crosses his arms. "Especially not ones showing a propensity for aggression already. Leave, or I will call security, and you won't be invited back."

James and Sirius don’t look happy about it, but they don’t fight him. James looks at the doctor with hard eyes before they leave. “Moony, we’ll be in the waiting room whenever you need us.” 

The door closes behind them, and Remus stands up. “Do I need to take my pants off?”

“Merlin, no. Keep them on. I just needed to get your friends out of here.” The healer looks at him severely. “Are you safe, Mr. Lupin?”

“You mean like do I use condoms?” Remus runs a hand through his hair and sat down. “I mean, no, but it was kind of weird situations–” 

“No, Mr. Lupin, although you should learn the protective spells if you’re going to participate in intercourse with multiple partners.” The healer sits down on the stool in the corner. “I mean, are you in a safe situation? Living with unmated alphas is never advisable for an unmated, pregnant omega. I don’t know what they’re teaching you at Hogwarts now, but I hope they at least still teach that. Are you being held against your will? If you need help getting out, we have resources to help.” 

“Oh, no.” Remus shakes his head. “Nothing like that. They’re my friends, that’s it.” 

The healer looks at him with a grimace and a raised eyebrow. “You’re not servicing them? Letting them shag you so they don’t kick you out?”

“No! No, I’ve never shagged either of them.” The healer looks at him with narrowed eyes. “I mean, except for… you know, that once.” Remus feels his cheeks color. 

“Alright, well, that won’t last long.” He folds his arms across his knees. 

“What do you mean?”

“Mr. Lupin, do you know why unmated pregnant omegas are not supposed to live with unmated alphas?” Remus shakes his head, and the healer lets out an exasperated sigh. “Mr. Lupin, you’re going to find that you have an increased sex drive. I believe I mentioned to you last time that you need a good set of knotting toys to make it through a pregnancy unmated?”

Remus feels his cheeks flush again. “Yes, and I do.” 

“That won’t be enough if you’re surrounded by the scent of alphas all day.” The healer leaned forward. “With their scent nearby, your body is going to be drawn to them. You’re going to find yourself desperate for their knots, and at some point, you won’t find yourself able to resist.” 

Remus inhales sharply as the image of being on his knees begging James and Sirius on their living room couch pops into his head. The healer makes a humph noise and points his wand at Remus to clear his pants. Remus presses his lips together. “So, what do I do?”

“Move out, Mr. Lupin.” The healer stood up and walked toward Remus. “Or, be prepared to copulate with your friends. If you decide you need help escaping, you can always get help from our Omega Extraction Team. Now lay back and let me finish my exam.” 

---

James barely manages to contain Sirius in the waiting room before Remus walks out, looking a little embarrassed but otherwise unhurt. He assures them that he’s fine, though he wouldn’t give any details over what happened when they left. 

They apparate home, and James can feel the tension in the room between Sirius and Remus. Obviously, they’re both a little tense after hearing that Sirius is the father, but that’s nothing that James can’t solve with a little heart-to-heart chat, right?

“So, that was something, right?” James moves to the kitchen to put on a kettle. “Sirius is the dad. A dad? One or all of the dads.” James shrugs as he fills the kettle. “Anyway, that’s pretty cool, right?”

“Merlin, it’s me.” Sirius sits down hard at the table. “I know we talked about it being possible, but I guess I didn’t really think it could be me.” 

“Twins.” Remus sits down next to him. “I can’t believe I’m having twins.” 

“I can’t believe I’m having twins.” Sirius looks sharply at Remus. “I mean, I know you’re doing all the work, and they might not both be mine, but-”

“No, I get it.” Remus scratches the hair at the base of his head. “I guess we should just shag now?”

“What?” Sirius says it, but James feels like it was pulled out of his own chest. Is that what’s going to happen now? Will they start shagging? Will they bond? That would be fine, if they did. It probably makes sense. They’re having a baby, or babies, together. They should bond. It makes sense. James… doesn’t care. It’s fine. 

Fine. 

Remus shrugs. “You said you’d be disappointed if you were the dad and never got to properly knot me.” Remus shifts in his seat, and James half expects to smell his slick again. He seems to have a better hold on it this time. “Might as well now, right?” Remus laughs, but it’s small and uncertain. 

Sirius pushes back from the table. “No. I don’t need to knot you because you’re pregnant with my baby. Babies.” He walks out of the room, leaving an awkward silence in his wake. 

“Oh.” Remus sounds small when he says it, and he looks like he’s shrinking in on himself. “Maybe I should leave.” 

James crosses the room quickly, kneeling at Remus’s feet. “Hey, no. He didn’t mean it like that.” 

“It’s true though. I should leave.” 

“Remus, we told you we’d help you–” 

“No, I know.” Remus is chewing on his nail now, uncertainty radiating with his scent despite his words. “But you can help after the baby comes. Pregnancy is obviously going to result in some, um, uncomfortable realities, and I can come back after the baby is born. Or maybe I’ll get my own place, just me and the babies, and you guys can come visit or whatever. After–after I stop being gross.” 

“You’re not gross, Remus, at all–” 

“I think I might go take a nap before dinner, if that’s alright.” Remus stands up suddenly. “Try to manage my, um, fatigue. Before it gets worse. Is it alright if I use your room?”

James stands up too, but Remus is already at the door. “Of course, Moony. I can come in and wake you up if you need–” 

“No!” He shakes his head, and James wonders if there’s something he’s not saying. “I’ll set an alarm. I’ll be fine.” He scurries out of the room. 

James waits a moment before stalking to Sirius’s door. He walks in without knocking. “What the fuck, Sirius?”

Sirius is pacing the open floor. “I know, alright? I shouldn’t have reacted like that, but he was acting like it was something he owed me now, and I just couldn’t.” 

James crosses his arms over his chest. “Well, get your shit together, because Remus thinks you think he’s gross now. He’s talking about leaving until the babies are born.” 

Sirius looks at him with panicked eyes. “He can’t leave. He has to stay here. He’s–he’s carrying my babies, and I want him to be here. Baby. Babies.” 

“I want him to stay, too.” James moves in and sits at the edge of the bed. “So what do you need?”

Sirius paces again, pulling all of his hair up into a tight bun on the top of his head as he does. “I don’t know, James. He’s pregnant with my baby. Babies. Fuck, that’s confusing.” 

“He is, but he’s also your best friend.” 

Sirius turns to face him, crossing his arms over his chest. “I can’t fuck him.” 

James shakes his head. “Probably not, no.” 

Sirius lets out a long, slow breath. “When I’m around him, I can barely think without wanting to kiss him or taste his skin or knot him. Fuck, James, I want to knot him.” 

“I know.” James lays back on the bed, legs hanging off the edge. He cards his hands into his hair, pulling at the roots. “Me too, but we can’t.” 

Sirius climbs on top of his legs, straddling his hips at the edge of the bed, and James can feel how hard he is, how desperate. “So we keep fucking each other. As much as it takes so we don’t slip up. It’s easier to be around him after.” Sirius begins to shift his hips, dragging himself against James’s hardening cock. 

“Do you think it will be enough?” James asks, hands already scrambling for the fastening of Sirius’s trousers.

Sirius raises a single eyebrow, with that wicked smirk on his lips. “I guess that depends on if you’re a good enough fuck.” 

James laughs and immediately flips them until Sirius is on his back and James is standing between his legs at the edge of the bed. He wraps his legs around James’s thighs, and James pulls him back until his arse hangs off the edge. “You know I’m good enough.” 

“Do I know that?” 

The challenge in his voice pushes James, and he banishes Sirius’s trousers and pants to the side of the room. Sirius laughs as James takes one leg from around his waist and pushes his knee to his chest. James threads his hand between them and uses a dry finger to stroke Sirius’s hole. “You do; you’re practically begging me for it right now.” 

He isn’t yet, of course, but James plans to have him there in short order. He banishes his own clothes, adding them to the pile, and Sirius’s shirt quickly follows. James is still circling him with a dry finger. 

“Is this when I’m supposed to be begging?” Sirius tuts his tongue. “I expected more, honestly.” 

James steps back from him and flips Sirius over so that he’s on his stomach, still hanging off the edge of the bed. James grabs his hands, holding them over his head with one hand. His other hand trails down Sirius’s side casting wordless, wandless preparation charms as he goes. He smacks Sirius’s arse, then casts a lubrication charm over his fingers before sticking one abruptly inside of Sirius.

He gasps at the intrusion, hips shifting as James moves the finger in and out of him. “Is that all you’ve got? One finger?”

James pulls his hand out and spanks Sirius again, hard enough that he leaves a stinging handprint behind. “Quiet you, or I’ll go slow and gentle.” James pushes two fingers into him anyway. 

“You wouldn’t.” Sirius shifts under him as James lays half on top of him, pushing him into the mattress. He releases Sirius’s hands and wraps his hand around Sirius’s bun, loosening it as he pulls Sirius’s head back. 

“Wouldn’t I?” James turns his hand and pushes his fingers into his prostate. 

Sirius shouts, arching his back against James as he strokes over his prostate. “F–fuck me, James.” 

James pulls his fingers out, and Sirius relaxes again on the mattress, expecting James to push inside. James takes the opportunity to slick his fingers again and shoves three of them in Sirius at once. “Not yet.” James lays on top of him again, pushing three fingers inside. “You don’t want it enough yet.” 

Sirius groans and pushes his hips back against James’s hand, but James pulls his finger back out. Sirius grunts and settles his hips on the bed again, and James pushes his fingers in again. 

He curls his fingers inside of Sirius, finding his prostate and stroking it with firm presses, making Sirius gasp at the sensation. Sirius shudders under him, pushing back against his hand. “Fuck, Prongs.” 

James kisses and nips up his neck to his ear. He picks up the pace of his fingers as he sucks Sirius’s ear lobe into his mouth, holding it between his teeth before letting go. “Yeah, Padfoot?”

He groans then, and James can tell he’s close. “Don’t come. You’re not allowed to.” 

Sirius buries his face in the bed. “I need to, please.” 

“Don’t.” Despite his words, James finds his prostate and presses into it firmly, stroking it until Sirius trembles. “Don’t come. Not yet.” 

“Ah– fu–fuck you, Prongs.” Sirius fists his hands in the sheets, holding on as James continues to assault his prostate. 

James stops, pulling his fingers out and moving off of Sirius, and he rips an exasperated cry from Sirius’s throat. He stands up, leaving Sirius scrabbling against the sheet until James grabs his hips and flips him over. Before Sirius can protest further, James is on his knees and swallowing Sirius down. 

"Oh, fuck." Sirius leans against his elbows, watching James bob up and down on his cock. 

It isn't long before Sirius is moaning again, making small jerking motions with his hips like he wants to claim more of James's throat. "I'm going to–"

James pulls off with a debauched pop. A trail of spit connects his lips to Sirius's cock. Sirius groans and lets his head fall back on the bed. "Wanker." 

“No, dear, that’s you.” James stands up, grabbing Sirius’s hands and pulling him to his feet. “And this is me keeping you from rubbing yourself raw wanking.” 

Sirius snorts. “So kind and generous of you.” 

James smirks. “Glad you think so.” He puts his hands on Sirius’s shoulders, pushing him to his knees in front of James and then threading his hand into Sirius’s hair, inside of the loose bun. “Because this is you helping me.”

Sirius opens his mouth just in time for James to thrust inside, and it’s warm and wet and so tight. James has control of him, using his hair like a handle as he fucks into Sirius’s mouth. Sirius on his knees is a glorious sight, with pink lips that were made to be wrapped around a cock. Sirius, however, as good as he is at sucking cock, would make a terrible omega. He cannot give up control for long, and he’s already fighting James for dominance even as James fucks his mouth. 

Sirius grabs his thighs and pulls James tighter against him until his nose is buried in the coarse hair at the base. James knows a debauched noise escapes his lips as Sirius sucks James with a force James hadn’t expected. James tries to resume his thrusting, but Sirius has control of the speed now. 

James can feel his knees start to tremble as his orgasm draws close, and he wonders for a moment if Sirius will let him have control when he comes. Of course, he forgot one very important thing. 

Sirius pulls off of him and then blows on the head, making James shrink back and take a hard step away from his orgasm. “Oh, no, Prongs. Were you close?”

James growls and pulls Sirius up by the arms. Sirius is laughing, but James tosses him on the bed and thrusts inside of him without warning, and the laughter turns to panting. “I was, and you fucking know it.” 

“Maybe you shouldn’t edge me then.” 

James bites his neck at the base of his head, teeth indenting the soft skin. “Maybe I just won’t let you come at all.” 

James sets a bruising pace, aiming for Sirius’s prostate with every thrust, and it is a quick matter before they are both panting and close. James stops. 

“Oh, fuck you prongs.” His hands are fisted in the sheets like he’s hanging on with the last bit of his sanity. “Fucking let me come.” 

James lowers his head to Sirius’s ear. “Or what?”

Sirius pushes back against him, and while James is stronger, Sirius has a better position. He flips James over, climbing on top of him and riding James’s cock with his feet pinning James’s arms. He is restrained and fucked, and James is fucking delighted. 

“Or I’m going to take care of it myself.” He’s bouncing on James’s cock. “Maybe I’ll leave you without an orgasm, eh?” 

James grabs Sirius’s ankles and flips them again, bending Sirius nearly in half on his back. Sirius pushes back against him, but James has a better grip this time. “How about we come together, huh?”

“Fine,” Sirius growls, then wraps his hand around James’s neck and pulls him in for a kiss. “Don’t knot me. We need to shower and I need to apologize to Remus. I don’t have that long to wait.” 

James tuts. “So demanding, Padfoot. Little pillow princess you are.” 

“Oh, fuc–” but the words are cut off as Sirius suddenly comes across his own chest. James can feel his knot building, but he’s careful to keep it outside of Sirius. He pulls out at the last moment and comes covering Sirius’s arse.

“There, see?” James smiles down at him as he wipes the tip of his dick off on Sirius’s thigh. “No knot.” 

Sirius grunts, trying to keep his legs up and off the bedspread. “Yeah, now carry me to the shower with this mess, you arse.” James bent to lift him, but coughed something that sounded like pillow princess. “And I expect you to blow me in the shower too. If you do, I might just let you come as well.” 

“Oh, LET me. Sure.” James set him down inside the shower stall. “Like you don’t love getting on your knees and sucking my cock.” 

Sirius shrugs as he turns the water on. “It’s a win-win for me, honestly.”

The shower is steamy and hot, from more than just the water, and is surprisingly short given the fact that both of them manage to come before James turns off the water. "Feel better?" 

Sirius grabs a towel off the rack, drying off and wrapping it around his hips as he steps out of the shower. James watches as he shifts his hips. "Yeah, much better." 

"Good." James grabs the towel at his waist and pulls it off of him, making Sirius spin away on the tiles. James uses the towel to dry off. “You have to fix this with Remus.” 

Sirius sighs, running his wand through his hair to dry and style it. Once done, he immediately pulls it back into a bun. “I know. I will. I’ll talk to him.” 

“Good. I also have some ideas about how we can make him feel more at home.”

---

Remus comes out of James’s room, showered and tingling with three cleaning charms he’d covered himself with. He’s also thoroughly cleaned the bed and the shower and the air, and he really hopes that it is enough this time. He’s about to find out. 

It had taken knotting himself three times before he finally felt the tension drain out of him. He isn’t sure how he’s going to survive this pregnancy, especially if Sirius has no interest in knotting him. James probably doesn’t either. Which is fair. They probably don’t want to risk the friendship by introducing sex to it, and it’s awkward enough that his wolf seems to have no such qualms. Perhaps Remus should consider getting more knotting toys. Bigger ones, or–

He has to stop thinking about this, or his cleaning charms and three orgasms will have been for naught. He giggles at the thought–naught, knot–and nearly runs into James’s broad chest as he walked into the kitchen. 

“Ah, there you are, Moony!” James smiles at him as his hands come up to bracket Remus’s arms, and Remus melts under the warmth of his smile. James has always had that effect on him, even before they presented. He has that effect on everyone. “I was just wondering if I should wake you up anyway. Did you sleep alright?” His brow tightens slightly, and he touches one of Remus’s wet curls. “Did you shower?”

“Ah, yeah.” Remus tucks the curl back. “I couldn’t really sleep, so I showered instead.” 

James exchanges a glance with Sirius before returning a nervous smile. “I hope we weren’t too loud for you.” 

“Oh, no. I put up a silencing charm, so–” Remus presses his lips together, hoping that they didn’t ask why he needed a silencing charm. 

“Good thinking, Moons.” James wraps an arm around his shoulder, pulling Remus against his chest, and Remus lets himself be pulled into the kitchen. 

Sirius takes a step away from the counter for a moment. “Moony, can I talk to you?”

A million things ran through his head, trying to guess what Sirius might want to talk about. “Um, sure, Padfoot. What’s up?”

Sirius stands in front of him, shifting from foot to foot and fiddling with the ring on his left hand. A nervous gesture, but Remus waits. “I– well, I wanted to apologize for what I said earlier. I realize I made it seem like I wouldn’t want to–well, that I wouldn’t want to, and that wasn’t it.” 

Remus takes two big breaths before he lets himself respond. “So you do want to?”

Sirius’s eyes go wide, and a small whine comes from the back of his throat. He looks at James, who nods encouragingly at him. “No. I mean–I don’t want you to feel like you owe me or anything. I know we didn’t plan this, exactly, but you don’t have to put out to keep me around. You mean more to me than what your presentation is. We’re friends, Moony.” 

Friends. Friends. Fuck being friends. “That’s great, Padfoot.” Will you still be my friend when I’m begging for your knot?

Sirius smiles, clearly unaware of the turmoil still boiling inside of Remus. James sets plates on the table. “Ready for dinner? We made chicken, broccoli and mushrooms.” 

Remus eyes the plate he sat down, and his mouth actually waters for it. “That looks great. Thank you.” 

They sit at the table, and Remus scoops up a fork full of mushroom. He shovels them into his mouth, and he immediately knows he’s made a mistake. He holds the mushrooms in his mouth, not chewing and hoping to minimize the spread of the flavor, and he watches as James and Sirius each take a bite of mushrooms. They seem unaffected by it. 

Remus is quickly reaching a breaking point. He can feel the–ugh– juices from it filling his mouth, and if he doesn’t get it out of his mouth quickly, he’s going to get sick. They didn’t put napkins on the table, so he can’t just discretely spit it out. Will they notice if he goes to the trash can and spits it out? Will they notice if he just vanishes it from his mouth?

“Moony, you okay?” 

He looks up and realizes that James and Sirius are staring at him, clearly concerned. Remus can feel his eyes starting to water and a cool sweat on his brow. He shakes his head and runs to the trash can, spitting out the unchewed mushrooms into the trash. He turns to go back, but James is standing next to him with a glass of water, which Remus greedily gulps down. 

“Better now?”

Remus nods, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. “Sorry. Are the mushrooms bad?”

Sirius bites into the one on his fork and looks at the inside. “Seems fine to me.” 

Remus shook his head. “Must just be me, then.” 

Remus sits down and looked at his plate, twirling the empty fork in his hand. He isn't sure what to do with the mushrooms now. Does he just avoid them? Or–

Sirius reaches over and scoops Remus's mushrooms onto his plate, and then vanishes the juice they left behind. Remus looks up at him with a smile. “Thanks, Padfoot.” 

Sirius sends him an amused smirk. “You were looking like you thought they were going to bite you. Some pregnancy thing, I guess?”

Remus shrugs. “Whatever the reverse of a craving is, I guess.” 

“Do you think we put that in the book?” James points his wand over Remus’s shoulder. 

“I’d say so.” Sirius spears one of his (Remus’s) mushrooms. “Call it an aversion.” 

“What book?” Just as Remus asks, a small notebook flies over his head and lands in James’s outstretched hand. “What is that?”

“It’s a baby book.” Sirius ate the mushroom on his fork. “We started one today, and it goes back to the first trimester, which is all like cravings and emotions. Also, a picture of the scan, so we were thinking of drawing one in or seeing if we can get a picture of it next time.” 

Remus’s breath catches in his throat. “You got a baby book?”

“Of course, we did.” James sets his fork down and grabs Remus’s hand. “We want to remember everything that happens with our babies.” James’s eyes go wide. “Your babies. Yours and Sirius’s babies. Baby?” James crunches his eyebrows and twists his lips. “This is confusing.” 

“‘Our babies’ is fine.” Remus can feel the blush spreading across his cheeks as the warmth fills him from James calling them their babies rather than Remus’s babies. “I like that.” 

“Good, me too.” James squeezes his hand and then releases it, flipping open the book. “So we’ve already got jam with eggs and clotted cream with coffee. Oh, and the garlic.” 

Remus stops cutting into his chicken to look up at James. “Garlic?”

Sirius laughs. “Moony, you ate an entire raw garlic bulb because your garlic soup wasn’t garlicky enough.” 

Remus looks between them. “That wasn’t a craving! The soup was just bland.” 

“No, darling, it wasn’t.” James is already writing in the book, probably about the mushrooms. “It was like extra-garlic soup, and you ate raw garlic.” 

“No, that was normal! Garlic is a normal thing!” 

“Sure, garlic is normal.” Sirius takes another bite, then talks while chewing. “When ‘ave you ever eaten it raw?”

Remus sits back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest. He’s quiet for a moment, intending to fight back against them, but he can’t hide his smile. His friends are tracking his cravings and writing them down so they can all remember it for their babies. He doesn’t even care if the garlic is weird. (And, okay, it probably is.)

“I see that smile, Moony.” Jame closed his pen and set the book aside. “You know we’re right.” 

Remus takes another bite of chicken. “Alright, maybe just this once.” 

“Well, while we’re on a roll,” James says as he picks up his fork and toys with his broccoli, “we actually have a plan we wanted to talk to you about.” 

Remus cautiously brings a bite to his mouth. “Okay…” 

“It’s not bad!” Sirius is already holding his hands in front of him. “It’s just that if you’re going to be living here–and you are, we aren’t letting you leave, so stop even thinking about it–you probably need your own space. You can’t just sleep on our couch while you’re pregnant. So I’m going to give you my room.”

Remus drops his fork. “Your room? Are you sure?”

“Listen, Moony, we’ve talked about it, and we think it makes sense.” James holds out his fingers to start counting off reasons. “Sirius can room with me, so it’s not a big deal. We have this flat for six more months, and then we can figure out something that makes sense for all of us and two babies. Plus, you’re going to need your own space to–uh–well, to be alone when your–uh–” 

“So that you can take care of yourself when you accidentally slick.” Sirius takes a bite of broccoli, and James tuts. “What? It’s true.” 

“That makes a lot of sense.” Remus nods as he stabs another piece of broccoli.

“Now, Remus, I know that you–” James stops talking, and his eyebrows furrow. “Wait, what? You think it makes sense?”

Remus shrugs. “Doesn’t it?”

“We thought you’d fight us a lot more on this,” Sirius says. 

“It sounds like you’ve put some thought in it.” Remus looks between them. “Should I fight you more on it?”

“Nope, it’s decided. Finish your dinner and we’ll move you in properly.”

---

Remus sits on the exam table alone with a paper gown that didn't quite cover him properly, and he kept tugging it down. His feet hang off the edge of the table and swing feely, which seems to just underscore how young and not ready for having babies Remus really is. 

The door swings open, and Healer Flitledore Dumblewick walks in the room. "Lay down, Mr. Lupin. I need to examine you." 

Remus looks nervously at the door. "Are Sirius and James here?" 

Dumblewick pushes the stool to the foot of the exam table and scales it. "Who is that? No one is waiting for you. You're all alone. Now lay back, Mr. Lupin, and spread your legs."

Remus does, and it's only a moment before Flitledore pokes his small head over Remus's stomach, which sticks out like a big, inflated ball in front of him. "Mr. Lupin. I have terrible news. It seems we were wrong about your original scan!"

Remus swallows. "Wrong?" 

"You're not having two babies. You're having nine puppies!" He reaches between Remus's legs and pulls one out. He sets it on Remus's chest. "And you're due RIGHT NOW!" 

"No! I'm not ready!" Remus is scrambling to pick up puppy after puppy as Dumblewick sets them on top of him, but there are too many puppies. Dozens of puppies are on top of him, licking him and nosing into his side. "What am I supposed to do?" 

"Well feed them, Mr. Lupin!" 

Remus is panicking and trying to pick up as many puppies as possible, but he is alone and he only has two arms. "I don't have any milk! I need to go to the store!" 

"You are the milk; just let them eat!" He gestures at Remus's stomach which is no longer round but has been covered in rows upon rows of nipples shaped like baby bottles. The puppies attack and start drinking, but he runs out of nipples before he runs out of puppies, and–

Remus sits up suddenly, waking with a cold sweat on his brow. He puts a hand on his stomach, which has no sign of any rounding or any nipples. 

Remus takes a few slow breaths, reminding himself that he is pregnant, but there are only two babies and they're not puppies. 

They're probably not puppies. Right? 

He realizes as his breath slows down that he is in desperate need to piss and gets up to go to the loo. When he comes back, he eyes his bed for a moment, knowing he should just go back to sleep, but…

He's across the flat and slowly opening the other bedroom door before he really decides to do it. Their scents–unrepressed while they sleep–hit him full force as he opens the door. 

James smells like weather. When he's happy, he smells like a sunny summer day–in fact, most of the time he's the blazing sunshine and just being around him feels warm on Remus’s skin. When he's calm and relaxed, he smells like a light rain that makes Remus want to cozy up and sip tea. When he's angry, he's a violent storm, a hurricane or a tornado, the worst of his anger is actually the calm, though, and that's when Remus knows to duck. When he's aroused, he is lightning.

Sirius has always smelled a bit wild, like being deep in the woods. When he's happy, it's the scent of trees and leaves, and sunshine shining through. When he's calm it's like the forest just before nightfall, just as the animals are settling in and before the owls come out. When he's angry, he's a whole forest fire. When he’s aroused, he’s a smoldering campfire with burning cedar, and it’s not lost on Remus that the scent of his anger and arousal are so similar. 

When they’re together and calm, like they are now while they’re asleep, they have a petrichor scent that Remus can’t help but find comfort in. Remus lets it pull him into the room and climbs up in bed between them. They're both sleeping in just pants, so Remus touches skin on either side of him as he lays down. 

Sirius stirs first, draping an arm over Remus and nuzzling into his neck before he is fully awake. "Remus? When did you come to bed?" 

James stirs on the other side then, scooting closer as his hand finds Remus's thigh and pulls his leg between James's legs. "What's wrong, Moony? Your scent is sour." 

Remus places a hand on each of their chests, letting their steady heart rates calm his own. "Sour? I smell sour?" 

Sirius nuzzles in again. "Fear smells sour. Like that hard candy you made us try to laugh at us." 

James hums in agreement. "The little yellow barrel with the green slime." 

"Toxic waste?" Remus huffs a laugh, already feeling himself calm down. "You think I smell like toxic waste?" 

"Only when you're scared. Normally, you smell sweet, like candy. Like, um. Cherry, maybe?" Sirius nuzzles his neck again and nips slightly at his shoulder, just off of his scent gland. There's no heat to it, but it makes Remus feel something warm in his stomach.

"Not cherry." James moves closer, his head on the other side of Remus's neck, and he's pressed between them. "Strawberry, maybe. Or, um." 

"Watermelon." They say it together, and the word is warm and happy in their voices, pleased to finally have the answer. 

"I like that." Remus settles in the bed between them, surrounded by their heat and their scent, and he lets his eyes slip closed. 

Sirius pinches his side. "You are avoiding the question. Why do you smell of fear?" 

Remus sighs. "I had a nightmare."

Their hands tighten imperceptibly against him. "Do you want to talk about it?" James asks the question with his lips pressed to Remus's shoulder. 

Remus shifts slightly, and the both move until he's Sirius's little spoon with his head on James's shoulder. "I was at the hospital again. They told me I had nine puppies, and then I started giving birth right there. There were so many puppies and I had to feed them, but there were just too many." He turns his face against James's chest, inhaling his rainfall scent. "What would I do with nine puppies? I only have two arms." 

"Well, there are three of us." James is threading his fingers through Remus's hair. "So we have six arms." 

"More importantly, there's only two." Sirius flicks James's ear. "And they're babies, not puppies." 

"We don't know that." Remus turns his head towards Sirius. "What if they missed some babies? How do we know they aren't puppies?" 

"Would it help you to see again?" Sirius presses a kiss to the back of his head as he says it. "I know the spell, or a similar one. I've done it before." 

"Really? We could do that?"

Sirius moves away from him, grabbing his wand off the bedside table. "Like on your back. Prongs, grab the light there." 

James flips on the lamp next to the bed, and they all squint against the light. Remus lays out flat, and Sirius points his wand. 

Sirius casts a spell that sounds similar to the one that the healer cast, but it results in a deep red mist instead of the gauzy purple one. Sirius flicks his wand, and the mist clears to reveal two little balls of light. 

"There you go, Moony. Those are our babies. Just two of them." Sirius sits back, not taking his eyes off of the lights hovering over Remus's stomach. 

"Can I touch them?" Remus is a bit surprised to find how airy his voice sounds, but he just can't get over the fact that these are his two babies. 

"Of course." Sirius demonstrates by running a hand through the lights, which flicker but come back. "They've just projections. The babies don't feel anything." 

Remus reaches out with a finger, just brushing the light which feels like… well, it feels like nothing but air, but they're his babies and they're real. "And you're sure there's not more?" 

"Just two pups, sorry to disappoint." James reaches across Remus to smack Sirius, which he dodges and laughs. "I'm joking! They're babies. Promise." 

"How can you tell?" Remus asks, now prodding the space that represents the second baby. Sirius exchanges a look with James that Remus doesn't miss. "What? What is it?" 

"Well, I mean. I can't really tell right now." Sirius tucks hair behind his ear. "I'm sure it's fine. They are human babies." 

"Oh. It's fine. It's fine, he says." Remus can feel his fear coming back. "Did you study werewolf/Animagus babies for your magizoology degree? Did Animagus babies come up in your research before you became one?"

"Well, no, but–" 

"So they could be puppies! We just don't know yet." Remus buries his face in his hands. 

He feels Sirius banish the spell and the two of them lay next to him again, each with an arm around his waist. James leans in. "How can we make this better, Moony? How can we help?" 

"I don't know." Remus wipes his face. "I just wish there was someone we could ask." 

"We could go back and ask the healer." Sirius runs a flat hand over Remus's stomach as he talks.

Remus shakes his head. "He'd probably report you for being unregistered. I can't let you do that." 

"What if we asked someone else?" James leans up on his elbow and looks at the two of them. "Someone we could trust."

"Who?" They chorus. 

"Poppy. I know she and Minnie would keep our secret." James shrugs. "I'm pretty sure anyway." 

Sirius scoffs. "You want to tell Poppy Pomfrey and Minerva McGonagall that we are Animagus and that I shagged Moony during a full moon?" 

"Yeah, I do." James looks down at Remus again. "If it will help." 

Sirius looks between them and a wicked smile comes over his face. “Well, then. Let’s tell Poppy and Minnie about how kinky we are.” 

Remus groans. “We’re going to owe them such a big Christmas present.” 

James wraps his arms around Remus, snuggling in to sleep. “We have two babies. We’ll just name them after them.” 

“That might cover our debt.” Remus settles in against James. “Can I stay? Please?”

“Of course, Moony.” James looks past him to Sirius. “Turn off the light, Padfoot.” 

“The light is on your side!” Neither James nor Remus move. Sirius groans and climbs across the two of them. “Fine. I’ve got the light. No big deal.” He sits fully on top of James as he flicks off the light. He rolls back over both of them and lands behind Remus, wrapping an arm around him. 

Within a few minutes, Remus drifts into a dreamless sleep.

---

Remus wakes up groggy and heavy with sleep. It’s so warm in his bed, but a comforting kind of warmth. He shifts before he’s awake enough to be aware of his surroundings, and he presses into something firm behind him. 

He opens his eyes to see James’s dark skin and a scattering of hair across his chest. He’s half laying on top of James, with a leg thrown over his, and Sirius is pressed up against his back. When he moved, they’d each stirred a bit in their sleep, shifting slightly toward him. Which means, of course, that now Remus could feel a lot more than he could just a few moments before. 

He finds himself suddenly between a hard and a… well, hard place. 

Remus lays there, pinned between Sirius’s cock pressed into his arse and James’s cock pressed into his thigh, and he knows that if he moves at all, one of them will end up pressing harder into him. Remus knows that if they do, he’s liable to wind up with slick in his pants and two alphas who are not awake enough to resist. 

It’s almost enough incentive to make it happen. 

Before Remus can figure out the right extraction method, Sirius shifts against him again, and his cock slides between Remus’s arse cheeks through his pants. Remus lets out a small moan before he clenches his butthole against the slick that is desperate to escape and clamps his hand over his mouth. 

He presses his hand against Sirius’s shoulder, and Sirius rolls away from him. It gives Remus just enough room to slip out from between the two of them and waddle uncomfortably to Sirius’s his room. When he shuts the door, he casts a quick boundary spell to hopefully prevent the scent from escaping, and he releases his clench. 

Slick floods his pants and runs down his leg, and Remus summons towels from the bathroom. He spreads them across the bed and lays down on top of them. He spreads his legs, knees bent and feet planted on the bed, and pushes a finger inside of himself. He moans against the intrusion, fucking himself with the finger. 

He’s desperate, horny, and so wet, with the lingering scent of James and Sirius still clouding his mind. He imagines them here, watching or taking over with their thick fingers and hungry tongues. He wraps a hand around himself, stroking in time with the finger he’s working inside of himself, but it’s not enough. None of it is enough. 

He quickly works himself up with another finger, then a third, but the angle is wrong. He can only just reach his prostate from this angle, brushing it with the tips of his fingers when he really wants James’s cock pounding into it. Or Sirius's finger pushing into it. Merlin, that man has gorgeous fingers that look like they were made for splitting Remus open. 

A frustrated groan escapes his lips because thoughts of his friends are not making it easier to get off, and his fingers are not enough. He scrambles for the box he’d placed in the bedside cabinet, flipping it open and pulling out one of the dildos with a knot. He pulls out one of the smaller knots. Surely, just a little bit of a knot would be enough to get him there. 

Remus teases himself with it for just a moment before pressing it down to the knot. He teases the knot against himself for a moment before pushing it all the way inside. He groans against it, relishing in the sweet stretch around it. It’s better, better than his fingers. 

He fucks himself with it, letting it slip in and out of him, coated in the slick, and it feels good. It does, really. It’s good. It’s…

It’s fine, but it’s still not enough. He needs more. 

He reaches for a larger size, skipping over several until he feels one of the largest ones. He doesn’t bother teasing himself now, desperate for some sort of relief, and pushes it all the way to the hilt. 

The stretch is delicious, and Remus just sits there with it buried inside of him. He wraps his hand around himself, stroking a thumb over the head as he considers the way James and Sirius were pressed hard into him just a short time ago. He wonders what they would feel like in his hand, heavy and hot, or what they would taste like on his tongue. 

He’s focusing so hard on what they would feel like pushing into him (preferably one in his arse and one in his mouth), that he is somehow able to conjure their scents around him. James’s sunshine smell and Sirius’s forest smell mingle together and fill the room, and Remus inhales deeply and feels it fill him up. 

He reaches behind himself and grabs the end of the dildo, pulling it out and pushing in once more. The scents turn hot, lightning and campfires coated with lust and desire, and Remus is coming across his stomach. There’s a strangled moan by the door, and Remus opens his eyes to see James and Sirius standing just inside of the door, pupils were blown wide and pants tented. 

“Shit.” Remus’s legs fall closed, quite aware that there’s still a large knot in his arse and come on his chest. 

“Sorry!” James’s voice is rough and ragged, barely controlled. “We should have knocked. Sorry.” 

He pulls Sirius out by the neck, who seems to not be able to take his eyes off Remus. When the door snaps closed behind them, Remus buries his face in the pillow. “Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuckity fuck.” 

It isn’t lost on him that he only came after smelling their scent. That is not a good solution to this problem. 

Remus takes his time cleaning–scrubbing his skin pink in the shower, cleaning the towels and sheets, cleaning the air, and then repeating the steps all over again. He just wants to be thorough, of course. It’s only kind for his alpha roommates not to have to smell it. He’s definitely not avoiding them. Definitely not. 

He’s absolutely avoiding them. 

What could he possibly say to make this less weird? They’d caught Remus fucking himself with a massive knot to thoughts of them; they’d watched him come with said knot in his arse. He was mortified before they even left the room. 

Eventually, finally, he walks out of his room wearing one of James’s massive jumpers and a pair of Sirius’s bulky joggers (the least sexy things he could think to put on) and slinks out to find them in the kitchen eating breakfast. Remus can see the way they’re both still flushed under the collars of their shirts, and he suspects that they both went and took care of–

And he has to stop that train of thought if he doesn’t want to make this worse. 

"Um, good morning." He pushes the sleeves of his jumper up his arms. 

James looks over and chokes on his cereal. Remus tugs at the edge of his jumper. James coughs, beating his fist against his chest. “Good morning, Moony.” 

Sirius looks over, then quickly looks away again. “Morning, Moony.” 

“Shit, this is weird.” Remus reaches up and scratches the base of his head. “I’m just going to go back to the bedroom and hide until I forget, um, everything.” 

“No, Remus.” Sirius stands up and follows him to the living room. “Come on, stop. It’s fine! We’re all just a little–um–” 

James walks in behind Sirius. “We were all surprised. It’s fine. We can get past this.” 

Remus stops with his back to them. “I’m sorry, I should have locked the door. I wasn’t thinking properly.” 

“No, you can’t take the blame. We should have knocked, or just given you privacy. We shouldn’t have come in.” James shifts on his feet, with nervous energy like he’s prepared to run. 

“It’s fine! Everything’s fine.” Sirius holds his arms wide. “So we saw you knot yourself and come. So what? We used to masturbate together at Hogwarts. This isn’t different.” 

Remus buries his face in his hands. “This is very different. It’s not the same at all.” 

“It doesn’t have to be.” James sounds apologetic. “We can all just pretend it didn’t happen and not talk about it.” 

Remus turns to face them, arms crossed over his chest. “You think you can just forget that you saw me fucking myself with a–”

“I think we’re going to have a lot easier time of it if you don’t finish that sentence.” Sirius’s voice has gone dark and husky, and Remus can smell the spicy scent of them filling the room again. 

An involuntary whimper escapes his lips before all three of them are casting air-freshening charms. Remus takes a deep breath of clean air, and the tension eases slightly around them. “See, we can’t even talk about it. It’s not fine.” 

“It is! We just won’t discuss any details, and we’ll be fine.” James pushes his glasses up on his nose. “Come on, Moony. Let’s call Poppy and Minnie, and maybe they’ll have some solutions for us.” 

Remus nods. “Let’s call them.” 

---

“Why is it always you three?” Minerva sits in a large wingback chair. “We are supposed to be relaxing, not dealing with you three.” 

“Minnie, you know we make your day brighter every time we call.” Sirius crosses his arms over his chest. “Admit it.” 

Her lips twitch in an almost smile. “You make it brighter every time you leave.” 

“I’m hearing that you want us to come more often. Is that what you’re hearing, Prongs?” He turns to James, who is beaming at Minerva. 

“Alright, alright.” Poppy set a tea tray in front of them. “What brings the three of you here today? You mentioned you have some questions about Remus’s pregnancy?”

Minerva sips from her cup of tea. “Don’t you have an obstetrician who can answer your questions?”

Remus takes the cup of tea that James offers him. “Ta, Prongs.” He takes a sip. Perfectly prepared the way he likes it. “We actually had some questions that we weren’t comfortable asking someone we don’t trust.” 

“If you don’t trust your healer, dear, you should find a new one.” Poppy rests her hand on his arm. “You can ask, though, and I’ll try to answer.” 

Remus scratches at the base of his head. “They’re related to my–um–lycanthropy.” 

Poppy’s eyes go wide for a moment before she schools her features. “Go on.” 

Remus begins toying with his cup. “I’m worried that the babies aren’t, um, human.” 

“Well, there’s no evidence of lycanthropy passing to offspring during pregnancy, though the research is sparse. I don’t think you should be concerned about it though.” Poppy sits back and sips her cup of tea. 

“It wasn’t actually lycanthropy I was worried about.” Remus turns his cup around in his saucer. “Though maybe I should have been.” 

She smiles at him kindly. “Don’t, dear. Let me assure you that you don’t have to. What is bothering you though?”

Remus bites his lip. “Well, there’s not a chance that they’re puppies, are they?”

She smiles a little wider. “No, dear. Your lycanthropy wouldn’t give you puppies.” 

“What if there’s more to it than that?” He swallows. “What if they were conceived during a full moon?”

Her smile dims, and her brow furrows. “I thought you locked yourself up safely during a full moon? Have you been around other werewolves?”

“Ah, well, no,” Remus says, then hedges as he’s not sure how to ask the question.

“Hypothetically,” Sirius begins, “let’s say that there was a dog–a magical dog–with him during the full moon. Let’s also say that–hypothetically–that magical dog shagged the werewolf.” 

Minerva narrows her eyes. “When you say magical dog–” 

Sirius looks at her. “Hypothetically, let’s call it an animagus.” 

Minerva releases a long, exasperated sigh. “What did you idiots do?”

“Hypothetically?” James asks hopefully.

Minerva rolls her eyes. "Fine, hypothetically." 

James leans forward, elbows on his knees, and looks at Minerva with a steely gaze. "Suppose, then, that three boys are put in a dormitory together, and spend years living on top of each other. And suppose one of those boys is sickly once a month and has to go to the hospital wing but always returns with scars and bruises that he doesn't explain very well." 

Remus sees Minerva's gaze flicker to him, and he shrugs. She looks back at James. 

"Now, theoretically, let's say those boys figure out the unusual timing of their roommate's mysterious illness, and they confront him. After some understandable panicking–" James glanced at Remus "–that boy tells his friends that the scars are self-inflicted when he turns. Those friends might just try to do anything possible to help him. Like, for example–" 

"Sneak into the Shrieking Shack and transfigure him into an end table in the hopes that he won't transform at all." They all turn to look at Sirius, who shrugs. "It didn't work. Hypothetically." 

James rolls his eyes. "Or, they might research and learn that werewolves are not dangerous to animals, and their favorite teacher might just like to spend a few classes a year as a cat who sits on the teacher's podium while they do their work." James shrugs. "It just might give them ideas." 

Minerva's features soften during James's speech, and she's looking at James and Sirius with open adoration like they had never seen from her before. "And if those idiots hypothetically did decide to become animagus, when would they have accomplished this?" 

Remus clears his throat. "Do you remember fifth year, Poppy? We had that big storm about a month into school, and after it, I was markedly less injured after it. You thought–"

"It was your wolf maturing." Poppy presses her lips together, hiding her smile. "I had no idea." 

"Fifteen is quite young." Minerva narrows her eyes, but there was no anger to it. 

"Beats your seventeen by a few years, doesn't it, Minnie." Sirius sits back smugly in his chair. "I bet that would just burn you, wouldn't it? Hypothetically." 

“I can change in public without concern.” She gives a haughty sniff. “Can you? Hypothetically, of course.” 

“Alright, dear.” Poppy sends her a knowing smile. “Let’s get back to these babies though. What happened during the full moon?”

“Are you looking for details, Poppy?” Sirius asks with a smirk. “Need a play-by-play?”

James hits Sirius on the shoulder. “Don’t be gross, Padfoot.” 

“Yes, I think we can skip the details.” Minerva sets her empty cup aside. “We can guess.”

“How certain are you that this is the point of conception?” Poppy asks.

“We’re sure,” Sirius responds. “The healer did a test confirming they’re mine, and there’s not another time it could have happened.”

“Hypothetically,” James adds. 

“Oh, do drop the hypothetical,” Minerva says. “We get it. You’re both animagus.” 

Remus clears his throat. “They’ve agreed to tell you because of me. We’re just a bit concerned that you might feel obligated to report them.” 

Minerva nods solemnly. “We have no such obligation, and we wouldn’t do so.” 

“Well, then we’re sure.” Remus looks down at his cup. The surface of the liquid has small waves from the shaking of his hands. “So, am I having puppies?”

“No, Remus, you’re not.” It was Minerva who answered him. “Transfigurations, even animagus transfigurations, are temporary changes to the physical state of the object or person.” The three of them looked at her blankly while Poppy chuckled. Minerva sighed. “You’re all making me question my teaching abilities. Which means that there would be no biological changes to the, um—”

“Baby batter?” Sirius offers not-quite so helpfully. 

“Man juice?” James suggests, equally unhelpful.” 

“Sperm.” She glares at the two of them. “Really.” 

Poppy looks back at Remus, taking his hand. “She’s right. There have been studies about it, and an Animagus cannot impregnate nor be impregnated by an animal due to incompatibility.” 

“So no puppies?” Remus can’t keep the hopeful lift out of his voice.

She smiles indulgently at him. “No puppies. Just babies.” 

“That’s really—” Remus feels the stinging in his eyes and a growing lump in his throat. “That’s really g-good.” He wipes his face, not even aware the tears had already started falling before he found his hands wet. “Sorry, Merlin.” 

He smells the shift in James and Sirius's scents—filled with the slight tang of worry—and it makes him whimper. Poppy looks up and says, “Minerva, could you?”

“Alright, boys. Time to come with me.” Minerva is already between where James and Sirius are standing and where Remus is sitting.

“No, Minnie, we can’t, Remus—”

“Needs a moment, Mr. Black.” Minerva pushes him out the door. “He’ll be fine.” 

“But he needs—”

“Nothing from you that Poppy cannot give him, Mr. Potter.” She pushes them back to the door. “Now, out with the two of you.” She forces them out the door and closes it behind the three of them. 

Poppy clears the air in the room with a wave of her wand. “There you go, dear. That should help.” 

“Sorry.” Remus sniffs and wipes his face again. “Everything is just really overwhelming.” 

“It’s also the hormones.” Poppy conjures a tissue and hands it to him. “She would hex me for telling you this, but Minerva was a right mess when she carried our Belladona. I once found her crying because the bladderwort she’d bought had caught a fly.” 

Remus furrows his brows. “Isn’t that a carnivorous plant?” 

“You’re right, it is. Pregnancy hormones don’t always make logical sense.” Poppy pours them more tea and gives Remus a moment to collect himself. “Is everything else going alright, dear? I know that living with two unmated alphas cannot be the easiest thing.” 

“It’s been a challenge, yeah.” Remus sips the tea and shrugs. “I’ve suggested I should leave, but they don’t want me to. To be honest, I would rather live with them anyway.” 

“I understand that they are your friends, and they seem very fond of you, but you do understand it is never advisable for an unmated pregnant omega to live with unmated alphas, yes?” Poppy looks at him with concern. 

Remus scratches the hair at the base of his head. “The healer mentioned that I should leave or, um, he mentioned some consequences.” Remus looks at her with a grimace. “Is there no way to prevent it?”

“Are you and Mr. Black intimate?”

“Uh, no.” He fiddles with his cup again. “Never other than during a full moon.” 

She sighs. “If you were with one of them, it could help you reduce the need to be with the other one. As it is, you’ll feel drawn to both of them, and you’ll find it very difficult to resist.” 

“Even if I, um, take care of it myself?” Remus can feel his cheeks burning. 

“If you weren’t living with them, that would likely be enough to visit with them occasionally.” She regards him carefully. “If you really want to avoid it, surround yourself with their scent, particularly an arousal scent if you can, while you use proper knotting toys. It may only postpone the inevitable rather than prevent it, but you could try.” 

Remus nods. “I may have discovered earlier today that their scent helps.” He feels his blush returning. 

“You should also know that they will have difficulty resisting you as well. I’m sure you’ve noticed that you have increased slick production even though you’re not in heat.” She sips her tea as though they aren’t discussing intimate fluids. 

Remus presses his lips together. “Yeah, that’s been a problem, too.” 

She nods, setting her cup back down. “It’s meant to be a biological imperative for an unmated omega to find an alpha who will protect them through the pregnancy, and mated omegas will only experience that around their bond mate.” 

“Is there anything I can do to make that less overwhelming? Or to make it stop?” 

Poppy shakes her head. “Unfortunately, there’s nothing to stop it. I do have a charm that you can use on your pants to keep the smell contained until you can vanish the excess. Let me grab that for you.” 

She stands up and moves to a book on the shelf, flipping through the pages until she comes to one. As she writes it down, Remus thinks of what she’s said. He wonders if James and Sirius would scent a towel or pillow for him. They’d probably have to do it while touching themselves to get the arousal scent–

Remus’s pants flood with slick, and he crosses his knees. “Sorry, I’m so sorry.” 

She turns and smiles kindly at him. “That’s alright dear. It happens.” She points her wand at him, vanishing the slick and then clearing the air. She hands him the paper she’d been writing on. “There’s the spell. You cast it on the inside of your pants, and it will contain the smell. You do need to clear your pants, though. The spell has a limit to it, and you don’t want to test it too far or you’ll end up in the same predicament.” 

“Got it. Don’t push the spell.” He looks at her carefully. “Why didn’t it affect you? Aren’t you an alpha too?”

“Ah, the benefits of age and wisdom.” Poppy winks at him. “Also, it’s because I’m bonded to Minerva. A mated alpha isn’t affected by the scent like an unmated alpha. Though the attraction is transferred to their mate, so that’s an added bonus of bonding.” 

“Oh.” Remus looks away. “So it would be better if I didn’t live with James and Sirius, then.” 

“If by better you mean you wouldn’t end up shagging your friends, then yes, it’s better.” Poppy took another sip of her tea. “Do you think that’s better?”

Remus ducks his head, avoiding her gaze. “I wouldn’t exactly, um, mind. It’s not like I can get pregnant again.” His head pops up, and he can’t hide the fear in his voice. “I can’t get pregnant again, can I?”

Poppy laughs. “Thankfully, no.” She moves back to the shelf and returns the book she pulled down. She hesitates for a moment, and then turns back to him. “I wouldn’t make this offer to just any of my students, but you’ve always been my favorite. Do not tell anyone I told you that–especially Minerva. But, if you would like, I can handle your prenatal care for the rest of the pregnancy.” 

Remus’s eyes go wide. “You would do that for me?”

“I would.” She shrugs lightly. “Consider it my investment in you and your two friends.” 

“I would like that a lot, Poppy.” Remus worries his lip. “If you’re sure? I don’t want to be an imposition.” 

“Nonsense. You’ll be doing me a favor. I adore babies, but Minerva and I carried one each and decided we were done with that a long time ago. Female alpha pregnancies are difficult, and neither of us wanted to do it again.” She hands him a framed picture off the shelf. “Belladona and Cheri aren’t mated, so we don’t have any grandbabies to spoil yet. Let me be involved with yours?” 

Remus laughs. “Why did you just make it sound like looking after me during pregnancy is a favor to you rather than to me?”

“Because it is.” She offers him a hand and pulls him up. “Come on. Let’s go see where Minerva has taken your two boys.” 

---

Minerva snaps the door closed behind them and begins to stalk down the hallway without waiting for them to follow. Sirius exchanges a look with James. “Follow me, gentleman. Mr. Lupin needs a moment.” 

They reluctantly follow her out the back of the house and into the wide expanse of lawn before she turns on them. “What have you done to Remus?”

“Hold on, just a minute.” Sirius is pointing his finger at her in a way that he’s not quite sure he has the nerve to get away with. “I didn’t do anything to Remus.” 

“The fact that he’s pregnant with your babies suggests otherwise, Mr. Black.” Minerva crosses her arms. “Did you force yourself on him?”

“No!” Sirius feels a growl escape his throat as she looks at him. “I wouldn’t do that to him. He’s my best friend. And I–” love him almost escapes his mouth, but he catches it just in time “–care about him too much to force him.”

She turns to glare at James, who holds his hands up in surrender. “I’ve never even shagged him. You can’t blame me.” She narrows his eyes. “And I wouldn’t, come on, Minnie.” 

“Good.” Her face softens a bit. “I’ll deny it if you ever tell him or anyone else, but he’s always been one of my favorites, and I’d hate to have to murder the two of you for hurting him.” She looks at them severely again. “So don’t hurt him.”

“We don’t want to hurt him either.” James takes a firmer stance against his old teacher. 

Sirius shrugs. “If you’d like, you can join us in hunting down Evan Rosier, who actually did hurt him.” 

Minerva takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. “Never tell me what he did, or I might just find myself with a need to live as a cat to avoid the Aurors.” 

“Noted.” James says. “Sirius fancies the life of a stray dog, too.” 

“And you, Mr. Potter?” She looks at him with an amused tilt of her brow. 

James smirks. “I don’t see how it benefits Remus if all the alphas in his life end up on the run.”

Minerva nods, then looks Sirius up and down first. “A dog, you say?”

Sirius exhales and lets the shiver of magic take him into his animagus form. He sits patiently, tongue lolling out and tail wagging, waiting for Minerva’s approval. 

“Well done, Mr.  Black.” She turns back to James as Sirius transforms back. “Are you a dog too?” 

“No, ma’am.” He smiles smugly. “Want to guess what I am?”

She considers him carefully. “I think… a deer, perhaps?”

James’s face goes blank in shock. “How did you know?”

Minerva rolls her eyes. “First, they call you Prongs, which I can only assume is your attempt at a clever nickname related to your Animagus. Second, you seem to have the essence of a deer, or perhaps a large stag with great antlers.” 

James and Sirius exchange a look, and James lets out an impressed huff. “I thought it was more unusual than that.” 

“Third,” she continues with a small smile, “there aren’t many explanations for why a dog and a stag would run through the forbidden forest together, but you’ve just solved a mystery that Poppy and I have been debating for years.” 

Sirius let out a great bark of laughter. “Minnie, you ol’ cheat. You didn’t mention you’d seen us.” 

“I had no idea it was you until you transformed a moment ago.” She turns back to James. “Could I see–”

He changes before she finishes asking, a glimmer of magic, and then a great stag is standing next to them. She shakes her head, but she can’t hide the fond tone. “Magnificent, the both of you. Very well done.” 

James shifts back. “Thanks, Minnie. We’ve never really been able to tell anyone but Remus, but we were pretty proud of ourselves.” 

“We could make it legal, if you would like.”

Her statement makes Sirius stop short. “We could?” 

“Certainly. We’d have to file official paperwork that the two of you are working toward mastery under my tutelage, but if you’re willing to file creative paperwork, we could do it.” The corner of her mouth tilts up. 

“Minnie, that would be fantastic.” Sirius can hear the awe in James’s voice. 

Before they can discuss it any further, Remus and Poppy walk out of the house, talking quietly. Sirius quickly evaluates Remus, who seems to be altogether unharmed and smiling. Sirius lets go of the breath he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding since they left them inside. 

Poppy looks up at them as they get closer. “Oh, don’t tell me I missed it. Minerva, you were supposed to wait. I wanted to see them, too.” 

Sirius lets out a great bark of laughter, which morphs into actual barking as he falls forward onto four paws in a shiver of magic. He approaches Poppy with his tail wagging and rolls over onto his back in front of her. She laughs and scratches his belly, which always makes his tail wag. 

Poppy turns her attention to Prongs, who never fails to impress with his massive rack of antlers, and Padfoot moves over to Remus. He sniffs around Remus’s legs and up to his crotch and arse–something he can get away with as a dog that he cannot as a human–and he smells the light scent of a cleaning charm and an even vaguer scent of slick. He bumps against Remus’s hip, nuzzling his head against him and practically wrapping his body around Remus’s legs. 

Remus strokes the top of his head. “Hi, Padfoot. I’m alright. Promise.” 

Remus doesn’t remove his hand from Padfoot’s head, giving him small scratches as he watches Poppy pet Prongs’s head. When Poppy takes a step back, Prongs walks over to Remus as well. Remus scratches his neck with his free hand, and Prongs ducks his head and butts it against Remus’s chest gently. Remus tucks his head and presses a kiss to the soft expanse of fur between Prongs’s eyes. “‘Lo, Prongs.” 

They stand there, the three of them, oblivious to the fact that they’re still being watched. Padfoot gives a shake and walks away from Remus, barking at Prongs. Prongs raises his head and turns, antlers clearing well above Remus’s head, and Padfoot pushes his chest into the ground, front paws spread wide and tail wagging so hard that his whole body is shaking. He barks again, and Prongs gives chase. 

He hears Remus laugh, and that’s enough to have Padfoot playing chase around the large yard with Prongs. Anything to make Moony smile like that. They chase until Padfoot’s breath is coming out in heavy pants. He trots over and lays out at Remus’s feet. Remus squats and scratches his belly, instantly finding the places that Padfoot loves best. James shifts and walks up to them, lightly out of breath even in his human form. 

“Well, Mr. Lupin, I suppose you should take your pets home.” Minerva smiles as she says it, taking away any bite that might have existed in the statement. 

“Are you sure?” Remus’s hands are still in Padfoot’s fur, and he twists around until he can lick Remus’s face. “You look like you could use a dog.” 

“I think not.” She looks fondly down at him. “He looks like the kind of dog that sleeps in your bed and won’t give you any space to sleep.” 

Padfoot barks, and James laughs. “You’re not wrong.” 

“He gives great cuddles though.” Remus presses his lips together as he looks at Padfoot. “The fleas are hell though.” 

Sirius changes back so fast that Remus’s hands are still scratching his chest and his hip when he’s human. “I do not have fleas, Moony. Take it back.” 

“Tell that to the red bite marks I had in seventh year.” James crosses his arms over his chest. “You definitely have fleas.” 

“Had, maybe.” Sirius sits up and leans back against Remus’s legs, who is still squatting next to him. “I’ve been very clean since then.” 

“Alright, you two.” Remus stands up, a hand still on Sirius’s shoulder. “Let’s go home and get you both a flea bath.” 

“I don’t have fleas!” Sirius says grumpily. “I’m fine.” 

“Of course, you don’t.” Remus pinches something on Sirius’s shoulder and mimes throwing it away. “None at all.” 

“Oi, you.” Sirius wraps an arm around Remus and swings him around. “I’ll show you a flea.” He starts tickling Remus’s sides. 

James sighed dramatically and threw an arm around Minerva’s shoulders. “Children, am I right, Minnie?”

She pinches his side and sidesteps the embrace. “Alright, all of you. Go home.” 

Sirius stops tickling Remus and holds him upright. “Say goodbye Poppy and Minnie.” 

“Goodbye Poppy and Minnie.” Remus parrots with a big smile on his face. 

“Goodbye, Remus.” Poppy says, wrapping an arm around Minerva. “Send me an owl, and we can schedule your next checkup.” 

Sirius froze and looked at Remus, who he was still holding trapped in his arms. “Next check-up?”

Remus smiles softly at her. “Yeah, Poppy is going to take over my prenatal visits so I don’t have to go back to see Healer Dumblewick.”

“Oh, Merlin!” James exclaims suddenly. “That’s who he looked like!” 

Minerva clears her throat. “Goodbye, boys,” Poppy says firmly. 

Remus waves as Sirius side-along apparates them straight into the living room of their flat. He doesn’t release Remus when they land, instead keeping him locked in his embrace. Remus makes no move to escape. 

“I didn’t know you were going to be seen by Poppy.” Sirius says it with his face buried in Remus’s neck. He’s happy and calm, and that gives his watermelon candy scent a bit of a sparkle to it that makes Sirius want to hear him laugh again. 

Remus shrugs, leaning back against Sirius. “She offered. I didn’t see a reason to say no.” 

James walks in the door. “Padfoot, you can’t torture him for pointing out that you have fleas. He was just speaking the truth.” 

“Oh yeah.” Sirius digs his fingers into Remus’s sizes, ripping a giggle out of him again. “What was with the fleas comment?” 

Remus turns in his arms, now pressed against his front. He’s pushing against Sirius’s chest now, but playfully and Sirius doesn’t let go. “It was nothing. No big deal.” 

Sirius continues tickling them, backing up toward the couch until he topples on top of Remus onto it (carefully, landing on his own hands and knees so he doesn’t hurt Remus or the babies). Remus is laughing and squirming under him, and Sirius should stop because the squirming is doing things to Sirius that he’d better not think to hard about. 

But Remus is squirming and giggling, and he smells the way popping candy feels. Sirius buries his head against Remus’s neck, inhaling deeply. Remus’s hands wrapped around his biceps, fingers digging in slightly. Sirius is holding him, now, more than tickling him, and against his better judgment, his tongue darts out and licks Remus’s scent gland. 

Remus inhales sharply, and his scent turns hot before Sirius can smell the slick hit the air. They both freeze, and Sirius realizes that he somehow ended up with one of Remus’s legs wrapped around his waist, the other trapped between his legs, and his nose is filled with the most enticing smell. All he wants to do is lean into Remus. Well, maybe not all he wants to do. 

“Padfoot?” James’s voice is cautious, a few meters away, but not entirely unaffected. “You need to get off of him and take a step back.” 

He looks down at Remus, whose eyes are blown wide, and it takes everything in him to push himself off of him rather than sink in further. Remus slides out from under Sirius, waddling slightly toward his room. “I’m, um. I’m going to shower. I’ll be, um–” he looks back at Sirius “–a while. Sorry.” 

Sirius buries his face into the couch, inhaling the lingering touch of Remus that’s left behind on the couch cushions. He jumps when he feels James’s hand on his shoulder. “Come on, Padfoot. Let’s go shower.” 

Sirius pushes himself up, crashing his lips against James’s as soon as he has his feet under him. “Fine,” he says against James’s lips, “but I get to fuck you this time.” 

---

Remus comes with the shower pelting on his back for a third time with the memory of Sirius’s tongue on his neck. He rests against the back wall of the shower, bracing himself as the knot fills him. Relief floods him as he feels it expands, but when it shrinks again and falls out a few minutes later, the uneasy feeling Remus has been carrying with him comes back in full force. 

He didn’t feel the need to come again, though he probably could if he tried. What he really needs is to be knotted and held, and that is exactly what he couldn’t have. 

Though, perhaps he can get close enough.

Remus dries off and walks back into the bedroom, pulling out his box of toys again. He looks through his knotting plugs, pulling out the largest one. If he is going to do it, he might as well go big, right?

Remus lays back on the bed, lubing the plug before pushing it in. He’s already relaxed from his orgasms in the shower, but the plug stretches him a bit more before it slips inside. He moans against the intrusion of it, shifting his hips and feeling the way it fills him. After he adjusts to the size of it, he scoots off the bed to stand up and nearly falls down again as the toy settles again. 

He’s been knotted before, of course, but he’s never had to walk around with a knot this big in. He walks around the room for a minute until he’s confident he can, then grabs a pair of briefs. He casts the spell Poppy gave him, just in case the scent leaks around the plug, and dresses in James’s sweatshirt and Sirius’s joggers again. He has to roll the sleeves and legs up on both, but they’re very comfortable. 

He finds James and Sirius sitting on either end of the couch arguing about whatever show they were trying to put on. Remus clenches around the plug, working carefully to maintain his even breath, and moves to sit between them. He sits carefully, hoping they don't notice the way he gingerly adjusts his arse so the plug isn't pressing too hard against his prostate. 

"You alright, Moons?" Sirius looks at him with concern. 

“Yup.” His voice comes out a bit high-pitched. He clears his throat. “Yup, just um, a little sore. Are we watching a movie?”

They find something to put on, and Remus settles back against the back of the couch. Leaning in that direction pushes the plug into his prostate, but not in a way that makes him desperate to come. Instead, it is in a way that makes Remus’s head light and floaty. As the movie plays, James and Sirius’s alpha scents fill the room. Calming petrichor, and Remus inhales deeply, feeling himself sink into the fullness of the knot and the heaviness of their scents. 

Eventually, he leans his head against Sirius’s arm. After a while, Sirius moves until Remus is laying against his chest. James joins their cuddle pile, lying against Remus. Remus sighs happily, feeling the warm weight of each of his alphas—uh, his friends—against him, with his knot still sitting heavily inside of him. He felt a bit like he was floating, like someone had placed a levitation charm on him and was letting him float through the air weightlessly. 

“Is he asleep?” Sirius’s voice echoes through his chest, and the sound makes Remus release a happy hum. 

“I don’t think so?” James laughs. 

“M’not.” He rubs his face against Sirius’s chest. “Just feeling very mmmm.” 

Fingers card through his hair, and based on the way they scratch his scalp, he thinks it’s Sirius. 

James inhales deeply. “You smell very mmmm. Like melted honey.” 

“Honey is liquid, Prongs.” Sirius laughs, and the sound hits Remus like butterflies in the forest. 

“Warm honey, then.” 

“That sounds yummy.” Remus feels like warm honey melting between the two of them. 

Sirius kisses the top of his head. “You’re yummy.” 

“Maybe we should take you to bed, though?” James sits up, and Remus grabs his shoulders and pulls him back down, making him laugh. “Maybe not?”

“M’warm.” Remus grabs Sirius’s arm with one hand and wraps an arm around James’s shoulders with the other. “Stay with me? For a bit.” 

“Alright, Moony. At least until the end of the movie.” Sirius ran his fingers through Remus’s hair again, and Remus let himself float through their warmth and comforting petrichor scent. 

---

“Oi, Moons.” Sirius plops down on the couch next to Remus, pulling his feet into his lap. “We have a surprise for you tonight.” 

“What is it?” Remus looks up from his book as Sirius pulls off his thick woolen socks. “Hey, my feet are cold.” 

Sirius snorts and starts kneading his thumbs into Remus’s foot. Remus throws his head back and moans, and when he looks up again, Sirius is wearing a knowing smirk. “Feel good, Moonpie?”

“Fuck you, you know it does.” Remus watched Sirius rub his foot for a moment. “Do we have to go out? I was sort of hoping to stay in and take a bath.” 

Sirius looks at him and wiggles his eyebrows. “A bath, eh? Like the last one? Do you need some help scrubbing your back?”

Remus kicks his leg and squirms away, and Sirius grabs for his feet trying to tickle him. Remus digs his toes into Sirius’s leg, and they’re both left laughing on the couch. “Alright, where are we going?” 

“It’s a surprise!” Sirius stands up and offers Remus a hand. “Get dressed up all pretty, and we’re going to take you out.” 

---

“You’re kidding, right?” Remus turns to face them, crossing his arms over his chest. “I can’t go in there.” 

“Why not, Moony?” James looks over at the facade of the pub behind him. “We’ve been here before.” 

“Yeah, before I got pregnant. You do know I can’t drink, right?” Remus worries his lip. “I knew this was a mistake.” 

Sirius grabs him by the shoulders. “Could you just trust us for a minute?” He spins Remus around and marches him to the door. “We do know you can’t drink, and we did not bring you here to drink.” 

“You didn’t?” 

“No, Moony.” James is walking beside him now and grabs the door before Remus gets there. “We have something way better than that planned.” 

Remus takes a moment to let his eyes adjust when he walks in and reads the large banner over the bar. “It’s quiz night?”

James’s hands were on his shoulders now. “We know you love pub quiz. Figured you could kick arse even more if everyone else is drunk and you’re sober.” 

Remus laughs. “Yeah, I will.” 

They find a table in the corner, and Remus slips into the middle while Sirius goes off to buy drinks for them. James slides around to sit next to him, throwing an arm around his shoulders. “Is this okay, Moony? We can go home if it’s not.” 

“No, this is great.” Remus grabs the little pencil and writes their names at the top. “I’m going to dominate. Watch.” 

Sirius sets two full glasses of beer on the table, and hands Remus a hot butterbeer. “Hot, I hope? If not, I can go grab a cold bottle.” 

Remus takes a sip of the warm beverage and smiles with a foam mustache. “This is perfect.” 

Sirius laughs and wipes Remus’s lip with his thumb. “Good.” Sirius slides in beside him, trapping Remus in the middle. 

The pub is starting to fill up, and Remus feels a growing need to pee. He’s considering trying to ignore it for a bit, but the longer he sits there, the more urgent it feels. He pokes Sirius in the side. “I need out.” 

“What for?” Sirius looks at his glass. “You’re still full.” 

“Yes, and so is my bladder.” He pokes Sirius in the stomach again. “Let me out.” 

“Alright, alright.” Sirius slides out, and Remus slips out behind him. 

Remus walks away from their table to the loo, which is situated down a hallway behind the bar. He squeezes past a few people standing around the bar to get there. When he returns, the pub quiz host is standing at the front, giving instructions.

“What’d I miss?” Remus asks as he slides in between James and Sirius again. 

James looks at him and smiles. “Nothing, other than Sirius asking if they’d give you the title before we get started.” 

“They said no, too.” Sirius huffs. “Just absolutely unreasonable.” 

Remus pokes Sirius in the side again, and they turn back to listen. 

The quiz goes well, and Remus only misses one question. (“How am I supposed to know which team made the British Quidditch Finals in 1863?” “It was the Magpies. Huge upset that year.” “Why didn’t you say that, Prongs?”). There’s a small break in the competition to check scores when they are 10 questions in, and Remus realizes his bladder is complaining again. This time, he pokes James. 

“What’s up, Moony?”

“I need out again. I swear I haven’t even had that much to drink.” 

James and Sirius both look at his glass before James shrugs and lets him out. He goes quickly this time, squeezing through the crowd and returning before the first question is called. 

“They still won’t declare you the winner.” Sirius offered as Remus scooted in next to him. 

“They will when we’re done.” Remus picked up the pencil and began writing the answer to the next question.

He lasts barely three more questions before his bladder is demanding again.“Oh, Merlin. I have to pee again. This can’t be normal.”

“It is, actually.” James pops a peanut in his mouth. “It’s a pregnancy thing.” 

Remus stops and looks at him blankly. “I thought that happened when the kid was bigger and sitting on my bladder.” 

James shakes his head. “It has to do with increased blood flow in your body to support the baby, and that means your blood is pumping more. Therefore, more pee, and you should drink more water too.” 

“How do you know that?”

“It’s in the pregnancy book,” Sirius says, eating a peanut. Remus looks at them both. “You know, the one James and I have been passing back and forth reading.” 

Remus shakes his head. “I haven’t seen this book. Why are you reading a book?”

James shrugs. “So we know what’s going on with you. Maybe we can help you, or just be there for you.”  

“Oh, that’s um–” Remus is at a loss for words, and he can’t think about it too hard or he might tear up. “Don’t lose too many points while I’m gone.” 

“Moony, you have so little faith in us.” Sirius puts a hand on his chest, feigning offense. 

“I have exactly the right amount of faith in you. I’ll be right back.” 

Remus takes care of his full bladder, sighing in relief, then quickly washes his hands. He is just about to exit the loo when he hears a voice that makes his stomach drop. “Remus?”

Remus knows who it was before he looks up. “Evan.” 

“I thought I saw you walk through the bar.” Evan walks in and lets the door close behind him, standing between Remus and the rest of the pub. Remus swallows hard. He doesn’t want to walk past Evan to get back to James and Sirius.

“Did you need something? Did I leave something in the flat?” Remus hopes for a simple explanation, though he knows it is unlikely. Evan isn’t really the type to return a spare jumper. 

Evan chuckles, taking a step closer to him. “No, but you took a bit more than I thought you would. I wanted to talk to you because I miss you, Remus.” Evan comes closer, just a few steps between them now. Remus could feel his heart pounding. 

“I don’t miss you, Evan. I’m not interested in coming back.” 

Evan laughs, and there is a touch of cruelty to it. “Merlin, no. I don’t think we’re a good match, Remus. I think we both know that. But, that doesn’t mean we can’t help each other out, right? My rut is next week, and I was thinking–” Evan stops talking when he takes another step closer. His nostrils flare as he sniffs the air. “Is it you that smells like that? I just thought it was someone in the crowded bar.” 

Evan walks closer, and Remus backs up until he hits the wall behind him. Evan steps closer, now pinning Remus to the wall with a hand on either side of his head, and dips to press his nose to Remus’s neck. “It is you. Why do you smell like that?”

Remus can’t resist turning his head, exposing his scent gland to Evan. “Evan, please. Just let me go.” 

“Remus, are you–” He sniffs again. “Are you pregnant?”

Evan moves his hand to Remus’s lower abdomen, placing a flat hand on his stomach. As he does, the air suddenly fills with Evan’s scent, tinged with something hungry and possessive. “Let me go.” 

“You’re having my baby, Remus.” His hand presses firmly against Remus’s abdomen, and his lips brush the scent glands. “That changes everything.” 

“No, it doesn’t. You never wanted kids.” 

“Well, maybe I’ve changed my mind.” He pulls back to look in Remus’s eyes again, but doesn’t move his hand off of his stomach. “Come on, Remus. You always wanted to bond with me. I’ll do it, and we’ll be a family.”

“No, Evan. I don’t want that.”

Evan gives him a smile that is meant to be indulgent but feels very predatory. “Come on, Remus. I know you do. Come home with me, and we can discuss it.” 

Evan’s scent is surrounding them, and Remus has always been sensitive to it. It’s how they first got together. But Evan’s hand is on his stomach, and Remus does not want to go home with him. He can feel the fear coursing through him. He hopes James and Sirius come looking for him soon. 

“No, Evan.” 

“Remus, don’t be ridiculous.” Evan drops his head to Remus’s scent gland again. “I’ll use my alpha voice if I have to, but I’d prefer you came voluntarily.” 

Remus squeezes his eyes closed. “Please, just let me go.” 

“Remus–”

Remus smells the wildfire of Sirius’s scent a few moments before Evan is forcibly pulled off of him. Remus nearly falls forward, and would have, if it weren’t for the fact that James is there and his arm comes around Remus before he falls. “I’ve got you, Moony.” 

Remus leans back against James and looks to where Sirius has Evan pinned against the wall. Evan has always been on the smaller side for an alpha, but that has never been more clear than with Sirius’s hulking frame over him. Sirius has one arm pushed against Evan’s chest, holding him firmly in place, and a legitimate snarl escapes Sirius’s lips. 

“He told you no, Rosier.” 

The deep timber of Sirius’s voice sends bolts of want straight through Remus. He inhales sharply, which turns out to be a mistake when he ends up with a nose full of alpha scent. 

Evan’s scent has already been surrounding him, but it sours and changes to something more combative when Sirius and James show up. Sirius’s scent is the most overwhelming of the three, filling the room with the deep, angry pulse of it, and it makes the omega in Remus want to submit. James seems to have the most control over his, but Remus is pressed back against his chest, and he can smell the protectiveness in James as well. 

The room is thick with their scents, and Remus feels a bit dizzy from it. He feels a gush of slick come out, soaking his charmed briefs. It is good that James’s arm is around him, because otherwise he would be on his knees begging them to let him suck them off, preferably all at the same time if he can manage it. 

His trousers are tight, zipper straining against his growing erection, and he wraps his hands around James’s arm in order to prevent himself from rubbing his hard cock through the thick material. The thick muscle under his hands do not exactly help, however. 

“Mind your own business, Black. I was talking to my omega.” 

Sirius snarls again, and a fresh wave of scent washes over Remus, overpowering the other two. “He’s not your anything. He doesn’t belong to you.” 

Remus whines involuntarily. James’s arm comes tighter around him, holding him up. James spoke low, right into Remus’s ear. “Easy, Moony. We’ve got you. You’re safe with us.” 

Evan glares at Sirius. “He’s pregnant with my baby.” 

“Is he?” Sirius pushes harder against Evan. “Are you sure it’s yours?”

Evan glances at Remus before turning back. “We were together, and Remus doesn’t cheat. Who else could it be?”

Sirius smirks, and there is a bit of wild savagery behind it that is undeniably hot. Remus drops a hand from James’s arm and cups himself through his trousers. “Remus is pregnant with my baby.” 

Remus recognizes the cleverness in what he said, even through the haze of scent and submission. What he said isn’t a lie, though it is misleading. Remus is pregnant with Sirius’s baby. 

Evan looks at Remus then, with hard eyes. “Is that true? Did you let him fuck you?”

Remus whimpers. “Not exactly?”

Evan narrows his eyes. “Tell the truth.”

Remus can’t ignore it, not when it is phrased as a command and delivered in his alpha voice. “He shagged the wolf during a full moon.” 

Evan looks back at Sirius with wide eyes. “You really are mad, Black. Who the fuck would risk being around a werewolf just to get a lay.” 

Sirius smiles again. “Some of us know how to have a good time, Rosier.” 

Evan looks at Remus again. “Did he tell the truth? Is that really not my baby?”

Remus presses his lips shut, hoping not to share. Sirius looks over at him, with wide eyes. “You don’t have to answer him, Remus.” 

Except, he does, because Evan used his alpha voice, and Sirius did not or maybe would not. Remus’s mouth opens despite his best efforts to stop it. “At least one of the babies is Sirius’s.” 

“One of?” Evan’s eyes go wide again. “You’re having more than one?”

“That’s none of your concern.” Sirius is demanding his attention again, and a new wave of scents wash over Remus. 

“If one of those babies is mine, it absolutely is my fucking concern.” Evan pushes back against Sirius, but he doesn’t have enough heft to push Sirius away. “You won’t keep me from my kid, Black.” 

“It’s not yours, Rosier, and you will stay away.” 

“You don’t know that, Black.” 

“I do know that it’s mine, and I won’t let you hurt Remus any longer.” 

“What I do—”

Remus loses track of the conversation quickly. As tensions rise between Evan and Sirius, they both pump out alpha scent that overwhelms Remus. His legs are weak, and even with James’s arm around him, he feels his knees buckle as a low whine escapes his mouth. As his knees give out, Remus feels another burst of slick come out. He wonders, distantly, if the charm in his pants can hold this much. What will happen if it stops working while Remus is in this small room with three angry alphas?

“Easy, Remus.” James’s arm comes tighter around him, and the other hand runs across his stomach as it is wrapped around him. Remus leans into the touch, moaning slightly. “Sirius, are you done?”

Sirius glances at them, and there is a fire in his eyes as he looks up and down Remus that would have melted Remus if he wasn’t already a puddle of goo in James’s arms. "Take him home, James." The words are a growl, and they make Remus whimper again. 

“Alright.” James moves to pick Remus up, an arm behind his legs. Remus wraps his arms around James’s neck. 

Before he can apparate them away, Remus looks at Sirius. “Wait! Don’t kill him.” 

Sirius doesn’t look away from Evan. “Are you sure? I have a pretty good defense of an omega claim right now.” 

“Please don’t. He might be the father of one of my babies.” 

Sirius doesn’t respond for a moment, but a low growl escapes from his throat. Remus whines again, and is about to apologize for telling an alpha what to do when James says, “Sirius.”  

“Fine, I won’t kill him.” Sirius doesn’t let Evan go. “Take him now, James.” 

Remus feels the squeeze as James apparates them home, and takes a deep breath once the squeeze releases them on the other side. Immediately, Remus knows something was wrong, very wrong, and he feels the edges of his vision go fuzzy. The air is too clear here, and it is wrong. Bad. Makes Remus feel like he has done bad.

It hits him, then, in his last moments of conscious thought, that James had apparated him away from Sirius’s and Evan’s scents, and that sudden change was not okay. 

“James.” He shakes his head, clinging tightly to James, trying to hold on. “Alpha scent.”   

With that, everything goes fuzzy. 

---

James had never been so afraid as he is when Remus fainted in his arms. It tops realizing at the pub that Remus had been gone far too long for a quick pee, and it even tops realizing the scent that was full of fear as they got closer to the loo was Remus and he was in trouble.  

That had at least been made better by the fact that James held Remus through the whole confrontation with Evan, though his attention was about eighty-five percent on Sirius rather than on Remus. He is big enough of a person to admit that Sirius going all alpha guard like that was hot and that he very much wants Sirius to fuck him later because of it. 

James had been slightly surprised when Remus couldn’t hold himself up in the loo, though the hazy look in his eyes made James realize it was probably the combination of all three of their alpha scents having an effect on him. He was only mildly disappointed when Sirius ordered him to take Remus home (and again, a bit turned on by the forcefulness of it), but that was completely gone now. 

“James.” He looks down at Remus, who seems to be struggling with something. “Alpha… scent.” Remus’s face clouds over, his eyes going glossy, and then Remus clings to him tighter. His scent changes to something desperate and needy. “Alpha, I’m sorry.”

“What? Remus? What happened?” James hitches Remus up higher, and opens the door to their flat. “Okay, Remus, you’re okay.” He walks to the couch and sits down with Remus in his lap. 

Remus shifts, burying his face in James’s neck. He rubs his face against the scent gland, rubbing his forehead and cheeks in it like he is trying to coat himself in James’s scent. James is trying desperately to keep control of his alpha instincts–to hold his scent in, not to overwhelm Remus with it, not to grab Remus and forcefully take what he knew Remus instinctually wanted to give him–but it is made much more difficult by the fact that Remus is now licking the length of his neck like he wanted to devour all of James. James is hard and desperate to thrust up against Remus, but he shifts Remus so that is sitting on one of James’s legs and away from his arousal. 

“Alpha, I’ll do better. Please don’t be mad at me.” Remus nuzzles into him.

James leans his head to the side to give Remus better access to his neck, but he makes sure he did not release any more scent than is absolutely necessary. “I’m not mad Remus. What are you talking about?”

Remus moves to straddle James’s lap, and he grinds his hips down against James so that their hard bulges rub together. “Your scent changed, alpha. I don’t know what I did, alpha, but I can please you again.” Remus places his lips over James’s scent gland and begins sucking on it. 

Just enough of James’s brain functions with Remus sucking on him that a light goes on. He hadn’t been affected by Sirius and Evan, but Remus must have been swimming in it. When James apparated him away, while focusing on keeping his scent at bay, Remus would have gone from overwhelming to nothing. That meant–

“Oh, shit. You’ve dropped.” 

“I’m sorry, alpha.” Remus is trembling against him. “I’ll do better. I’m sorry.” 

“Oh, no, Moony. You did nothing wrong.” James takes a deep breath and releases his scent, focusing on making it calming and pleased, and Remus immediately stops trembling. He nuzzles into James’s neck again, rubbing his face over the now-active scent glands. James grips the edge of the couch, trying to keep from touching Remus. “You’re okay, love. Take whatever you need.” 

Remus grinds his hips down against James, creating a friction between them that makes James want to turn him over on the couch and fuck him there. Remus rubs his face on James’s neck, then licks it again and makes a happy sound in the back of his throat. James groans, and Remus thrusts his hips again. James is so hard, and Remus feels so good fronting against him, and he is trying so desperately hard to keep his hands to himself. 

Then the scent of slick hits him. 

James feels the growl pulled from his throat, and his hands come up to grasp Remus’s arse. He pulled Remus against him, dragging Remus hard against his cock. Remus’s hands come up to cup James’s face, and he kisses James. 

James doesn’t hesitate now, but traces his tongue along Remus’s lips. Remus releases a happy noise as he opens his mouth to let James in. James’s hands caress his arse, kneading it and pulling Remus against him again. Somewhere, distantly in the part of James’s brain that is still barely functioning, he realizes that he is very close to fucking his omega best friend. 

James runs his hands up Remus’s arse and toward his back, and he comes in contact with something wet. He breaks the kiss with Remus, who immediately goes back to sucking on his neck, and raises his hand to look at it. 

James’s fingers are covered in slick, meaning Remus is so wet with it that it was coming out of his briefs. He knows Remus has been charming them to keep the scent in, but apparently his briefs had a limit to how much they could hold, and he’d reached it. 

His fingers are an inch away from his tongue when he stops, realizing that tasting Remus’s slick is a very, very bad idea. Pulling every ounce of control James has within him, he moves his hand back to Remus’s back and vanishes the slick from him. 

He can already breathe a little easier, even with Remus licking his scent gland again, but he cleans the air of the slick smell to help a little more. James placed his hands on Remus’s arse again. Remus presses back into his hands, then forward to grind against him, and James focuses all of his concentration and magic to vanish the slick in Remus’s pants without vanishing his clothes. 

James has never been more proud of himself for keeping his control in a situation. 

However, as James moves his hands up Remus’s back, Remus moves to kiss James again, and James lets him. Remus licks along his lips and then down his neck, and his hips are still moving against James’s still hard cock (he can’t control everything). He knows–he knows he only has so much control, and he’s expended nearly all of it. 

Remus slides back on his lap, breaking their contact for just long enough that James gets a look at his eyes, which are blown wide with lust, with only a small ring of color around large black pupils. Remus braces his hands on both of James’s thighs, and moves to kneel on the floor between his legs. 

Remus looks down between James’s legs and licks his lips, and James knows. Remus is about to suck him off, and he doesn’t think he can stop it. 

A crack of apparition just outside of the door leaves James mostly relieved (and a little disappointed). 

 

---

As soon as James apparates Remus away, Sirius’s hand is at Evan’s throat. 

“You can’t kill me.” Evan says, his voice hoarse. “You promised Remus.” 

“I won’t kill you.” He pushes harder against Evan’s windpipe, making him choke slightly. “But he didn’t say I can’t hurt you.” 

Evan’s eyes go wide. “I’ll report you. I’ll show them my injuries.” 

Sirius laughs, and he can tell it’s a bit mad. He’s gone a bit mad, what with coming in the loo and seeing Evan on top of Remus. “You want to report this? Fine. I’ll tell them you were about to use your alpha voice to force yourself on an omega. Do you want to know what they do to alphas who take an omega’s will away?”

“Remus wants me to mate him.” His voice is a rasp, and it leaves him panting for lack of air. “He’s always said.” 

“That was before you fucking abandoned him while pregnant, you arsehole.” 

“I didn’t know–” 

“Like that matters.” Sirius moves his hand from Evan’s throat and grabs his wand. “It won’t matter, though. You won’t have any injuries to show them.” 

Evan smirks, and Sirius wants to wipe it off his face. “I knew you wouldn’t hurt me.” 

“Oh, that’s where you’re wrong, Evan. I am going to hurt you, but I was raised in the Ancient and Most Nobel House of Black.” Sirius presses his wand into the soft flesh of Evan’s stomach. “I know how to hurt you where no one will ever see it.”

Evan’s eyes go wide with fear before Sirius even casts the spell. He covers Evan’s mouth with his other hand. “You will leave Remus alone. You will not approach him. You will not confront him. You will not speak to him, or I will make sure that next time, your injuries won’t be so easy to recover from.” 

He steps back, and Evan crumples to the floor. Sirius grasps his wand tightly and apparates away. 

He smells Remus’s omega scent, needy and desperate, as soon as he lands outside of the door to their flat. He can barely think through the rage he still feels simmering for Evan and a need to check on Remus. He walks in and sees Remus kneeling in front of James, and he doesn’t even consider what they are doing when he grabs Remus by the upper arm and pulls him to stand. 

Sirius shoves him against the wall, and Remus whimpers. Sirius’s hand presses flat against Remus’s stomach, under his shirt, where not even a slight bulge exists to reveal what he carries underneath. 

“Mine.” It’s a growl, barely even a word. 

“Yours.” Remus’s hands come up to cup his elbows. 

“My babies.” He can feel the possession rolling off of him in waves, and there’s a small twitch in the part of his brain that is still calm telling him he should think about that. 

“Yours.” Remus tilts his head up, face open and soft. 

“He cannot take you away. He can’t have you.” Sirius rubs his hand across Remus’s stomach, which is hot under his fingers. “Mine.” 

“Yours, yes.” 

Sirius presses himself against Remus, trapping his hand against Remus but needing to feel the pressure of his hard cock against Remus’s stomach. “Mine.” It’s still a growl, and he’s no longer sure if he means the babies or Remus himself. 

“Yes, yours.” 

The niggling feeling in the still sane part of his mind is growing more urgent, telling  him to think about what he’s doing, so he takes stock. He has one hand grasping the nape of Remus’s neck, and the other pressed between them. He has Remus against the wall, with their bodies pressed together from waist to knee. He is hard, but Remus is too. 

Remus is submissive beneath him, with his hands on Sirius’s arms, clinging to him like he might fall if Sirius moves. His face is open and clear, but his eyes are blown wide. His scent is sweet and yearning, and it makes the air taste of his need. Beneath it, he can still taste the cloying scent of fear clinging like—

Fear. Remus was afraid of something, and Sirius pinned him to the wall. Sirius shakes his head, trying to take shallow breaths rather than deeply inhale to avoid his scent. 

“Shit, Moony, I’m so sorry.” He tries to take a step back, but Remus’s arms grasp for his arms in a frenzied gesture. 

“No, alpha. Please.” The please comes out as a needy keening sound, and Remus pushes their hips together again as he frantically clings to Sirius. “I’m sorry for what I did. I’ll do whatever to please you, alpha.” 

Remus presses his lips to Sirius’s, and for a moment, Sirius kisses him. The title alpha hits him, which Remus has never called Sirius, even he’d first presented and jokingly told the other boys that they were required to refer to him by his title. James had bowed down in faux supplication, but Remus had only laughed and stood next to him. 

Sirius pulls back, breaking the kiss and cupping Remus’s face in his hands. He searches his features for some sign of what is going on, but Remus barely seems to be aware of what is happening as his hands move to Sirius’s belt. 

Sirius looks at James, only barely aware that he’s still in the room. “What happened to him?”

“He dropped.” James’s voice is deep and husky, and it’s then that Sirius takes in the kiss-swollen lips and the developing bruises on his neck. Sirius can see his scent gland where James’s shirt has been pulled wide, and it looks like it had taken the most abuse. The sight of James looking disheveled like this, paired with the way Remus is now nipping at Sirius’s neck, slams into Sirius as he realizes what he must have interrupted. “He’s been like that since we got back. I think it was the sudden change in scents when I apparated him back.” 

Remus wraps his mouth around Sirius’s scent gland and sucks, and Sirius falls against him, pressing harder against him. Sirius can barely see straight through the need to take Remus now and claim him. “Prongs, what do I do?”

“I don’t know.” James runs his hand through his hair. “I think you— you have to—”

“He wanted this, right?” Sirius’s hands are braced against Remus’s waist, trying to prevent himself from doing something he’s not sure Remus wants, but it doesn’t stop the fact that Remus has his belt undone and is working on his trousers now. “I’m not—not forcing him? He wants this. Right?”

“Yeah, I mean— I think so. I think—”

His words are cut off by Sirus’s gasp as Remus’s hand slides into his pants and wraps around his hard cock. Sirius can’t stop himself from rocking forward into Remus’s hand, and a low, pleased noise comes from Remus. “Fuck, Remus.” 

“I can’t— I can’t watch this. I have to—” Sirius turns his head to see James walk out of the room and into their shared bedroom, his hand gripping himself through his trousers. 

Remus uses the chance with his head turned to suck on his scent gland again, and it almost brings Sirius to his knees. “Moony, you have to stop now if you don’t want me to fuck you. I can’t— I only have so much willpower here.” 

Remus continues to stroke Sirius with one hand, and his thumb rubs over the head. His other hand clings desperately to Sirius’s arm. “Please, alpha, fuck me. I need your knot.” 

Sirius drops any resistance as he drops his hands to cup Remus’s arse. He lifts Remus, who wraps his legs around Sirius’s waist and his arms around Sirius’s neck. He carries Remus back to the bedroom, closing it behind him but not bothering with any spells or charms on the door. 

Sirius can feel the magic firing around them, filling the air with sparks of potential. He flexes his fingers on Remus’s arse, and Remus’s clothes vanish His hands are immediately coated in the slick that must have been gathering in Remus’s pants. 

He sets Remus down on the bed, and Remus immediately scrambles to push Sirius’s trousers and pants down. Sirius lifts his hand to his mouth, moaning as he tastes the slick on his fingers. The taste is something like Remus’s smell, but a million times better. If he wasn’t desperate to be inside of Remus, he’d lay him back across the bed and bury his head between his thighs. 

Remus takes Sirius in his hand and strokes him briefly before taking him in his mouth. Sirius groans as Remus takes him straight to the back of his throat and then swallows him down. Remus makes little pleased noises as he takes Sirius, which sends vibrations down him. His mouth feels magnificent, but Sirius wants more. 

He grabs Remus by the hair and pulls him off, a filthy pop sounding as Sirius slips out of his mouth, and Remus looks so gone as Sirius holds him. “Lay back against the pillows.” 

Remus moves back as soon as Sirius makes the request, laying on the bed with his legs spread wide. Sirius wastes only a moment looking him over, the delicious picture that he is, before he moves on top of him. Sirius kisses him as he runs his hand between Remus’s legs to find his dripping hole. Sirius sticks two fingers into him with no resistance.

“Oh, you’re already ready for me aren’t you?” Sirius strokes him with two fingers, pulling obscene noises from Remus as he does. “You’re just waiting for me, aren’t you?”

“Please, alpha.” Sirius can feel Remus clenching around him, drawing his fingers in deeper. “Let me make you feel good.” 

Sirius hooks one of Remus’s legs over his arm and takes himself in hand. He slides into Remus, sinking into the unbelievable heat as an unholy sound comes from his mouth. Remus throws his head back, wanton and needy, and Sirius begins to nip and kiss along his neck. 

“Fuck, Remus, you feel amazing.” 

“Please, alpha. More.” 

Sirius begins moving his hips, trying for a slow pace but moving faster and harder with each thrust. Remus’s lips are open and salacious moans are filling the air. Sirius buries his head against Remus’s skin, inhaling deeply the spicy sweet scent that he’s never really been able to indulge himself in before, not with Remus. 

He’s sucking bruises into Remus’s neck, but it’s not enough. He moves down his shoulder, licking a spot a short distance away from his scent glands, and he bites down. It’s not hard enough to break skin, but Remus arches under him and moans. Sirius releases him and licks over the abused skin, watching as Remus’s eyes fall closed. 

He’s so beautiful like this—flushed cheeks and parted lips, and a small keening coming from his mouth. Sirius’s hand comes up to cup his head, and he caresses Remus gently. Sirius’s hips are maintaining a bruising rhythm against him, and Remus’s hand comes up to clutch his forearm. His breathing is rough, and Sirius can tell from his scent and the way he is holding on that he’s close. 

“Can you come untouched for me?” 

Remus inhales sharply. “I want you to feel good, alpha.” 

“I want to see you come.” Sirius nips along his jawline up to his ear. “I want to feel you squeeze around me.” 

“Ye—yes, alpha.” 

He comes in thick ropes across his chest and on Sirius’s arm, with a bite of his lip. His moan turns to words as he stops coming. “Oh, oh fuck, Sirius.”

“Remus?” Sirius slows his hips, but doesn’t pull out. “Are you back with me?”

Remus presses his lips together and hums. His tongue darts out and wets his lips, and Sirius has to forcibly prevent himself from tracing the same path with his own tongue. “Yeah. Um, yeah. I am.” 

“You dropped. You were—”

“I can remember.” A fine line grows between Remus’s brow. “I can remember all of it.” 

“Oh, good. I, um—” Sirius looks down at the mess on Remus’s chest and where they’re still connected. “I can stop now, if you’d rath—”

“Sirius Black, if you stop before you knot me, I will never forgive you.”

A laugh escapes his mouth. “Should I keep going, or do you need a minute?”

“Keep going, Sirius, please.”

“Thank fuck.” Sirius picks up his pace quickly, and Remus’s face relaxes again. “I don’t know if I could have honestly pulled out at this point.” 

“I would have hexed you if you tried. I don’t even need a wand right now.” 

Sirius ducks his head to Remus’s neck again, sucking a bruise into his skin. Remus threads his fingers into Sirius’s hair. Sirius speaks against his skin. “I’ve thought of nothing except doing this since you got here. I wanted you so much.” 

“Me too.” Remus bites his lip as Sirius makes short thrusts to focus on his prostate. “I—I thought you didn’t want me.” 

“What?” Sirius slams harder into him, making him whisper. “No, never. Never that. Why did you think that?”

“You always pull away.” He squeezes his eyes closed, and Sirius hopes it's due to the feeling of Sirius slamming into his hips and not against the emotion he’s fighting back. “Even when I suggested we should shag, you pulled back.” 

“I didn’t want to force you.” Sirius finds his lips and kisses him messily. He breaks the kiss when they are panting. "James and I have been shagging all week trying to keep from jumping you." 

Remus pulls back. "Wait, you WHAT?" 

Sirius's hips stutter in their rhythm as he sees the anger in Remus's eyes. "We, uh. Well, we were trying to respect your, uh, boundaries? I guess. Your privacy. So we fucked each other hoping we wouldn’t force ourselves on you.” 

“You have got to be kidding me.” Remus groans, fingers digging into Sirius’s arm. “I’ve been knotting myself every day trying to keep from begging the two of you to fuck me, and you were just fucking each other?”

“Remus,” Sirius growls against his lips, reaching his hand down to wrap around Remus’s once again hardening cock as he continues thrusting inside of him. “Tell me about it.” 

It was a command, though he didn’t speak it with an alpha voice, and Remus obeys. “I have knotting toys. Evan bought–” 

Sirius growls again, this time angry, and he sets a punishing pace that makes Remus whimper. “Don’t mention him.” 

“Yes, alright. I won’t.” Remus pants, struggling to think with Sirius’s new pace. “I was–I was desperate. Needed a knot. Needed a knot to– you saw.” 

“That was so hot.” Sirius buries his face against Remus’s neck. “We weren’t sure if you had any, or how big they were.” 

“I thought– About you.” Remus tilts his head away, and Sirius bites his neck. “Didn’t know how–how big– oh fuck Sirius, I can’t–”

“You can.” Sirius moves down his neck, licking over his scent gland and then moving down his shoulder. Sirius sinks his teeth into Remus’s shoulder again, leaving indents of his teeth but not breaking skin. He releases licking over the bite mark. “Keep talking.” 

“I didn’t know–how big you were. And if I had one that was the right size.” 

“Fuck, Remus.” 

Remus inhales sharply, running his tongue over his lips. “I needed it so much. Twice a day. I was–twice a day, just trying to get some relief.” 

“Twice–oh, Merlin. That’s–fuck.” Sirius digs his fingers into the skin of Remus’s leg, knowing he’d leave fingertip bruises there. 

“Each time–” Remus stops and releases a debauched noise as Sirius finds his prostate again. “Took three or four times–knots–before I could– ah, fuck– see you again.” 

“Wait, what?” Sirius’s hips stutter as he does the knotting math. “You were knotting yourself eight times a day?”  

“Yes. Still not enough. Yesterday, I wore a knotting plug while we watched that movie.”

Sirius freezes then, thinking of the warm and content Remus who was laying on his chest the night before. “You–you had a knot in last night? That whole time?”

“Padfoot.” It comes out as a whine, and Sirius looks down at Remus to see what’s wrong. “Don’t stop.” 

Sirius begins moving again. He runs his thumb over the head of Remus’s cock, gathering some of the precome and spreading it down the shaft. “Are you going to come for me again? Can you come again?”

“Yes, please, I need to.” Remus pulls his bottom lip into his mouth, and he doesn't release it until Sirius kisses it out. Sirius takes the lip between his teeth and pulls. 

“More than once?” Sirius wraps his hand firmly around the base. 

“Ma-maybe.” Remus pants again, his tongue tucked in the corner of his lips like he has to concentrate on the words. “Why?”

“Because you’re beautiful when you come for me.” Sirius kisses him again, tasting the sharp watermelon taste on his lips. He’s still squeezing the base of Remus’s cock, keeping him from coming. “I want to make you come now, and then I want you to come again on my knot. Do you think you can do that?” 

“Yes, please. Anything.” 

Sirius releases his hold and begins stroking him again. He still has Remus’s leg draped over his other arm, and he presses down so Remus’s hips come up. Every thrust connects with Remus’s prostate, and it takes three thrusts before he’s coming over Sirius’s hand. 

“There you are. Gorgeous.” He sucks on the hinge of Remus’s jaw as he comes, never stopping his hips. “You’re perfect, Remus.” 

“Padfoot, I–” The words are cut off in a gasp and then swallowed down as Sirius kisses him again. 

“Do you need me to stop and give you a minute?”

“No, don’t.” His face crunches, likely against the overstimulation, and he wraps one leg around Sirius’s waist and digs his heel in his arse. “Don’t stop.” 

Sirius doesn’t stop, but he can feel the steady climb to his own orgasm. Remus is so hot and warm wrapped around him, the perfect omega, and Sirius is in awe of him. He’s already making plans in his head for the next time, how he wants to lay Remus across the bed and swallow him down while he fingers him open, how he wants to watch Remus ride his knot, how he wants to see Remus swollen with his babies while he takes a pounding from James–

The thought of watching James fuck Remus makes Sirius groan as his knot starts to grow. He takes a few deep, steadying breaths, knowing he’s reaching the end already. He reaches down and wraps a hand around Remus again, already mostly hard following his second orgasm. 

“Merlin fuck, Remus.” He’s stroking Remus, whose eyes are wide and dazed, lost in the sensations as he squeezes Sirius. “You’re so fucking responsive. You’re so– fuck.”  

“Tell me about being with James?” He licks his lips, red and swollen from use. “Is–is that new?”

“Nah, not really.” Sirius adjusts Remus again, changing angles until he finds a sweet spot that leaves them both a little breathless. “We’ve done it a few times before. Through ruts, mostly.” 

“You shared your ruts?” Remus is struggling to keep his eyes open, and his cheeks are permanently colored with a beautiful flush that nearly hides his freckles. 

“We do, yeah.” Sirius squeezes his hand around Remus, and he moans. “Easier. No chance of pregnancy.” Remus groans. “Sorry, I didn’t mean that.” 

“No, that’s fair.” His eyes squeeze closed and he licks his lips again. “I want to share your ruts.” 

“You want–” Sirius groans, and he can feel his knot starting to swell, stretching Remus further as he keeps pounding inside of him. “Yes, fuck. I want that too.” 

“Is that–is that your knot?” Remus’s eyebrows furrow, and Sirius can see the tension gathering in his face. 

Sirius looks down, watching himself disappearing in and out of Remus. “The start of it. Maybe half-size right now?”

“Half? Fuck.” Remus arched against him. “You’re so big. You’re going to be so big.” 

“Yeah? Can you take a knot that big?” Sirius slammed his hips against Remus. “Or do you want me to stop?”

“Do. Not. Stop.” Each word was punctuated by another hard thrust from Sirius, whose knot was growing with every movement. “I can take it.” 

“Good.” Sirius pushes it inside of him again, already feeling the way it’s catching on his rim as he tries to pull back out. 

Remus grips onto his arm tighter. “Oh, fuck. Sirius.” 

“Tell me.” It’s half a demand, spoken on a growl. 

“You’re so big.” He inhales sharply. “You’re pressing on my–on my prostate like all the time.” 

“I’m so close, Remus.” He buries his head in Remus’s neck again, sucking a bruise on his skin. “I’m going to come.” 

“Please, please, I need you.” 

I need you.  

Sirius thrusts once more before locking inside as he comes. He still cants his hips against Remus, but he catches on every thrust, and Remus releases an indecent moan just before he comes over Sirius’s hand again. He clenches around Sirius’s knot, and Sirius can feel it swell slightly larger in response. 

Minutes pass before their breaths and heart rates calm. Sirius kisses Remus, licking into his mouth. Remus is pliant, submissive under him, and Sirius feels a surge of protectiveness inside of him. 

He releases Remus’s leg, wrapping his arms around Remus’s waist and holding him close. “Should have thought a bit more about what position we were in to knot, shouldn’t we?” He moves his hips as though to demonstrate where they’re connected, and Remus hisses against the sensation. 

“S’okay. It’ll go down in a few minutes.” Remus tucks his face against Sirius’s shoulder. 

“Um, no. Probably not.” 

Remus lifts his head again, looking Sirius in the eye. “No? What, like, half an hour?”

"Remus." Sirius looks down where Remus's legs are still wrapped around his waist. "It's going to be at least a few hours since it was the first time." 

"Hours?" Remus looked around them, a little desperate. "What are we supposed to do?" 

“Have you really never—?” Sirius shook his head. “Merlin, you deserve someone who can knot you better than that.” 

“Sirius!” Remus pinches his side, which makes Sirius squirm and Remus groan again. “We can’t be stuck like this for hours!” 

“Hold on, let me shift us a bit.” 

It takes him a bit of maneuvering, and holding Remus close to his chest with an arm wrapped around his waist, but Sirius manages to move until he is laying on his back, and Remus is on his chest. “There, better?”

“Um, yes.” 

Remus’s voice sounds a little shaky, and Sirius looks down at him. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s just—fuck, you’re really strong. I was not expecting to be manhandled like that.” 

“Sorry—”

“Do not apologize. It was, um, really hot, actually.” He shifts against Sirius’s chest.

“Noted.” Sirius laughs and kisses the top of his head. 

Remus settles against his chest, nuzzling in. “I think I really needed this.” 

“Being manhandled?” 

Remus pinches his side, and Sirius laughs. “No, you berk. To be knotted. I’ve been feeling so off for days, and this is the first time since I got pregnant that I’ve felt fine.” 

Sirius toys with his curls, brushing them away from his face. “So what you’re saying is I get to keep knotting you for the next nine months.” 

“Someone has to do it.” Remus yawns, then rubs his head along Sirius’s chest. “I don’t think I can stay awake.” 

“That’s fine. You should sleep.” He runs his fingers lightly along Remus’s back, making goosebumps raise up. 

Remus hums into his chest. “Please don’t leave.” 

“Remus, I’m literally stuck to you.” 

“I know, but it will go down eventually.” Remus turns and kisses Sirius’s chest. “I’ve woken up alone before, and I—” he yawned. “Don’t leave me.” Remus’s breath comes out in soft, sleepy puffs. 

Sirius wraps his arms around Remus tighter, cursing Evan for ever having the audacity to treat Remus that way. “I’m not going anywhere.” 

Chapter 4: Week Nine: Green Olives

Summary:

Chapter by Krethes. :)

Notes:

There are some heavier themes in this chapter, so I'm warning specifically for them.

C/W: mention of pregnancy loss (not Remus's), mention of past alcohol abuse, fears about pregnancy and issues, a great deal of morning sickness (vomiting and nausea), and attempted manipulation. There is violence both physical and magical.

James is fine. Good, even. Great. Totally fine. His best mates are on the other side of the flat fucking because the Omega best mate dropped because there were three Alphas being all grr around each other—for good reason!—and he—James—almost got a blowie but didn't because the Alpha best mate—who knocked the Omega up when he (the Alpha) was a dog and the other one was a werewolf—showed up and well, he's the rightful king and all that tosh so obviously he has to help their friend with his drop and the smell is everywhere and it’s hard to breathe. It's in James's nose and hair and skin and in the Founders-damned vents and maybe he just shouldn't breathe and he's fine. 

Totally. Fucking. Fine. 

He curls his body against the wall, forehead pressed to the paint, and wanks frantically. Again. Evidence of his last two goes dot the floor in pearly white, and he doesn't know how he's got more in him but he does, and he comes to the memory of big, golden eyes looking up at him. His dick doesn't even go down. 

He's fine. 

He's crawling out of his skin but he's fine. 

Yep. 

He should leave. He should Apparate somewhere. Anywhere. Literally even the Omega Heat Facility Under King's Cross (the OHFUKC) would be better than this right now because at least they have scent wards and guards and because the only thought in his head is fuck and take and claim and that's three thoughts and he can't even math right now because his head is so full of the smell of them, that warm, molten sugar smell that's crawled inside of him and set up permanent camp in his stupid fucking dick but he's fine!

Really.

Summoning his trousers that he'd kicked off in a fist-fucking frenzy goes to shit, too, because he's accidentally turned them into a sheep and James really regrets having wool trousers because now he has a sheep and he's afraid to try to turn it back because what comes before a sheep? A baby lamb? A sheep embryo? Nope that's more Sirius's bag. He's got a sheep now. Ought to name it. He's fine.

So fucking fine. 

James flops down to the ground and can't even be arsed to push the sheep, now lapping at his hair, away. Maybe the sheep will eat him. That would be okay, he thinks. An improvement over the cesspool of hormones and rage bubbling up in him and threatening to spill out in more wild magic. 

He wants to wank again, but given how hungrily the sheep is currently eyeing his wooden wand, it's probably not advisable. James groans and shoos the animal over to the other end of the room where it munches on some old pairs of trainers. He does burpees and paces his room and more burpees and nothing works. Nothing works because every deep breath from his physical exertion brings in a new wave of them and they couldn't even put up a scent ward for their best friend's sanity?!

…They didn't put up a scent ward. 

James pokes his head out his door and sniffs, because it seems the thing to do and though the smell of them is rapidly killing him, he's obsessed. He creeps across the flat and prods Remus's door. Nothing.  

They didn't put up any wards. 

A low, breathy moan bleeds through the door and James has to grip himself hard around the base of his dick to keep from coming on the spot.

"Still tied," he hears Sirius chuckle, followed by an annoyed groan from Remus he knows is exaggerated. It sends a pang of jealousy through him, one that he is immediately ashamed of but can't help but feel, lurking just below his skin like a predator. They didn't just have sex. Sirius knotted him and now they're having a laugh about it. He's fine. 

The door isn't locked. There aren't any wards. It's basically an invitation. 

He wants to. Merlin, how he wants to, but… no. No. Not like this. Not… with Remus like this, with Sirius's knot in him. Fuck. That actually doesn't deter him in the slightest and makes him even harder, which isn't as surprising as James suspects it should be, but the fact remains. Sirius has Remus. Remus is in good hands. Remus needs to rest after a drop. 

Yeah. 

Yep. 

He's fine. 

He'll go back to his sheep and bleat at it until he loses his fucking mind and then he won't care about morals or ethics or the fact that he's standing outside his best mate's door in naught but a white vest and socks and a raging hard-on. 

Totally fine. 

The sheep has chewed its (hers? his? Do sheep have pronouns?) way through every pair of trainers in the room, the twigs of an antique broom, and is steadily working on its way through James's bedsheets when he comes back. It's worse than when Sirius had a cold in sixth year and was stuck as Padfoot for three days and went full psycho puppy mode and chewed everything up. 

James raises his wand with a shout, but just as he casts a spell that he hopes is a minor Reducto, the sheep bleats and pops! back into the pair of black trousers they started out as…and then promptly are destroyed by his spell. 

Yeah, he's fine. He's just gonna go run until his feet fall off. 

---

"Pads? Have you seen Prongs? He said he wanted to watch that island programme with me today but I can't find him."

Sirius pops his head around the corner, toothbrush sticking out of his mouth. Terribly attractive. "Umb," he begins, sprays toothpaste, and tries again after spitting. "Gym, I think."

Remus frowns. "Again? That's what…the third time today? It's only four-thirty…" He shakes his head and chews on his bottom lip, pulling it between his teeth nervously. "You don't think… Is he upset about…about last night?" 

Last night. Last night was a clusterfuck of fear and anger and distress and fuckyes that culminated in Remus finally getting fucked, and fucked hard. He'd been startled at how long Sirius's knot actually lasted. Evan's were twenty minutes, max, even after a long time away, maybe half again during his ruts, but he was stuck to Sirius for nearly two hours.  

Remus gets a little hot now, thinking about it, about how fifteen minutes into being locked, he'd gotten a whiff of James's smell, the hot ozone spike of his arousal and he'd squirmed on Sirius's knot. Sirius laughed at him in his stupid, sexy, husky way and gave tiny, minute thrusts that pulled at Remus's rim and ground into his prostate and Remus came twice like that, shaking so much he thought he might fall apart, their thighs covered in his slick. 

A bit like now, actually, Remus realizes when Sirius's scent changes. His breath catches in his throat, but he meets Sirius's gaze, molten silver, and that's it. Sirius drops his toothbrush and crowds him against the wall, kissing him like they hadn't spent all night touching each other, and Remus whines deep in his throat. He wraps his legs around Sirius's waist when Sirius grabs his arse, offering himself up because they've already crossed that line, what's the point in going back over one more time? 

Sirius has him against the wall and again in the bathroom, his hands clutching the taps, and finally knots him in the shower, where Remus begged him to. Except it's a poor decision, since they're knotted, and Remus's dick-drunk brain conveniently forgot that Sirius's knots aren't brief.  

Remus hears the door open and swears, scrambling across Sirius's chest for his wand, just out of reach on the bathroom counter. Sirius, always a little stupid after he knots (a delightful fact Remus is happy to know), makes a confused noise and drags Remus back down with his strong arms. Remus hears a muffled, pained, oh come on! from the other side of the flat followed by the front door loudly closing. 

That gets Sirius's attention and he lifts his head from where he's mouthing on Remus's shoulder. "Prongs?"

"Prongs," Remus confirms. "I'll… I need to talk to him. He's got to be feeling so lonely." He feels terribly, knowing that James is suffering because of him. 

"He's being a bit of a pillock, actually. Snapped at me this morning over tea and scones. Who can get angry over scones? They were orange and cranberry, it's practically a religious experience!" Sirius, whom Remus is quite certain has never had a religious experience or any experience with religion at all, says. "Hexed me for using the same knife in the clotted cream and cream cheese. I told him it's because they're the same thing, but only because that seemed better than asking him if I shouldn't use the same knife to fuck you and him, by that logic."

"I'd've hexed you too," Remus says with a smirk. He knows that after a barb like that, Sirius would normally do some grand, dramatic, storm-off, but they're stuck for another several minutes, and he can't. Sirius huffs, but thinking about the last part of Sirius's story makes Remus produce more slick (it's really getting out of hand!) and, well, they're already locked, what's one more orgasm?

When they finally unknot, Remus takes another shower—alone—and covers himself in charms to keep from slicking everywhere because he's going to a gym where people work out. Where James will be working out. Maybe shirtless. Snap out of it!

He walks past the girl at the counter without issue, as he's clearly here for someone and not to work out. Heads turn as he picks his way through the machines, looking for James. Remus keeps his head down and rubs his thumb over the mirror piece he has in his pocket, an emergency summons for Sirius if anything was to go wrong. There are Alphas everywhere and Remus can't stop the pull of want from his core, his body's biological response to please, strong Alpha, protect me while he's in this state. 

But it's easier to find James than Remus expected. There's an entire half of the gym that's empty, save for James, who is doing bicep curls with large dumbbells. Remus allows himself to watch for ten seconds before remembering he's here to talk to James. The reason for the berth isn't immediately known to Remus until he steps into that side of the room. 

James reeks. 

The whole area is saturated with his smell, like impossible pressure, a crash across the sky, plasma and ozone. But more. More heat behind it, sharper, deeper. It makes Remus's mouth water, makes him want to kneel, submit, bare his neck. 

Oh. 

Oh no. 

James sees him in the mirrored wall and, for all his moodiness earlier, smiles broadly. "Moony! It's about time you took me up on my offer. Wait! I've not read the part of the books yet about exercise in early trimesters because I honestly didn't think it was relevant? But-" He pauses and inhales, and Remus sees his eyes darken where he stands. "You're…" James lowers his voice. "You're not in heat because you can't be, right, you're already…pregnant?"

Remus doesn't know whether to be horrified, amused, or annoyed. He settles for a weird blend, and rolls his eyes. "Yup, already up the duff. No heats for nine months, which is a major upside."

"Right." James nods. Remus watches his Adam's apple bob as he swallows. "Right." He does a few more curls, now avoiding looking at Remus. "But you smell really good right now. Like really really good."

That settles it. "Prongs…um. When's your rut?"

"Ten days!" James chirps automatically. "I've got it all planned, don't worry. My family owns a little cabin in the Forest of Dean that's just sitting empty save from some cute fluffy spiders and a chatty squirrel—don't ask. I've pre-stocked it with stuff because I don't want… well, you know how ruts go. Can be quite a dick and really hard up for it and I don't want to be that around you."

"Uh-huh… James, you're sure it's in ten days?"

"Yup!"

"It couldn't possibly be a misread with everything that's going on?"

"Nope!" James turns to face him, and Remus can't help but glance down at his tiny shorts. No bulge (damn). But that doesn't mean anything. James laughs. "Moony! I don't pretend to tell you how your heats work. I think I know my own body!"

Remus nods, suddenly wishing he'd brought Sirius along, because James has rubbed the back of his neck, which pulls his shirt tight and up a few inches and there's no way he's wrong. Not after almost ten ruts with Evan. Remus is practically an expert. "Right, but you smell."

"Okay, rude. It's a gym! You'd stink too if you were pumping iron!"

Remus is not okay with James saying pumping while his biceps flex. "It smells like you. And you've been here four times today alone."

"It's five, actually." He sounds so proud of that. Mental. 

"That's not better!"

James scoffs. "Well, I'm not ready for the dad bod life, my friend. D'you know Padfoot ate four scones this morning and still doesn't think there's a difference between clotted cream and cream cheese?"

He needs to stop saying cream. Remus is about to melt, and he can't even get riled up about the dad bod comment. James has the most self control of anyone he knows, but pissing him off at the start of a rut would not bode well for anyone. Well, it'd bode well for Remus in a why yes, I am an unmated Omega, thank you ever so much for noticing, please put it in me! way.

Remus fidgets and digs his nails into his palm hard to jerk himself out of this train of thought. Fuck, not jerk. Pull. Not that either!  "And notice how no one wants to be near you?"

James looks around as if suddenly realizing they're alone on this side of the gym. Remus can see the exact moment it hits him. James pales and takes a precautionary step back from Remus.  "...No, it's ten days away!!"

"Seems it's come early, Prongs."

"Well that's just not fair! Who can live like this?"

Remus rolls his eyes at his dramatics. "Talk to me when you get two heats and a blue moon in the same month," he mutters. Fucking 28-day cycles of each. Fucking brutal bullshit. James looks a little guilty and Remus shakes his head. "No- sorry, Prongs. I'm just… everything. I shouldn't have dismissed you." He takes a step forward, but James scampers backwards again. 

"I need to…go. And grab my bag, and-"

CRACK!

"-Moonymoonymoony IfigureditoutandIthinkProngsisgoingintorut!" Sirius's words come out in a jumble, and he steps in front of Remus like James was actually going to do something to him. 

Remus pushes at his back with an annoyed huff. "Yeah, I know."

"You know and you came here alone?" Sirius's voice turns from concerned to a little angry, like it used to when he would find Remus wallowing in his self-pity before a full moon, drinking himself stupid so he could sleep, or researching just how much silver would (maybe) keep the wolf at bay but not kill him.

"I didn't know know!" Remus defends hotly. "And don't tell me what to do, Sirius."

"I'm not, Remus," Sirius growls, putting the emphasis on his actual name. "I'm just trying to stop you from doing something stupid."

"Stupid like getting knocked up in the first place?" He can't stop, his color is up and his mind is a haze of anger and the wolf is mad, too, mad that someone is trying to keep them from a perfectly good Alpha going into rut. 

Sirius frowns and gives him one of his 'imperious affronted lordling' looks, halfway between pearl-clutching and 'kiss the ring'. "Oh for fuck's sake! You know that's not-"

"Hey, Moony, Padf-"

"Do I know that? Because you're treating me like I don't know anything anymore and like I might break, which-"

"Guys!"

"You're pregnant with my children, of course I'm treating you differently!"

"Well fucking stop, I don't-"

"Sirius. Remus. Shut the fuck up."

Remus whips his head around to look at James, surrounded by cracked dumbbells and splintered glass, the floor jagged between the two of them and him, like a fucking earthquake went through. Or like two powerful wizards got into an emotional fight… Remus whines high in his throat but bites back the rest of his words with a final glare at Sirius, who just looks dumbfounded that James tried to use his Alpha voice on him. Worked, though. 

Sirius throws his hands in the air in frustration and opens his mouth like he's going to say something, but James just looks at him and he clamps it shut. 

"Thank you. You two…" James pinches the bridge of his knows in a way reminiscent of McGonagall when she's preparing to give them a Talking To. "Why do you always…You just…!"

It's rare to see James at a loss for words, but Remus knows what he’s trying to say. Remus’s rows with Sirius were legendary at Hogwarts. Sirius had (and has ) a mean streak a mile wide, and gets bored easily. And when he couldn't get a rise out of anyone else, he'd target Remus, because Remus would fight back. Remus would launch himself across the room and pin him to the floor, and- oh. Well. Sirius singling him out makes a little more sense to him now in hindsight, but still. There’s still a little bit of those hot-headed boys inside of them, it would seem.

James takes a deep breath, groans, and pulls his shirt up to cover his mouth and nose. "Okay. I'm going home. I'm grabbing my shit. I'll be back in a few days. Maybe. Hopefully. Fuck."

"Prongs, wait-"

James Disapparates with a crack, leaving Remus and Sirius to deal with their weird tension…

Remus looks at Sirius, raises one eyebrow, and Sirius grabs his wrist and pulls him through to the locker rooms. 

---

It's rough and messy and loud. Sirius sees Remus try to put up a privacy spell, but it's flimsy and Sirius doesn't give him a chance to check before he has Remus face-first against the locker with his trousers pulled down just far enough to expose his arse. 

"Should eat you out right here and leave you aching for my knot," Sirius rumbles in his ear, plastered against Remus's back. "How's that for not treating you like you're made of glass?" He shoves three fingers in Remus's hole—sopping wet, the slag—and pumps them in and out mercilessly. 

"I d-dare you," Remus grits out, stumbling over his words. "Bet you ca-ahfuckfuckthere- can't walk away after. You have n-no- oh, ah! self-control!"

Sirius crooks his fingers and makes him wail, grinds against his prostate until he starts to hiccup with overwhelm, and then yanks his fingers out. Remus tries to chase them but is far too slow, and Sirius laughs darkly into his neck. "Who has no self-control now?" He's hard enough to cut fucking diamonds, and Remus smells so good, and-

"You." Fucking mouthy little shit.

Sirius growls and flips Remus around and hoists him up high on the locker with his legs spread over Sirius's broad shoulders. Holding him up with upper body strength alone, Sirius tilts Remus's suddenly very pliant body and licks a hot swipe along his crease. He tastes like ambrosia and Sirius needs more of it. Ignoring Remus's jab about Sirius dropping him (that was one time, and before they'd presented!), he shuffles forward and plunges his tongue into him. 

Fuck if Remus doesn't make the best noises, squirming and writhing on his tongue like he did earlier on his dick. It satisfies the possessive Alpha in him, sends pure silvered satisfaction through his veins. He 's making Remus do this. No one else. He's gagging for his dick. His knot. When Remus's thighs threaten to choke him out, Sirius pulls back, lips and chin glistening with spit and slick. He pretends to drop Remus—to his very angry shout—but catches him easily, supports him with his arms, waits until Remus wraps his legs around his waist, and fucks into him. 

"You'd think you've never been around an Alpha in rut before," Sirius growls. 

"Fuck you!"

Oh he does love it when Remus gets angry. His face gets this pretty flush, his body tenses—a fucking brilliant squeeze around his cock now—and his scent turns a little spicy, still the watermelon but with cumin or chili powder and salt sprinkled on it. He's not passive, either; Remus might be riding his dick for all it's worth and thoroughly enjoying himself, judging by the hand flying over his cock, but his free hand is in Sirius's hair, pulling hard, on his shoulder, nails digging in, teeth bared in a snarl like he'd love to bite Sirius, if only he was close enough. Would've made a fine Alpha, their Remus. 

"Or was it that you hoped Prongs wouldn't be able to hold back? You got so close yesterday." It's a little cruel to throw Remus's drop in his face, sure, but by the rush of slick that makes the grind into Remus's arse like silk, Remus doesn't mind. "Oh, you have!"

"...fuck you."

Sirius laughs and kisses Remus, feeling the heat from his blush on his own cheeks. He should probably be concerned with how hot it makes him to embarrass Remus or to bring James up mid-fuck, but Remus is biting at his bottom lip and clamping down around his growing knot and—ohfuck—coming hard, and Sirius has to pull out. He can't knot him here. Remus's distressed whine sends Sirius over the edge before he's even really had a chance to touch himself, splashing Remus's quivering, mostly-limp body with come. 

His. 

Sirius carries Remus to the showers and washes him carefully, all the spiky emotion from earlier gone. Remus has bruises on his hips and around his thighs but his eyes are calm and sleepy, and he lets Sirius fuss over him. When they emerge from the showers, warm and clean and holding hands, the manager of the gym is waiting for them, arms crossed, looking like a stormcloud. 

Apparently, destroying half the gym with wild magic and then blocking the locker rooms for twenty minutes is against gym rules. Sirius gets his membership revoked and Remus gets his photo taken for a "do not admit" wall. 

---

“He’s already gone,” Remus realizes when they Apparate back to the flat. James was here recently. He can smell him clearly in the paths he took to pack, but there’s nothing active, no concentrated area of new scent, and that knowledge sits heavy in his gut like a bezoar. 

“Fuck.” Sirius kicks off his boots and pulls his mobile out of his pocket. He tries calling someone—James, most likely—and swears again when no one picks up. He tries again, and again, and a fourth time before he jams the poor device back into his jean pocket. “Fuck.”

The guilt is suffocating. James’s rut came early because of Remus. He left his own flat because of Remus. He’s going to go through a rut alone because of Remus, because he thinks Remus doesn’t want to be around him, because- well. He hadn’t exactly gotten to the part where he reassured James about his role in his life after the whole drop thing. A part of Remus thinks it should be obvious, given he was moments away from blowing him, but the logical part of him knows that all James knows is that Remus spent all night with Sirius. Fucking Sirius. 

Fuck.

Remus hasn’t ever had a rut, obviously, but he’s read and observed that they’re about as uncomfortable as heats for Omegas, if more infrequent (lucky arseholes). There are services for Alphas to call if they don’t want to spend the ruts alone, but they’re not exactly legal, and Remus knows James won’t risk it. He chews on his thumbnail and peers up at Padfoot, who is pacing their living room like a caged tiger. “What if…I mean…. If you want, you can go to him, Padfoot.” It hurts to offer, in a weird way, but they spend their ruts together, Sirius said, so James is obviously expecting him. 

Sirius’s head whips around and he frowns. “I’m not leaving you,” he says sharply, like Remus was ridiculous for suggesting it. 

Remus exhales his frustration. Getting upset with Sirius again isn’t going to be productive. “Okay,” he says slowly. “What if… we go. Together.”

“He’ll be fine.” Sirius is lying. Most people buy whatever honeyed words roll off of his silvered tongue, but Remus is a master at reading Sirius Black, and he’s one hundred percent lying. 

“He won’t.”

Sirius scowls and stalks up to him, his body tight. “Moony, he’s in rut. He’ll-”

“Yeah, I know.” Seriously, how dense is he? For being so brilliant, Sirius can be a fucking dumbass sometimes. 

Sirius blinks. “...You want that?”

Want is a mild word for the growing ache settling low in Remus’s body. He’s helped Evan through nearly ten ruts, and they’re…exhausting, but a good time. Mostly. He forces himself to shrug in feigned casualness. “He’s our friend. It’s not fair for him to suffer just because I made him feel…like he’s not wanted.”

“He’s going to fight it.”

“Yeah, I know.” James is too righteous to just accept what Remus will offer him, but self control, even that of James Potter, can only stretch so far. 

“Okay then. Pack a bag.” 

A bag ends up being a duffle crammed full of food and blankets and just one change of clothes, because Remus figures he’s not going to have a chance to really wear pants over the next few days. He fights to keep the pleased smile from his face, but Sirius sees right through him.

“Eager,” Sirius teases, pulling him close.

“Just a great friend,” Remus defends. 

Sirius laughs, gives his arse a squeeze (making him squawk because mind the merchandise, Black!) and Side-Alongs them to James’s location.

It’s a spartan cabin, sparsely decorated. There’s a tatty couch (leather), a thick rug by the fireplace, a small table, and a little kitchenette. There’s a hall that Remus assumes leads to a room with a bed and a bathroom, but he isn’t interested in finding out just now. “Um. Hello.” James is very naked and very hard, his very big hand wrapped around his oh fucking yes very big cock. His eyes are wide behind his glasses, and Remus watches hungrily as a glob of precome dribbles down over his knuckles.

Sirius grins and tosses the duffle down. “Hello, Prongsie!”

“Sirius,” James warns, but he’s already started to drift toward Remus. His eyes, normally a charming hazel, are shot through with threads of gold, blown wide by his pupils, and he can’t look away from Remus. “What the-”

Remus rests his hands on James’s forearms, feeling the muscles jump under his fingers. “We’re here to help.”

“Sirius!” James’s voice has risen a few octaves, and Remus does his best not to laugh at him. Merlin bless James Potter’s goodness, truly. 

Sirius walks up behind Remus and reaches around to unbutton Remus’s flies for him. “Here to help.”

James gulps. “Just..checking…you um. You can’t get double- uh, triple? Pregnant. Right?”

Remus grins, shimmying out of his jeans and briefs. “Right.” He clocks the moment the smell of his slick hits both of them: James’s eyes go hazy, his cock pulses in his hand, and Sirius grinds against him from behind. 

“Oh-okay, because…because I- oh fuck.” James covers his mouth and nose with his free hand, but can’t seem to stop his other one from stroking himself. “I do…I do actually wanna put little Bambies in you but um I think two’s quite enough, yeah?”

Remus levies an unamused look at him (though he’s internally cackling with laughter), and stays silent. Sirius doesn’t offer him the same kindness, leaning heavily on Remus as he shakes with laughter.

“Babies. Not Bambies.”

There. “Right. Two’s plenty.”

“So…” Remus watches James’s Adam’s apple bob, feeling another burst of slick slide down his bare thighs.

“So fuck me,” Remus says cooly, strips off his shirt, and tosses it at James’s face.

Sirius hoists him into James’s arms but backs off once Remus has his legs wrapped around him. James buries his nose at the curve of Remus’s neck and inhales deeply. Remus wonders if he’s going to bite him, or do anything other than sniff, as the minutes pass by and James just holds him. 

“James,” Remus whispers, carding his fingers through his wayward curls. “It’s okay. Let me help you. I want this.” 

It’s the key to unlatch the last of James’s reservations. James’s Alpha scent fills the room like floodwaters, rising around them and replacing everything else, even Sirius’s, and Remus lets himself be dragged under. He doesn’t protest when James pushes his back against a wall, but he does shake his head when James’s fingers creep towards his arse. “Don’t need it. Fuck me. C’mon.”

James pauses, sniffs, and a growl—not vicious, not angry—rumbles out of his chest. “Padfoot already-?”

“Yeah.” Remus catches Sirius’s eye over James’s shoulder and winks. “Wanna fuck his come out of me?”

“Circe, Moony!” Sirius squeaks—hah, squeaks, take that!

James jostles Remus a few times to get lined up and pulls Remus’s body down onto his cock without another word, all traces of those kind hazel eyes gone, lost behind the Alpha gold. A possessive, “Mine,” gets growled into his neck and Remus has a split-second of full-to-perfection bliss before James bites down. 

It’s not on his scent gland, no, but it’s very fucking close and Remus shouts in shock, but clings to James’s shoulders and clenches around him, desperately hoping he won’t stop. James doesn’t pull away, thank the Founders, just adjusts his stance and proceeds to fuck Remus into the wall. It’s harder than Remus thinks he’s ever been in his life. James is built like a goddamn tank, and Remus is pinned to the wall, helpless (and happy) to do anything but just take every inch of his unfairly massive cock. 

Remus thinks he has to let up soon, has to stop to catch his breath eventually, but James just keeps going. It’s like being fucked by a machine, and oh, fuck, the thought of prostrating himself in front of James and Sirius and letting them watch as an actual machine fucks him into oblivion has Remus coming with an embarrassed moan. “Don’tstopdon’tstopdon’tstop,” he pants, not that James appears to have had any desire to, using his body like Remus has wanted to be used for weeks, maybe forever.

When James comes, it’s with a coarse groan and another chomp down on Remus’s neck. He smells blood, but it just sends him deeper under, his mind awash with pleasure at having brought his Alpha off. James’s hips still and he laps at the dots of blood on Remus’s broken skin with open-mouthed kisses, barely even breathing hard, the athletic bastard. “Wanna knot you.”

“That’s the idea,” Remus finds it in himself to say, and braces himself. James carries him to the couch, covering his neck and shoulders and collarbones with increasingly hungry kisses. His dick hasn’t softened one bit, and Remus shivers at the sensation of his slick mixing with James’s come inside of him. It’s not exactly pleasant in and of itself, but it makes him feel properly used, and it satisfies the needy Omega in him. 

“Don’t wanna hurt you,” James admits when he sits on the couch, Remus still speared on his cock. “Or the bam-babies…”

Remus’s heart clenches fondly and he cups James’s sweaty face in his hands. He kisses him sweetly, feeling him gasp and twitch under him. “Made of stronger stuff. Werewolf, remember? Have at it. I’ll let you know if it’s too much.”

“Promise?” James groans, already starting to fuck back up into him. 

“Prom-oh there, fuck-!” 

Remus heaves an internal sigh of relief when James accepts that as the oath Remus intended it to be, and again falls under the pull of James’s Alpha scent. He rides him the best he knows how, working his hips methodically to pull increasingly desperate, gravelly moans from James’s mouth. James’s fingers dig into the meat of his arse cheeks and spread and Remus whines, feeling the knot start to form on each downward thrust. There’s an absolutely obscene squelching sound coming from where they’re joined and it chases every other thought out of Remus’s head except for god yes. 

James groans in frustration, his knot still not fully-formed, and holds tight to Remus as he brings them down onto the floor. He pulls out, catching on Remus’s rim (making Remus gasp for air), only long enough to flip Remus onto his hands and knees. Remus has a fleeting thought of being incredibly lucky to have two Alphas who can just manhandle him as they see fit, and then James is fucking him again, this time with all the force of his impressive body behind him, and it’s all Remus can do to stay lucid. 

His knot finishes filling out and James’s fingers leave bruising imprints on Remus’s hips as he spills into him again. His knot, like Sirius’s (and how thrilled Remus is to know what both of those feel like now) fits snugly against his prostate, and the pulsing of his orgasm sets Remus off again, coming with a pitiful whine into the rug. 

“Atta boy, Prongs.” Sirius’s voice is low and husky, and he’s naked and fully hard as he crouches in front of Remus. “You should see his face right now.” Sirius swipes his thumb across Remus’s chin and lips, smearing spit and pushing it into Remus’s mouth. Remus accepts it eagerly, sucking on his thumb with a pleased little sigh, swirling his tongue around Sirius’s finger. 

For his efforts, Sirius groans and kneels, grabbing the base of his dick with the hand he pulls out of Remus’s mouth. “Alright if I use his mouth?” he asks James, heat flushing through Remus’s body at not being consulted. He knew what he was signing up for, he knew what would happen, and he’s absolutely not upset about it.

James’s cock twitches, slowly filling again, and he comes back to earth. “Do it.” He drops a hungry kiss to Remus’s shoulder blade and thrusts forward just as Sirius guides his cock to Remus’s mouth, forcing Remus to take more than he thought he was going to at once. He gags a little, clenches around James again (because he likes choking on dick, deep down) and relaxes the muscles of his throat to take Sirius properly. “Alright Moony?”

Remus can’t very well answer him, now can he? He rolls his eyes, which Sirius sees and laughs at. Sirius digs his fingers into his hair and holds his head still as he uses his mouth, a low, gratified moan escaping from him. 

James rocks into him slowly, making sure Remus can feel how big his knot is. It’s not as big as Sirius’s, Remus thinks, but it’s in a little deeper and who can really fucking care when it’s grinding into his prostate? Remus makes a keening moan when James doesn’t stop, when he feels Sirius’s fingers slide over his throat to feel the way his cock has stretched it, and comes helplessly around James’s knot. 

“Number three,” Sirius says darkly. He pulls out to the very tip, letting the head of his cock rest heavy on Remus’s bottom lip. “Can you take more?”

“Stop asking,” Remus rasps. “I’ve done this before.”

With Evan hangs unspoken, and that’s that. 

He’s never taken two Alphas in his life, let alone with one in rut, but Remus has dreamt of this moment since the day Sirius presented. He’d hoped to be an Alpha too, obviously, because it just made sense, and they honestly all sort of half-jokingly expected James to be an Omega. But then James presented as an Alpha, and the idea of all three of them being Alphas and being able to be together for the rest of school, holed up in a small dorm room that would stink of them and sweat and sex within a weekend, had kept Remus awake for weeks. 

When he presented as an Omega, it became an obsession. His first heat was complete, unsatisfactory misery, spent humping pillows and sweating in unfilled agony until it passed, isolated in his own room. The obsession with being taken by both of them ebbed some, but it never fully went away. Remus thought it was going to be amazing, and it was.

The next few days are honestly a blur. James isn’t himself, obviously, growling things like, “Gonna make you mine,” and, “Wanna breed you so badly,” and—Remus’s shameful favorite—”Take turns with Padfoot so we don’t know whose baby you’ll end up with.” 

Remus sees every available surface of the cabin, fucked against the mantle of the fireplace, over the back and both arms of the couch, against the rattling window, into the mattress of the rather rickety bed more than once, of course, so many times he loses complete track of the hours. Between knots, Remus moves about the cabin when he can and eats and drinks whatever Sirius puts in front of him (mostly), but within fifteen minutes, he gets dragged back into James’s lap for another go. 

The nausea still comes in the morning, of course, and Remus is grateful for Sirius’s mostly-level-headed presence in those hours, because he distracts James with his wicked mouth so Remus can be sick and take a hot shower, come back to his own body. 

The moon is fast arriving, and part of Remus is worried they’ll spill over into it and James will have to finish it on his own, or fuck the wolf as Prongs which should not make him so hot after everything’s they’ve already done. But the universe cuts them some slack. It’s fifty-two hours before James’s rut finally breaks, and Remus knows it’s the last knot when James can’t lift his face from his scent gland which he’s been obsessively mouthing over for the last hour as he fucks him up against the door to the bedroom. Remus doesn’t think he’ll actually bite him, but the well-fucked, unbonded and pregnant Omega in him is screaming for him to just fucking do it! Sirius must see the conflict warring in his eyes, because he keeps Remus’s mouth well-occupied and keeps an eagle eye on James’s teeth.

---

When his fog clears, James makes haste in getting his shit together while Remus is still sleeping off the past few days. Sirius was asleep when he left the room, too, but who knows for how long. 

"Hey, Prongs?"

Fuck. "Moony, don't, I'm already packing-" He can't do this right now, can't listen to Remus try to explain away what just happened for the sake of harmonious cohabitation. No, he just needs to get away and clear his head, get some fresh air. Maybe he'll visit his mum and dad. It's been a few weeks since he's seen them. 

"Packing why?"

"... because my rut's over and Padfoot's probably about to want to roll all over you to get my stink off?" That's putting it mildly. James wouldn't be surprised if Sirius actually pissed on Remus, too, for good measure. Their friendship is ironclad, but Sirius has a possessive streak that predates his presentation. James doesn't really want to be around for that particular activity. 

"What? Why do you-"

"You're carrying his kids, remember? His. I'm not trying to get in the way of that." James sighs and rubs the back of his neck. He really did not want to have this conversation today. His skin feels weird and he's fucking knackered and he'd really actually like a nap as Prongs, curled up somewhere safe but sunny, just having a cheeky deer snooze. 

Remus's face softens from the crumpled edges of confusion, and he closes the distance between them with a few strides. His eyes, so very gold, always feel sharper than the rest of him, like that's where the wolf gets to prowl on the off-phase, which actually isn't long for this world, and they need to plan this moon, quickly! 

"James." Remus's hands cup his face and they're so very warm, his fingernails scratching into his beard in a way that makes James want to purr. "They're our babies."

James exhales harshly. "Yeah, I know-"

"Shut up." Remus rises up on tiptoe and kisses him, firm and confident. James returns it readily after a half-second of shock, winding his arms around Remus's waist to hold him close. They've kissed before—earlier—but those were all grr let me get your clothes off kisses with teeth and so much tongue. This is just…nice. "You may not have added your particular blend of specky bedhead to this, but…they're our babies. Yours, mine, Sirius's."

"Thanks for saying as much, but Padfoot-"

"Is right here and not a total arsehole?" Sirius comes up behind Remus and props his chin atop his curly head. "You're dad number three, no refunds." 

"But Evan-"

"Ah, ah!" Sirius flaps his hand at James dismissively. "We do not speak his name!" Remus snorts at the ridiculousness, and Sirius looks affronted. "He's not worthy of a name! He acted like a snatchwipe, he gets treated like one!"

"'Snatchwipe'?" Remus repeats, disgusted. James is with him on this one. So graphic. "Where d'you even come up with this shit, Padfoot?"

"My brain. Duh. Anyway, Fuckface McSmalldick gave up his rights to those little chiclets the minute he tried to lay a hand on our Moony."

Remus's approach is a little more gentle than Sirius's, and he kisses James again. It's like honeysuckle, sweet and delicate and James could spend all day just snogging Remus. "You're not banned from anything just because Sirius is the bio dad, James. I want you here with us. I need you here with us." Remus must sense that James is on the verge of some very unmanly tears, because he continues. "You know Padfoot and I will severely maim each other if we're left alone for more than forty-eight hours. Stay, at least until morning." 

---

Remus wakes up already heaving, scrambling over James's sleeping body to sprint to the bathroom where he—thank fuck—makes it to the toilet on time to lose the contents of his stomach. It's a miserable nausea, cold sweat on his brow and between his shoulder blades, his skin too hot and tight, and it just does not stop, not even when he's just dry heaving, his stomach cramping in the worst way possible like it's trying to fold in on itself. 

Remus flushes the toilet and slumps to the cool tile floor with a pitiful whimper. He wants his mum, desperately, suddenly. Wants her cool hands and her honeyed tea and her Muggle cure-all: vaporub. He wants her to stroke his hair and tell him it'll all be okay, that he's going to be just fine and sing him to sleep. But she doesn't even know this is happening to him, he realizes as he cries as silently as he knows how, like he did as a first year behind the drawn hangings of his four-poster bed, hot, fat tears coursing down his cheeks because just like then, what's happening to his body is not fair. It's not fair and there's nothing he can do to stop it, and it's not even the end. It'll come back, and even when it's over, he'll have a real living baby—babies—that need him and then what? Then he'll have to ditch them around the full moon? What kind of father is he? Who would want him for a dad?

But unlike in first year, James and Sirius are now very attuned to his emotional state. He must smell sour, Remus thinks, when he sees two pairs of feet: one pale, one socked in the doorway of the bathroom. "'Lo," Remus whimpers, unable to muster up anything more than that. 

James drops down first, a glass of water in his hands. When Remus tries to apologize for waking them—he could have at least closed the door!—James just waves him off. "Hush, sweetheart," he murmurs, Transfiguring a cotton swab into a straw with the barest flick of his wand. 

While Remus drinks, the water beautifully cool and soothing and sort of gingery, Sirius crouches in front of him and presses a soft, folded-up damp washcloth against his forehead. He smooths back Remus's sweaty curls and takes the tie from his own hair to put Remus's mop in a jaunty little bun. "Beautiful," Sirius whispers.

Remus, who doubtlessly has some level of bile on his chin, scoffs weakly at him. "Lying sod."

"Hear that, Prongs? He's enough life in him to sling insults, that's great news."

Remus pouts and leans into James's waiting arms. "I'm having your babies and you want to make jokes?" he whines, and sure, he might be playing it up a little because he can, but it's not like Sirius doesn't deserve it. 

James takes pity on him and thumps Sirius in the arm. Hah. "Don't kick the man while he's down, Padfoot." He kisses Remus's sweaty brow and helps him into an upright-enough position to get all the vomit in the toilet when the next wave of nausea crests over him. "He's a bad man what did this to you," James whispers conspiratorially, rubbing Remus's back. 

"The worst," Remus hiccups, nose running most attractively. 

---

"You're not the worst," Remus promises later, when his body's decided to flip a coin and flood him with other hormones. Honestly, he’s been shagged twelve (and then some) ways to Christmas, and he’s still down bad. "I'm glad I'm having your babies."

Sirius looks up from the book he's reading: Motorcycle Mums (he doesn't want to know) and cocks a brow at him. "You're only saying that to get in my pants." 

"No!" Nevermind that Remus has crawled into the couch to straddle Sirius's hips and is subconsciously rocking against him. "No! I mean- it's not-!"

Sirius saves Remus from his imminent self-destruction with a barked laugh. He flings the book somewhere and pulls Remus down on top of him. Remus's nose ends up buried in the crook of his neck against the pillow he's been laying on and it smells so good. "Just admit it, I'm irresistible."

"It's the fucking full," Remus grumbles. Even before he presented, the full moon made him want to fuck or fight (sometimes both) anything in sight. It's part of the reason he was so certain he'd present as an Alpha, like his dad, pure basal aggression alone. 

"Can't have anything to do with you being a horny Omega fresh out of a rut with an unmated Alpha and an Alpha who's about to go into his, nah." James leans on the doorframe, polishing off a peeled orange. 

Sirius and Remus turn to look at James in unison. "Don't put that bad luck in the air!" Sirius protests. "Bad enough that we synced up like fucking clocks! I'm not to be swayed. I'm made of stronger stuff, Prongs, hate to break it to you. Mine's in two weeks."

Remus leans in close and sniffs him again, long and slow. "Um…" It's not as strong as James's was that day at the gym, but he'd bet Sirius's money that it's closer than two weeks by a long shot. 

"No." Sirius carefully removes Remus from his lap and sets him gingerly down on the floor. It's a bit dusty, being a rarely-used cabin, and Remus frowns up at him. "This isn't happening. If I don't acknowledge it, then it doesn't actually exist." 

"That didn't work for your moldy socks and it won't work now."

"Shut up, Prongs."

"It's not like we haven't fucked before!" Remus huffs. What the fuck is Sirius's problem? 

"But not a rut."

"We've literally just done one with Prongs."

"Exactly!" Sirius turns onto his side and drops his hand to Remus's belly, just barely starting to firm up (though it's more likely from all the sex. Great workout, that.) "Poor sprogs are soaked enough as is. Don't wanna drown them."

James's laughter startles Remus so much he forgets he was well on his way to another row with Sirius. James doubles over laughing, clutching his ribs, wafts of pinesap and sunny meadows coming off of him with each giggling exhale that lighten Remus's stormy mood immediately. "Drown- hahaha, drown them!" he wheezes. "Because we didn't put raincoats on our dicks when we went swimming?" James loses himself to snickers again. "Bit of a Padfoot puppy puddle? Need wee little row boats…!"

Remus is charmed, and when he meets James's eyes, he can't help but laugh, too. "They can't drown. They've not even got lungs yet, I don't think." He looks down at his stomach and tilts his head, like that'll help him see.

"No, that's not until- well, I suppose it depends on what you mean by lungs." James rights himself and scratches the stubble on his jaw thoughtfully. "Not as we'd know them, I guess." He grins, wide and bright. "What? We've books! I've read them!"

"When did you even find the time?" Remus wonders. Between his personal crises, James's job, and James's rut, he's been quite busy. 

James shrugs and tosses a protein bar from their duffle bag at Sirius. "Eat," he instructs firmly. "Muggles have these cool things on like, laces, that go in your ear-"

"Earbuds."

"No, I don't think that's it. Earpals maybe-

"-Definitely not."

"Eh. Anyway. They've got them and you can pop 'em into your mobile and hire someone to read the book for you!"

"That's cheating!" Sirius says, spraying Remus with granola and almond shrapnel. 

"It's called an audiobook," Remus says, wisely interrupting what is shaping up to be a very messy fight. An Alpha recovering from his rut has some hormonal drop, and an Alpha going into rut is moody and tetchy and combative. "And it's a perfectly valid way of consuming literature." He smiles at James, and his heart flip-flops at his expression of sheepish acknowledgement. James may look like just a muscle-bound numpty, but Sirius and Remus know better than anyone what sort of genius machinations go under those wild curls. 

James passes him a bowl of granola with fruit and Greek yogurt in it, and Remus gives it a test sniff. It doesn't set his stomach to roiling, and he takes a tentative first bite. "Ohfuck…"

"What's wrong, are you alright? Is it bad? Need a vom bucket?" Sirius Summons a bowl from the kitchen and James Transfigures it into a bucket while Sirius rummages through their bag for a not-there anti-nausea potion from Poppy. 

"Oh. Yes! I…" Remus blushes, fighting a wave of affection and embarrassment. "...it's just really fucking good." Both of their shoulders untense and they visibly relax. It's the first thing Remus has wanted to eat since James's rut started, and he's thrilled. He just hopes it'll stay down… 

A memory of that early morning debacle resurfaces and Remus looks up at his friends, already halfway through the bowl James handed him. "There's something I wanted to ask you two. Um. I'd like to go home. To-"

"Why?" They both look guilty and horror stricken. 

"Oh, my God," Remus laughs. "I just want to tell my parents that I'm pregnant!"

"Oh." Again, together. They're adorable. 

It's James who speaks first, breaking the new silence, ever the planner. "Do you need a Side-Along or one of us could fly you-"

"I'm a perfectly capable flier myself, Prongs." Remus rolls his eyes good-naturedly. "I want you both- well. No, it's stupid. You're both so busy, and with Padfoot's rut coming up-"

"-I did not hear that!" Sirius insists.

"With Padfoot's not-rut not coming up, he'll need to make arrangements at work, and-"

"Moony, hey, just slow down!" James grabs the empty bowl from his hands, sets it on the counter, and takes Remus's hands in his own. "Padfoot's his own boss and I'm basically mine. If you need us, if you want us to be somewhere, we're there."

Sirius smooths his hand over Remus's curls. "Well, I do have to find a fill-in because unlike Prongs here, I save lives so-"

"What are my safety features for, then? I save lives," James defends brusquely, so petulant Remus has to hide his smile behind his hand. 

"Anyway," Sirius plows on, "I just have to give Frank a shout and he'll take on my emergencies. Which is something I want, so what do you want, Moony?"

"Will you both come with me to my parents'? My mum will love seeing you, and…I'd like my dad to know I'm in good hands."

James and Sirius exchange big, shit-eating grins. "You're in the best hands, I recall you saying two nights ago."

"Mm, very true, Prongs, quite true. Are we to give Papa Lupin a play-by-play, blow-by-blow?"

"I've always wondered what your dad's-"

Remus launches himself at both of them, knowing full well they'd catch him (and they do). He goes to try to put James in a headlock (not his brightest move) and James grabs both of his wrists with one big hand, Sirius grabs his ankles, and James uses his free hand to deliver tickling pinches. After spending the rut together, it seems, James isn't shy, and Remus's inner thigh and nipples are not safe from the onslaught. 

Remus laughs and tries to get loose to no avail and just has to take it until they're all breathless and it smells nice in the room. Not nice-nice like fuck me fuck me fuck me nice. Just…nice. Remus's desperation to be knotted has waned some (it only took a marathon of shagging and over a dozen knots) and James is fresh off a rut and Sirius's still at least a few days away. It feels good, like being able to enjoy their company as his friends again. Like he's their witty friend Remus, not their pregnant Omega friend Remus. 

"We'll come along, won't we, Pads?"

"Naturally! Got to meet the squidges' grandparents proper, now don't we?" Sirius leans forward and drops two brisk kisses to Remus's stomach. 

"What did you just call our babies?" 

"Squidges."

"That explains nothing."

"Well it's like…" Sirius scratches behind his ear like Padfoot does, and Remus hears James mutter something about fleas. "Kid becomes squid, right?"

"Kids do not turn into squids! That is a myth made up to scare First Years, Padfoot," James corrects promptly.

"Arg, no! It rhymes! So squids but they're small, like midges. You know, those little bugs? Squidges."

Remus stares at him. "You've called our babies biting cephalopod insects. I don’t even…" He tilts his head up to look at James. "Well, James, that’s him done. How'd you like to be the new dad?"

"Oi!" Sirius pinches the inside of Remus's ankle, earning him a reflex kick in the gut, and he glares. "Those are our babies, split three ways, equally! It's a cute name!"

“So now you want to divide them in thirds?” Remus asks, laying on a Sirius-level of dramatics. “Padfoot!”

Sirius actually bites his leg this time, dragging Remus close and gnawing on his shin bone, which just starts another scuffle and it’s a whole thing, and they end up tangled up on the couch, Remus with a missing sock, and somehow James’s shirt came off and that’s actually quite okay. 

"We should get our story straight before we go to your folks'." Sirius brushes a stray curl away from Remus's face, so tender that Remus thinks maybe they could just stay in and spend the day tangled up together. 

But something about his statement sets off a warning bell. "What do you mean?" Remus squints suspiciously at Sirius. 

Sirius blushes and tugs at a lock of his own hair. "Well, like... Do we tell them that at least one is mine or-"

"Absolutely fucking not!" Sirius looks crestfallen, like a kicked puppy, and Remus's chest twists with guilt. "No, Pads." Remus huffs a harsh sigh. "I mean, I'm not telling her there might be another dad. As far as I'm concerned, these are ours. And James's," he adds with a soft smile at James, who looks like his day has just been made. 

"Oh right…! Sirius, Muggles don't have secondary genders. Your mum probably doesn’t know much about this whole thing, right, Moony?"

"Exactly," Remus nods. "So imagine my poor Mam, right? Muggle and Catholic, bless her. She's twenty and has just learned magic is real, which is fine enough, actually rather close to miracles, that. Then she's twenty-five and learns her only kid is magic, too. Well, roll with the punches and all, there was a risk. So she’s about thirty and her kid is attacked and is now a werewolf which, by the way, she didn't know were actually real! And then her husband's weird knotting thing isn't just a clever, fun, sexy spell, but is in fact an entire other subset of wix genetics and her son, her—male, magic, werewolf son—can get knocked up!" 

Remus knows he's getting worked up and takes a calming breath, leaning back against James's side. "Me being able to get pregnant in the first place was a lot for her. I don’t even know if she actually believes it. It’s a big ask for someone raised around the binary. I'm not about to tell her that I'm no better than the neighborhood fence-jumping tramp."

“Don’t talk about Padfoot that way,” James soothes, snickering when Sirius turns into Padfoot and bites his foot. “You’re not a tramp.”

“Feel like one,” Remus mutters sourly. “Jumped Padfoot on a full moon and made him put it in me. Sounds pretty trampy.”

“If you’re Tramp, which of us is Lady?” Sirius asks, thoroughly derailing Remus’s fast track to a pity party. “See, default would be me, given I’m Padfoot and the best bred of us here-”

“-Yeah you are,” James jabs with an eyebrow waggle.

“-Shut it. But Prongsie here has those big doe eyes.”

"James is more like Dodger from Oliver and Company."

"Who?"

Remus laughs at both of them, wriggling and worming his way until he's nestled between James and Sirius, each with one arm around him. "I'll show it to you sometime. I'll pick the tape up from Mam."

"Right! So. Pads is the dad-! That rhymes! Need to Squidge your name, Sirius, hang- right, right, focus!" James props his head against Remus's and hums low in his throat. "The Full is coming up, but so's Sirius's rut-"

"-Fake news!"

"I can spend the moon there," Remus suggests with a shrug. "I don't want to wait until after Sirius's thing has passed to tell them." He blushes and pulls the neck of his t-shirt up to cover the lower half of his face. "I'm worried my dad will smell it on me." 

Something like a sizzle zips through the air above him, and Remus has little doubt that they're silently communicating, or trying not to laugh, or both. Eventually, Sirius kisses the side of his head (and then his mouth when Remus turns his face expectantly). "Full's in two. We can go tomorrow? Leaves enough time to sort ourselves and get our affairs in order."

Remus frowns. "What do you mean?"

"Oh Moony, you sweet summer child." Sirius cups his face and kisses him again. "Your dad's gonna kill me."

---

After several rounds of bargaining and wheedling and consulting with Poppy, it was decided that while Apparating is an option,  the safest and most reliable way to travel to Dover from London was to Floo. Remus hates the Floo. It makes him dizzy and nauseated even on a good day and he hates the smell of it. It's fireplace smoke, sure, but it's not campfire. It's different. Green, like burning too-fresh logs. To make matters worse, the move to Dover was to get away from the magical world, so Remus's parents don't have their hearth connected to the Floo Network. In fact, their house is damn near Unplottable, and very well might actually be, considering neither James nor Sirius could recall the Apparation coordinates (which was fine because they aren't Apparating). The nearest Floo Point is the owl post in Canterbury and then they can either take a train (Poppy's suggestion) or, if they were very careful, fly. 

Needless to say, they flew, Remus budged up in front of James giving him directions and Sirius following behind. When his house comes into view behind the shimmer and runic circles of his dad's wards, nestled amongst the white cliffs of Dover, Remus guides them to land just outside the barrier. He passes through easily, but Sirius taps on the wards and yelps when it zaps his hand, and Remus looks at him sharply because what did he expect?

He can't see his dad, but the wards pulse as they modify to allow James and Sirius in. Then it's a short walk along the beach to the house, a pretty little thing: painted green with plant boxes filled to bursting with all sorts of flowers and herbs, a sneaky little protection spell draped across them to keep the salty air from killing them. He doubts his mother knows it's there, but it's a kindness most wouldn’t expect to see from his dad. His parents are waiting for them on the wrap-around porch, and though his mother waves excitedly and calls his name, his dad looks as stoic as ever. 

Remus's dad Lyall is like the Alpha version of him. What Remus could've been. Lyall is tall—taller than James and Sirius—at nearly six and a half feet, his broad shoulders narrowed a bit with age, and sharp, angular features that he's softened with a beard, which is new. His eyes are pale, pale green and a little haunting because of it, striking against his wind-reddened skin. Remus was well on his way to looking just like him until he'd presented. And now, well, he looks like his mum. 

His mum is slender and soft around the middle, and Remus got her thick curls, her nose (until he broke his twice), and her eyes. She's got a strong jaw and strong arms, but Remus knows her hands are wonderfully soft, despite all her gardening. She's darker skinned than her husband and son, probably from some heritage somewhere from the Continent or beyond, but has a blanket of darker freckles on her face. And... she just looks kind. Remus used to mistake that mild expression for fear, until adulthood brought him the wisdom his adolescence severely lacked. 

His mother embraces him the minute he's within reach, all happy energy and a scent that, to Remus, is peace. It's lavender and sage and salty air, it's a hint of freshly baked bread and strong tea, and the odd almost non-scent of yarn from her knitting. He's missed it. It's been too long. "Cariad," she whispers, peppering his face with so many kisses, Remus's ears turn pink. In front of his friends! Well…more than friends now. 

She releases him to greet James and Sirius next, all open arms and cheek kisses and you get lovelier every time I see you, Hope and are you aging backwards? from the two men, making her laugh, a sound that would normally be soul-settling if not for the weight of his father's gaze between his shoulder blades. 

Remus knows he knows with a single glance up at him. His nostrils flare and his brow furrows, and he looks from Remus to James, to Sirius and growls. It's a low, deep-in-the-chest rumble that Remus has only heard a few times, primal and protective and it makes the wolf want to scamper behind him while also saying yeah you better watch out now! to whomever it's directed at. It gets under his skin, buzzing, and burrows into his bones, visceral and feral and growing louder, a wave of mine washing off of him. Remus is his. His son. His Omega, until someone worthy comes along and challenges him (which is really just bonding with Remus because they aren't like that.)

"Good morning, Lyall! Love the beard!" Sirius chimes, seemingly unaffected by the sound. It's quiet still, but Remus can see the stress on Sirius's edges, a tension to his shoulders that wasn't there a moment ago. 

"Mr Lupin," James greets pointedly, hand extended as he wedges himself in front of Sirius, "a pleasure as always."

His dad doesn't break eye contact with Sirius, and the air around them suddenly feels very still, like the sky before a tornado, or the moment before two dogs just fucking snap. Remus swallows and reaches for Sirius. 

"Lyall!" His mum tuts and thumps him on the back with her palm. She gives him a sharp look, and the noise stops. The air lightens. He looks away from Sirius and down at his wife. "Kettle's on, loves, let's have a cuppa."

The table is only meant for four, so they arrange themselves in the living room, his dad in an armchair that's his chair, worn leather and brass, and the three of them drop into the sofa. It's as old as Remus is, and deep, nearly eight feet long and just comfortable. That's the beauty of his childhood home; they never had much, but what they did have was useful and well-loved. His mum brings out a tea tray with little plates of digestives and bread and butter and jams. 

When they're settled in, Remus suddenly is at a loss for words. He should've prepared a speech or something. His dad is still staring Sirius down like he wants to break him in half, but James—bless him—keeps the conversation flowing with light topics like asking his mum about her flowers. 

But he can't postpone forever, and Remus feels his dad watching him now. Welp. Here goes. "Mam, Dad, there's something I've some news to share," he says unsteadily. 

From her chair across from the sofa, his mum laughs. "I'd gathered as much on the phone, cariad." Her eyes are soft and if Remus didn't know any better, he'd think she knows, too. 

Sirius drops his hand to Remus's knee (and his dad's eyes follow the movement) and James puts his arm around him atop the back of the couch. He's not alone in this. He has his best friends. Not alone. 

"I'm pregnant."

"Oh!" It takes a moment for his mum to catch his very clear meaning, again with the whole he doesn't actually think she believed he could get pregnant, and she sets her biscuit down. 

Beside her, his dad is a stiff, rigid force, glaring at Sirius like he's the scum of the earth. James might as well not even exist. "I knew your family had disreputable morals and questionable ethics, especially with regards to Omegas, but to take advantage of my son during a full moon, while he is at his most vulnerable. That is reprehensible. I don't know why I expected better from a Black." He's not shouting, but that's worse. He's scarily quiet, words cutting through the air like cursefire, and Remus smells Sirius's wildfire anger before he can see or feel it. 

"Lyall-"

"Dad, that's not-"

"Respectfully, sir, get fucked."

"Sirius!" Remus grabs his bicep to keep him from surging up off of the couch. That tension is back in the air and it makes Remus's hair stand on end. His dad is upset, and the hormones his emotions are putting off make Remus want to crawl on his belly to him and apologize, even though it's not him his anger is directed at. His…Sirius is upset and he wants to wrap himself around him and do something, anything to make him happy again. He feels eerily similar to the moments before his drop and something has to give…

His dad stands and advances on Sirius, all deadly predator and Alpha rage. "And all before you bonded to him! What, did you need a trial run after masquerading as his friend for fifteen years?" his dad continues, eyes hard. "That's quite the long con for a single Omega, but, then, your family always has had a penchant for madness." James stiffens next to him, and Remus smells his anger, too, his good and kind self finally having had enough of the verbal abuse being lobbed at Sirius. 

"Lyall, that is enough!" His mum looks furious, like he's only seen her once before, and she's actually raised her voice. "Sit. Down." To Remus's surprise, he actually does. "Do you think so little of our son's judgment that he would keep friends who take advantage of him?"

"Darling, you can't understand, it's-"

"Do not tell me it's a wizard matter, Lyall. It's a humanity matter!" Remus's eyes sting with grateful tears when she says that. That he's human. He doesn't feel it most days, especially with the moon tomorrow. But she's never made him feel less than. "These boys love Remus. They accept him. If he's decided to have a family with them, then we should be grateful they're choosing to join our family."

His dad looks cowed, and though his shoulders are still taut, he's broken eye contact with Sirius, the growl has stopped, and he's looking at his mum with soft eyes. "I didn't mean to insinuate anything about…" He sighs and looks Remus's way. "We need to talk. But first: you two."

"Dad, you don't-"

"It's alright Remus, isn't it, Padfoot? We can have a nice little chat with Mr Lupin about his grandchildren. Maybe get some fresh air? Walk off these divine biccies, yes?" James suggests lightly, to Remus's immense relief. Founders bless James Potter. 

Sirius's knuckles are white from clenching his fists, and a muscle in his jaw keeps jumping. He's so angry, and Remus can't blame him…but he also can't blame his dad, exactly. "Right," Sirius says tersely. He looks at Remus's mum and smiles. "Thank you for the biscuits, Hope. You're a miracle worker."

When James and Sirius rise to follow Lyall out, Remus tugs on James's shirt hem. "Don't let them kill each other," he whispers. 

James grins, bends over, and plops a kiss atop his head. "Not to worry, Moony. I've got this handled."

Remus can breathe a lot better when there's a lack of Alpha in the room, and he gives his mum a grateful look. "Thanks, Mam. I… should've expected he'd react that way. I'm sorry. This is really stressful for you, and I should've warned you ahead of time or given you some clue, or-"

"Moose," she says gently. "It's okay." She reaches for him, and Remus goes to join her in her chair. It's the same model as his dad's and, as such, it's plenty big enough to fit them together. She draws his head down to her chest and makes soothing noises. "You must be feeling quite a lot right now. Don't you worry yourself over us, love."

Remus nods mutely, not trusting his voice to work without blubbering. 

"So. Sirius Black, hmm? I always knew it would be one of those two."

"What?" Remus's voice cracks. 

She laughs kindly and starts to untangle his mess of curls with her fingers. "I never much cared for Evan, truth be told. He looked at you like he liked you, sure, but compared to how those two look at you… Remus, I'm so happy for you. Are you happy?"

"M'scared," he admits in a mumble.

She nods and rocks him gently. "I was scared, too, love. Worried I would be a horrible mother to a child who could be just like his father, and I'd have no clue on how to raise him. I'm still not sure I have a clue."

Remus burrows his face against her shirt. "You're the best, Mam. You did brilliant. More than…more than most mums." He thinks of Sirius's mother, hell, even Evan's she-dragon of a mother. Remus has the best mum, though James's could be a close tie.

"Thank you, Remus. I take it…this perhaps wasn't planned?" 

"Ah…no. Not at all." He braces himself for a lecture about premarital sex, because she is Catholic and even though she's cool about the whole gay as fuck thing, she does have her limits. 

"How long have you been dating Sirius?"

"Um…"

"Remus John!" It's a shocked reprimand without any heat behind it, laced with a fondness she can't repress. His mum knows he's a bit… well, slaggy. She's taken it in stride, though, often with some pamphlets about the aforementioned premarital sex. "But you want to be."

"I don't know about-"

"Remus." 

Right. Best not to lie to her. "Yeah. I dunno if dating would even be the right thing. I'm staying with him and James, have been since Evan and I broke up and… it's been nice. Having them around again. Weird. But nice."

She hums thoughtfully and smooths his hair away from his face. "He's a good boy. James, too. I'm so glad you have people who love you, Remus. It's all I wanted." 

"You didn't want grandchildren?"

She laughs. "Every mother wants grandchildren, cariad. I'll admit this is…not exactly how I thought this would go when you were a baby, but… I'm happy if you're happy. And it's okay to be scared and nervous. Those things don't make you any less happy or excited for your baby to come."

The dramatics with his dad aside, Remus knows coming here was the right choice. His mum's reassurance is a balm on his frayed nerves, settling the anxiety that's been plaguing him for weeks. He should've done this ages ago. "Babies, actually."

"What?!"

Remus grins, lifting his head to look at her stunned face. "Twins, the Healer's said. Two babies."

Her smile grows wide and she grabs him back down into an embrace. "My brave boy," she whispers fiercely. "How far along?"

"About eight or nine weeks." It feels both longer and impossibly short than the numbers actually reflect. 

"And you don't know what you're having yet?"

"No, and I-"

"That's fine! I'll use a variety of colors, give you plenty to choose from. Twins! I still have some of your old things, too. Remus, you were the most beautiful baby."

"Oh he was, was he?" James comes through the door alone, and for a solid three seconds, Remus's heart rate spikes because where are Sirius and his dad?! But they enter shortly thereafter, Sirius still tense but all three of them no longer pushing off let's fucking go vibes. 

"Remus." It's not a request. Remus rises and brushes a kiss to his mum's hair. 

"I'll show you his baby book," his mum decides briskly. 

"Oh, good! We've started one for the squidge! Oh fuc- I mean, fudge, Padfoot, you've got me saying it!" James's outburst gets Sirius to finally crack a smile, and Remus feels better following his dad out now. 

They walk in silence, and any other time, they'd be smoking and their cue to begin talking would be when the first cigarette was finished and their cue to end would be the second one done. That's not possible now, though Remus itches for the old familiarity, something to tether him in this sea of uncertainty. He steals glances up at his dad, whose jaw is set tight with his eyes fixed straight ahead. Right. Not time to talk yet. 

It's not that his dad is mean. He can be a little distant, but Remus knows it's because he gets trapped in his own thoughts, like he does, and needs a little push to find his way out. He's protective, obviously, bordering on obsessive. Remus can't find it in him to blame his dad, though. He let his guard down once and Remus was attacked, taken in the night and spat back out wrong. Broken. Dying. He does his best, his dad, and Remus feels lucky to have him. 

It wasn't always the case, of course. As a boy and a teenager, Remus's mood swings were volatile. His dad wanted to corral him, contain him within the wards and not let him wander, but that's all Remus wanted to do. His dad rarely let his friends over, and rarely let Remus visit them, even less so once he'd presented. They fought, often, back then. 

They make the short hike up one of the crags to a jut of rock that jags out over the sea. It's flat and dappled with sea salt and ocean spray, and its significance is not lost on Remus. It's where he used to run away to when things got heated between them. He'd sit out here curled up on himself, knees to his chest, and stare across the Strait at the coastline of France until his mother came to fetch him, give him that nudge.

Remus used to dream about making the swim. If running away and making a new life for himself, free from his dad's rules and the horrible feeling of being different. He'd never make it, but the wolf could, he was sure of it. Apparently, the wolf tried when Remus was thirteen, and his dad had to extend his wards out into the ocean, too. 

"Would you like to sit?"

"No, sir. Thank you." He'd end up in the same position he took up as a kid, and he'd like to leave all that behind. He's not that scared boy anymore. “What did you say to Sirius?”

His dad looks mildly surprised that Remus just went for it, but Remus doesn’t back down. “We discussed the nature of your relationship.”

What even was the nature of their relationship? Sirius has zero filter around his father (apparently), and Remus’s mind overclocks with possibilities of what he could’ve said. Fuck buddies! or Friends with very good, wet benefits, or None of your fucking business, Lyall, all sound on-brand for Sirius. Just friends is always an option, but that one hurts a little. They can’t be just friends after all that, right? Remus clears his tight throat. “O-oh?”

“He had a lot to say.”

Well that sounds about right. “...Oh?”

His dad looks down at him finally, breaking his stare across the waves, the sage green of his eyes ghostly in the mist. “Most of it was directed at me.” He puts his hands in his pockets, a wry grin pulling at his mouth. “He’s a very passionate young man. Too easily incensed, but-”

“You insulted his entire family and him in practically the same breath, Dad.”

“What? Well, yes. There was that, but he spent ten minutes going on about how I needed to treat you like an adult. He threw in plenty about how I treated you growing up-”

“I know you weren’t-”

His dad holds up one hand. “I know, son. I know.” He sighs and puts the hand back in his pocket. “He wasn’t wrong. I do trust your judgment, you know,” he adds quietly, looking back across the sea. 

“You do?”

“I do. However, the wolf’s judgment-”

“He didn’t!”

“He did.” 

Remus is going to kill Sirius. Their kids can grow up without their blabbermouth of a dad. They’ll have James! It’ll be great. Just Remus and James raising kids who, with any luck, will look like Sirius, and if they ever ask why they don’t look like James or Remus, they’ll throw in some tosh about recessive traits. Perfect plan. “Um…”

The tops of his dad’s cheeks are red, and it’s clear he’s just as uncomfortable as Remus is. “James tried to make excuses for the both of you, but…I wasn’t interested in hearing the exact mechanics.” He looks at Remus, jaw and mouth set in a firm line. “I had to know he didn’t abuse his position as an Alpha to sway you, Remus.”

“He would never.” Remus looks down, embarrassed by the sheer love in his dad’s voice, not often heard. “I wasn’t forced.”

“I know that now. And I know you don’t have awareness while you’re transformed. On the off-phase, though, Remus, you are an intelligent young man who knows better than to forgo your fertility suppressants! Were you and Evan trying to get pregnant? If that was the case, then you never should have been around other Alphas. You know I already don’t approve of them being there every full moon. Good character or no, they are Alphas and you are an Omega and things happen. Things did happen. I thought perhaps you’d be safe, for lack of a better word, because no one in their right mind, lust-addled or otherwise, would try to mount a transformed werewolf, but it seems a loophole was found.”

Remus cringes, willing this conversation to just be over with, dear god. Where does he even begin? “It wasn’t- ugh.” He rubs his hands over his face and pushes his hair out of his eyes, damp with flecks of seafoam. “I wasn’t trying to get pregnant. Especially not with Evan. I just…” It feels harder to say this to his father, the words stuck in his throat. Remus doesn’t want him to think he blames him for what happened. His actions and hubris might have been the impetus, but he’s not the monster who broke in through the window. “I’m just tired.”

His dad seems to get it without further explanation. Remus senses his discomfort, the guilt seeping from his very pores, so he goes to him. Remus wraps one arm around his waist and squeezes in a rare show of physical affection. It makes him feel eleven years old again, holding onto his dad for support and safety in the unfamiliar setting surrounded by a wall of noise. His dad puts his arm around Remus’s shoulders and holds him close. He doesn’t offer apologies or platitudes, and Remus doesn’t want them. He might be the one turning into a feral monster every month, but his dad’s had to watch his son rip himself to shreds and be pieced back together wrong hundreds of times. That’s worse, Remus thinks. Physical pain ends. Emotional anguish lingers and festers. 

“And Evan?”

“Gone. He left me.” It hurts a little less to say now, some of the sting faded with time and good company. “Don’t tell Mam, please, because I don’t want her to worry or think…anything, but…”

“But Evan might also be the father.” His dad looks down at him, nonplussed. “What? I can connect the dots, Remus. And count.”

Remus blushes so furiously that he’s half expecting steam to rise from his cheeks. “Don’t tell her, please.”

“I don’t like to hide things from your mam, Remus. But she really wouldn’t understand, not really. And she would worry. I’d like to let her enjoy this as much as possible.”

“You really think she’s happy?” Remus asks, suddenly uncertain.

“Remus, your mam loves babies. It’s all she could talk about when we got married, how she wanted a house full, six at least.” His dad chuckles fondly, though his mouth takes on a sad twist. “Didn’t quite work out that way. It’s a bit…finicky. Me being an Alpha and her a Muggle complicated things a fair bit. But we have you. You’re enough.”

Remus’s chest feels tight, beset with emotion at his dad’s openness. This is the longest conversation they’ve had…probably ever. “Are you happy?”

“Me?” His dad shrugs, but it doesn’t feel like a brush-off. “I’d be happier if you were Mate-Bonded, if I knew for a fact that you had an Alpha to take care of you when you need it. I always thought it would be Evan.” His eyes turn sharp, his expression hardening. “He left you, you said?”

“...Yes.”

“Rosier’s his surname?”

“...Yes.” Remus looks up at him, suspicious, but his dad won’t meet his gaze.

“I think it’s time we get back to the house. Your mam’s bound to have shown those boys every picture of you in existence.” 

His mother had, in fact, pulled out every photo album, and James and Sirius were baffled by the fact that none of the photos moved, but oddly charmed by it nonetheless. Remus had to admit, he had been a very cute baby: blond ringlet curls, a starburst of freckles across his face, chubby cheeks. Smiling. Always smiling, until a gap between ages five and eight. 

As Remus anticipated, his mum asked them to stay overnight, and Remus, exhausted from the travel to get here and from the emotional turbulence of the day, was all too willing to stay put. 

“What about the moon?” James asks lowly as they helped with the washing-up. His mum doesn’t believe in magic for household chores that can be done with perfectly functioning hands, so they’re up to their elbows in suds. 

“Oh, if you two are alright with it, I can spend it here.”

“Here?”

“Well, yeah,” Remus chuckles. “I spent nearly seven years of moons here, Prongs.”

“Yeah, but it’s not…it’s-”

“It’s warded to the gills, trust me.” Remus rolls his eyes. “Dad’s paranoid as fuck. And he’s set the ones for full moons with runes, so all he has to do is activate them.”

“Yeah, but, Moony, didn’t you, um, used to hate spending them here?” Bless him, but James looks so very concerned, Remus just has to kiss his cheek. 

“I hated everything for a long time,” he says softly. “Didn’t understand what my dad was trying to accomplish, but he kept me out of the Ministry’s inhumane cages. The Shack was actually worse.” Remus clenches his jaw and shakes off the bad memories, the ones of suddenly being trapped in a wooden box, simmering with lightning-hot containment magic that agitated the wolf more than anything else ever had. Remus’s years of solo Transformations at Hogwarts had been nothing short of torture. 

At home, he’d a full mile of beach to lope around on and a large swath of the ocean. The Transformations hurt, because of course they did, but Remus had never injured himself more than when he changed at school. His friends becoming Animagi and freeing him from the Shrieking Shack was hands-down the biggest kindness, biggest demonstration of true, unadulterated love Remus has ever experienced. He knows he’ll never be able to repay them, but knows they don’t want to be repaid. They want him to be happy. 

James shifts his weight and presses his hip to Remus's. "I didn't know," he murmurs. "If I had, we could've-"

"James. No. You couldn't have known because I didn't know how to talk about it then. I didn't know how to sift through the shit of my emotions and I still don't, sometimes. But what you did for me… It's everything."

For a moment, Remus thinks James is going to kiss him. His mum is making up the two daybeds in the guest bedroom and his father is smoking with Sirius on the porch, talking in a low voices. James takes Remus's hands, soapy and pruned, and presses them to his heart, letting Remus feel the steady thump of his heart (Remus can hear it, too, but that's a little weird). "I will do anything to make this even a fraction less horrible for you, Remus. Whatever you need, whatever it takes."

Remus lingers for a moment too long, and James turns away like he's done something out of line. Remus pitches forward and throws his arms around him, clinging to his solid form. "Thank you, Prongs," he whispers earnestly. 

Their proximity has the very unfortunate side effect of making Remus hyper aware of the firm lines of James's body, the ripple of muscle as his arms encircle his waist, the smell of him, both happy and sad and then, slowly, unfurling arousal. James's hands dip an iota lower, fingertips brushing the waistband of Remus's jeans, and Remus wants him to fucking do it, just take them off and bend him over the sink (like Sirius has, Remus remembers with a flush of heat) and fuck him hard and fast before anyone sees them, just to see if they could get away with it. 

His mother clears her throat, and both James and Remus nearly jump out of their skin. Fuck, he'd been so focused on James he hadn't even heard her approach. She's light-footed, but still! She looks a little confused (because she knows Sirius is the father of Remus's children and James is just a friend), but she doesn't say anything. "I've got the room all tidied up for you, James. If you need anything, Remus can help you."

Remus makes the mistake of catching James's eye and has to look away immediately because the yeah he can he's thinking is mirrored there, dark with promise. 

In the hours between dinner and bed, Remus's mum convinces him to sit on the bench of their ancient upright piano with her. "Would you mind terribly so?" she asks him, so much longing in her voice Remus can't help but agree. 

He hasn't played in ages. Hasn't even thought about it recently. He and Evan hadn't had the space for a piano, and Remus couldn't exactly afford one of his own. But sitting there, the cover pulled away from the keys, it all comes back to him. After a few test chords, his dad shoots a clever tuning spell at the piano to correct the sour keys. 

"What? Padfoot, did you know he can play the piano?"

"No, and we still don't," Sirius teases, winking at Remus over the rim of his port glass (Remus's father has one as well, so apparently they're bonding). "For all we know, Jamie, this could be an elaborate ruse."

"For what end result?" Remus scoffs.

"Dunno, it's your ruse, isn't it?"

Remus rolls his eyes. "It's never come up," he says, answering James's original comment. "Not a whole lot of opportunities, and Sirius hogged the piano in the common room most nights."

"Hey! I- well, alright, I did." Sirius grins and raises his glass. "Carry on, Moondove."

With a glance at his mum, who looks so very happy, Remus begins to play. He doesn't set out with any particular song in mind, but as he always used to, he works his way over to Beethoven’s Sonata Number Seventeen, deep and sad and full of longing. It used to make him feel less alone, knowing that there was someone, at some point, who felt the same as he did. Were they also a werewolf? Were they also completely bound to the whims of their body, both natural and infected? What did they yearn for, freedom, or just someone to understand, he wondered. 

---

Watching Remus play was like magic all on its own. Sirius really had no idea, not the faintest clue, that Remus could play the piano. He never made a go for the piano in their Common Room, never complained about the lessons he clearly had to take, never even hummed a few bars while they served detentions together. He'd been a lot more cloistered then, though, keeping most things close to his chest, and rarely offered up information without being asked first. 

The air fills with the scent of honey, warmed with lavender and drizzled over scones, or just eaten by the spoonful, sticky and sweet and thick. It's not Remus's slick (and thank the incestuous Founders for that!) but it's almost as seductive, in a way, pulling Sirius's attention (a very difficult thing to do) and snaring it totally. The song is sad, but there's a small smile playing on the corner of Remus's lips, and Sirius immediately resolves to buy a piano for their flat the minute they're back home. 

It’s the calmest Sirius has felt in days, maybe even since he learned that Evan broke up with Remus, and he sinks further into the cushy sofa under him, leaning his weight against James. Hope joins him for the next song, and she must’ve taught him, and for a split second, Sirius is jealous. Not jealous. Envious. Walburga would never deign to teach him anything, wouldn’t have the patience for it, nor the tolerance for failure. But Remus’s mum sat there with him for hours, endured the wrong notes and the childish frustration and it paid off. So he’s envious, but grateful for the result. 

When they’re done, Remus looks peaceful, too, like he had after they’d had sex for the first time, but deeper, really. He looks at Sirius and smiles, the air still warm with the honey scent, draping over him like a cloak. Remus tucks a curl behind his ear, kisses his mum’s cheek, and stands with a stretch. It pulls the hem of his shirt up, exposing his belly, and Sirius feels a weird combination of mine, and family, and cute. 

“Think I’m gonna head to bed, I’m really tired with the- yeah.” Remus makes a vague gesture towards the ceiling. It’s only nine, but Remus hadn’t gotten his usual marathon naps in today since they’ve been here, and Sirius just wants to curl up with him, too.

But they’re relegated to the guest bedroom. The daybeds are narrow, but Lyall’s cast an extension charm on them so James and Sirius don’t fall off in their sleep. Despite being layered with quilts, the bed looks cold. Sirius hasn’t slept alone in weeks, and hasn’t slept without Remus for days. He and James exchange a look, and play a quick game of rock-paper-scissors for the first shower. 

When Sirius—second showerer—emerges, Remus is fast asleep on his bed. Sirius flops down in the room across the hall and looks pitifully at James. "M'fuckin' horny, mate," Sirius whines. He didn't dare touch himself in the shower (Mrs Lupin doesn't use cleaning charms and he doesn't want to inconvenience her!) but he's been weirdly hard up for it since squaring off with Lyall earlier. 

James laughs at him, the twat. "No shit. I’m not helping you here."

"Oh piss off, I'm not going into rut!" Sirius chucks his pillow at James, dodges the rebuttal pillow, and grumpily decides to just sleep it off. 

The sour scent of Remus's fear wakes him up from a dead sleep. Through the dim, Sirius sees James's eyes glint gold, too, but James is aware enough to run to the door and shoot an air filtration charm down the hall. The last thing they need is for an Alpha father to come storming through. And Sirius was almost already killed by Lyall once today… That isn't hot, stop it!  

That settled, they play another round of rock-paper-scissors, and Sirius wins this time, so he gets to creep across the hallway to check on Remus. He knocks tentatively at the door. "Moons?"

"Yeah."

Sirius opens the door a crack and is relieved to see Remus still in bed, however curled up. "Hey."

"Had a bad dream," Remus murmurs, visibly embarrassed. "Can you get Prongs, please?" 

Sirius tries not to flinch. He wants James? That hurts. Like, a fucking lot. But he wants to help Remus, and if James is who he wants, then fine. Maybe his dad said some bullshit to him earlier, somehow made Remus second-guess everything…

"Padfoot?"

"Going, going!"

James is waiting right outside the door, his eyes concerned behind his glasses. "He wants you," Sirius mutters mulishly, and again tries not to take offense when James brushes past him like he's nothing. Sirius waits outside, dick still achingly hard which is inconvenient and annoying, all things considered, counting backwards from one hundred thousand in French. 

The door cracks open again. "The fuck are you…?" James grabs Sirius by the bicep and drags him into the room. 

Remus has scooted to the middle of the bed and pats the mattress on either side of him. "Please? I can't sleep."

They'd be cruel to refuse, especially when he's clearly so upset, and Sirius decides he'll risk Lyall's ire if he's caught in Remus's bed. He and James crawl into bed and each drape an arm over Remus's middle. Already, it's so much better. He's still randier than a, well, dog in heat, but the rest of him is much more relaxed knowing that Remus—and their babies—are safe, right here. 

Sirius dozes off, but is woken up again by a soft whimper. "Moony?" he whispers, twisting up onto one elbow. 

Remus's eyes are screwed shut and he's sweating, his face flushed in the silver glow of the moonlight. His scent is sour but also that spicy honeyed sweet, and the combination confuses the fuck out of Sirius. 

"Moony?" Sirius tries again, reaching over to brush a damp curl away from Remus's eyes. 

Remus's hand wraps around his wrist, and he pulls himself halfway upright to kiss Sirius. "Another nightmare," he murmurs against Sirius's lips, but doesn't release him, just keeps going back in for more kisses, and Sirius is all too happy to oblige. "Are you hard?" he asks, pulling back a little. 

"Um." Sirius looks down to his very obvious tent. 

"Told you," James sleep-mumbles, rolling over and grabbing Remus around the waist to pull him close like a pillow. "S'rut."

"It's not," Sirius hisses. "Regular horny!"

Remus huffs a laugh and does something under the covers that makes James's eyes fly open and only to squeeze shut again with a shuddering moan. "Moony, your mum is just down the hall." And your dad really wants a reason to skin Padfoot and turn him into a very handsome rug, Sirius adds for him in his head. 

"Like I haven't been fucked in this bed before?" Remus challenges archly, and Sirius doesn't know if he means Evan, but his Alpha brain thinks he means Evan, and doesn't like it. 

Sirius rolls over to fit his body flush to Remus's, slotting his thigh between his and James's legs. "Moony, I can't believe you've been a secret slag this whole time."

"Padfoot!" James admonishes, even as Remus does that thing again, which appears to be a not-subtle grinding of his arse into James's dick. 

"What? He has. Getting up to all sorts in this bed with his sweet Catlick-"

"-Catholic, actua-"

"-Right, Catlick, Muggle mum down the hall, all cozied up in her prayers and rosies and such." Sirius pushes his leg up, eliciting a breathy moan from Remus and a strangled one from James, the only one of them with moral fiber. 

But James, for all his restraint, has a tight grip on Remus's hips and is ever-so-slightly grinding back against him. "Your dad-"

"We’ll be quiet. And I'm already pregnant, James," Remus says and stretches in a way Sirius knows is deliberate, arching his back to press his chest towards Sirius and his arse back to James. Little minx. "Don't tell me you've never done this with your parents asleep in their bed. Padfoot?"

"Oh we have," Sirius answers for him, ignoring James's grumble of protest. "How else do you think we learned how to fuck you so well? Practice." 

Sirius hooks his fingers in Remus's briefs and bumps their foreheads together. When Remus nods fervently, Sirius pulls them down to just below his arse and gets lightheaded from the smell of his slick. "Oh Moony," Sirius groans, working his hand between them and sliding his fingers along and into Remus's crease. He can feel the heat from James's cock, trapped inside his joggers, and it's a dizzying combination. "You need this, don't you?"

"Sirius," James warns, low and strained. 

Remus nods, pitching his hips forward to rub his leaking cock on Sirius's bare stomach. "Y-yes, please, please, d-don't-ah! Don't m-make me pull the…oh fucking fuck, Sirius…!" Sirius loves rendering him babbling and useless with just his fingers, working them fastidiously inside Remus's greedy hole. "Hngn…Don't make me pull the werewolf card, James," he manages to finally get out. 

Sirius chuckles, because there's no fighting the werewolf card. Clever fuck. Remus would use it back in school, mostly for good but occasionally for mischief, to get out of something he didn't want to do around the full moon, or to have one of them fetch something for him. Sirius ran many an errand for his chronically ill friend under the law of the werewolf card. He didn't mind then and he certainly doesn't mind now. If Remus needs a good, hard shag to feel better on the night before the full moon, he's happy to be of service. "If Prongs won't, I'm happy to take care of you, Moony."

"Piss off," James growls, the dregs of his resolve draining. They haven't seen a non-pregnant Remus before a full moon in years, ever since they presented. His heats always came before them, and Sirius has a sudden image of Remus in heat and in his pre-moon lust haze, all sweaty and fuckme and desperate. He wants to see that. Evan got to see that, the smarmy bastard, and it fills him with a sharp jealousy. 

James doesn't make a move, so Sirius grabs Remus's knee with his free hand and hoists it over his hip, letting his own dick, hard and straining at his joggers, press against Remus. "Want this?" Sirius asks even as he Vanishes his clothes with a thought. 

"Need it," Remus agrees with a long whine when Sirius removes his fingers. "Don't wanna think. C'mon. Put it in me already, Jesus."

"Forgot how bossy you are around the full," Sirius laughs, endures the nails suddenly digging into his shoulder, and cants upwards to sink into Remus's fever-hot heat. He claims Remus's mouth to muffle the sound of his moan, but can't stop the immediate impulse to bury himself completely. Remus's body is blisteringly hot and wet and tight around Sirius's cock despite having been fucked open repeatedly in the past week, and it leaves him gasping. "You're not…not in heat…why…" 

"Werewolf, stupid," Remus snaps, though it's without any real barb and only serves to make Sirius harder. "Moon's close, so-" He gets cut off by James's hand turning his head to quiet him with a kiss and, just like during James's heat, it doesn't elicit sticky jealousy, just a deeper need, burning its way out. 

Sirius’s entire body feels hot, actually, like his skin is too tight for his frame, but Sirius doesn't have the brain cells available presently to overthink it. "Not gonna…last," he grunts, having been desperate for it all day. He usually prides himself on his stamina and, lately, getting Remus off at least twice before he thinks about coming, but it’s all too hot and wet and fast and the only thing in his mind is fuck. He can feel his knot swelling, feels it catching on Remus’s rim and dragging broken moans out of him that get drowned in James’s mouth. He can’t knot Remus, not here, not when he needs sleep, most of all, and Sirius pulls out with a strained groan that’s echoed in Remus’s whine of protest.

“I’ve got you, Moony,” James promises, shifting his weight to take Sirius’s place from behind Remus. The angle must be better, or maybe it’s just the feeling of being fucked twice in short succession, or the fact that James’s dick is fucking huge, but Remus starts to tremble, his eyes sliding closed as his body jerks with every pulse of James’s cock into his body. 

Sirius lines his cock up with Remus’s and wraps his hand around them both just as he covers Remus’s mouth with his other hand. “Quiet, remember?” Sirius rasps, bringing them off with fast, too-tight strokes until he’s spilling over his fist onto Remus’s cock, and Remus follows him a heartbeat later.

“Alright?” James asks, stilling for just a second, his body shaking so hard with the effort of holding back that Sirius can feel it. 

“Go!” Remus growls, but he rolls his eyes and smirks where only Sirius can see. 

James doesn’t need telling twice, not when he’s balls-deep in the perfect body, and uses Remus’s hole freely, the lurid slap slap slap of his thighs against Remus’s arse impossibly loud amid his groans. James, too, pulls out before he knots Remus, but jerks himself rapidly until he comes across his hip, Remus’s name on his lips. 

Remus is pliant and liquid heat between them as Sirius and James work in tandem to clean him up and re-tidy the sheets. Sirius hates to see magic scour away his come from Remus’s body, but he knows they have to. “Don’t leave,” Remus murmurs sleepily, reaching for both of them. “S’fine. He won’t kill you, promise.” 

Sirius isn’t so sure about that, but the prospect of walking back to the guest room to sleep alone in a bed when he can just stay here and breathe in Remus’s wonderful scent all night is an unpleasant one. So, with a quick glance at James, he nods and curls back around them and is out in a matter of seconds. 

---

Something isn’t right. James sits straight up in bed, knocking his elbows into Sirius’s ribs. Remus is missing, the divot between their bodies cold and vacant. The alarm clock on the nightstand reads 7:00 am and James is surprised he’s slept so late and would be surprised that Remus is up if it wasn’t the day of the full moon. But that’s not what’s unsettling him. It’s something else, like a premonition or…just a bad vibe, really. Sirius is fast asleep still, despite the jab to the ribs, and James crawls over him. 

They probably should’ve moved back to the guest room after last night, but Remus is already pregnant, so it’s not like that was a risk… Sure, they probably also shouldn’t have even had a ‘last night’, but Remus wanted them—both of them—there. He grabs his t-shirt and Summons his wand from the guest bedroom, tucking it into the deep pocket of his joggers as he walks down the hallway back toward the front room. 

“...Need to leave…” Snatches of conversation come to him, distorted and muffled by walls and a shoddy silencing charm. “...with you.” It’s Remus, James realizes, and he’s scared, and as he comes closer to the front door, he must have walked through the borders of the charm because he can hear clearly now.

“I’ve had enough of this game, Remus. You’re coming home with me.”

Fucking Evan!

James draws his wand and advances toward the door, but Lyall’s already there. James’s ears pop painfully as the silencing charm violently snaps away, and the air around them seems to freeze, crystallizing on the moisture on Remus’s face and making James’s breath fog. Lyall’s rage is suffocating, a force that nearly brings James to his knees. Sirius is suddenly behind him, supporting him, pushing him forward to fucking kill Evan Rosier, but they’re pushed back by an invisible barrier. Son of a bitch.

“I will ask you once, and once only. Leave my property, Rosier.”

Evan—the fucking idiot—scoffs. “Not without Remus. Ly-” Lyall interrupts him with a growl. “Mr Lupin,” Evan corrects, “I only want to make sure Remus is taken care of. He’s not safe with those two!”

James could kill him. He really could. He’s never been particularly violent (Sirius takes care of that), but he’s had enough of Evan talking about Remus like he owns him. But Lyall’s body language and the pure fury radiating off of him is enough to keep James put even if the barrier wasn’t there. Lyall is Remus’s ‘Alpha’, as his father. They’ll be his back-up, even though it chafes James to take inaction. Sirius, though, starts to try to find a way through the barrier, growing increasingly angry when it stays put.

“Don’t lie to me.” Lyall’s voice is razor-sharp, an icicle, a shard of sea glass, and James braces himself. The sea, calm all day yesterday, is choppy and higher than it should be this time of day. It whips out with a slash of Lyall’s wandhand and freezes around Evan’s ankles. 

“I’m not lying!” Godric’s gonads, did the man really have no sense of self-preservation?! “Remus, Remus, I love you, I-” Evan shouts in pain as his ice shackles dig into his skin, staining them red. “Fuck, Remus, call him off!”

Remus looks at Lyall, and James doesn’t know that he’s ever seen that expression before. He’d give anything to know what they spoke about before he woke up. He has so many questions. Has Evan been here before, to know the coordinates? How did he get through the wards? Did Remus let him through? Why is he here? Remus’s jaw works, like he’s fighting the compulsion. 

“Do what you want, Remus.” It’s Sirius, from over James’s shoulder, and the use of his Alpha voice sends an inappropriately-timed shiver down James’s spine. He’s never used it before in James’s presence, and certainly not with Remus, he’s pretty sure, but it works. 

Lyall has his hand around Evan’s throat before James even sees him move, his teeth bared as he bears down on Evan’s smaller body. “You have no claim. No right. No cause to be here. You are not bonded to my son. You broke through my wards. You trespassed on my property. You’ve given me plenty of reason to rip you to pathetic, repulsive shreds, feed your entrails to the selkies, and toss your carcass for the leviathan to volley around like a shuttlecock.”

Note to self: do not upset Mr Lupin.  

Evan’s face rapidly turns from red to purple to indigo as Lyall tightens his grip, staring him down. James didn’t think he was going to witness a murder today, but it seems he was dead wrong.

“Dad.” Remus’s voice is quiet, tight, and James can make out the faint wisps of magic around his face that he guesses is a filtration charm to keep the Alpha scent from overwhelming him again. Lyall loosens the hold enough for Evan to take a gasping, coughing breath, but no more. The ice, James notices, has been climbing, and is dangerously close to Evan’s dick. Good. 

Remus walks up to Evan and lifts his chin. There’s a strength to him today, an anger harnessed into something powerful, and he isn’t shaking, isn’t trembling, isn’t submitting. Whether it’s the wolf’s influence on him or Remus’s resolve solidifying about the whole Evan thing, he’s quite something to behold. “You need to leave. One of these babies might be yours,” he says, dropping his hand low on his stomach, “but I will never raise them with you. I will never be Bonded to you. If you’re lucky, and stay the fuck away from me, I’ll let you know when they’re born, and might let you see them.”

“I have rights-!”

Lyall’s ice crawls up to Evan’s hips and his yowls as it starts to crush him. “You have fuck-all,” Lyall snarls. He shoves him, hard, and James winces as Evan’s knee turns a not-quite-right way and he falls to the tide-washed sand. Lyall towers over him, that low, blood-curdling growl from yesterday rumbling out of his chest, and brandishes his wand—he’s been doing all of this wordlessly and without a wand, James realizes with a headrush of awe—directly at Evan’s chest. “Leave now, or you leave in a matchbox with a pretty little bow for your mother, who doesn’t deserve to be saddled with a shitsack of a son like you.”

James holds his breath, and Sirius even stops his caged-tiger pacing behind him to see what Evan is going to do. James wouldn't put it past Lyall to follow through on his threat. He'd have every right. No magistrate in all of Wizarding Europe would find him guilty of a crime. Evan would be villainized, instead. As he should be. 

Wisely, Evan nods, a scant, curt thing. Lyall severs the ice from the ground, leaving it attached to Evan like meat hooks, and with a crack, Evan Disapparates. 

Lyall drops the barrier keeping James and Sirius back, but growls when they rush forward to Remus. "No. Don’t touch him. You're helping me repair the border." It's not a request.

"I'm okay," Remus whispers, glancing over his shoulder to where his mum stands, wrapped in a dressing gown. "Go."

Lyall is terrifyingly silent as they walk to the edges of his wards. Sirius is a ball of not-quite-anxious, but frenetic energy at James's side, his eyes stormy, jaw set tight. James knows he's holding back some choice words, which are likely unwarranted, and when the crackle of magic skitters over James's forearms, he lets it loose. 

"I thought this place was Unplottable, Lyall," Sirius says tersely. 

James withers a little at Lyall's glacial glare, but Sirius steadies on. "You should know better than most that Unplottable locations are only secure if no one tells the secret, Sirius."

"We didn't-"

"I wasn't insinuating." Lyall's flat, dry look reminds James so much of Remus when he's had it with Sirius's shit, it's all James can do to keep from cracking up. "Remus told him. He was sick one Easter and had Evan Apparate them here. It appears he has a good memory."

"But-"

"Padfoot," James murmurs, grabbing Sirius's elbow. "It's not anyone's fault." He meets Lyall's gaze and gives him a bracing grin. "We'll just mend the wards and have some brekkie, hey?"

James expected it would take a few minutes, maybe, with the three of them working at it. But between the literal hour of Lyall walking them through the process (and holy hippogriff farts, his wards are complicated!!), they were out there fixing dozens of spots where Evan had tried to get through for hours. It's impressive magic and James knows even Sirius is floored by Lyall's ability. Wards draw a constant trickle of magic from their caster or, if they're purchased, from the item put at the border (like a stone or a lawn gnome, filled with magical energy like a tank). Lyall's encompass well over a square mile, and there are Muggle-repelling charms and Notice-Me-Nots layered on top. 

They both assumed Lyall was a desk worker, pushing papers about in the Ministry for some this, that, or the other, the way Remus carried on. Between these and the display with Evan earlier…well, Lyall Lupin's kind of a badass. And it's kinda hot.

Naturally, James tells him so (about being a badass, not that he’s hot because he has a feeling that wouldn’t go over super great) as they go back to the house, and it earns him a wry little grin that, like Remus's, seems to be smothering a much bigger one. Score!  

Lyall stops them just short of the door and throws up a quick silencing charm. "If Rosier causes any more trouble, kill him. Don't call the Aurors-"

"Yeah, we know," Sirius assures. Aurors being called out for Omega-Alpha domestic disputes are usually helpful and level-headed (the DMLE only uses Betas for those cases), but Aurors being called out for anything with a werewolf involved, well. Might as well throw a trunk of silver at them and say have at it, brave knight! Utter bollocks. Lyall nods, gives them both a clasp on the shoulder, and leads them inside.

Remus is asleep on the couch, his head in his mother's lap. He looks so small, curled up in on himself with an enormous quilt draped over him. James kneels next to him on the floor and smiles up at Hope. Remus sniffs, smiles in his sleep, and burrows further under the quilt. 

James and Sirius leave him be. It's already past midday and Remus needs all the sleep he can get before the moon rises. 

---

Sirius doesn't know when Lyall figured out that they were Animagi, but that's not important. He's promised not to rat them out ("Any burr in the Ministry's side with regards to werewolf legislation is welcomed. You help my son. That's all the incentive I need to stay silent.") but seems concerned that James is a stag. 

"He's only taken a few chomps at me, right Moony?" James says, trying to lighten the mood. The weather's kind of shit, storm clouds brewing over the horizon, and Sirius thinks they're going to have a very wet run tonight, not that he cares (running as Padfoot in the rain is a very specific and rare pleasure) but it does make things a little more dangerous. 

Remus just nods, looking a little green. Hope made him half a dozen things before they found a meal that he could keep down, but he didn't get much in his belly. Sirius doesn't like it. He burns too much energy in the transformation and the run, and his body has had to share its fuel with two babies and Sirius is worried. 

Lyall presses a potion bottle into Remus's hand with a meaningful look. Sirius frowns: does he even know what's safe and what's not for a pregnant person? "What's in that?" Sirius asks sharply. He's not forgiven Lyall for being a total twat about Remus's pregnancy (or for how domineering he was during Remus's childhood). 

"Nothing that will harm your children, Sirius," Lyall says flatly. 

Rude. "Right, but what's in it?"

"Padfoot, please." Remus scowls at him. He looks so tired. "It's like a hypercharged protein shake. I hate them because they taste vile, but I haven't eaten much in the past…weeks. I'm lighter than I was after last month's moon."

Sirius's chest tightens at that fact. He looks at James, his concern reflected on his face. They can't let that happen again. They'll figure something out. 

Remus drinks the potion, looks like he might be sick, but keeps it down with a heaving breath. The sun has nearly set and Sirius's heart hammers in his chest, familiar anticipation. He's never run with Moony here, but Remus seems less worried than he is even in their little pocket of forest. He's still tetchy and twitchy, but he paces the sand in nothing but his pants with less panic than he usually faces. 

Sirius walks with him, keeping out of his way but being something for Remus to return to for the occasional I fucking hate this, or I'm so tired, Pads. Sirius does his best to keep his thoughts from straying negatively. He holds Remus when he comes to him and covers his belly with his hands, right over where their babies are. "It's going to be alright, Moony," Sirius whispers. "You've done it before with them. You'll do it again. We're right here beside you."

"Nearly time." Lyall raises his wand and walks to one of the wooden posts on the porch. He cuts the fleshy pad of his thumb with a spell and smears the blood on deep-carved runes that glow an eerie blue. He does the same on the opposite post and Sirius can see a shimmer of magic envelope the house, stronger even than the wards they'd repaired earlier. "I'll be here all night," he tells them, nodding to a wooden bench that's worn in the middle. "Don't get eaten, Bambi."

"Lyall! Was that a joke?!" James looks delighted, and even Remus breathes a short laugh. James shifts early into Prongs and does a little prance by the barrier's edge. Sirius doesn't think this is exactly time for goofing off. The worst part of this is about to happen, and month after month after month of exposure has not made it any easier to bear.

Remus never wants them to look, so Sirius doesn't. He wants to. Badly. Wants to run to him and hold him in his human arms and keep his body from breaking apart but he can't. At Remus's first scream, Sirius turns into Padfoot and just looks up at the moon, mocking them with its beauty. 

He knows Remus has already had a full moon while pregnant, but he's further along now. Will it continue to be safe? What could they even do if it's not? The transformation puts so much stress on the body. Sirius has a frantic, panicked memory of his cousin Narcissa losing a baby after Druella died, and he just wants to take a peek to look and make sure Remus is okay, that their babies are okay. It would be a quick spell to check their little heartbeats and then he'd be back as Padfoot, lickity split. 

Padfoot runs into Prongs's thick chest the minute he turns around. Ow. Fat fucker. Prongs fixes him with an unamused look, tossing his antlered head. Padfoot rolls his eyes and huffs, annoyed but cowed. Fine. He goes back to looking at the stupid fucking moon, ears pinned flat to his skull to try—fruitlessly—to keep out Remus's agony. 

When the howl breaks through, haunting and mournful and searching, Padfoot's off like a rocket, returning it as he sprints across the sand. Moony stands, shaking out his fur, and immediately rushes Padfoot. Padfoot takes a few cautious leaps back, but Moony pursues, tackles him, and licks his face. 

Oh. 

Well. 

That's not so bad. 

Moony nibbles at his cheek and ears and eyebrows, snuffling through his thick black fur and rubbing his face all over him. Padfoot gets a whiff of something that isn't slick (thank fuck that doesn't translate) but is interest and has to throw Moony off of him with a playful shove. Don't let Moony fuck you in front of my Dad, Remus begged them last night. They'd laughed then, because surely the wolf got what he wanted the last-last time, but maybe it's more of a concern than they thought. 

Prongs comes trotting up, a little unsteady in the sand at first but quickly gets the hang of it. He lows at Moony and Moony's ears flick his way, but he's back on Padfoot in a moment, tail wagging, making happy grunting noises. Padfoot takes a quick peek, and Moony's dick is still hidden so that's good. 

The tide laps at their paws and Moony sits up bolt-straight, whines high in his throat, and—to their mutual horrified panic—sprints straight into the surf with a splash. Padfoot chases after him, yelping at the icy temperature of the water, but Moony just keeps going. Prongs figures out swimming and hops through the waves, too, and then Moony goes under. 

One. Two. Three… The seconds tick on and Padfoot dives, looking through stinging eyes and impossibly dark water for the tawny shape of a pregnant werewolf. He sees Moony, already yards away, just paddling away, and swims after him desperately. This was a bad idea. They should've gone to the forest. Moony's clearly gone fucking mental, or is lost or is- eating a fish. 

When Padfoot surfaces, Moony is tearing into the still-wriggling body of a fish, far down the beach. Padfoot rejoins Prongs on the shore and they just…stare. What the fuck… Moony never hunts when they're out together. There was one time at school where he chased someone's stupid cat up a tree, but he'd never willingly sought out food. 

Moony's head jerks up and Padfoot finds himself pinned by those hypnotizing gold eyes. Moony tosses his head, practically rolls his eyes, and jumps back into the shallows. He catches another fish and trots up to Padfoot, drops it at his paws, and nudges it. 

Uh.

The fish is still flopping. Moony nudges it again with his nose, whines, sits down. 

Beside him, Prongs huffs repeatedly in what Padfoot recognizes as a laugh. Traitor. Moony whines. Dammit. He doesn’t even like raw fish….yuck. Padfoot takes the flopping monstrosity in his jaws, chomps down, has a silent panic attack at the blood filling his mouth, and gulps the thing down as quickly as he can just to be done with it. Moony barks and bounces around him, clearly pleased, and that eases the weird nausea in his belly. It wasn't that bad and actually kind of good… Dogs are weird. Moony looks at Prongs next, sort of squints, and goes nosing around the shallows again. 

Another fish is dropped at Prongs's hooves, and Moony is pretty pushy about him eating it, nipping at his hocks aggressively. Prongs blanches, takes the tiniest little bite, and covers the rest with sand when Moony looks away. 

The rest of the night follows in the same vein. It doesn’t end up raining, thank Godric, and Moony looks the happiest he's ever recalled seeing him, racing Padfoot up and down the shoreline, swimming towards France only to be stopped by a barrier that he growls at, and ends the night by digging a massive burrow—a den—in the sand and grousing at Padfoot until he joined him in the space. Snuggled up together, it's harder to resist the warm body in front of him, doing things to his fucking brain. Maybe they're right and he is going into rut. Shit. 

Prongs posts up outside the den, and Moony falls asleep, snoring peacefully. Even Remus's change back into a man isn't so bad, like the wolf is alright with just…letting go. 

It certainly leaves Sirius with a lot to think about. 

---

Remus doesn't know exactly how last night went, but he feels pretty decent, all things considered, come the morning. There's sand…everywhere, but he's used to that. He doesn't feel good, but he's not in utter misery, and all he wants to do is stay in bed and have a nice long cuddle. The sunlight streaming through his window is less than optimal, but a sleepy grumble from Sirius transfigures his gauzy curtains into something thicker, heavier, casting them into cool darkness once again. 

He smells so good, spooning him from behind. Remus remembers having to groggily convince James to crawl into bed with him and Sirius—apparently Moony was weird again (not mounting weird, just weird, Sirius assured)—but he's not here now which is weird and yeah, he doesn't feel good, but Sirius smells good and—oh!—that, pressed against his arse, feels really good. 

"Moonbeam?"

"Shh. Sleeping," Remus lies. 

"Didn't realize sleep-talking and faking sleep was a pregnancy symptom, weird, that."

"Shh." He's such a shit sometimes. James might be up and about, the morning monster, but Remus's parents are definitely still asleep.  

The bed dips a little behind him, and Sirius's arm drapes over his waist to draw Remus flush against his chest. "What if I'm very very quiet?" he whispers, sending goosebumps scattering along Remus's arms. When Remus doesn't respond because, truly, he's been having quite the lovely time all nestled up in his childhood bed, Sirius just plows on ahead. "Want you, Moony." He slowly cants his hips against Remus's arse, cock so very hard already and…oh. 

"Padfoot," Remus murmurs, face half-smashed into his pillow. "Padfoot!" Sirius's hands have started to wander, and he cups Remus's not-soft cock in his palm. Sirius makes a noise of acknowledgement but keeps grinding into him. His joints creak in protest and the pain of his transformation starts to break through his morning fog. "Padfoot, I think- you're… oh God." Sirius's fingers dip lower, behind his balls, and into his slick hole, driving every logical thought out of his brain. His Alpha is in rut. He's got to help him through it. 

"Wakey, wakey, hands off snakey!" James comes barging into the room with a set of clothes, and two buckets of water that he throws (and has charmed to only hit) Sirius. 

Sirius yelps and rolls, falling off the bed with a loud thud. Remus stares up at James. "Rut!"

"Yep." 

"My dad…?" Oh fuck, if his dad smells another Alpha in rut in his house, Sirius is dead. 

"Church!"

Remus blinks. "...Really? How-oh, yes, god." Sirius is back on the bed, dripping wet but very naked now, and he's spread Remus's cheeks with his hands and is clumsily frotting against him, the head of his cock bumping and skating past Remus's rim maddeningly. It hurts, his body so fucked over after the moon, but his Alpha is in rut and he's supposed to make him feel good and honestly, he does like a little pain…

*Down, boy!" James refills the water buckets and deposits them onto Sirius and picks Remus up off the mattress. "We need to go. Cabin alright with you? I have a spare portkey I can activate. What? I told you he was coming into rut, I- Padfoot, no." James kicks Sirius's legs out from under him when he tries to grab Remus around the waist. 

"Fuck, James, I want to help him, but-"

"Nope!" James charms the spare clothes onto Remus, grabs Sirius by the scruff of his t-shirt, flips an orange shirt button in his hand, and the world spins. 

When they land, Sirius is on him, hands hot and heavy and hungry. "Moony, please, please, please. Want you. Need you."

Remus wants to…but he can't. Not so soon after the full. His body is still hurting despite the healing James and Sirius and his dad gave him, despite the cute plasters on his knees from his mum. Sirius's cock juts obscenely from his boxer briefs and Remus shakes his head. 

"Moony…!"

"No. I want…" He looks at James, whose eyes widen in understanding before he nods. "I want to…if you're a good boy-" God, how Sirius seems to get harder at that, "-and impress me with your knot, I'll let you fuck me tonight. So…" Sirius's whine does things to him. "Fuck James. I'm going to watch." 

Chapter 5: Week Ten: Kumquats

Notes:

This chapter contains brief mentions of knife play (in the past), but you can easily skip it. At the start of the chapter, skip down to the bolded sentence in the first section. That same section also has some mentions of force that does not rise to the level of non-con and poorly negotiated kinks. None of this is onscreen, but mentions of past events.

This chapter is written by theresthesnitch

Remus can still remember the first rut he spent with Evan. They’d been young. He’d never been through an alpha’s rut before. 

Actually, the whole relationship with Evan had been new. Not that they hadn’t had sex before. He and Evan shagged before they even decided to call it a relationship. It started as a one-off, then they did it again. And again. And again, until Remus eventually convinced Evan to be his boyfriend rather than just the guy he fucked.  Remus had thought that the sex was great until… 

Well, until that first night with Sirius, really. He’d had no idea what he’d been missing. 

Evan wasn’t even the first person that Remus slept with. Or the second. Actually, finding out he was an omega–and having two fit as fuck alpha best friends–resulted in Remus finding his way into the bed of a lot of alphas, betas, muggles, and even a few omegas while trying to figure out how to forget about his best friends. 

That, clearly, had worked. 

For that first rut with Evan, Remus hadn’t really known what to expect. Sure, he knew that alphas tended to be more forceful during their rut, and they couldn’t really be controlled or stopped. Evan had assured him that he had some control, though now that Remus had seen James, he doubted that Evan even knew the meaning of the word. 

Evan had been forceful. Not violent, really, but he was very insistent in what he wanted.  He didn't ask Remus for something he wasn’t willing to give–not that time, anyway. Later ruts, and out of ruts, Evan started asking for things that Remus wasn’t quite as thrilled about. Like when Evan pulled out his little silver knife, tracing it along Remus’s scars until he drew small trails of blood. 

It doesn’t matter, Remus. Evan had said. No one will be able to tell anyway. You already have scars. No one can tell.  

It didn’t matter, he supposed. So he let Evan do it, and when he wanted to make new scars so that I can always see where I’ve been, Remus let him do that too.

Evan also liberally used his alpha voice. Remus didn’t actually mind that. When Evan used his alpha voice, Remus felt like he mattered–or perhaps he didn’t matter other times, and he was just too in love with him to realize it. 

The thing that Remus loved most about his ruts was that Evan fucked him harder and faster than he did at any other time of the month. Evan pounded him into the mattress, usually after only lightly prepping him, fucking him hard and fast until he was sore or more than sore, but what did the blood matter when Evan laid on top of him, heavy and sated until his knot went down a short time later. 

But nothing about going through that with Evan prepared Remus for watching Sirius fuck James during his rut. 

And Remus is delighted by that fact. 

He moves to the couch as James steps between them, lowering himself down with a slight grimace. When he looks up again, James’s hands are in Sirius’s pants, and Sirius looks like he might be literally eating James’s neck. Remus can already feel slick filling his charmed pants over the thought of getting to watch this. 

James pushes Sirius’s pants down to his mid-thigh, and Remus is treated to the sight of both of James’s hands wrapped around Sirius’s cock. Sirius is thrusting up into James’s hands, a fast and forceful movement that makes Remus wish that it was his hands–or, more preferably, his mouth or arse. 

“Like that, Padfoot, yes.” James’s voice is low, right by Sirius’s ear, but Remus feels every word hit him as though James is speaking into his ear. 

Remus is already hard, though he assumes it is not a good idea to take off his pants or pull his dick out to give himself some relief. James might be a good distraction, but there’s no way an alpha in rut would ignore the scent of slick for another alpha. 

The mental image of Sirius moving away from James to claim Remus had him slicking more. At this rate, Remus will be begging for a knot before his body is ready to handle one. 

“Prongs. James. I need more.” Sirius lifts his head and claims James’s lips, his hands gripping James’s arms so hard that his knuckles are white, and Remus is certain that there will be finger-shaped bruises on his arms. “I need–” whatever the last word was is cut off in a growl as Sirius lowers his mouth to James’s arm and bites him hard enough to draw blood. 

Remus is already questioning the slick capacity of his pants. 

“Alright, alpha.” Fuck why is James calling Sirius alpha so hot? James takes a step back, standing slightly between Sirius and Remus, and pulls his shirt off over his head. “Fuck me, then.” He hooks his thumbs on his waistband and pushes his joggers to the floor. 

Sirius growls and literally pounces on James. He knocks them both backwards, and Remus casts a quick cushioning charm behind him so that James doesn’t hit his head on anything. 

Sirius is already between James’s legs, rutting against him. Remus can only just see where they are joined from how they are lying, but he imagines that every time Sirius thrust, their cocks slide together. 

“Fuck me.” Remus hadn’t meant to say it, and he bit his knuckles to hold back a moan as the two of their heads whipped around to look at him. 

For a moment, it looks like Sirius would move off of James and go for Remus again. Remus can see the battle raging in Sirius’s eyes, and Remus is nearly ready to spread his legs, post-moon injuries be damned. 

James reaches a hand up and turns Sirius’s face back to him. “Me first, Padfoot. Unless you think you can’t handle me.” 

Sirius growls and sits up on his knees. “Yes, you first.” He looks at Remus. “But you’re next.” It comes out as half promise and half threat, and Remus whimpers slightly at the force of it. He grips himself through his jeans, wishing he could pull off while he watches them. 

Sirius grabs James by the waist, flips him over–which takes considerable effort giving James’s bulk–so that James is on his knees with his chest pushed into the ground. Sirius snaps his fingers, and his hand is coated in lube. He pushes two fingers into James, down to the hilt without giving James time to prepare or adjust. 

James groans, and Remus wonders for a moment if it was too much or if Sirius had hurt him. James turns his head as best he can with his head pressed into the rug. “Is that all you’ve fucking got?”

Why the fuck was that so hot? Remus is certain that he’s going to combust watching the two of them. Just a pile of ash and slick here on the couch. 

Sirius growls, and the noise of it hits Remus at his very core. “You know I’ve got more.” He pumped his fingers in and out of James–harsh, rough, fast–and Remus can feel the burn himself. After a handful of swift strokes, Sirius pulls his fingers out and Remus assumes he’ll add a third. 

Sirius wraps a hand around his cock, stroking himself twice before lining himself up with James’s arse. “Get ready.” 

Remus realizes a split second before he starts pushing in what is about to happen and hastily casts a lubrication charm over James. Sirius slides in with one hard thrust. Remus is sure that James is going to stop him, certain that it was too much, too fast, and James will need a moment to adjust. 

He’s going to have to stop underestimating them. 

Sirius doesn’t hesitate. He doesn’t give James a moment to adjust, and just begins to fuck him at a bruising pace. Remus watches as James’s fingers grasp pointlessly at the carpet, unable to make purchase there. Remus is about to say something, to stop Sirius, to offer to take over if James is hurt, but James talks before Remus has a chance. 

“Merlinyespleasemore.” 

James’s words come in a long string, but he’s clearly pleased. He pushes back against Sirius, meeting his strokes, meeting him and asking for more. If Remus didn’t know that James was an alpha, he would wonder if he was born to be an omega based on the way he’s taking Sirius now, and Merlin, the way he’s moaning now makes Remus want to take Sirius’s place and fuck James. 

Suddenly, Remus’s mind fills with visions of Sirius fucking Remus while Remus fucks James. Or Sirius fucking Remus into James. Or Sirius using Remus to fuck James, like he’s just some toy between them, and Remus bites back another moan. He grinds his flat hand against the hard bulge in his jeans, starting to feel very desperate for some sort of stimulation. 

He’s better from the moon, right? It’s been, what, a few hours? He could totally take… 

Remus’s attention lands back on the scene before him, and Sirius is pounding into James so hard that it is literally making the entire cabin shake, and Remus knows that he is not ready, despite how much he wants it. 

For several minutes, he watches the two of them together. Sirius fucking James so hard that Remus can feel the bruises in his own skin as though he’s the one taking it. James making smart quips back to egg Sirius on. Sirius quipping back or moving so that he hits James’s prostate so many times that he’s breathless beneath Sirius. 

And Remus so incredibly turned on that he’s sure that slick is just leaking out of him like a fucking faucet that’s been turned on, and no one has bothered to plug it up. 

Sirius pulls out suddenly, and Remus feels himself gasp at the same time James does, part relief from the unrelenting force that is Sirius on a rut and part disappointment at it stopping. Only, Sirius doesn’t stop for long. Instead, he flips James over again–and Remus reaches to his Catholic roots and gives a silent prayer to whoever is listening in thanks for strong Alphas–and without warning, slams back into James. 

James wraps his legs around Sirius, pulling him closer and angling his hips up for a better position. James moans, speaking incoherently, and then comes across his own stomach. Sirius doesn’t stop fucking him, but runs a finger down James’s abs, collecting some of the come, and pops it in his mouth. 

Remus briefly considers crawling across the floor and licking the rest up, and maybe even starts to unfold his legs, before he remembers that he’s supposed to stay here and not distract them. 

“Fuck, Padfoot. I feel your knot.” 

Remus bites his fist again, knowing exactly what James is feeling right now, and he’s not at all jealous that Sirius is about to knot James–not at all considering what it would feel like to be receiving that knot instead. 

“Take it, Jamie.” Sirius buries his face in James’s neck, lapping at his scent gland. “You can take my knot.” 

“Yes.” James’s voice is strained, probably oversensitive from being fucked through his orgasm and past. “Yes, knot me. I can take it.” 

Sirius puts his mouth over James’s scent gland, and as far as Remus can tell, he’s merely licking at it rather than biting it, but his lips are around it and James’s head is thrown back to give him better access. 

James is murmuring something in his hair, and Remus can tell Sirius is close. Maybe if Sirius knots James, Remus can go take a shower and get himself off so he can have some relief. Remus shifts in his seat, and he can tell immediately that it’s a mistake. His briefs are so full of slick that as soon as he shifts, it squishes out the sides and down his legs. 

Remus can tell the exact moment that the scent hits them. James’s head whips towards Remus, eyes wide and mouth open, and Sirius’s hips stutter. He thinks for a minute that Sirius is going to pull out and come for him (and okay, he shouldn’t be okay with that, but maybe he wouldn’t so much mind if Sirius wants him now), but Sirius doesn’t pull out at all. 

Instead, he bites down. 

James gasps and his eyes roll back in his head, going slightly limp as Sirius continues to fuck. Sirius’s mouth is locked around James’s scent gland, and James’s scent changes. Remus can’t even quite define how it changes–softer almost, as though lightning strikes could caress instead of burn–and Remus realizes that Sirius has just bitten James on his scent gland, and that means they’ve bonded.  

Or, half bonded? If James doesn’t bite him too, does it become a full bonding? 

Sirius relaxes his jaw and licks over the pinpricks of blood, the indent of his teeth in James’s flesh. James comes back to himself, and he looks down at Sirius, who seems to not realize or else not be concerned about what he’s just done. Does he know they’ve nearly bonded, or is he so lost in his rut that he doesn’t realize what’s happened?

Sirius kisses James, and Remus can see where his tongue plunges into James’s mouth. The kiss is dirty and feral, and James moans into it. When the kiss breaks, when Sirius’s thrusts become shorter because his knot is too big to pull out anymore, James drops his head to Sirius’s throat and sinks his teeth into Sirius’s skin over his scent gland. Sirius comes with a shout, locked inside of James before he even releases the bite. 

And Remus stops breathing. 

They’re bonded.

Had they discussed this before? They’d been roommates for so long–the two of them, alone, ever since Remus presented and moved out. They’d told him that they’d fucked before, but perhaps he was foolish to assume that it meant just sex, just ruts. Perhaps he missed the fact that he’d moved into what he thought was an alpha pad and it was, in fact, a lovers’ den. 

Had he missed this the entire time? Were James and Sirius so in love that a bonding bite was just a foregone conclusion? Was Remus the interloper?

He sits on the couch, still hard and still soaked through his briefs, because his traitorous body can’t give him one fucking break while his heart is shattering, but James and Sirius seem to have forgotten he is there. The two of them are kissing now, Sirius still controlling it and James still submitting, and Remus knows he can’t just sit here and watch this. 

Remus stands up as quietly as he can with creaking joints and sore muscles and cursing the broken man he is after the moon, and slips out of the room for the bathroom. He closes the door behind him and locks it–which is pointless, really, since they’re stuck together and–

Oh fuck. How long will they be locked together now that they’ve bonded? Bonding knots take longer to go down, don’t they? Remus should take them some water and some food, and he will. He just–he needs to clean up, and just have a minute to collect himself again. 

He turns the shower on and charms it warmer than the old pipes are probably used to. Being a werewolf has always come with certain traits that are unavoidable. One of which being that Remus has always had a preference for hot water, and right now… 

Honestly, he’s hoping to burn some of the sting away from his skin. 

He steps under the spray, closing his eyes as the water washes down his head and across his face. Only, when his eyes are closed, all he can see is James and Sirius tangled together, and the way Sirius pushed James down to get him at the right angle, and all he can hear are the moans and taunts that James volleyed back at Sirius, and–

Remus’s hand is moving fast over his own cock, imagining he is moving at the pace that Sirius had set. He pictures himself fucking the two of them, and sucking the two of them off, and–

He pictures Sirius biting James, and James biting Sirius, and he comes hard across the cool tiles of the shower. How fucked up is he that thinking of his mates bonding is what gets him off?

Remus will go back out in a minute. He just… needs a minute to collect himself. 

---

James feels light and warm. He’s bonded with his best friend–how fucking cool is that? Sure, it wasn’t exactly planned, but James loves Sirius more than he’s ever loved anyone, and they have great sex. Why not bond? It’s perfect! 

Sirius is alternating between kissing James on the mouth and sucking a myriad of bruises onto his neck, and James wonders if he can come just from this and the knot in his arse. 

The bonding knot in his arse. 

“Here, I got you some bottles of water, and some fruit and sandwiches.” 

James’s stomach falls out when Remus walks up to them and sets down the food and water. “Oh, Remus, I’d–” he chokes off the words, almost saying I’d forgotten you were here, but he suspects that would be the wrong thing to say right now. 

It doesn’t matter that he didn’t say it though. Remus gives him a tight smile, and James knows that Remus heard the words anyway. “Yeah, I just went to shower.” 

Now that he’s said it, James can smell the scented soap and the freshly washed hair. The soap scent is fine , but it makes Remus smell wrong. Not watermelon anymore, but freesia. What even kind of flower is freesia? A gross-smelling one, that’s what. 

“Thanks for the food, Moony.” Sirius seems to be a bit more himself now, but he’s snuggled up under James’s chin, nuzzling against his scent gland, and James can’t tell if he even realizes that they bonded in front of Remus. “Do you want some?”

Remus clears his throat. “No, thanks. I had something.” James suspects this is a lie, but Remus avoids his eye and he doesn’t mention it. “I think the two of you are going to be locked together for a while now, so I might go back to the bedroom and try to sleep for a bit. You know, sleep off the moon. You can come back and find me if you still need me after–well, after this.” 

James can tell immediately that Remus assumes the answer to that is no, and he doesn’t know what to say. James assumes the answer is yes, but Sirius is in his rut and a little cock drunk right now, so there’s no telling what he needs or wants now. 

Sirius lifts his head off of James’s chest to watch Remus walk away to the back bedroom, and then turns a confused look back to James. “Did something happen to Moony? He seems a little down.” 

Well, if that isn’t just suspicions confirmed right there. James sighs. “I think he might be a bit upset that we bonded.” 

Sirius’s eyebrows furrow. “We bonded? Like you and–” Sirius gets a look at James’s neck then, seeing the fresh bite mark over his scent gland, and his eyes go wide. “We bonded! Remus was watching, and we just–James, we bonded in front of him?”

“Yeah, we did.” 

“Why did we do that?” Sirius sounds a bit hysterical, and James is trying not to read into it. It’s just the rut. It’s not regret. 

“I don’t know, Padfoot. One second you were close to knotting me, and then–” James remembers; his stomach drops. “Remus. The scent of slick hit the air, and you bit me.” 

“Fuck, Prongs.” Sirius presses his face into James’s chest. “We fucked up. We should not have done that. We should never have bonded.” 

Or perhaps it is regret. That's… that's fine. James is fine.  “Right. Well, nothing we can do about it now.” 

Sirius looks back toward the bedroom. “What do we do? Should we go after him?”

Compartmentalize. Plan. Come up with a solution, and then it’s like there isn’t even a problem. “Well, we can’t go after him now. We’re here until your knot goes down, so we might as well eat these sandwiches and let him have a nap.” 

“Right.” Sirius reaches for the food, and offers James a sandwich. “Right. We’ll just talk to Remus later. We can fix this.”

Fix this is not exactly the words James had always imagined hearing after he finally bonded, but those are apparently the ones he gets. 

---

Remus slept, sort of. He’d silenced the room when he came in–and then checked it, twice, because he knew silencing spells were his weakness when he was upset–but they held through, even though Remus had a nightmare that woke him up after he’d been asleep only an hour. 

After that, he’d sort of fitfully slept, jerking awake before dreams could force him awake, and it resulted in very broken sleep.

He knows it’s been about four hours and twenty minutes since he came in here when James and Sirius walk in the door because he’d cast a tempus charm that had just faded when it opened. He hears them approach the bed slowly, each of them taking a side of the bed, and he squeezes his eyes shut as the bed dips down on each side. 

“Do you think he’s asleep?”

“He looks asleep.” 

“I know, but I meant like actually asleep.” 

“I don’t know, Padfoot. His eyes are closed.” 

“Should we wake him?”

“After the full moon? No, we should let him sleep as long as we can.” 

“If you two idiots would stop talking, maybe I could be asleep.” 

Silence fills the room. It’s a lot of control from Sirius, which is impressive considering he’s in the middle of a rut, but then Remus smells the scent of sex on them–fresh, not a few hours old, and Remus realizes that the knot must have gone down and they shagged again before coming to find him. To be this calm, right now, he must have just come. 

Which is fine. They’re bonded now, and Sirius is in a rut, and it has absolutely nothing to do with him. 

At least, it doesn’t have to do with him anymore. 

“Hey Moony.” Remus opens his eyes to find Sirius laying in front of him, a few inches from his nose and far closer than is probably acceptable–except it’s Sirius, and of course he’s close. “How’d you sleep?”

Remus shrugs in response. 

James sighs. “Moony, maybe we should talk about what happened.” 

Remus turns to face James. “What is there to talk about? You’re bonded now.” 

“We didn’t mean to, Moony.” Sirius reaches toward him, like he’s going to wrap an arm around Remus’s waist, but he stops before he touches him. Which is fine. They're bonded now. Remus repeats it to himself like a mantra. “I didn’t mean to. It just sort of happened.” 

“Are you going to stay bonded?” The question slips out, and he regrets it immediately, but it’s the one that’s been bouncing around his head next to did you know you were going to bond with each other when I moved in? and am I in the way? He’s thankful that these questions don’t come out. 

“I don’t–” Sirius looks at James, confusion in his eyes. “We haven’t discussed it.” 

Breaking a bond is possible, of course, though it’s not easy to do. It’s also incredibly painful, or so everyone says. It requires an intensely painful ritual and a series of potions, plus you have to physically distance yourself from your bondmate. Most people choose to stay bonded rather than break it. 

“We’ve got a lot to figure out, I guess.” James runs his hand through his hair, and his typical sunshine scent is dampened slightly, and Remus knows that he’s upset James. That–that is not what he wanted. 

“Of course. Well, I’m happy for you guys. I think it’s–” he nearly chokes on the word, but he keeps his tone flat, somehow “–great.” 

“You do?” As Sirius says it, he lowers his head to Remus’s neck, sniffing at his scent gland. Remus is pretty sure this is just the rut, but he fights back his scent and tries to focus on making it pleasant and happy–it’s difficult to control, but he can do it if he focuses. 

“I do. I don’t think anyone will be surprised that you guys bonded.” Remus lets out a sigh as Sirius licks over his scent gland. “You’ve been incredibly close since you were eleven. It makes sense.” 

Sirius hums against his neck, his hands snaking under Remus’s shirt now, and this is fine. Remus turns his head to the side and meets James’s eyes, which are still clouded over and perhaps a bit uncertain. 

“Are you sure, Moony?” James is looking between his eyes, searching him for some hint of deception. “You know this doesn’t mean we care about you any less.” 

We care about you feels like a stab to the gut, and Remus’s breath catches in his throat. Luckily Sirius’s fingers found his nipple at the same time, and Remus can play it off as a reaction to that rather than the fact that caring for him is a far cry from loving and bonding. 

“Of course, Prongs. I know that.” Remus smiles at him, but his eyes are still too searching, too questioning, and he has to look away. He turns to Sirius, putting hands on either side of his face and lifting until they look each other in the eyes. “You’re still in a rut.” 

“Sorry, sorry.” Sirius shakes his head, but his eyes are still hazy with lust when he looks at Remus again. “I can stop if you don’t want to help anymore. You just still smell so good.” 

Remus can feel his heart thudding in his chest, wonders if they can hear it too. “I want to, if you still want me. Or I can go home.” He’s not sure if he still gets to call their flat home. Not now. 

“Fuck, Moony.” Sirius rolls on top of him, pressing him into the mattress. “Yes, I still want you. I feel like I might die if I don’t get to have you right now.” 

Sirius is mouthing along his shoulder, hips already rocking against Remus, and Remus looks over his shoulder at James. “Is this alright, Prongs?”

There’s something darkening James’s eyes, like a storm brewing over an otherwise clear day. “Of course, it’s alright. I’m happy to give my arse a break and watch you take his knot.” 

Sirius’s hands are at the waist of his joggers, dipping inside the fabric, while he mouths along Remus’s neck. “Now? Can I fuck you now? Or do you need more time?”

Remus should ask for more time, probably, because he can still feel the pull of the moon, but he feels a bit like he’s losing James and Sirius to each other, and this is a way he can feel useful. “Now, please. Fuck me now.” 

Sirius puts his hands on Remus’s arse, and Remus thinks he’s going to vanish them. Only, Sirius doesn’t use any magic at all. Instead, Sirius digs his fingers in and rips the fabric straight through his joggers and pants in one hard tug. 

Remus makes a noise that he cannot and will not explain, but it’s covered up a moment later by the twin growls from Sirius and James as the scent of slick hits them both. The room fills with the scent of lighting and campfire. 

“Get on your hands and knees like a good boy.”

Remus whines, biting his lip, and scrambles to obey the order given to him in Sirius’s alpha voice. 

---

Sirius's rut ends thirty-seven hours after it began. It's short, likely due to the bonding, and James is bloody glad it's over. He's always enjoyed Padfoot's ruts before, but he can see the cracks in the brave face that Remus put on, even if he insists they’re not there and that he really does want to be there. 

Remus, of course, is an absolute champ about the whole thing. He lets Padfoot fuck him, repeatedly, even though James is certain that he’s still in pain from the moon. Regardless, he just bends over whatever surface Sirius pushes him towards, and moans like Sirius’s cock could cure all of his aches. 

Maybe it can. 

James tries to keep himself out of it, in case Remus is actually feeling bad about what happened, but then Sirius uses his alpha voice again–why the fuck is that so hot? It’s not even directed at James, and yet he wants to obey–ordering Remus to get James off with only his mouth. Remus smirks at James before taking him so deep in his mouth that James is half convinced he’ll feel Sirius’s knot somewhere in the middle, and well–what’s a bloke to do then?

James can tell it’s going to be the last knot when Sirius fucks Remus with his legs wrapped around Sirius’s waist, and Sirius can’t keep his mouth away from Remus’s scent gland. James clocks the grimace on Remus’s face–which Sirius can’t see. 

“Alright there, Moony?”

Remus’s bright green eyes–still with a golden tint this close to the moon–are filled with hurt. It’s the most he’s let through in two days. “Don’t let him bite me.” 

James nods once. “Do you want me to make him stop? I can take the last one.” 

Sirius growls, pulling Remus to him tighter. Remus shakes his head. “No, I’m fine. Just–just no biting.” 

James isn’t honestly sure he knows how to stop Sirius if he tries, so he physically removes Sirius from Remus’s neck. He doesn’t try to make him pull out–and the growl Sirius directs at him and the way he is fighting to get back to Remus suggests this would be a mistake. James walks closer on his knees so that Sirius’s chest is pressed against James’s, with Remus below them. 

James kisses Sirius, gripping his shoulders so he has to stay there, and it’s only a moment before Sirius relents on trying to pull away and returns the kiss. Sirius continues thrusting into Remus, with a strong pace that is only slightly lighter than it had been at the start of his rut, but he kisses James and holds James. After a moment, he breaks the kiss and moves his mouth to the scent gland–the one he bit the day before, the one that still has healing teeth marks–and he bites down again. 

James groans, and his hips thrust forward involuntarily. He hadn’t expected a bonding bite to cause so much pleasure, but it’s a fucking delicious feeling. 

He feels a tap on the side of his leg, and he lifts his knee off the bed without even thinking about it. Remus pulls his leg to the other side of his head. He grabs James’s thighs and pulls him down, and it isn’t until the first lick across his hole that it even breaks through that he’s straddling Remus’s head. 

James pulls up slightly, just out of reach of his tongue. “Oh fuck, Moony. You don’t have to.” 

Remus pulls him down again. “I want to, Prongs. Please, ride my face.” 

“Yeah, Prongs,” Sirius speaks against his neck. “Ride his face.” 

Well, who is James to argue against both of them, right? James lowers his hips again until he’s resting on Remus’s face. “That alright Moony?”

Remus doesn’t answer but begins tonguing James’s arse, and James loses the question. When Remus pushes his tongue inside of James–which is still stretched from the last time that Sirius fucked him–James grinds down against his mouth. 

James moans. “Fuck right–” the words are cut off by Sirius shoving two fingers in his mouth, and James swirls his tongue around his fingers and moans. Remus reaches a hand around and grabs James’s cock, and he wonders how he went from sitting alongside and watching them to both of their attentions focusing on him. Not that he’s complaining. 

When Sirius’s knot starts developing, Remus’s licks become erratic. Sirius is painting James’s shoulders and neck with bruises and bite marks, and when Sirius finally knots Remus, Sirius bites James’s scent gland and Remus bites the meat of his arse, and James comes messily across Remus’s chest. 

James moves off of Remus, careful not to suffocate him, and Sirius grabs Remus around the waist and shifts them both until Remus is laying on his chest. Remus blinks sleepily and nuzzles into Sirius. 

Sirius kisses Remus’s head. “Thank you, Moony. Sleep now.” 

“‘M fine if ya wanna go ‘gain.” Even as he says it, his breathing slows and evens out with sleep. 

“Nah, I think we’re done.” Sirius kisses him again. “You did so good for me. Such a good omega.” 

Remus smiles briefly as he falls asleep. 

James gets up and heads to the kitchen to grab water and snacks, and comes back to find Sirius asleep next to Remus. He leaves everything on the bedside table, and crawls into bed behind Sirius, wrapping an arm over both their waists. James goes to sleep holding his two favorite people in the world. 

---

Remus wakes up, and for a minute, he thinks he’s alone. Except, he’s not alone. He’s in bed with James and Sirius, only they’re holding each other while Remus is laying alone. He feels a pang in his chest at the sight of Sirius wrapped around James with his head on James’s chest. Both of them look so soft and peaceful, and Remus can’t break the tranquil bubble. By his scent, Remus can tell that Sirius’s rut is done. Plus, they’re newly bonded. Remus isn’t needed here anymore. 

He slips out of bed quietly, gathering what’s left of his clothes, and apparates back to their flat. 

The flat is cold, or maybe it just feels cold from the absence of James and Sirius. There’s a package sitting on the balcony with a letter on top, and Remus goes to pull it in. He recognizes his mother’s handwriting as he grabs the letter. He pops it open, already tearing up at the thought of a message from her.

 

Moose, 

You boys left so quickly that I didn’t get to say goodbye! Lyall said he thought you and Sirius needed to leave, but I missed giving you a hug. You’ll have to come back soon. 

I’m so glad to see you happy. You seem so much more settled living with James and Sirius than you were with Evan, and I can't say I'm sad about that. I know the two of them will keep you safe and happy, and that’s everything I want for you. 

My love, I know you have always struggled to believe that someone would actually love you, but the way Sirius looks at you–darling, he loves you so much. I hope you let him, and James too. You deserve it, and maybe you’ll be married–or what do you call it? Bonded–before the babies come? It would make your old mum so happy. 

I love you, Moose. I’ll see you soon.

Mum

P.S. We’ve sent back your things as well. Hope we found everything!

Remus sets the letter down and tries not to think about how much he has to explain to his mum now. Sorry, mum. Guess I was wrong about how much they care about me. He doesn’t want to have that conversation now, or even try to think about how it would go. He can’t leave the letter unanswered, though, or his mum would worry endlessly. 

He grabs a paper and quill, and composes a note quickly to her. 

 

Mum, 

Dad was right. We had to leave, and I’m sorry we didn’t say goodbye. I promise to be there soon. Thank you for sending our stuff. 

Sorry for the short note. Just about to head off, but wanted you to know we were fine. I love you, and see you soon.

Remus

It would do, he thinks. Not what she deserves, but it’s the most he can write now. He borrows Sirius’s owl and sends the letter off to find his parents. 

Remus looks around the flat, but there’s nothing that feels quiet right now. He doesn’t know how long James and Sirius will be away, and he can’t bring himself to sit around and wait for them to show up. Instead, he decides to go to work. 

Finding work after Hogwarts was always going to be problematic for a half-blood werewolf. While James started working for Comet designing and testing brooms and Sirius went to The Institute for the Care and Wellbeing of Magical Beasts for magizoology, Remus wasn’t sure what he would be able to do. He worked odds and ends until he practically fell into his job, which he largely had Evan to thank for. 

He’d moved in with Evan a while after they started dating, and Evan paid most of the bills. Remus felt guilty for the disproportionate financial responsibilities, so he cleaned and cooked. And then, he found that he really enjoyed cooking. 

There was something about learning the ingredients and finding out which ones combined well and which ones enhanced others. He suspected it had something to do with his enhanced sense of smell from the lycanthrope, but it turned out that he didn’t mind so much if that was the reason. He was very good at his job, and it was about time his lycanthrope had some good consequences. 

Evan had asked him to plan and cook for a dinner party for his boss and guests, and one of those guests just happened to be a famous restaurateur. He’d offered Remus a job creating new dishes, and he was completely unbothered by Remus’s schedule between the full moons and his heats. This opened the door for Remus to take on more restaurant clients, creating signature dishes and chef’s specials, and eventually, Remus was able to open his own restaurant menu consultation business. 

He’d hired an assistant–an eager, fresh-out-of-Hogwarts graduate named Benji–who handles the business end of things, especially when Remus is indisposed. Remus mostly comes in to create dishes and handle meetings with clients. It is a better job than he’d ever dreamed of having. 

Remus learned early on that building a backlog of recipes he could send out gave him the flexibility he needed for the moons and heats, though he’s tested the limits of his recipe stock the last few weeks. So, he goes into work determined to make as many plates as he can to build it back up. With the birth of his babies coming up, he needs to build up as many recipes as he can in the next seven months. 

It is a largely productive day, and he walks away with five new plates that he is certain are some of his best work. Pickled avocado on top of a puree of pumpkin and drizzled with clotted cream is particularly inspired, in Remus’s opinion, and Remus eats two servings of it before he heads back home. The entire day leaves him with a happy buzz, feeling accomplished and satisfied. 

It lasts until he opens the door to the flat and steps into the chaos inside. 

---

Sirius wakes up with his head tucked under James’s chin. James is warm and firm under him, and when he trails his hand down James’s stomach, he finds him quite firm somewhere else as well. He turns his head and begins nibbling along James’s jaw as he wraps his hand around James’s cock, waking him up in what has to be the most divine way ever invented. 

James hums as he wakes, hips thrusting slightly into Sirius’s hand. Sirius is hard and pressed against his thigh, so James rubs against him to seek his own friction. Sirius bites at the join of his jaw, scraping along it with his teeth, and James’s eyes sleepily open. 

Then, he looks past Sirius. “Where’s Moony?”

His voice is sleepy and warm, but that doesn’t stop the bolt of ice that shoots through Sirius at his words. Sirius takes his hands off James–who whines slightly–to feel the other side of the bed. It is cold. 

It could be nothing, but dread fills Sirius’s gut anyway. 

“Maybe he’s in the kitchen?” Sirius slides off the bed, already aware that the scent of Remus in the air is faint and stale. He’s been gone at least a few hours, and the kitchen is empty. “He’s not here,” he calls back toward the bedroom. 

“Where do you think he went?” James is standing a foot behind him, and Sirius jumps when he speaks so close. 

“Merlin fuck, Prongs. I’m going to put a bell on you.” Sirius catches sight of James’s bonding mark, and the dread in his stomach turns sour. “Do you think he went home?”

James scratches the crown of his head. “Maybe, but why would he just leave us?” Sirius flicks the mark, and James’s face darkens and creases. “Maybe he just went home?” 

“We should go check.” 

They quickly gather their belongings and floo home. There’s a light scent of watermelon–Remus was here, but he’s not anymore. Sirius sees the unopened package on the floor by the balcony and rushes over to it. The letter is still sitting on top. 

James leans over Sirius’s shoulder, and they read it together. “Shit.” Sirius drops the letter and begins pacing, needing some way to burn off the nervous energy. “Fucking shit.” 

“You don’t think–” 

“That our unmated, pregnant omega best friend might not have been in the best mindset after we bonded in front of him?” Sirius snorts. “Yeah, I think he might have jumped to some conclusions, and I think he got a letter from his mum, and I think he took off. Fuck. What have we done?” Sirius presses his fingers into his eyes like maybe he can rub this dream away and wake up. 

James’s face clouds over, but Sirius doesn’t have time to deal with James’s feelings while Remus is missing. Once they find Remus, then he can sort out James. James turns away, and Sirius wonders if that’s the wrong plan. 

“Right.” James paces toward the door. “Do you think he went back to his parents?”

Sirius considered, chewing on his thumbnail. “It makes the most sense, doesn’t it?”

“But if we’re wrong, we’ll have to tell them what happened.” James sighed, and ran a hand through his hair. “We can’t be wrong.” 

“Maybe he’s with a friend.” Sirius started walking to the door. “We know his friends. We’ll just check first, before we worry anyone.” 

They split the list, choosing to apparate to each rather than waste time with patronus messages or owls. They each keep their mirrors with them, promising to give a shout if they found him. 

Thirty minutes later, they both return to the flat empty handed. 

“Fuck.” Sirius runs his hands through his hair. “Fuck, we’re going to have to go to the Lupin house.” 

“It’ll be fine.” James tries for a nonchalant shrug, but his nerves are glaringly obvious in the motion. “If he’s there, we’ll convince him to come home, and if he’s not, then–” 

Sirius groans. “Lyall is going to kill me.” 

“He might not.” James’s reassurance falls flat. They both know it’s a lie. 

Sirius snorts. “Did you see what he did to Evan?”

They both freeze and turn to face each other at his name. James swallows. “You don’t think–” 

“No, he wouldn’t, right?”

“He did show up at the Lupin’s house.” 

“But he wouldn’t just kidnap Remus.” 

“Wouldn’t he? Remus is pregnant with his babies.” 

“Those are our babies.” He doesn’t mean for it to come out in alpha voice, but he’s still just past his rut, and he can’t stop it. 

James shakes his head a bit, like he has to clear his head of the words. “I know, Padfoot. Evan doesn’t know that.” 

“We have to–” Sirius takes a deep breath, trying to stay calm. “We have to find him, James. We have to bring him back.”

“Let’s make sure he’s not at his parent’s house first, eh?”

They apparate back out to Dover–it takes them a few jumps, but without Remus along, it’s manageable–but they can’t get through the wards without Remus. Sirius tries, hoping that maybe it will just let them in. 

It doesn’t, and it still hurts like a bitch. They wait, staring at the empty space in front of them, like some magical pull bell will appear to let them ring in, but it doesn’t come, and they don’t have time. Sirius pulls out his wand, and takes a deep breath. He thinks of James–of bonding with James, of the settled feeling after when they were kissing on the floor of the cabin–and tries to cast a patronus. 

“Expecto Patronum!”

Silver mist falls from his wand, but it doesn’t take shape. James gives him a concerned look–and fair, because this is a spell that they’d mastered together at sixteen because they were bored, and Sirius hadn’t failed since then. 

“It’s nothing,” he lies. “I was just thinking of Remus.” 

He closes his eyes and pulls another memory up. It’s the morning after James’s rut, and they’re all naked in bed. His hand is over Remus’s stomach, and he made some quip about something, and Remus looked up at him with fondness in his eyes, and James captured his lips in a kiss, and Sirius thought he’d never felt so at home. With the feeling of home surrounding him, Sirius cast again, and a silver wolf fell from his wand tip. 

It had never been a wolf before, but there is no denying the shape as it sat in front of him. His nose is far more slender and pointed than Padfoot’s own, and his body is leaner and cleaner than the dog form his patronus usually took. Sirius feels himself crack in two and somehow put back together at the sight of it. 

“Padfoot, you have to tell it what to do.” James’s voice sounds pained, like the wolf attacked him personally. 

I have to deal with that later. Right now, he has to focus on Remus. “Lyall, James and I are outside the wards. We’re looking for Remus. Please–” the word cracks, and he can’t stop it “–please let us know if he’s here.” 

The wolf runs off, and Sirius avoids James’s eyes. Later.  

They don’t have to wait long for Lyall, who walks through the wards with stormy eyes a few minutes later. “Remus isn’t here. We thought he was with you.” 

Sirius holds up his hands in front of him, knowing he is on borrowed time for Lyall to realize what he’s done. “He was with us. He just isn’t now.” 

Lyall focuses his eyes on Sirius. “That was your patronus?”

Sirius’s breath catches in his throat. So he noticed.

“Yes.” 

“Has it always been a wolf?” There was no leniency in the question, and Sirius met in kind. 

“No, that was the first time.” 

Lyall looks him over, head to foot, and Sirius feels himself on guard again. They’d reached a kind of understanding when they’d stayed here, one borne more of Lyall’s respect for Remus’s wishes rather than any particular kindness toward Sirius, but Sirius feels the strain of it now. Lyall nods, but the purse of his lips tells Sirius that he’s not entirely happy with the way this has all happened. 

“So where is he?” Lyall crosses his arms and looks between them. 

James exchanges a nervous glance with Sirius. “We’re not sure, sir. He, uh, he left before we woke up, and there wasn’t a note. We checked with friends, but we haven’t found him.”

“Remus is missing?” None of them know that Hope has walked through the wards until she speaks. She looks at them, and there is no missing the worry in her eyes. “Why did he go?”

Sirius ducks his head. “I may have, um, upset him.” 

The growl from Lyall rings through the air, and this time, Sirius flinches. He deserves Lyall’s ire for what he’s done. “What did you do?”

“I was—” Merlin fuck, why did he keep having to tell Lyall about his sex life with his son “—in my rut, and I accidentally bonded with James.” 

“You accidentally bonded with–” Lyall looks at James, his hard eyes no longer forgiving toward James, then back to Sirius. “During your rut? Why was he there during your rut?”

Sirius’s brow furrows. “He was there to help with my rut.” 

Lyall’s voice is a growl, unforgiving. “I assumed you were leaving with Remus to handle it.” 

“I did. We were.” Sirius ran a hand through his hair. “And James too.” 

"Why was he even there? My son isn't enough for you?" 

"It's not that at all. James and I have shared ruts since we presented." 

“And what? You just had Remus sit by while you dealt with it with James? Where was Remus?”

Sirius looks up to meet his eyes, ready for the remonstration he knows is coming. “Next to us. It was after the moon, and he was too hurt—”

“The two of you bonded in front of him.” Lyall's lips are still pursed, and Sirius is glad to see at least that he hasn’t reached for his wand. “While he’s pregnant with your babies? You bonded with someone else while he’s, what, your surrogate and nothing more?”

“No, it wasn’t like that.” 

“Oh, it wasn’t? Really, is there some other explanation? Tell me why it’s not like that if you’ve bonded with someone else while my son is still alone?”

Sirius feels his blood boiling once more. “I love him.” 

“You told me that before, Black, and I believed you. Now you’re bonded with him.” He points a finger at James, who stands there without flinching. “So how am I supposed to believe you this time? How is Remus?”

“I don’t know.” Sirius buries his face in his hands. “I don’t know, and I haven't figured out how to fix this. All I know is that Remus is missing and I have to find him. I need a chance.” 

“Another one.” 

“Yes, alright!” Sirius feels like he’s pulling his hair out. “I need another chance. This isn’t it.” 

Lyall studies him hard, and Sirius half expects a hex or a punch—maybe the ice-balls treatment that Evan got.

“Lyall,” Hope approaches him, placing a hand on his arm, and Sirius can see his anger diminish in her presence. “Let’s find Remus, and we can ask him what he wants to do.” It’s not exactly a vote of confidence for Sirius, but at least it’s more in his favor than Lyall currently is. 

Lyall inhales, and lets it out in a long, slow breath “Take me back to the last place you knew he was.” 

They apparate back to the flat—with Lyall side-alonging with Sirius, and Hope on James’s arm—and Lyall looks around the flat when they walk through the door. “This is where you live? Where does Remus—”

“Lyall, now is not the time.” Hope turned to James and Sirius. “What do you know?”

James exhaled. “Not much. We were at a cabin my parents own last night, and when we woke up this morning, he was gone. We could tell he’d been here, but he didn’t leave a note. We haven’t been able to find anyone who had heard from him.” 

“Did you talk to Evan?” The name is spit out, almost a curse in Lyall’s voice.

Sirius’s stomach drops. “That was next. We were hoping we’d find him with you first.” 

“If he’s taken Remus—” Lyall turns to walk to the door. 

“Lyall, wait, should we call someone first—”

“No, we can’t!” Sirius’s voice comes out higher pitched than he expected. 

“I don’t think that’s necessary.” James cuts in. 

“I don’t need—” Lyall starts, but the door opens and they all turn to look at it. 

Remus steps through the door, eyes going wide at the sight in front of him. “Hi everyo—” His voice cuts off with a gasp, his pupils dilate, and he stumbles. 

Sirius rushes forward, catching him under the arms. He didn’t stop him from hitting the floor, but he softened the blow a bit. “Remus? Are you okay? What happened?”

Hope is beside him on the floor, and he can tell that Lyall and James are at his back, but his entire attention is on Remus right now. He lifts his head slowly, like doing so is difficult, and looks Sirius in the eye. “You’re fighting.” 

Sirius glances over his shoulder briefly, then back to Remus. “Not really. We were just talking, but why–” 

“No, scents. You’re–you’re all angry.” He inhales, and his tongue darts out to lick his lips. “So much alpha stink in here.” 

The realization washes over him, and Sirius fights a smile. “We don’t stink, Moony.” Evan as he says it, Sirius is concentrating on making sure that his scent shifts to something more calming. 

“Do,” Remus says, but it’s stronger now. 

Lyall pulls out his wand and casts the bubble charm over Remus's mouth, and Sirius panics. “No, you can’t. If you just block the scent, he’ll drop.” Sirius presses his fingers to the bubble like he can drag it away but his fingers go right through it. 

“No, he won’t.” Lyall sighs. “It’s a filtering spell. It slowly reduces the scent to prevent that. Are you telling me that the three of you don’t know the spell? What have you been doing while you’re all living together?”

James chuckles nervously. “Avoiding each other?”

“Founders help us.” Lyall turns around and walks further into the flat, and that probably would worry Sirius if Remus wasn’t gaining more strength then. 

“What happened? Mum, why are you here?” Remus looks to his mum like she’s the only one who can give him an answer. 

"Your friends came to us when they couldn't find you." She reaches up and tucks a curl behind his ear. 

“What happened to you, Remus?” Sirius asks. “We woke up alone and searched for you all day. Where were you?”

Remus looks taken aback. “I was at work. Did you call my kitchen?”

He hadn’t, of course, because Remus going to work hadn’t even crossed Sirius’s mind. “No.” 

Remus’s face lightens. “I was just working. I had a very busy day.” 

Sirius was trying to determine what Remus wasn’t saying, but his face was a blank mask, and his scent was normal. Like he really did have a good day. “I guess we should have checked there.”

“At least before worrying my parents, huh?” Remus turns to his mum. “I promise I’m fine.” 

She reaches forward and tucks another errant curl behind his ear. “Moose, you fell, and you’re pregnant.” 

“Mum, I’m–” 

“I would feel better if you were checked out.” She looks at him with bright, pleading eyes. “Please? Is there someone you can call to come make sure everything is okay?”

“I’ll get Poppy on the floo.” James turns to make the call. 

Remus sighs, grasping Sirius’s hand. “I guess you should help me to the couch.” 

Sirius pulls him to stand, then holds his arms carefully in case he has to brace him from falling. Remus laughs. “Sirius, I’m fine. The bubble made it all better.” 

Sirius scoffs, but loosens his grip slightly. “If you think I’m overcautious now, you just think about stumbling once, and I’ll carry you to the couch.” 

Remus lets Sirius lead him–and Sirius is under no misconception that Remus allows him to do this despite the fact that he didn’t want to–and Lyall turns around once Remus is sitting. “Are you alright, then?”

Remus nods. “I’m sorry I didn’t leave a note. I just thought I’d get some work done while I was motivated. I need to build up my stock before I have to go on leave.” 

“You didn’t leave because these two bonded?”

Sirius sees the twitch of muscle that tells him Remus is clenching his jaw. “No, just wanted to work.” Sirius doesn’t think Lyall believes that any more than Sirius does, but he doesn’t push. Instead, he turns his attention back to the flat. 

“This is where you live? I only see two bedrooms. Where does Remus sleep?” Lyall crossed his arms. “I hope you’re not making my pregnant son sleep on the couch.” 

“Lyall, we would never.” James claps him on his shoulder, and Sirius thinks that’s awfully brave of him. “He sleeps in Sirius’s room.” 

“And where, exactly, does Sirius sleep?”

“Dad, come on.” Remus smiles, but Sirius can see the nervous edge in it. He regrets having gone to the Lupins’ house without thinking to check Remus’s work. “He sleeps with James. I’m fine here. Safe. They’ve done a lot to make me feel safe here.” 

“Of course he does. They're bonded ," Lyall mutters under his breath. "That’s all well and fine, Remus, but what about when the babies come. Are you going to squeeze three adult men and two babies into this flat?” Lyall begins gesturing around. “Change diapers on the kitchen counter before you make dinner? Where will the cribs go, Remus?”

“Lyall, enough of that.” Home comes up and puts a hand on his arm, and Sirius can see he calm down measurably under her touch. “There’s plenty of time to figure that out. It’s still early.” 

“It is early. Lots of time for babies to grow and plan.” They all turn to see Poppy come in, followed closely by Minnie. Poppy looks right to Remus. “James said you took a bit of a fall. Are you okay?”

Remus sighs. “I’m fine. It was nothing.”

“Let’s just see then, shall we?” She positions Remus flat on the couch, and kneels beside him. She waves her wand, and the purple mist appears over his belly. “There they are, and we’ve got two little heartbeats here. Do you see the little flutter?”

Remus’s eyes are wide. “Those are my babies? They look like tiny little… well, babies.”

“I told you they wouldn’t be puppies, didn’t I?” Poppy smiles at him, still casting a few monitoring charms. 

“I think they look kind of like Bertie Bott’s,” James offers. 

“Do not eat my babies, James.” 

Sirius can’t take his eyes off of the purple mist. He’d known there were babies there, of course. He’d cast the spell himself. But he hasn’t seen babies develop the same way he’d seen griffins and hippogriffs and kneazles  develop, and he isn’t prepared for them to look like tiny little people. (And maybe a bit like flobberworms, but he wasn’t focusing on that). 

“Alright there, Sirius?” Minnie is standing at his elbow. 

He looks back at Remus. “I just– He’s having my babies.” 

Minnie’s lips curl into a pinched smile. “He is. Are you ready for it?”

“Not even a little bit.” Sirius looks at her. “I’ve no idea what I’m doing.” 

“No one ever does. You just do it anyway, and learn as you go.” She lifts her hand and rests it on his back, and Sirius turns to look at Remus again. 

Remus is looking at his dad, who Sirius sees actually seems to be tearing up. Sirius wasn’t even sure Lyall knew how to cry. “Those are my grandbabies?”

Sirius exchanges a wide eyed look with James (who also looks like he might have been tearing up). Leave it to babies to bring alphas to their knees. 

Remus nods, and he is clearly crying now. “Two little babies.” 

Lyall pursed his lips. “They’re alright?”

“Perfectly fine.” Poppy was still casting spells, but she smiled at him. “Developing exactly on track. Ten weeks along.”

"That's great news." Lyall turns around. "Let's pack Remus up and take him with us." 

"What? Dad, no." Remus stands up, scattering the mist over his stomach as he does. "I'm not coming home."

"You can't stay here, Remus." His dad turns to face him, shoulders squared and hands on his hips. "You're pregnant, and you need to be somewhere you will be cared for." 

"I can care for myself, thank you." 

Sirius feels his throat close when he realizes that Remus doesn't suggest that James and Sirius would still care for him. Had the stupid bonding caused that? He tries to meet James's eyes, but he is pointedly looking away. 

Fuck, he really has to fix this. 

"We'll take care of him here." Sirius's voice comes out clearer than he expected. 

"I'm sure you'll be too busy developing your new bond with him to even be able to do that. Or are you planning on neglecting your bond now?" Lyall stares at him pointedly. 

“Dad, stop it. I don’t need them to watch out for me!” 

Remus continues to argue with his dad, but Sirius is distracted by Poppy walking up to him and James. “The two of you bonded?”

James ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah, it was kind of an accident.” 

“I see.” Poppy looks between them, and Sirius expects her eyes to reflect some frustration or anger. Instead, she looks curious. “And tell me, has his scent changed for you? Does it affect you differently?”

Sirius considers for a moment. “I’m not sure. I don’t think so, but I was in a rut since then.” 

James shook his head. “No, it was the same.” 

Poppy smiles, nodding. “As I thought.” 

“What’s that?” James asks, and the look of confusion on his face mirrors Sirius’s own feelings. 

“Well, if his scent hasn’t changed for you and you’re bonded to each other, then I wonder when you’re going to tell him.” Her eyes twinkle as she looks at both of them. 

“Tell him what?” Sirius asks. 

“When are you going to tell him that you’re both in love with him, too.” She doesn’t wait for a response from either of them, but walks back to Minnie, who was standing a few feet away, clearly having heard the entire conversation with a tight smile on her lips. “Lyall, Hope–we’re going to leave, but it was good to see you again. Remus, I’m glad you’re okay. Call if you need anything.” 

Poppy gives James and Sirius each a pointed look as she walks out the door, with Minne following her. 

“Dad, I’m not going, and you can’t make me.” Remus is facing off with his dad now–arms crossed over his chest and feet squared off. He looks confident and sure, except that Sirius can see the slight wobble in his knees. 

“I could make you come home.” Lyall says, eyes narrowed. “It would be for the best.” 

Sirius steps up. “Sir, I think you and I both know that you don’t want to do that. You’ve never taken his will away before, and I don’t think you want to start now.” 

“I don’t want to see him hurt.” Lyall doesn’t take his eyes off of Remus. 

“I don’t want that either.” Sirius stands taller as Lyall turns to face him, and their eyes meet. “You saw the message I sent you earlier. You know I mean it.” 

“What does that mean?” Remus’s voice is filled with confusion, but they both ignore it. 

“That’s a lot harder to believe now,” Lyall responds, but Sirius can feel the cracks there. 

“So let me prove it. Honestly, sir, if Remus wants to stay, I don’t see that you have a choice.” 

It is a dangerous thing to say, he knows it when he says it, but it pays off when Lyall backs down. “If I find out that you’ve done anything to him, you’ll face worse than what you saw with Evan.”

Sirius has no doubt that he’s telling the truth. “Yes, sir.” 

The Lupins leave a short while later, after Hope spends a little more time fussing over Remus, and Lyall stands moodily in the corner. Remus and Lyall awkwardly hug just before they head out.

Remus shuts the door behind them, pressing a flat hand against it and exhaling slowly. He speaks without turning around to face them. “I can’t believe you called my parents.” 

“Moony, we had no idea where you went.” James doesn’t cross the room, though Sirius can see his fingers itching to reach for Remus. “We were about to go track Evan down to make sure he didn’t get you.” 

Remus snorts. “Evan isn’t coming for me after what my dad did.” 

“We didn’t know, Moony.” Sirius can feel the heat returning to his voice–too close to his rut, and too much effort to keep it in check so far. “Why the fuck didn’t you leave a note?”

“Oh, excuse me.” Remus throws his hands out wide. “I didn’t realize that I had to check in with you every time I wanted to go somewhere.” 

“Well, maybe you do, especially if you’re going to just disappear.” 

“I don’t fucking owe you anything, Padfoot.” Remus crosses his arms over his chest, and Sirius can see him folding in on himself again. “It’s not like we’re bonded, is it?” 

All of the fight drains out of Sirius at those words. He glances at James, who is looking away from him, and Sirius feels like he’s on the verge of losing everything. “Remus, it’s not like that.” 

“Isn’t it, Sirius?” Sirius can see the depth of pain in Remus’s eyes, and he hates knowing that he’s the reason for it. “It’s fine. I meant it when I said I was happy for you.” 

“No, Remus, it’s not–” like that, but it is, isn’t it? “We’re not–” really bonded, but they are, aren’t they? “We still want–” you, and it’s true for Sirius, but can he speak for James? Is it even okay that he’s bonded with James and still wants Remus?

“Exactly.” Remus exhales, and his eyes fall closed. “I’m staying here for now, though I think that maybe we need to consider if that’s not really feasible anymore. You’ll need time to strengthen your bond–or are you going to stay bonded? I suppose I shouldn’t assume.” 

Sirius grips the back of his neck, feeling the tension in his muscles. “We haven’t discussed it.” 

Remus nods once. “Maybe you should do that. Decide what you want, and if it’s me leaving, then I’ll do that.” He walks between the two of them and heads to the bedroom door. “I’m going to go to sleep, and I’m going to lock the door. You can tell me what you’ve decided tomorrow.” 

Remus walks into the room, and Sirius is a step behind him. Remus closes the door in his face. Sirius grabs the handle, but it doesn’t turn. “Remus, please come talk to us.” 

Silence is the only answer. 

“He probably put up a silencing charm too.” Sirius turns to see James running a hand through his hair. “Knew you well enough to know you’d try anyway.” 

“Probably.” Sirius walks and sits on the couch, burying his face in his hands. “I really fucked this up, Prongs.” 

“Nothing you can’t fix still.” James moves around, sitting on the couch next to him. “If you want to.” 

“How do I do that?” Sirius looks at James, hoping he has the answers that Sirius can’t find. “He won’t even talk to me.” 

James shrugs, and pins a smile on his face that Sirius can tell is fake. “I think we start by breaking our bond.” 

The words hit Sirius like a hippogriff, and he has to bite back the immediate refusal. “Is that what you want?”

James shrugs. “If you want to fix this with Remus, I think it’s where you start.”

“Right, but is it what you want?” Sirius shakes his head when James tries to respond immediately again. “Not what you think I want, or what Remus wants. What do you want, James?”

James clasps his hands in front of him, ducking his head. “You know I never wanted to have a broken bond. I know they’re more common now and not a big deal anymore, but I’ve always wanted to have a permanent bond.” 

“And I took that away from you.” Sirius says the words, and he’s afraid of confirmation. 

“I didn’t say that.” James sits back in his seat, not looking at Sirius.

Sirius shakes his head. “You could have bonded with any omega, or with Remus, and I forced it on you.” 

“I bit you back.” 

“And now you’re going to have to–” James’s words hit him after a delay, and he turns to face him. “What?”

“I bit you back. I wasn’t lost in a rut, and I chose to bite you back.” James shrugs, turning away. “If you’re wondering how I feel about it, I wasn’t out of my mind when I bit you back.” 

Sirius feels stinging at the back of his eyes. “You want to be bonded with me?”

James looks at him for a moment, steeling his resolve. “My first thought after was about how happy being bonded to you made me, and how much I love you. How much it made sense. I forgot–” he exhales sharply, almost a laugh “–I forgot Remus was even there until he brought us food. So yes. I want to be bonded to you, but I get that it doesn’t make sense for us to be bonded and not to Remus, so if you want to break it–” 

“I don’t.” 

James’s eyes flash to him again. “You don’t?”

Sirius closes the distance between the two of them on the couch, wrapping his hand in the hair at the base of James’s head. “James. Jamie. Being bonded with you is better than anything I could have ever hoped for.” 

“What about Remus?” He can hear the hope and the pain in James’s voice. 

“I don’t know. I want Remus too.” Sirius runs his fingers along James’s cheeks. “I want both of you, but not you any less than him. I want both of you. I want to be bonded to both of you.” 

“Is that possible?” 

“I don’t know, honestly, but why not.” Sirius’s forehead is pressed to James’s now. “If you want it, too–” 

“Yes, absolutely yes.” James kisses Sirius–fierce, forceful. “I want that. You and him, bonded. Yes, please yes.” 

Sirius kisses him again, and the kisses grow longer. “We have to convince him. Tomorrow, we’ll convince him tomorrow.” 

James kisses him again, and Sirius is practically sitting on his lap now. “What will we do until then?”

Sirius smiles against his lips. “I’d really like you to fuck me now, and when you knot me, I want you to bite me.” 

James groans into his mouth, and he’s pushing Sirius back onto the couch. Sirius laughs when they topple onto the floor instead. “Maybe we should move to the bedroom.” 

“Probably a good idea.” James is all beaming smile as he offers Sirius a hand and pulls him up, and they rush to the bedroom. 

Their hands find hems of shirts and buttons on trousers, and before any real time has passed, they are standing next to each other, skin pressed to naked skin. They kiss every time their lips are free, between shirts and belts, and when they’re undressed, Sirius takes both of their cocks in his hands together and begins stroking them. 

James pants into his mouth, hands gripping Sirius’s shoulders. “Fuck, Padfoot. Get on the bed.” 

Sirius climbs onto the bed on his hands and knees–a typical position of theirs–but James stops him. “Flip over. I want to kiss you when I fuck you.” 

Sirius groans, landing on his back as he flips over. James spreads his legs, an ankle over each shoulder. He casts cleaning and lubrication charms, and sticks two fingers into Sirius. 

Sirius groans, arching his back, and James wastes no time pushing them all the way inside and thrusting his hand in and out of Sirius. Sirius can feel James slowly stretching him and working him open, scissoring his fingers until Sirius can’t wait anymore. 

“Inside, please.” Sirius thrusts his hips to meet James’s hand, desperate for more friction. “Fuck me.” 

“Someday, I’m going to tie you down and make you come on my fingers alone.” James curls his fingers, stroking Sirius’s prostate, and Sirius feels spikes of pleasure shoot through him. “But not today.” 

James pulls his hand out, casts more lubrication charms, and takes himself in hand. He teases Sirius’s hole with his head for a moment, running it over the stretched rim before Sirius growls at him. 

James pushes in, all the way to the hilt, and the noise is cut off in Sirius’s throat. James begins moving, but it’s a dragging pace, letting Sirius feel every inch of his dick as he pulls in and out. James grabs Sirius’s ankles and pushes them toward his chest, nearly folding him in half, but he never increases his pace. 

It’s different from their normal shags. Typically, it’s hard and fast and rough, leaving bruises and bite marks, but the air shifts as James looks down where they’re connected. 

“Jamie.” He barely recognizes his voice when the word comes out—desperate, needy, and he’d feel embarrassed about it if it wasn’t James—his best friend, his bond mate, his lover.

“Shh, love. Take it for me.” 

James lets his legs fall around his shoulders, and Sirius wraps them around his waist, drawing him closer. They’re kissing again, and suddenly, Sirius is aware that the room smells like a storm. 

He breaks the kiss to look at the window, and James moves his lips to Sirius’s neck. It’s a clear night and Sirius can see the waning gibbous moon out of their window. There’s not a cloud in sight, and certainly no lightning. 

James has his nose pressed to Sirius’s scent gland. “You smell different.” 

“What do you mean?” Sirius asks as James licks the spot. 

“I don’t know.” He licks it again. “Like burning. Hot. Crackling wood.” 

“You don’t smell a storm?” Sirius asks, threading his fingers into James’s hair. 

James lifts his head, rosy lips parted and panting. “No, no. You do?”

Sirius nods. “It just started.” He pulls James down until Sirius can nuzzle his neck. “It’s you. You smell like–I don’t know. Like rain.” Sirius kisses his neck. “I can’t explain it, but I feel like I’m in the middle of a storm.” 

“Is that good?”

“Yes, very.” Sirius pulls him into another kiss, their tongues dancing as James moves inside of him, and Sirius is so full.

“Good, me too.” James trails kisses down his chin and neck until he’s nipping at Sirius’s ear. “Merlin, Padfoot. You feel so good.”

“It’s better, right?” Sirius tightens his legs around James’s waist. “I don’t understand why, but it’s better.” 

“I think—I think it’s the bond.” James whispers the words against his skin. “Padfoot, I—” he cuts off, the words lost to a groan into Sirius’s neck. 

“Prongs, please.” Sirius crosses his ankles behind James’s back, and James shifts just enough that each slide of his cock is hitting squarely on Sirius’s prostate. “Fuck.” 

“I got you, love.” James kisses him again. 

Sirius loses himself in the feeling of being taken by James. Normally, he’d push to move faster or go harder, or push for control, but for the first time he can remember, he’s content to just exist in the moment with James. Surrounded by the scent of him, living in the sensations of his steady glide, and Sirius has never felt more in the right place. 

He wonders if this is a benefit of bonding that no one talks about, this absolute peace and comfort in just being with his partner, or if this is something that is uniquely James. Sirius could believe either. 

“Padfoot. Sirius.” He can hear the edge in James’s voice, the sound that means he’s getting close, and Sirius wants it all. He can feel the knot forming, just a slight bulging now, but he knows it's coming, and he wants it. 

“James.” 

“Call me Jamie.” James is licking his scent gland again—the one that already holds James’s mark. “I love it when you call me that.” 

“Jaime.” Sirius wraps his arms around him tighter. “Jamie, I—” the words get caught in his throat. He’s said it before, but it means more now. It has more weight.

“I know.” James nips at his scent gland. It’s not a bite yet—it’s not time for that, though that time is swiftly approaching. “I know; me too.” 

“You too?” It’s not the words, but it’s close and Sirius didn’t even know how much he needed to hear it before James said it. 

“Me too, Padfoot. Sirius.” James kisses him again, then wraps a hand around his cock, and Sirius is close. “Sirius. I love you.” 

“Jamie.” Sirius comes over James’s hand and across his chest, as though the words pulled it out of him. 

James releases his cock as he finishes, planting his hands on either side of Sirius and focusing on his own end. Sirius is oversensitive and overdone, but he doesn’t want James to stop—not now, not ever. He doesn’t ask, and James doesn’t offer. 

 “Jamie, you’re everything to me. Everything.” Sirius kisses his cheeks, James’s lips open and panting at the effort. “Jamie, I love you.” 

James presses his forehead against Sirius’s as his knot begins to catch, and a few strokes later, he presses deep inside of Sirius as he comes. Right as the knot forms, James bites down on his scent gland, and Sirius nearly comes again. 

When James releases him, fully locked inside of him, Sirius moves his lips to James’s neck, finding his scent gland and biting it as well. James jerks against him, pulling against his rim. 

Sirius wraps his arms and legs around James, holding him closer as they set in to ride out the knot. James rests his entire weight against Sirius, and it’s hot and uncomfortable and wonderful, and Sirius doesn’t want to be anywhere else. 

They begin kissing again–slow, languid kisses that make Sirius feel warm and happy. James feels like home, and Sirius feels like he’s always been searching for home. How wonderful to have found it in his best friend. 

Eventually, the kisses become spaced out as they fall asleep, and their small talk drifts farther apart. Just before Sirius falls asleep–now laying on James’s chest and gathered in his arms–he thinks of Remus and how tomorrow, the three of them can be together–fully, finally. 

---

Remus slips out early the next morning, before they wake up. Or, perhaps it was after they woke up when they found James still half hard inside of Sirius and decided another round was more than warranted. Or, perhaps it was during the second round that morning in the shower, when Sirius pressed him against the wall and whispered things against James’s skin that leave him gasping as they came together.  

They couldn’t really be blamed, right? They were newly bonded, and even if it was unintentional, there’s something quite delicious about bonded sex. 

Regardless, when they finally come out of their room, Remus is gone. James can smell his faint scent still lingering in the apartment, still warm but going stale. He hadn’t been gone long, but he was gone.

“You don’t think–” Sirius begins, but they find a note on the kitchen table. 

 

Gone to work. I’ll be back later. 

Don’t fetch my parents, please.

~R

“Do you think he’s avoiding us?” James asks as he reads over the note again. 

Sirius grabs it from his hand. “No. No, definitely not.” 

He doesn’t sound sure, though, and James thinks that Remus probably is avoiding them. 

He stops worrying about it when Sirius turns him over the table to fuck him again. They clean the table and the floor before they leave for work (and they’re only a little late). 

When they come home from work, again arriving within a few minutes of each other, they find the note on the kitchen table again. 

 

Gone to work. I’ll be back later. 

Don’t fetch my parents, please.

~R

Mary called. Going to see the girls. I’ll be back later tonight. 

~R

Sirius’s fingers twitch against the paper. “Fuck. He’s avoiding us, isn’t he?”

“Fair assumption, I think.” James runs a hand through his hair. “Do we go after him?”

“I don’t–” Sirius sighs, leaning forward on his hands against the table. “I don’t think so. I think we have to give him some time.” 

“So what do we do now?” James asks, and the burning look in Sirius’s eye almost made him laugh. 

Almost.

---

Remus comes into the flat at nearly midnight, closing the door quietly behind him. He is amazed, honestly, that he made it that late without James or Sirius coming to check on him. Mary had been surprised by his message, but she and Lily were happy to welcome him for an evening of popcorn and movies. 

He stops just inside the door, inhaling slowly. He doesn’t smell anything out of the ordinary in the flat. He can smell that James and Sirius are here, and have been here for several hours. He doesn’t smell anything unusual in their scents–no anger or fear or worry or… 

Maybe they didn’t even notice he was gone. That would be… fine. 

They’re bonded now. 

He’s been telling himself that on repeat for the last day, hoping that if he keeps saying it, it will finally sink in.  Maybe it will be fine. He’ll learn to deal with it. He’ll learn to be okay with it. 

They’re bonded now. 

Remus walks to their bedroom door, listening. He hears nothing beyond it–not even the sounds of sleep. He puts his nose to the crack in the door–yes, he knows what this looks like–but he doesn’t smell anything either. They probably put up silencing and scent blocking charms so that he wouldn’t be bothered by their bonded sex-a-thon. 

They’re bonded now.  

Remus goes into his room and turns on the shower, stripping naked and stepping in. He lets the hot water beat on his skin, and perhaps if he wasn’t already exhausted, he’d get himself off again to the thought of them together. When he closes his eyes, James’s face as Sirius bites him is all he can see.

They’re bonded now.

Instead, Remus just turns the water off and towels dry. He considers sleeping naked–they probably won’t come in, or maybe he’ll lock the door again–but he doesn’t want to lock the door, and he wants to think that maybe they’ll come in. He puts on a pair of pajama bottoms and a thin vest. 

Remus rubs his eyes, yawning, as he walks to his bed. He avoided the flat today–coming home before James and Sirius would be back from work, leaving as soon as he changed his note–and it’s worn on him. He can barely keep his eyes open as he lifts the edge of the blanket and crawls into–

Remus yelps and nearly falls off the bed when he touches someone in his bed, though a hand comes out to grab him before he falls.

“Woah, Moons. I gotcha.” James’s hand wraps around his arm. 

Remus nearly falls to the floor, but for James catching him. James hoists him up into the bed, and Remus finds himself wedged between Sirius and James, who are sleepy snuggling into his neck. 

"You're in my bed." Remus shuts his eyes, enjoying the feeling of their touch way more than he has right to. 

They're bonded now.

"You've been avoiding us." Sisius says, more awake now but still with his face tucked against Remus's neck. 

“I’m not.” Remus doesn’t even believe himself when he says it. 

"Y'are." James says sleepily. "Can that be done now? We missed you." 

Remus doesn’t answer. He is too busy thinking about how everything is different now. They’re bonded now is the mantra he’s been repeating all day, but it’s not just the thing he’s trying to convince himself– they just want to be friends or they aren’t attracted to you or it’s just because you presented Omega –like he’s done before. No, this time, it has meaning. They really are bonded now. They’re bonded to each other, and Remus is just their omega best fri–

“Moony, what are you thinking about?”

Sirius’s comment pulls him out of his head. “Nothing, sorry.” 

“Don’t blow it off, Moony.” James reaches a hand up, tracing his finger down Remus’s nose. “Tell us what’s wrong.” 

Remus sighs. “It’s just–” he shakes his head, but they wait. He sighs again. “Everything is different now.” 

“What’s different?” James asks. 

“You’re bonded now.” Remus is proud of the way it comes out firm and steady, like it isn’t ripping him in two. 

James sighs. “Yeah, we are.” 

It feels like a stab to his heart, but Remus swallows down the knot in his throat. “Right. So everything’s different.” 

“It doesn’t have to be.” Sirius pulls Remus closer to him. “We don’t want it to be.” 

“Sirius–” 

“Bond with us.” 

Whatever Remus had been expecting Sirius to say, it isn’t that. “What?”

“Bond with us, Moony. We want to be with you too.” 

Remus closes his eyes, and for a moment, he lets himself believe it. Bonding with the two of them. Being with them, committed to them, fore–

Sirius’s hand shifts across his chest and cradles his stomach, and Remus’s fantasy is shattered. “No.” 

They both pull back from him, and he can smell the hurt in the air. “Why not?” James asks. 

“Because this isn’t real.” Remus sits up between them, drawing his legs up to his chest–which he notices is not as comfortable as it used to be with a firm bump in his lower abdomen. Huh, he thinks, but then shakes his head. “None of this is real. You don’t want me.” 

Sirius makes a frustrated noise, and Remus feels himself fracture under it. “We do mean it, Moony. We want to bond–” 

“I’m sure it feels that way now,” Remus lays his head on his knees, “but that’s just the hormones and the babies.” 

Silence fills the room, and Remus is sure he’s right. He wants to leave the room, but they’re in his– Sirius’s?–room, and he doesn’t really have anywhere else to go. 

“You think that we only want to bond with you because you’re pregnant?” When James speaks, it is slowly, carefully, and Remus can tell he’s trying to understand. Sweet, lovely James, who would make a very sweet mate–for Sirius. 

“I know it is.” Remus wets his lips, buying himself time. “I know that you’re just feeling some sort of alpha protective instinct over me.” 

“That’s not it at all, Remus.” Sirius says. He sits up next to Remus, grabbing his hand. “We’ve wanted you for way longer than that, and we will after you’ve had the babies too.” 

Remus shrugged, and he could feel the way the exhaustion was pulling at the tears in his eyes. “Maybe, but we can’t really be sure.”

“I can, Remus.” James sits up and wraps his arms around Remus. “I love you, Moony, and that’s not going away.” 

Remus wipes his face, not even realizing his face is wet until he does. “I love you too, and that’s why I can’t let you regret this when this is all done.” He sniffs. “I can’t be the bond that you regret making.” 

“We won’t regret it, Remus.” Sirius says, but Remus can hear the resignation in his voice. 

“Then you won’t regret waiting another six months until I’m not pregnant anymore.” He wipes his face again. “If you still want to then, ask me again.” 

Sirius conjures a tissue and hands it to Remus. “If we ask then, will you say yes?” 

Remus wipes his eyes, and blows his nose.“If you really want me, and you’re not just taking pity on me–” they both make disgruntled noises “–then yes. I’ll say yes.” 

“Not worried you’re being influenced by your hormones?”  Sirius vanishes the tissue and hands him another one. 

Remus lets out a wet laugh. “I think the fact that I’m currently crying is pretty well proof that I am.” Remus laughs again and wipes his eyes again. I’m sure about wanting you, though. He doesn’t say it. He’s not sure he’s strong enough when they eventually turn him away.

“Alright, Remus.” Sirius lays down on the bed again, and pulls Remus on top of him. “You can wait, but–” he points a finger at Remus “– but we will be asking again, and I hope you’ll say yes.” 

He doesn’t give Remus time to argue, and perhaps that’s for the best, but instead draws him into a deep, lingering kiss. When the kiss breaks, James’s fingers are on his chin, turning his head the opposite direction for another kiss. 

“Promise you won’t pull away from us.” James kisses him again, soft and chastely. “Date us, Remus.” 

“I—”

“Don’t say no, Remus.” Sirius wraps an arm tighter around him. “Give us a chance. Let us show you.” 

“I…” Remus sighs, nuzzling into Sirius. James moves in behind him, pressing kisses to his shoulders and neck. “Damn it, okay. I’m too tired to fight you right now.” 

“Lucky us, then.” Sirius drops a kiss on his forehead. “We were prepared to convince you.” 

“Sleep, Remus.” James kisses his shoulder again. “And we’ll love you in the morning, too.” 

As Remus drifts to sleep, he thinks that he might just try to believe it. 

---

 

Dearest darling Moonlight, 

Clear your evening! Prongs and I are taking you on a date. Please wear your sexiest knickers. No knickers is also acceptable.

Don’t even think of denying us, Moony. You deserve a night out, and we want to spoil you. 

Thinking of you(r arse), 

Padfoot

___

Prongs, 

Date night with Moony tonight. Thoughts on The Sapphire Room?

Padfoot

___

Padfoot, 

You’re utterly ridiculous. I saw you twenty minutes ago. Did this require an owl?

Tentatively, I accept, though I reserve the right to request a night in if I’m nauseous. You did this to me, so no complaining. 

Regards, 

RJL

P.S. stop thinking about my arse. You’re at work!

___

Padfoot, 

The Sapphire Room isn’t really date appropriate, is it? Or are you planning to buy a hot guy to dance for our sweet pregnant omega?

What about The Common Room?

Prongs

___

Moonscicle, 

This absolutely requires its own owl. If you hadn’t answered the first time, I would have resorted to sending you a Howler that would serenade you with my absolute best singing voice. 

Tentatively excited, and permission granted to request a night in if you’re feeling shit. I promise to ply you with ginger candies and any craving your heart desires. Do you want to know what I’m currently craving?

Thinking of (my knot in) you(r arse), 

Padfoot

P.S. Thinking of your arse and all the things I get to do to it is what gets me through the work day. Would you like a list?

P.P. S. Regards? You’re going to break my heart, Moons.

___

Prongs, 

The Common Room? The COMMON ROOM? We can’t take him to a quidditch pub for a date? You must be joking. 

What about Phoenix Song?

Padfoot

___

Dearest Mr. Black, 

I am writing to inform you that I am excited about the prospect of a date tonight with you and your mate. It is the highlight of my social calendar, and I appreciate your owl. 

Might I inquire what you and Mr. Potter have planned for us this fine evening? Perhaps, if you play your cards right, I’ll let you see my knickers tonight, which are red and lacy. As for you, I don’t even need to guess what you’re craving. 

Sincerest Regards, 

Remus J. Lupin

P.S. Are you still thinking of my arse?

P.P.S. Hope this letter made up for “regards.” 

___

Padfoot, 

Moony doesn’t even like karaoke. What about Purple Plimplies?

Prongs, 

___

Prongs, 

We are not taking him for fucking finger foods. Bananas and Other Fruits?

Padfoot

___

My delicate Moonbeam, 

Is this a love letter I see? I shall cherish it forever and read it to our kids as a bedtime story. I’m particularly fond of the red lace part. I think you need to provide me with more details on that. For accurate historical record, you know. 

James and I are planning to ravish you with all the finer things, and find someone who will cater to you on bended knee. In truth, my love, we’re still working that out. Maybe a club?

From the bottom of my heart(-shaped cock head), 

Padfoot

P.S. I’m always thinking of your arse, but the red lace doesn’t help

P.P.S. You know what would make up for it? Red lace. 

P.P.P.S. You should take a picture of the red lace and send it to me.

___

Padfoot, 

The nightclub? That could be fun. Remus likes dancing. 

Prongs
___

Padfoot, 

When you read it to our kids, please leave out the red lace knickers. For their sake and mine. 

A club? Okay. I guess that works.

Sweetest Regards, 

Moony

P.S. I think you might have a thing for red lace. 

P.P.S. I can’t wear the red lace any harder (and I mean that literally and figuratively). 

P.P.P.S. I’m at work now, and there’s no camera here. You’ll just have to use your imagination.

P.P.P.P.S. Heart-shaped cockhead is not your best work. 

___

Prongs, 

Cancel the club. I ran it by him, and he’s not into it. Any other ideas?

Padfoot

___

Moonikins, 

If you want me to leave out the red knickers, you’ll need to leave them off. Send them to me for proof. 

We don’t have to do the club. Is there something you’d rather do?

Thinking of you (with my cock in my hand), 

Padfoot

P.S. I have a thing for you in red lace. 

P.P.S. I literally bit my fist when I read that. I need to see, please. 

P.P.P.S. You’re just going to have to show me later. Then, I’ll also know what they look like shredded on the floor of your room. 

P.P.P.P.S. I’m saving my best work for later, just you wait. 

___

Padfoot, 

Shit, I thought the club was good. What about Lord Macalvee’s Naughty Nymph Diner?

Prongs

___

Padfoot, 

Whatever you guys want to do is fine. 

Moony

___

Moony, 

I want to do whatever makes you happy. Tell me what you want. 

Lovingly, 

Padfoot

P.S. I haven’t forgotten the lace knickers

___

Padfoot, 

Okay, we don’t have to, but there’s this French place in Deering that I’ve always wanted to go to. Evan never wanted– Well, I never got a chance to go, but it’s fine. We can do whatever you guys want to do. I’m just happy to be going with you. 

Yours, 

Moony

___

Prongs, 

Make reservations at L’amore de la Lune. 

Padfoot. 

___

Remus, 

I would love to take you there. We’re making reservations. 

Yours too, 

Sirius

___

Padfoot, 

You hate that place. Are you sure that’s where you want to go?

Prongs

___

Prongs, 

Moony wants to go, and Evan would never take him. Don’t let him know I don’t like it. 

Padfoot

___

Padfoot, 

Reservations at 8 in my name. 

Prongs

___

Padfoot, 

In the package, you’ll find one pair of lace knickers. I put it in a plastic bag hoping that keeps the scent in. Open when you’re alone (or with Prongs). 

I can’t wait for tonight, 

Moony

---

Remus is taking a while to get ready. They still had plenty of time to get to the restaurant before the reservation, but Remus has never been the type to spend hours getting ready. 

James pushes the bedroom door open, knocking quietly as he walks in. Remus is standing in front of the mirror, half dressed with his trousers open and shirt half tucked. James doesn’t miss the way his face is wet. “Getting ready, Moony?”

Remus wipes his face and looks at him in the mirror. “I was trying to.” 

James walks up behind him. “What’s wrong?”

“You know my nice trousers? The ones that are a bit tight?”

James smiles. “I fucking love those pants. Make your arse look–” James cuts off when Remus’s face crumples. “Oh no, Remus. What did I say?”

“Sorry, sorry. I don’t mean to cry.” Remus reaches down and tries to pull the top of his pants together, but they don’t quite reach. “I’ve been thinking about wearing them all day, but they don’t fit anymore. “

“Oh, Moony.” James wraps his arms around Remus’s waist, laying his hand flat against Remus’s stomach. There was a slight bulge there. Hardly noticeable, but apparently enough to affect his trouser fit. 

“It’s stupid, but I was just really looking forward to wearing them.” Remus sniffs, placing his hands on James’s arms. “I  wanted–” Remus takes a deep breath “–I wanted my arse to look really good, but that’s just ruined now.” 

James smiles and presses a kiss to his cheek. “Moony, we like your arse if you have fancy trousers or not.” 

“I know.” Remus buries his face in his hands. “I just wanted to look nice for you.” 

“Well, I bet we can find something else nice for you to wear.”

Remus groaned. “Nothing is going to fit me.”

“Well, that’s the nice part of having two boyfriends, then.” James pulls away from Remus and grabs his hand to pull him to the bedroom door. “I’m sure we have trousers that will fit you. Padfoot?”

Sirius pops out of the other bedroom, dressed in a sparkly shirt and trousers that are so tight they look painted on, as they walk into the living room. “What’s going on?”

“Moony needs new trousers. Could he borrow a pair of yours?”

Sirius looks down at Remus’s waist and his gaping trousers, and James can tell he puts the pieces together quickly. “Yeah, ‘course. I’ve got a couple pairs that are meant to be stretchy, so they should fit just fine.” Sirius pauses, turning his head as he considers Remus. “Or, hear me out, I have a skirt that would go really well with that shirt.”

Remus looks down at his shirt. “I’ve never worn a skirt before.” 

Sirius tisks. “Moony, that’s an absolute crime. With your legs–” 

A knock at the door interrupts their conversation. James turns to answer it as Sirius and Remus continue discussing skirts. When James opens the door, he sees a man wearing a Department of Magical Law Enforcement uniform on the other side. “Can I help you?” James asks. 

The DMLE officer clears his throat. “I’m looking for Remus Lupin.” 

James freezes. He hears the conversation behind him die off. “What do you need Remus for?”

“Is Mr. Lupin here? I need to confirm his presence.” The DMLE officer moves to step around him, but James blocks the door. 

“It’s alright, James.” Remus’s voice has taken an even tone, calm and seemingly unaffected, and if James wasn’t so in tune with the subtle changes in Remus’s scent, he might have missed the fear entirely. “I’m Remus Lupin. You were looking for me?”

The DMLE officer looks over him, head to foot, and James wants to make him stop looking at Remus that way. “Can I see some identification, sir?” 

“Sure, of course. Give me one moment.” 

Remus disappears back into the bedroom, and James and Sirius turn on the DMLE officer. “What do you want Remus for?” Sirius asks, warning dripping from his tone. 

“Are you Mr. Lupin’s alpha?”

“No, we’re his boyfriends.” Sirius crossed his arms, staring menacingly at the officer. “Is that a problem?”

“Not for me,” he says. “I can’t give any information to anyone other than Mr. Lupin or his alpha.”

Remus comes back a moment later wearing sweatpants and a jumper, carrying his ID card. “Here, sir.” 

Remus stands with his head bowed and his hands loosely at his sides, submissive. James wants to step in front of him, but he worries the officer won’t take kindly to it. James doesn’t want to make this any worse. 

“Everything looks to be in order, then.” The officer reaches into his bag and pulls out a packet of papers. “Mr. Lupin, you’ve been served.” 

“He’s what?” James asks. 

“Been served.” The officer looks at Remus. “Can you sign here that you accepted the papers?”

Remus takes the pen in a shaky hand, scribbling out something that might have been his signature. James takes a step closer to him now, placing a hand on Remus’s back. He leans into James’s hand slightly. 

Sirius still looks ready for a fight. “Is that all, then?”

The office looks at him coolly. “That’s all. Unless you have something else you want to discuss?”

“No. Please leave my house.” Sirius gestures to the door, and the officer walks out. Sirius closes the door behind him. 

As soon as the door closes, Remus is shaking. James wraps an arm around his shoulder, pulling Remus against him. “I’ve got you, Moony. You’re okay.” 

“I-I th-thought he was g-going to arrest m-me.” He struggles to get the sentence out, gasping for breath between the words. “I changed because I-I didn’t want to go to A-azkaban in trousers that didn’t fit.” 

“I know. I wouldn’t have let that happen, Moony.” James turns him so that Remus is pressed into James’s chest, and James holds him as he cries. Remus’s arms are pinned between them, and James feels the packet of papers crunching slightly. 

Sirius comes up behind Remus and wraps arms around them both. “It’s fine, Remus. He didn’t arrest you. Just some papers.” 

Remus pulls away slightly and looks down at the papers in his hands. “Why papers, though?”

The three of them look down at the paperwork, and James recognizes it first. He groans. “Fucking Evan.”

“What the fuck.” Sirius balls his hands into fists. “I’ll fucking kill him.” 

Remus is still looking at the papers, eyes darting back and forth over the words and he flips pages. “He’s fighting me for custody? The babies aren’t even born yet, and he’s trying to take them away?”

“We won’t let him.” Sirius says, taking Remus’s hand. “We won’t let him take our babies.” 

“He’s called me in front of the Wizengamot, Sirius. We can’t just bully him to stop.” 

“You should have let me kill him after he cornered you in that bathroom.” 

Remus sounds hysterical, and James can see Sirius gearing up to fight about it. There’s only really one option. “I think we need to go see my parents.” 

---

Coming home to Godric’s Hollow was always a relief, though James is far more anxious today. He hopes that his dad can help. 

James has always known he was lucky. When everyone sat around complaining about the bullshit things their parents did, James had nothing to add. Fleamont and Euphemia Potter had nothing but love and patience for James. James had never felt anything less than absolutely loved by them. They’d always been willing to extend that love and patience to James’s friends–most notably taking Sirius in after he left home–and James is certain that if anyone can help, it’s his parents. 

Particularly his dad. 

His dad sold his hair potion company many years ago and retired. Of course, ol’ Monty Potter was never one to just sit around, and a few months into retirement, he began reading books on magical law. Then, he started taking classes on magical law. Just for fun, he’d said. A few years later, he was a full fledged magical solicitor with a surprisingly bustling practice, consisting entirely of cases that met one of two criteria: (1) he found them funny, or (2) someone really needed help and had nowhere else to turn. 

James is endlessly proud of his dad. 

They walk up to the house, James in the lead and Sirius holding Remus’s hand. “Uh, James?”

He turns to see Remus nervously toying with Sirius’s hand, still dressed in the joggers and sweatshirt he’d put on when the DMLE officer came for him. “What’s wrong, Moons?”

“How much, um, do your parents know?” Remus bites his lip. “I want to be prepared for what’s coming.” 

James shrugs. “They know that you’re living with us.” 

Both Remus and Sirius look confused at that. “You didn’t tell them anything else?” Remus asks. 

“No, I didn’t think it was my place to tell them. It’s your news.” James shrugs again. 

“I–find this really hard to believe.” Sirius holds his hand out to his side, palm up. “You’re terrible at keeping secrets. What did you talk about all the times when you came over for lunch since he moved in?”

James chuckles nervously. “Well, that’s the thing… I haven’t been over since then.” 

“You WHAT?” 

“James, I didn’t want you to not be able to tell your parents.” Remus looks really concerned now. “You could have told them. That would have been fine.” 

James walks over to Remus, cupping his face with his hands. He presses a kiss to Remus’s forehead, his nose, and then finally to his lips. “It’s fine, Moony. I wanted to wait, and I knew I couldn’t if I came to see them.” He takes a step back, gesturing to the door. “Shall we go find them now?”

They find his parents in the kitchen, finishing making dinner. Mum looks up as James approaches her with arms open wide. 

“Sunshine!” She wraps her arms around his waist as he smothers her in a hug. She looks around him. “See, Monty, I told you we needed dinner for more people.” 

Dad chuckles. “You always know, dear. I swear you have more of an affinity for divination than you like to admit.” 

Mum smacks his arm lightly as she moves to hug Sirius. “Keep that nonsense. I just know my boys.” She pulls Sirius into a big hug. “Hello, Starshine.” He bends down, and when her face is near his, she presses a kiss into cheek. “It’s been too long, dear. You need to come see me more.” 

“I’m sorry, mum. You’re right.” 

She moves on to Remus. “Moonshine. I heard you moved out of Evan’s flat. Honestly, I think it’s for the best. Look at you! You’re practically glowing. You look so much–” her voice trails off, and while none of the good humor leaves her face, her eyes pinch slightly. “James, dear.” She speaks without looking away from Remus. 

“Yes, mum?”

“Have you been avoiding us for a reason?” she asks. 

“Yes.” 

Her face lights up, ecstatic. Her eyes dart back and forth between Remus’s, searching him for information and apparently satisfied with whatever she finds there. “You’re pregnant!” 

“What?” He says, eyes going wide.

“Mia, you can’t just accuse the boy of being pregnant.” His dad chastises her gently, but James can hear the uncertainty in his voice as well. 

“I can if I’m right.” She looks from James to Sirius and then back to Remus. “I’m right, aren’t I?”

“Um, yes.” Remus says, and a faint blush colored his cheeks that made him look gorgeous, even in baggy clothes.

“I knew it!” She wraps him in a hug, and James can see his hesitation at first as he gently pats her back. Eventually, his arms wrap around her more fully, and Remus presses his face into her neck. “That’s wonderful, Remus! How far along are you?”

Remus pulls back, wiping a tear from his eye. If James didn’t know how easily he teared up now, he might have worried about that. “I’m ten weeks’ along now.” 

His mum’s face softens. “Oh, darling. That’s so wonderful.” 

Remus begins crying then, and buries his face in her neck. Her arms come around him, and Remus lets her hold him close. Despite the fact that James wants to take him in his arms, he lets his mum take care of him. 

“That’s really fantastic, boys.” His dad takes a sip from the teacup in front of him. “I don’t know why you had to hide it from us, though.” 

Remus’s muffled voice comes from his mum’s shoulder. “That’s what I said. I didn’t know he was waiting.” 

“Well, nevermind that now.” His mum holds Remus’s face in her hands. “I want to know everything about the pregnancy.” 

“We actually have more news.” Sirius says, and James looks to find him shifting nervously from foot to foot. “Some good and some bad.” 

James’s mum turns to Sirius with raised eyebrows, then back to Remus. “Oh my. Well, I think maybe we need to eat first. News always comes better on a full stomach, yes?”

His dad levitates the serving dishes to the small round table in the kitchen, and James grabs plates out of the cabinet. His mum grabs a bowl of raita out of the preservation cabinet and sets it between Sirius and Remus. 

“I made aloo matar, but I’m afraid I wasn’t planning on the two of you coming, necessarily. It’s pretty spicy, so you’ll want to use plenty of the raita. If it’s too much, I can make you something else quickly.” She takes her seat next to his dad, but she still looks worried. “Maybe I should make something else. Remus, I don’t know how the spicy will do with your–” 

“No, please don’t.” Remus is already scooping the aloo matar on top of his rice in the bowl. “Spicy actually sounds really good right now.” 

She grimaces, but she lets him go. “Alright, dear. Just be careful. There’s no shame in asking for something else.” 

James watches as Remus drizzles some of the raita in his bowl, though not nearly enough. “Moony, maybe you want to–” 

Remus takes a big bite of food, humming happily while he chews. James grips his wand in his pocket, prepared to summon some milk or cream for Remus to drink when the spice eventually hits him, but… 

He takes another bite, chewing happily again. 

James turns to his own bowl in confusion, sampling the food and expecting to find it mild, but it is spicy to his preference. Remus shouldn’t have been able to eat it. He looks at Sirius, who has loaded his bowl with raita, and is clearly sweating. James smiles. Perhaps this is another fun side effect to pregnancy.

Dinner conversation is light as they continue eating, purposefully avoiding topics that they weren’t ready to discuss. For James, this becomes a matter of careful, clumsy avoidance. He starts talking about going to the gym, but has to drop the subject when his parents ask why Sirius can’t go with him anymore. He begins to tell them about being at the cabin for his rut–yes, his parents hear about his rut; that’s not weird–but has to stop before he mentions that Remus and Sirius were there too. 

It is, quite frankly, frustrating, and James wishes they’d just had it all out at the start. 

They finish, deciding against pudding, and move into the study. His mom floats a tea service behind them, charming it to serve all of them as they take their seats. 

James sits next to Remus on the couch, and Sirius takes his other side. He sees the way Remus trembles slightly, in anticipation or concern. Sirius wraps an arm around Remus’s shoulders, and James puts a hand on his knee. Remus looks up at him with a tight smile and laces his fingers with James’s. 

His mum swirls her tea with a small spoon, clinking the side a few times before she sets the spoon down. She makes eye contact with him, and her eyes are dancing as she sips, and it makes James want to smile and cling to Remus possessively. Which is a totally normal thing to do, of course. 

His dad clears his throat. “So what is this extra news, then?”

James looks between Sirius and Remus waiting for one of them to finally tell them. Remus laughs, putting his hand on James's leg, which he hadn't even realized was bouncing before Remus stops it. “Why don’t you tell them, James? You look like you’re bursting with the news."

“No, it’s fine.” James’s finger is tapping his knee now. “It’s your news; you tell them.” 

Remus smiles sweetly at him and covers James’s hand–and his tapping finger–with his hand. “It’s really fine. You’ll save me from having to say it.”

“Everything?” James asks, with a raised eyebrow. It’s always best to check first. 

“Sure, you can share it all with them.” Remus shrugs. 

James glances at Sirius, who nods and gestures at his parents, and James turns to them with a smile. “So Remus moves out of Evan’s flat after Evan leaves him like a fucking wanker–” 

“James!” his mum scolded him.

“Sorry, but it’s a very accurate term.” James waves it off. “Anyway, he moves in with us but like something was kind of off about him, you know? We thought he was sick, so we convinced him to go Mungo’s after he randomly produced slick when he masturbated–” 

“ James,” Remus tried to interrupt, but James ignored him. 

“The healer told him he was pregnant! And then Remus was eating all these gross things, and he kept making slick randomly, and Sirius and I are practically going mad and shagging each other like twice a day trying to let off sexual tension, and it turns out that Remus was using knotting toys like twice a day for the same reasons!” 

Remus groans, and Sirius laughs. “You did tell him to tell them everything.”

James ignores them. “Then we go back to the healer, and it turns out one of them is Sirius’s!” 

“One of them?” his mum asks with wide eyes. 

His dad waves a hand through the air. “You’ve lost me. How is it Sirius’s? I thought Remus was with Evan?”

“Oh! I’m getting ahead of myself.” James shakes his head, making a brrr noise with his lips. “So we figured out that Remus wasn’t on his contraceptive positions anymore because it made his wolfy all grr and grouchy, and it turns out that Sirius shagged him during the full moon after he was off contraceptives, which was right after his heat! Well, Padfoot did, because Moony was very insistent and I mean, it was kinda hot.”

Remus buries his head in his hands, and Sirius is just dying of laughter next to him. 

“So then, we went to the healer, and he said at least one of the bambis was Sirius’s! One of, because there’s two of them! Twins!” James can see that his parents are preparing to interrupt, but James has kept too much secret for too long to stop now. “Then we were trying to make Remus feel better, and we saw Evan at a bar. Or, really, Sirius and I found Evan forcing himself on Remus in a bar bathroom, and Sirius went all grrr on Evan, which was really hot.” James turns to Sirius. “Did I tell you that? I don’t think I got the chance.” 

Sirius is laughing too hard to answer and just shakes his head. James turns back to his parents. “So then, they’re like together, sort of, and I turned my pants into sheep–”

“You did what?” Remus raises his head to ask. 

“Don’t worry, I changed them back.” James waves him off. “But then Remus comes with Sirius to the cabin in the Forest of Dean for my rut, which was triggered early–did you know that could happen? It did for both Sirius and I! So Remus was with us for my rut, and then we went to see Remus’s parents and told them he was pregnant. Have you met Lyall Lupin? He is one sexy man, especially when Evan showed up and Lyall went all King of the Sea on him.” 

Remus groaned. “That’s my dad.”  

“He’s got a point, Moony. Your dad is a DILF.” 

Remus smacked Sirius’s arm. 

“Anyway, then Sirius had his rut and we went back to the cabin. Sirius and I bonded during his rut. Then a DMLE officer showed up today and gave Remus court papers from Evan to try to take custody of the babies.” James exhales slowly, thinking through all of the things that had happened. He turns to Sirius and Remus. “I think that’s everything. Did I miss anything?”

Sirius laughs again, and Remus raises his head to look at James in shock. “You’re everything was a bit more complete than I was prepared for.” 

James shrugs. “I didn’t want to leave anything out.” 

“You’re having twins?”

James looks at his mum, who has cupped her face with her hands. Her eyes are shining brightly, and she’s looking right at Remus. James glances back at him, and Remus is tearing up too. He nods emphatically, and meets his mum in the middle when she stands up to hug him. 

“Oh, that’s so wonderful!” She holds Remus tightly and looks back at his dad. “Monty, we’re going to be grandparents to twins! I have to start knitting.” 

James melts a bit at that. He hadn’t expected his parents to be negative about the pregnancy, but the way they accepted the bambinos into the family without even asking James’s role in this–that they knew him well enough to know that he wants to be part of this–it’s everything he wanted. For James, it makes the babies and the whole relationship feel a little more real than it had been before. 

His mum steps back from Remus, looking him in the eyes again. “I’m so happy for you. Do you know the sex yet?”

Remus shakes his head, even still sandwiched between her hands. “No, it’s too soon. And, well, I don’t know if I want to find out.” 

“You don’t?” Sirius asks, sitting up straighter on the couch. 

Remus looks back at him and shrugs. “No, I don’t think so. I like the idea of waiting for the surprise.” Remus cups his hand along his belly, and blushes slightly. “Maybe, if you want to be there, the two of you could see first and tell me what they are? I think–well, that would be swell.” 

James can’t stop the smile growing across his face. Remus wants him there, wants him to be a part of this–James knew that, of course, but to hear him plan for it so casually is.... Well, maybe they wouldn’t have such a hard time convincing Remus to bond with them after all. 

His dad clears his throat. “Did you say the two of you were bonded?”

James and Sirius move together, pulling back the collars of their shirts and revealing the nearly healed bonding marks. Sirius looks away. “It wasn’t planned, exactly, but we don’t regret it.” 

His mum takes her seat again, and it’s the first time she looks anything less than thrilled. “I’m a bit surprised, Sunshine. I would have thought one of you would bond with Remus, given his situation.” 

“We asked him to bond with us, too,” James says, and he grabs Remus’s hand. Remus gives him a tight smile, and James can see how overwhelmed he is. James slips his arm around Remus’s shoulders. “He’s asked us to wait until after the babies are born, but we plan to do it then.” 

“That’s not exactly what I said,” Remus mumbles, and James pinches his shoulder.

His dad leans forward, elbows on his knees. “I think it’s smart to wait.” 

James, for the first time, is shocked by his parents' reactions. “You do?”

“Sure.” His dad holds his hands wide. “Especially this far into the pregnancy. Presumably you will want to do it back to back to prevent any possessiveness developing between the two of you. That’s a long time for a pregnant omega to go without food or a restroom break.” 

Remus looks at him blankly. “You don’t think it’s a bad idea overall?”

“For them to bond with you?” His dad shakes his head. “Not if you all want it. I think that’s a lovely arrangement for you all.” 

James can tell that Remus expected more resistance, and he squeezes Remus around the shoulders. “See, Moons. It’ll be great.” 

Sirius tucks a long strand of hair behind his ears. “You’re not upset I didn’t ask you first?”

His mum waves him off. “Nonsense, darling. We’ve known you boys loved each other for a long time. We’re just happy you’ve finally figured it out. I’d like to throw you a bonding celebration, but maybe we’ll wait until it can be all three of you?”

Remus shakes his head. “You shouldn’t wait. Go ahead and have the party, if you want.” 

“We’ll wait.” James and Sirius speak simultaneously, and then laugh with each other.

His mum laughs. “Well, I suppose that settles it.” 

“There’s actually something else I was hoping to talk to you about.” James pulls his arm from around Remus sitting up straighter. “I’d like to buy a house.” 

“You what?” Remus exclaims.

James ignores him. “I’ve been thinking about it for a bit. I think it makes sense. We’ll need more space once the babies come, and it’ll give us a chance to settle before Remus has the babies.” 

“You can’t just buy a house.” Remus sounds like he’s trying to talk James off a ledge. Perhaps he is, but James is ready to jump. 

“I was thinking the same thing.” Sirius says, and when Remus turns on him, he holds a hand up in front of him. “It makes sense, Moony. We need a nursery. Plus, I was reading in the omega pregnancy book that you’ll have an urge to make a nest starting around 25 weeks. We’re not far from that, and we really don’t have a place for you to do it.” 

Remus sputters. “I–I don’t need to nest. And– and– if I did, I could just do it in the bedroom I’m in now. It’s fine.” 

James shakes his head. “That’s too open. Too many windows. Not good for a nest, at least according to the book we have.”

“That doesn’t mean you just go and buy a house!” 

“He’s right.” James’s dad says. “At least not without considering the properties we already own. We’d be happy to give one to you if any of them would work. Have you considered the Chelsea house?”

James shakes his head. “The house is great, but that’s a bit too suburban, I think. I’d really like to get somewhere with either a forest or a beach so that Moony has somewhere to transform.” 

“What about the Autumburn Cottage?” James’s mom holds up a hand before he can protest. “Not the house, per se, but the area. We could tear down a house and build something to your specifications.” 

James considers. “You’re right that the house isn’t right, but that’s both forest and beach. That could be perfect. We should go look at it.” 

Sirius looks at him with curious eyes. “Is that the place we went to–” 

“You can’t just tear down a house?” Remus is looking at all of them like they’re mad. “We don’t need— you can’t just— This is absolutely ridiculous!” 

Sirius looks back at James’s parents with a smile. “I think we’re going to have to talk Moony into this one.” 

James’s mum shrugged. “Take him to see the area. If it doesn’t work, we can start looking for something to buy outright.” 

 James pulls Remus closer to his chest. “Give in, Moony. Let us spoil you with a house.” Sirius laughs, and Remus scoffs and shakes his head.

“Alright. I think we’re left with the worst bit of news then.” His dad turns to Remus and looks him straight on. “You were served?”

Remus pulls out the slightly crumpled papers, handing them over to his dad. “A DMLE officer dropped them off this evening.” 

“Yes, that’s quite unusual in itself.” His dad pulls a pair of reading classes out of the breast pocket of his suit vest. He slips them on his face and flips a few pages back in the document. “Normally, matters like this are handled by a special owl service, and it only goes to the DMLE for high priority cases and situations where the owls fail–which they almost never do.” 

“Maybe this is a high priority case?” James asks.

“No, not likely.” His dad turns pages, finger tracing the words as he talks to them. “It’s usually criminal matters, or highly publicized matters. Not simple custody issues. No, to do this, they would have needed to pay for specialty service from the beginning.” 

“Evan did it on purpose.” Sirius practically growls it. “He was trying to scare Remus.” 

“I suspect as much.” He looks at the three of them over the top of his reading glasses. “Give me just a moment to review these, lads?”

His mum strikes up a conversation with Sirius and Remus over baby clothes and bassinets. James sits back and observes the conversation, but he mostly watches the way his dad’s face changes as he scans the papers. Its subtle shifts–the corners of his lips pinch for a moment, his eyebrows furrow together briefly, and once, his nose wrinkles like he smells something bad. 

Eventually, he looks up again, pulling his glasses off, and the room goes quiet. “It’s pretty standard custody paperwork. You don’t see it too often at Wizengamot, but it’s not unheard of. It’s a little unusual to file paperwork before the baby is born. Now, you said that the healer told you about Sirius’s paternity? What happened?”

Remus exhales slowly. “He did a paternity charm at my request, and it–the little ribbon string thing–came out of my belly and connected to Sirius’s wrist.” 

“What does the ribbon mean?” 

“Sirius is dad to at least one of the babies,” Remus responds. 

“Not both?” His dad has summoned a small notebook now and is taking notes. 

“Maybe, but he said he couldn’t be sure until the babies were born.” Remus begins picking at his cuticles, and James and Siruis each take a hand on either side to stop him from doing it. “The only way to be sure was if the spell was cast with Evan in the room. Otherwise, there’s no way to know for sure.” 

Dad nods, making another note. “Right, then. Well, I have some more questions, but I’ll need to talk to you in private.” James and Sirius both make noise of protest, and his dad holds up his hand. “I know, but in order to maintain confidentiality with Remus as a client, you two can’t be there. If there was another way, I would let you stay. However, why don’t you come with us for just a moment, Sirius.” 

They stand up to leave the room, Remus giving James a backwards glance, and James watches them leave the room, nervously chewing at his thumbnail. Mum sets her cup down with a loud clink, getting James’s attention back. She’s beaming at him. “Babies, Jamie!” She laughs. “I can’t believe you’re giving me two grandbabies.” 

James runs his hand through his hair. “I didn’t exactly have a part in the making of them.” 

“Nonsense, don’t be crass, James.” She sets her cup down on the table. “I see the way you look at your boys, and the way they look at you. Those babies are yours, too.” 

James is beaming again. “Yeah, they are.” 

She holds her arms wide, and James crosses the room to sit next to her on the couch. Despite his size, he curls up against her, his head on her chest, and lets her wrap her arms around him. She kisses the top of his head, smoothing down his hair the way she used to do when he was a small boy. “Jamie, this is the best thing you’ve ever done. I’m so happy for you.” 

James sniffs, moved by the way his mum loves him so unconditionally. “Thanks, mum. I really am, too. Wish Evan was out of it, but I’m so happy.” 

“Ah, well, let your dad take care of that.” She kisses him again. 

Sirius clears his throat. “Sorry to interrupt, but I see a cuddle pile I’m not part of yet, and that simply won’t do.” 

James’s mum laughs and lifts her free arm. “Well come in and join, Starshine.” 

Sirius curls against her side, lacing his side, lacing his fingers with James’s. His mum turns to place a kiss on Sirius’s head. “You’ve had a big couple of months. How are you feeling?”

Sirius lets out a long breath, and James raises his head enough to meet Sirius’s eyes. Sirius smiles and squeezes his hand. “It has been a lot, but I’m so happy. I feel like everything I want is just within my reach. The babies were a surprise, but the more I think about it, the happier I am. Bonding with James was unexpected, for sure, but I don’t regret it at all.” 

“Good.” James’s mum presses a kiss to both of their heads. “I’m so very happy for you both, and for Remus. I know you’ll all be so happy together.” 

“We might still have to convince Remus.” James looks up at his mum, whose eyebrows are pinched in the middle. “He thinks we only want him because he’s an unmated pregnant omega.” 

"Oh, bah." His mum dismisses the idea with a wave of her hand. "You'll get him to come around. Anyone who has ever seen the three of you together knows there's something special there." 

James sits up, and on the other side, Sirius does as well. "I think so." Sirius beams at him. 

"So, let's talk houses. What were you thinking for the interior?" His mum leans forward, chin on fist, as Sirius and James start rattling off all the possible things they might want in their house, both practical and ridiculous. 

Remus is with his dad for a long time–long enough, in fact, that James is considering going to interrupt. Not that he has any reason to worry, of course. His dad is just thorough, but Remus can get overwhelmed and perhaps he’s feeling like he can’t ask for a break for snacks or to pee. James keeps checking the door, even as his mum grabs his hand and pats the back of it with her other. 

Finally, Remus comes out, followed by his dad. He looks fine–he even has a small smile on his face, but James can see the tiredness in his eyes. The day has worn on him–as it would anyone who was afraid of the DMLE and had a DMLE officer show up unexpectedly. As he walks to James and Sirius, James sees him push up the sleeves of the jumper he’s wearing–one of Sirius’s this time. 

“You look beat, Moons.” James takes his hand as he stops in front of him, raising it to his lips and kissing it. “You alright?”

Remus smiles, but it’s small and tired. “Yeah, just a long day. Everything’s alright though.”

“Let’s get you home, then.” Sirius stands and offers his hand.

“You could stay, if you want.” James’s mum stands with them. “We can fix James’s old room right up for the three of you. No need to go home.”

Remus shakes his head. “I appreciate it, Mia, but I really just want my own bed right now.” 

“Alright, dear.” She presses a kiss to each of his cheeks. “Please let me know if you need anything at all. I can even knock these two into line, if you need it.” 

“I will, thank you.”

They all say their goodbyes, and James, Sirius, and Remus all make their way past the wards outside the house to apparate home. James can see that Remus is dragging–so tired that he’s struggling to stand upright. “Moons, can I apparate you home?”

Remus shakes his head sluggishly. “Nah, ‘m fine. Just wanna get there.” 

“Remus.” Sirius’s voice is kid, but firm. “You’re too tired to apparate. Let us help you.” 

“I–alright.” Remus leans into James, wrapping his arms around James’s waist. “Take me home, loverboy.” 

“I love it when you talk dirty to me.” James cradles Remus to him and twists on the spot, landing them inside of Remus’s bedroom at home. James takes a half step back from Remus, catching his elbows when he stumbles slightly, and then lifts his head to press a kiss to his lips. “Welcome home, Moony,” James whispers against his lips.

Remus hums, and a moment later, Sirius is turning Remus’s head to kiss him again. James takes the opportunity to push Remus’s joggers down his legs, taking off his shoes, socks, trousers, and pants and tossing them to the hamper in the corner. Sirius breaks the kiss and pulls the jumper and a tshirt over Remus’s head. 

Remus hums again. “I’m really tired and I might fall asleep, but if you want to fuck me, you can. Just use the charms and–” 

“Remus, what are you talking about?” Sirius cut him off, tracing his thumb along Remus’s lower lip. 

Remus looks back at him with half-lidded eyes. “You took off my clothes. I figured you wanted to shag. S’fine, if you want.” 

James laughs. “Moony, you’re about to fall over. We’re just helping you get ready for bed.” 

“You know we want you for more than your fuckability, Remus, right?” Sirius kissed him gently. 

Remus looked down and blushed. “Dunno, maybe.” 

“Well, we do.” James pulled his wand out. “Now, do you want a shower or just a charm?”

“Hm, charm please.” Remus shivers when he feels it running over him. “Thanks.” He turns and crawls in bed, bare arse in the air and pointed at them.

Sirius chuckles. “You want pajamas, Moonlight?”

Remus buries his face into the pillow, shaking his head as he pulls the quilt around him. “Too much work.” 

“Alright, Moons. Sleep well.” James and Sirius turn to the door. “We’ll see you tomorrow.” 

Remus raises his head and looks at them. “You’re not staying?”

“We can.” Sirius looks at James, who nods in agreement. “If you want us to.” 

“I–I really don’t want to be alone.” His eyes look sad as he meets theirs. “Is that alright? You can go and shower or get ready or–”

James and Sirius are already stripping and casting cleaning charms over themselves. “Nonsense, Moony.” 

Sirius tucks himself into the blankets behind Remus. “We’re here if you’re here.” 

James pulls Remus’s head onto his shoulder. “We wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”

---

Remus wakes up sandwiched between James and Sirius, their legs a tangled mess with his. They’re naked–he vaguely remembers crawling into bed and a naked James and Sirius crawling in behind him, but he certainly didn’t think through the implications of sleeping naked when he went to bed and invited them to follow. 

For instance, the fact that they were both hard, Sirius pressing into Remus’s hip and James thick against his arse cheek. And Remus–well, how is he supposed to slide out of this position this time?

He really can’t be blamed for the fact that the first thought that pops into his head is what James and Sirius would do, half asleep as they are, if Remus slicked right now.

Nor could anyone blame him for relaxing and letting the slick out. It is just a natural consequence of his current physical state–horny, that is. And pregnant, of course.

He can tell the exact moment that they smell it, after it hits the air. Not even yet awake, their hands grasp his hips and thighs, and they both involuntarily thrust against him, the delightful drag of their cocks against him. James drops his head to Remus’s shoulder, sinking his teeth into the soft flesh–well away from his scent gland, thankfully. 

Sirius makes a noise that Remus can only describe as a purr, somewhere deep in the back of his throat. He leans forward, claiming Remus’s lips in a kiss. “Well, isn’t this a good morning.” 

“This might be my favorite wake up call.” James reaches down between them and points his cock forward, between Remus’s legs. He slides between Remus’s cheeks, gathering slick and dragging it along Remus’s cleft as he thrust forward. 

Remus gasps as James pulls back and thrusts again. “‘S not my fault. I woke up naked and between you. You left me no choice."

James buries his face against Remus's neck. "No choice, huh?" 

"C'mere, Jamie." Sirius puts a finger beneath James’s chin, lifting until he is no longer kissing Remus’s neck, and begins kissing him over Remus’s shoulder. Remus tries to turn to see them better–to see the way Sirius chases the kiss and the way James meets him in the middle, but they thrust against him simultaneously–as though they share the same thoughts. 

James slides through his crease again, the head of his cock dragging across Remus’s sensitive, desperate hole. At the same time, Sirius has shifted so that his cock lines up to Remus’s, and when he thrusts, it creates delicious friction between them. Remus moans, caught between them and knowing there’s no better place to be. 

James breaks the kiss–to Remus’s disappointment–and smiles against Sirius’s lips. “Let’s show Moony just what a wake up call really means.” 

Sirius kisses Remus before diving under the blanket. Remus lifts the edge of the blanket to watch as Sirius kisses down his chest and stomach, but James grabs his chin and pulls him back into a kiss. 

The kiss is dirty–more tongue and teeth than lips–and Remus’s neck is stretched back to reach James. James doesn’t let up his thrusts, sliding slowly between Remus’s thighs and along his most sensitive skin. 

Sirius licks a long stripe up Remus’s cock, pulling the head into his mouth when he reaches the end, and Remus gasps into James’s mouth. Remus is open-mouthed as Sirius sucks him down, and James moves to kissing down Remus’s neck while he fucks his legs. 

Remus loves the way they touch him. 

Sirius pulls off his cock, licking and sucking down the shaft until he reaches the base. When James thrusts forward again, Sirius takes the head of his cock onto his mouth. Remus feels used in the best possible way–like they’re fucking each other but using him as the tool to do it–and perhaps he shouldn’t like that nearly as much as he does, but he gets to be part of this, and that’s beautiful. 

He tries not to think about how this is probably temporary– they’re bonded now. They won't need him when the pregnancy hormones leave his scent. 

But Sirius sucks him down again, and James slides back along his arse, and Remus lets himself get lost in the sensations they cause. 

James’s thrusts increase in pace, dragging along Remus’s thighs, and he presses Remus’s legs together tighter. James kisses his neck, licking and sucking bruises into the soft skin there, and Remus can feel his knot growing. He reaches a hand over their heads and threads it into James’s hair. “Fuck, Prongs. Are you going to knot between my legs?”

James pants against his neck. “Maybe, yeah. That alright?”

“Yes, please.” Remus pulls his hair, which makes James groan, and the scent of lightning fills the room. 

Sirius pulls his mouth off of Remus suddenly, looking up at Remus. “Do you smell that?”

“Padfoot, I swear, if you just farted, and–” 

“No, Moony. It’s like–like a storm, or something.” 

Remus felt a pang in his stomach. “You can smell that?” 

“You do smell it?” Sirius wraps a hand around Remus, stroking him casually. “What is it?”

“It’s–ah–” Remus gasps as Sirius swipes his thumb across the head “–James, it’s James.” 

“It is?” James asked, lips pressed to Remus’s neck. 

“Lightning.” Remus licks his lips, wondering why they want to talk about this now. “When James–fuck–your arousal smells like lightning.” 

“That’s exactly it.” Sirius sucked on Remus’s head again, almost like a lollipop with a light pop as he pulled it out again. “He smells like lightning.”

“Why can you–smell that? When?” 

“Since we bonded.” Sirius takes Remus into his mouth again. 

“And Padfoot–Pads smells like–” 

“A campfire. Smoke and fire and crackling wood.” 

“Yes, ye–” James inhales sharply. “Remus, baby, I’m gonna–” 

Remus threads his fingers through James’s hair again. “I know, Prongs. I can smell it. Come for me. Knot me.” 

Remus squeezes his legs together tighter, and Sirius meets the head of James’s cock with his tongue, and suddenly James’s knot grows bigger. Remus feels the warm splash of come along his thighs and between his legs, smearing between them as James thrusts through the last twitches of his orgasm. 

Remus tries to squeeze his legs tighter together, knowing that the knot is more satisfying when it’s under pressure, but there’s only so much he can do at that angle. 

James flops back on his back, and Remus pushes Sirius on the shoulder to give him room to flip over. He turns onto his knees and sucks down James’s cock–still hard, knot locked at the bottom despite the fact that it's not inside–and wraps both of his hands around James’s knot. 

James lets out a noise that is half sigh and half groan. “Thanks, Moony, that’s better.” James threads his fingers into Remus’s hand–gently, petting him, almost–and Remus lets out a happy hum. 

Fingers on his arse spread him open, and he can feel Sirius’s tongue swipe along his arse. He realizes that Sirius is licking up his slick and James’s come from between his cheeks. It’s so deliciously dirty, and Remus feels slick trickle out of him at the thought of it. 

James twists to the side to watch as Sirius lavs at Remus’s thighs, capturing as much of it as he can get. “Fuck, Padfoot. That’s so hot.” 

Sirius continues licking Remus, up his thighs and his balls until he’s lapping over his hole again. “Moony, I want to fuck you. Can I?”

Remus can’t answer, of course, with his mouth full of James, but he makes an affirmative noise and attempts to nod. This apparently works, as a moment later, Sirius’s fingers are pushing into him. 

Sirius fingers him open as Remus holds onto James’s knot, which shows no signs of deflating. Remus keeps rubbing his hands around it, touching it and caressing it. He loves knots–of course, every Omega loves being knotted–but Remus has always had a fascination with knots. 

Not having one himself made it like this mysterious thing he wanted to explore. He’d asked Evan to knot outside of him once, which he did, but Evan said he preferred to have his knot buried inside of Remus, and they never did it again. Remus did let Evan knot his mouth once just so he could get his tongue on it. Evan had enjoyed that, of course, and Remus grew used to breathing around a cock and knot. 

But James–James’s knot is large and in his hands. Remus traces his thumbs over it, feeling the curve around it and the way it goes slightly silkier where the skin is stretched around it, as opposed to the velvety soft of the rest of his cock. Remus traces the vein with his tongue on the underside of James’s cock until it disappears, fizzling out into the stretch of the knot. 

With his hands wrapped around it, Remus can only just make his fingers touch on either side, thumb and pointer finger stretched to meet. It’s massive. Evan’s was only ever about the size of his fist, but that seems so small now. Remus knows that omega mouths are made to stretch around a knot the same way that the rest of his body was made to accommodate it, but Remus wonders if that’s really possible with James. 

He’s hungry to find out. 

Sirius has three fingers inside of him now, and has been brushing his prostate every other stroke. Remus can feel the tip of a fourth finger at his rim, pushing in and spreading him wider around Sirius’s hand. He pulls his mouth off of James, swirling his tongue on the way up. He keeps his hands on the knot, though, unwilling to let go. “Ah, Padfoot.” He pants against James’s leg as Sirius finds his prostate again, four fingers buried deep inside of him. “What are you–” 

“I was enjoying watching you suck in Prongs’s knot.” Sirius pulls his fingers almost all the way out, then pushes back in again. “Plus, you’re so gorgeous like this. I think I can make you come just with my fingers in your arse.” 

“Probably can.” Remus swallows James down again, taking him all the way to the back of his throat so he can tongue at the knot again. 

“Moony,” James moans, fingers in Remus’s hair again. “I feel like you’re trying to swallow my knot.” 

Remus pulls off again, a dirty pop and a string of spit following his lips. “Want to.” Remus moves his mouth to the base, running his lips around the knot, envisioning it buried behind his teeth.

“No, no way.” James is shaking his head, but he’s gripping Remus’s hair like it's something he very desperately wants. “You wouldn’t be able to breathe.” 

“Could.” Remus tongues under the knot, trying to focus as Sirius is pushing fingers into his arse. “Have.” 

Sirius stops, the tips of his fingers and the first knuckle into Remus’s arse. “You have?”

Remus whines and pushes back against Sirius’s hand. Sirius relents and moves his fingers again. Remus pulls his mouth off of James’s knot. “Yes, it’s fine. I can do it.” 

“Remus, baby.” He looks up at James, and sees the burning in his eyes coated in concern. “It’s big. Even if it fits, there’s no way that fits in your mouth without cutting off your air.” 

“I can do it. I can breathe through my nose while it’s in.” Remus sucks on the head again, and James sucks in a breath. 

“You’re sure, Remus?” Sirius is now stroking Remus’s prostate with the tips of his fingers rather than pulling out anymore. “What if it’s too much?”

Remus pulled off again, running his tongue around the tip. “Second knots are shorter, right? It won’t last that long.” He looks up and meets James’s eyes. “How long would it last?”

James’s lips are parted, like he’s in disbelief that Remus wants this. “Like, uh five minutes? Eight maybe?”

“Oh yeah.” Remus licks him again, a long stripe from knot to tip. “I can take it for that long.” 

“Are you sure, Moons?” James is gripping his hair now, moving him back onto his cock, and Remus lets him. 

James pulls his head up by the hair, and looks at Remus expectantly. “Yes, Prongs. Please. Please let me take your knot.” 

“Oh fuck.” James slides Remus down his cock again. “I can’t say no when you beg me like that.”

Remus tries to smile, though it’s ruined a bit by the cock stretching his mouth open, so he hums happily and runs his tongue over it.

Sirius laughs. “Alright, baby. If you want to do that, you have to let his knot go down. Why don’t you give him a break. Plus, you owe me an orgasm first.” 

Remus hums, vibrating around James’s cock as he lifts his head. “Yes, sir.”

Sirius smacks his arse with the hand that isn’t buried inside of him. “Why don’t you move up there to kiss James while I make you come on my fingers?” 

Remus crawls forward on the bed, with Sirius keeping his fingers inside, and James pulls him into a kiss. Remus struggles to pay attention to the kiss as Sirius assaults his prostate, and ends up panting against James’s mouth. James strokes a finger down his cheek. “Such a pretty omega. Do you know that Remus? I love it when you’re all flushed and sweating like this. I love seeing you like this.”

Remus whines, pushing back against the fingers in him, and Sirius picks up where James left off. “So pretty, Remus. All bent over and taking my fingers like a good boy. You like being a good boy for us, don’t you darling?” 

“Yes.”  

“I know, darling. And you’re so good for us.” Sirius begins running soft fingers down his back. “Such a good omega. Why don’t you come for us, darling?”

Remus clenches around Sirius’s fingers, and James traces his thumb across Remus’s lower lip. “So good, Remus. Why don’t you come for me?”

“Show us how good you are before we have to spank it into you.” 

With that threat, Remus is coming in long strings–half on James’s chest and half on the blanket spread beneath him. They’re both praising him, and Remus feels warm and soft. 

Right as the last spasms wrack his body, Sirius pulls his fingers out. Remus whines, but it’s immediately replaced by Sirius’s cock, and that’s so much better anyway. Remus lays his head across James’s chest. 

Sirius chuckles. “I know, Moony. I’m not leaving you empty. I know you like being filled.” Sirius moves inside of him with a slow slide, keeping a steady glide in and out of him. 

He maintains that pace until James’s knot deflates a few minutes later, and they shift until Remus is on his back and has his mouth around James. James is on his knees, thrusting into Remus’s mouth in a pace that matches Sirius’s thrusts. 

“Ah, fuck Moony.” James grips his hair again, holding him as he thrusts into his mouth. “Do you know how good your mouth feels? I might like it better than your arse.” 

Remus hears Sirius grunt above him, though he can’t turn to look at him. “No, absolutely nothing is better than his arse.” Sirius slams into him, a loud smack echoing around the room. “World-class arse here.” 

Remus expects a response, but one never comes. The only sounds slurp and squelch of them fucking him, until he catches another sound–quieter, little smacks, and he twists his head until he can see James and Sirius kissing over him. He groans, fisting his hands in the sheets. 

They break their kiss with a laugh. Sirius reaches down and grabs his cock. “Well, Moonlight. Who do you want to knot you first?”

Both, Remus thinks, but instead, he taps Sirius’s arm. “You’ve got it, baby.” 

James slows down, still filling his mouth, but staving off his knot, which is already growing between Remus’s lips. Sirius speeds up, and the hard slap of his hips against Remus is driving him mad. 

Sirius’s hand tightens around him, and Remus realizes that he’s close, too. “Moony, fuck. I can feel you clenching. Do you want to come on my knot, baby? Do you think we can come at the same time?”

Remus nods, though the motion is lost slightly to the cock in his mouth, but Sirius gets the idea. “I’ll tell you when, baby.” He’s running his thumb over the head of Remus’s cock as he slams against Remus’s prostate, and it’s all he can do to keep from coming instantly. Three more thrusts and, “Now, baby, ah!”  

Remus cums, clenching right as Sirius’s knot forms, and it makes come shoot out across his chest, landing under his chin. He can feel James run his finger through it, and the slight hum of approval as James brings his finger to his mouth. 

Remus paints his chest as Sirius fills his arse, and it’s almost perfect–almost. He taps James’s thigh, and James begins fucking his throat again. Remus is excited, mouth watering in anticipation. He runs his tongue around James’s growing knot, until he doesn’t have room to move it anymore. James is buried in his throat when the knot hits, pushing his jaw as wide as it will go. It burns a bit, but it’s not as bad as Remus thought it might be. 

Not that he can tell James and Sirius that. 

“Remus? Are you okay?” James has his hands on Remus’s cheeks, and Remus tries to answer, but it seems that something is pressing against vocal cords and stopping him from making much sound. “Oh, Merlin. Padfoot, I think he can’t breathe.” 

“He just can’t answer you.” Sirius grabs his hand, wrapping it in both of his. “Remus, tap once if you need help, twice if you’re okay.” Sirius demonstrates by tapping his hand. 

Remus taps his hand twice, then pulls Sirius’s hand to feel his throat. Remus guides him along the base of his throat until he hits the lump that is James’s cock buried there. Sirius laughs. “He’s fine, Prongs. Feel this.” 

James groans. “Oh, I’m feeling that from the inside.” Nevertheless, James runs his fingers along the bulge in Remus’s throat. “Fuck, Moons. That’s so sexy.” 

Sirius and James are snogging again, every once in a while shifting against Remus in a way that makes their knots pull at his throat and arse, and Remus is so blissed out that he wishes they could stay like this. Unfortunately, true to his word, James’s knot deflates a few minutes later. 

James jumps off of him, laying down next to Remus and checking his mouth and throat. “Moony, tell me you’re okay?”

“I’m okay.” It comes out as a gravely, harsh sound, and both James and Sirius moan at that noise. “I promise I am. That was perfect.” 

“You’re going to have to stop talking, or I’m going to fuck your mouth again.” James runs a finger down his nose, flicking the tip. 

“I see no problem with that.” Remus kisses him gently. 

James laughs. “Not today, but we’ll do it again. Promise.” 

James shifts off the bed, going to the drawer in the side cabinet. He opens it and pulls out a few granola bars and a bar of chocolate. “I’ll go grab some tea, and anything else you want, but here’s some omega snacks.” 

Remus laughs. “Omega snacks?”

“Yeah, Moonpie. Snacks for our favorite omega.” Sirius moves, wrapping his arms around Remus and shifting until Sirius is lying on his back, and Remus is straddling his waist. 

“Yeah! We didn’t want you stuck here on a knot without snacks. What if you got hungry?”

Remus felt his heart swell. “You got me omega snacks?”

“Of course we did.” James brackets his face with his hands and kisses the tip of his nose. “I’m making tea. Your voice is gorgeous, but I imagine that hurts a bit. Eat a granola bar.” James walks out of the room. 

Remus shifts in Sirius’s lap a bit as he opens his granola bar, smiling while he’s chewing. Sirius laughs. “You’re so adorable, you know that?”

“What? You can’t blame me for being happy. My boyfriends got me snacks.” 

Sirius smiles. “I love it when you call us your boyfriends.” He punctuates the sentence by thrusting up into Remus, making the knot pull against his rim. Remus inhales sharply. “Oh, do you like that? Think you can come again for me?”

Remus nods, tossing the granola bar on the side table, and Sirius braces his legs against the bed to thrust into him. It’s short, awkward thrusts, but each one of them pushes against his abused prostate again, and it’s only a few minutes before his cock is weeping onto Sirius’s stomach. 

Remus comes as James walks in the room again, a tea tray floating behind him. James snorts. “Should have known I couldn’t leave the two of you alone.” 

Remus collapses against James’s chest as he walks closer, panting against his still-naked chest. James put on grey joggers, apparently, and that’s somehow dirtier than when he was fully naked. Remus reaches a hand out and strokes James’s semi-soft cock through the trousers. 

James swats his hand away. “As much as I’d like to let you, you need a break. Come on, tea and the rest of your granola bar.” 

Remus accepts the mug of tea with a smile. “Thanks, Prongs.” He sips it, and it soothes his throat slightly–for which Remus is both grateful and disappointed. “Um, I’m sorry for ruining our date last night.” 

“You didn’t.” Sirius is sipping from his own cup of tea. 

“Feels like it.” Remus takes a deep drink, then holds his mug in his hands, letting the hot cup burn his hand slightly. “Feels like my problems keep invading your lives.” 

“Doesn’t feel that way to us, Remus.” James pulls his cup from his hands. “We love you, and that makes your problems our problems.” 

“If anyone ruined last night, it was he-who-must-not-be-named.” Sirius says, and James and Remus just stay back at him. Sirius rolls his eyes and stage whispers, “Evan.”  

“Oh, well.” Remus bites his lip. “I’d really hoped he would just give up. He doesn’t even want kids.” 

“Maybe he still will.” James shrugs, settling onto the bed. “Thirty more weeks is a long time to wait.”

“Just because you’re not saying his name doesn’t mean I want to talk about him while my knot is in Remus’s arse.” Sirius shifts against Remus, who inhales sharply again. “Think you’ve got one more in you?”

Remus smiles at him. “Only if James sucks my cock too.” 

James looks at him with a raised eyebrow. “I’m on it.” 

---

The next ten days before the Wizengamot hearing pass slowly. Remus spends every day dreading what will happen when they actually go. He sends a letter to his dad, as Monty suggested, telling him about the hearing and asking him to come. His dad’s letter is terse and short, but Remus can tell he’s frustrated at Evan rather than at Remus himself. 

Fortunately for Remus, James and Sirius have decided that the best way to distract him when he starts worrying about it is to fuck him until he can’t think of anything, and Remus doesn’t mind that at all. He spends most of the week sitting on a knot, and he’s never been so content in his life. 

Yet, the worry slips in between, and when James and Sirius are gone, and despite how much they try to distract him, Remus can’t help but feel anxious. 

The day before the hearing, Sirius takes another try at distracting him. This time, with a much bigger gift squeezed into the too small corner of the flat. 

---

“What’s this?” Remus is already smiling. 

“It’s a saxophone,” Sirius answers with a smirk. 

“Wait, I thought it was a piano?” James looks at it carefully. “I thought saxophones were smaller than that, and gold. Aren’t they gold?”

Sirius rolls his eyes. “It’s a piano, James. A baby grand, in fact. I was going to get a grand, but I didn’t realize how big it actually was.” 

Remus bites his lip, like his smile is too big to simply be released. “You bought a piano? Are you going to play?”

Sirius sighs, hopelessly lost for this ridiculous man who doesn’t recognize a gesture when he sees one. “I bought you a piano.” 

“You didn’t need to do that.” He’s still smiling, and Sirius can tell that he’s pleased. 

“I wanted to.” Sirius trails his fingertips down the soft inside of Remus’s arm from Remus’s elbow until he laces their fingers together. “With everything going on, with Evan and court and the babies, I wanted to give you something that would make you smile.” 

Remus’s eyes go soft and crinkle at the corners, and Sirius can’t stop himself from closing the distance between them and kissing him, softly. Remus smiles into the kiss. It’s infectious, and Sirius finds himself smiling too. 

“Play me something?” Sirius asks, and Remus blushes. 

“I’m sure you know more songs than I do.” 

“Remus,” Sirius kisses him again, “I want to hear you play. Anything you’d like.” 

He bites his lip again, and Sirius kisses him until he releases it. Remus laughs. “Okay, I will.” 

James claps, and the sudden sharp noise surprises Sirius enough that he jumps. “I think this calls for snacks, don’t you think? Crackers and cheese, like posh people?” 

Remus is laughing, looking right at Sirius. “James, you are a posh person.” 

“Exactly, so trust me on the snack choices.” He turns to the kitchen. “Don’t start without me!” 

Remus leans around Sirius. “Can you get those little gherkins too?”

“You got it, Remoo!” 

James disappears into the kitchen, and Remus looks back to Sirius. He stands there, looking a bit awkward between Sirius and the piano. “He said not to start without him. What are we supposed to do now?”

Sirius smirks at him. “Oh, I can think of a thing or two I’d like to do to you.” 

Remus laughs, but Sirius swallows it down when he pulls Remus close for a kiss again. Remus wraps his arms around Sirius’s neck, not fighting the kiss but just allowing Sirius to kiss him, and then to deepen the kiss. 

Sirius runs his hands down Remus’s back while they kiss, pressing him closer, and Sirius can feel the bump already developing in his lower abdomen. It’s small, still, but clearly there–a tiny bump on Remus’s otherwise flat stomach. Sirius moves his hands lower, slipping his fingers just inside the waist of Remus’s trousers, and Remus breaks the kiss. 

“You have to stop that, or I’m not going to get to play my piano.” 

Sirius looks at him in confusion. “Why not?”

Remus laughs again. “If you stick your hands in my pants, you’re going to find out exactly what standing here kissing you is doing to me.” 

It takes Sirius two heartbeats before he realizes that Remus means his pants are full of slick, and he groans into the next kiss. He pulls the tips of his fingers out of Remus’s trousers and cups his arse from the outside to pull him against Sirius. 

Remus makes a pleased, desperate little noise in the back of his throat, and Sirius tastes it as the watermelon turns spicy. Sirius wonders if he’s going to have to wait to play his piano anyway. 

“Hey! I said don’t get started without me!” James walks into the room, smacking Sirius’s arse as he passes by. 

Remus begins laughing uncontrollably, burying his face in Sirius’s shoulder. Sirius has no idea why he’s laughing, but it’s a happy sound that makes Sirius feel like he’s floating. He turns to James. “You said don’t get started, and we thought you meant the piano!” 

“Well, I did, but don’t start this without me either.” James plops down on the couch. “Alright, I got my posh snacks. Where’s my evening entertainment?”

Remus snorts, and walks over to the table. James has laid out little round crackers topped with little squares of cheese, and next to it, a small bow of gherkins. Remus, predictably, grabs one of the crackers with cheese and tops it with a gherkin. He pops it in his mouth whole, and James looks on in abject horror. 

“Moony, that can’t be any good.” 

Remus chews thoughtfully and smiles. “Yeah, there’s something wrong with it.” 

James threw his hands up. “Finally, you’re seeing reason.” 

Sirius stands by and watches as Remus pulls out his wand and summons something from the kitchen. He’s already cringing before he sees what Remus catches. 

Remus grabs another cracker with cheese, tops it with a gherkin, and sets it down on the plate. He unwraps the chocolate bar, and using his wand, melts the corner of it so it drips over his cracker. 

James is looking on in open mouthed horror. “Moony, please don’t eat that. I’m certain that no one has ever eaten anything worse than that.” 

Remus shrugs and pops it into his mouth, chewing and humming happily. “You should try it. The sweet of the chocolate really balances the salty and sour of the gherkins.” 

Sirius bites back a laugh. “And what do the cheese and crackers bring to it?”

Remus shrugs again, grabbing another cracker. “Something to carry the chocolate and pickle on?”

James groaned. “I thought I was going to get classical music. Instead, tonight’s entertainment is actually a horror show.” 

Remus smiles around another bite of the atrocious snack he’s created. “I’m a man of many talents.” 

Sirius laughs. “Aright, Mr. One Man Show. I want to see you play.”

Remus smiles at him and moves to the piano. He gently traces his fingers over the keys, stroking them like he was getting to know them. He looks over his shoulder. “Any requests?” 

“Hmm,” Sirius hums as he taps a finger to his chin. “Your favorite song.” 

Remus smiles. “Alright.” 

Remus begins playing, and Sirius is instantly enamored by the way he dedicates himself to it. He’s been thinking of getting Remus the piano ever since he saw him play with his mum, and he’s so glad he did. Watching Remus play is better than Sirius playing himself, and part of him regrets dominating the piano in the Gryffindor common room when they were in school 

However, even better than listening to Remus play…

Sirius stands and walks next to the piano as Remus rubs his hands on his thighs when the song ends. “Can I play with you?”

Remus looks up, bright eyes and soft smile, and scoots over for Sirius to sit. “I don’t know what songs we could play together.” 

“I’d bet a hundred galleons that Hope taught you Pachelbel’s Canon in D.”

Remus laughs, and without further discussion, he begins to play. Sirius watches his fingers move, the steady rhythm of keys until it’s Sirius’s cue to come in. 

They play together, playing off each other and adding flourishes that make the song better than it would be if they stuck to rote memorization, and Sirius is already thinking of all the sheet music he wants to get so that he and Remus can learn to play it together. 

The final notes of the song echo out from under their fingers, and they both stop with long fingers on the keys. Sirius pulls his hands back, resting them in his lap. 

"Thank you for playing with me, Moony." 

Remus smiles back. "Thank you for the piano." 

They hear a loud sniff behind them, and they both turn to see James crying. He waves them off. "I'm sorry, it's just–" he sniffs again "–our babies are going to be so musically talented and it's just so beautiful." 

Remus laughs, standing up from the piano and walking over to James. Sirius turns to face them as Remus sits right in James’s lap, without hesitation, and wipes the tears away with his thumbs. “I love it when you call them our babies.” 

He leans forward and kisses James, hands still on his cheeks. James’s hands rest on his lower back, just under his shirt. Remus wraps his arms around James’s neck deepening the kiss and pulling him closer. 

“Oi, what are you doing?” Sirius asks, mock accusation in his voice. They break the kiss and turn to look at him, lips kiss swollen and wet. “I bought you the piano.” 

Remus’s face drops and his lips pout, and for a moment, Sirius thinks he’s pushed this bit too far. He’s about to apologize when Remus speaks. “But, Padfoot. He’s sad.” 

James smiles broadly, pulling Remus closer to his chest. “Yeah, Padfoot. I’m sad.” He pouts dramatically. 

Sirius groans, throwing back his head. “You’re not sad; you’re sappy.”

James wraps his arms around Remus's waist, resting his head in his shoulder. "I'm so sad, Padfoot." 

"So, so sad," Remus echoes, leaning his head against James's. 

"Come on, Padfoot." James can't hide his smile anymore.

"Your mate is sad, Padfoot. Aren't you concerned for him?" 

Sirius throws back his head and groans, and crosses the room in two large strides, picking Remus up and throwing him across his shoulder. "I'm going to lay you both over the end of the bed and take turns fucking you." He grabs James's hand and pulls him behind them to the bedroom.

---

Remus stands nervously in front of the full length mirror, trying to button his trousers. They, of course, wouldn’t reach. Remus lets out a frustrated noise. 

“Alright, Moony?” James leans in the doorway, hands in the pockets of his trousers, robes hanging open off his shoulders. Remus tries not to think too hard about how delicious James looks in just a button-down white shirt and black slacks. 

He looks back at himself in the mirror. “I–no. My trousers don’t fit.” He tries again to pull the button to the hole. 

James pushes off the doorframe. “Babies in the way?” He stands behind Remus in the mirror, wrapping his hands around Remus’s waist and placing them over the small bump. 

Remus leans back against him and nods. “I should have tried these on yesterday, but–” 

“But Sirius distracted you with a piano and sex, and now you’re stuck with too-small trousers.” Remus nods, not able to say anything else. James presses a kiss to his cheek. “I’ve got it. Mum taught me a clothing extension spell. It won’t work forever, but it’ll buy you some time until Sirius and I can buy you some new clothing.” 

James runs his fingers along the waistband, magic practically leaking from his hands as he stretches the material. The button closes, and they’re comfortably snug. Remus sighs in relief. “Thanks, Prongs.” 

“Of course, Moony.” James doesn’t pull his arms away, thumbs still hooked into Remus’s waistband, and he buries his face against Remus’s neck. “You know everything is going to be okay, right?”

“No, and you don’t know that either.” 

“I do.” James kisses his neck, right on his scent gland, and Remus wishes he’d let them bond with him. “I know, because my dad is going with us, and he can handle anything.” 

“But what if–” 

“Remus, we’ve been over this endlessly.” James wraps his arms around Remus tighter. “There’s no point in running hypotheticals any further. They’re not going to take you away, or lock you up, or give the babies to Evan. If they did, they’d have to deal with Sirius, and Merlin knows they don’t want that.” Remus manages a smile. 

“Oi, did I hear my name?” Sirius reaches in and knocks on the door before walking in. He's already dressed in black robe.  “And I’m missing a cuddle session? I hope you’re planning a surprise party for me, because it’s the only thing that will make it up to me.” 

Remus snorts, taking a step away from James and closer to Sirius, offering him a kiss. “That’s the only thing?”

Sirius wraps his arms around Remus’s waist, pulling him tight against Sirius’s chest. “The only thing.” 

Remus walks two fingers up Sirius’s chest and flicks the collar of his shirt. “What if… I give you a blowjob in celebration if everything goes well today?” 

Sirius’s face lights up at his words. “Alright, make that two things that will make it up to me.” Remus pushes up on his toes to kiss Sirius again. 

“Wait, no fair!” James said, and Remus turns to see him cross his arms over his chest. “I just fixed your trousers!” 

“But Prongs, I’m sad.” Sirius puts on an exaggerated pout

Remus laughs, throwing his head back to laugh, and James snorts. “You can’t steal my move, Padfoot! Sad blowjobs are mine!”

Sirius shrugs, jostling Remus along with it. “He can give me a happy blowjob then.” Remus laughs again, head buried against Sirius’s chest, shoulder shaking with it. 

He pulls away to find Sirius looking down at him fondly. “Thank you for the distraction.” 

“You looked like you needed it.” Sirius kisses him on the forehead. “I’m holding you to the blowjob though.” 

James snorts, then pulls Remus into a hug. “Moony, I don’t think Padfoot’s done nearly enough to make up for getting you pregnant.” 

“He really hasn’t.” Remus lets James lead him past Sirius and out of the room. “I thought I’d be waited on hand and foot, and here he is demanding blowjobs.” 

“You offered me a blowjob!” Sirius follows behind them. 

“Moony, if today goes well, I’ll give you a blowjob.” James shoots a look at Sirius over their shoulders. 

“I’ll do that too.” 

Remus groans, leaning into James. “I’m going to need both of you to stop that now, because we have to apparate to the Ministry, and I’d rather not show up with a tent in my pants.” 

Sirius wags his eyebrows at Remus. “So you’d rather I got on my knees here and–”

“No time for that!” James interrupts, putting Remus's black robes over his shoulders before grabbing his own. “Come on, Moons. Let’s get going.” 

They apparate to the visitors entrance of the Ministry, head through security, and the entire time, James and Sirius keep up a steady line of quips that have Remus laughing. Most of them are said aloud, but Sirius makes a point to whisper dirty things in his ear. 

Remus pinches Sirius’s side as they wait for the elevator. “Would you stop that? I don’t need to be horny going into this hearing.” 

Sirius lifts an eyebrow. “I think you absolutely need to go in there horny, and preferably just begging for my kno–” 

“NOPE.” Remus covers Sirius’s mouth with his hand. “I’m going to stand by James because you can’t behave.” Sirius laughs. 

They file in the elevator, crowded into the back, and Remus makes a point to stand by James while Sirius gets pushed to the other side of the elevator with a sea of people between them. Remus gives Sirius a cocky smirk. 

James presses against Remus’s back, and Remus can feel his half-hard dick through layers of trousers and robes–thank fuck that robes hide erections; that must have been the purpose behind the ridiculous garment. 

He lowers his head until his lips are right next to Remus’s ear. He spoke so quietly that no one else could hear him. “What if I took you in this elevator right now? All I’d have to do is lift your robes, slide your trousers down, cast a quick charm, and I could be buried inside of you.” 

James sticks his hand in Remus’s robes pocket, reaching around to feel Remus’s growing erection hidden by folds of fabric. He grips it through the fabric and trousers. “Yeah, I thought you’d like that.” 

James releases Remus as the elevator doors open, then puts a hand on his shoulder to steady him as he wobbles. They walk out of the elevator, and Sirius is suddenly at their side. “What did you say to him to make him turn that color? I haven’t gotten anywhere close to that yet.” 

James opens his mouth, but before he could respond, Monty is in front of them. “Hello boys, good to see you.” He looked at Remus and smiled. “How are you feeling? Nervous?”

Despite James and Sirius's best effort, as soon as Monty asks this, all of Remus's nerves come back. "I'm, um. Okay. I think." 

Monty smiles kindly. "It's okay if you're not. I'll be right next to you the whole time." 

"So will we, Remus." James puts a hand on his shoulder, and Sirius nods vigorously. 

"I'm sorry lads, but you can't." Monty does truly look saddened by it. "The only people allowed on the floor are litigants, their solicitors, and an Omega's alpha. Mia is holding seats for you in the gallery." 

"But we're with Remus!" Sirius's voice has gone up a pitch. 

"But you're not mated with him, are you?" Lyall's voice cuts in from the side, still stern. Remus can tell he hasn't forgiven Sirius yet. Lyall looks back at Remus. “Your mum sends her love. She wanted to come, but I wasn’t sure it was a good idea to have her in front of Wizengamot.” 

Remus shakes his head. “Probably for the best.” 

There’s a loud gong down the hall, and they all turn their head toward it. Monty clears his throat. “That’ll be them calling us to court. Now boys,” he turns to James and Sirius, “you can sit in the gallery, but you cannot speak out of turn or fight Mr. Rosier, or you will be shown out. I assume you want to stay, so please behave.”

Monty leads the four of them into the courtroom. In the middle of the floor, there are two tall chairs, separated by ten or twelve feet of open floor. Remus knows that one of them is for him, and likely the other one is for Evan. He tries to prepare himself for sitting and facing Evan. It’s a cruel set up, really, but he has no real reason that will let him turn the chair. 

Monty then directs James and Sirius to sit in the gallery, next to Mia, who has a seat in the front row. They sit as close as they can to Remus without being on the floor with him. He looks up at them and smiles. They’re two foreboding figures, and Remus feels better just knowing they’re there. 

That is, until Evan walks in. 

Remus is alerted to his presence when growls erupt around him. James, Sirius, and his dad are all tense and rumbling, and the noise nearly brings Remus to his knees. Luckily, the courtroom seems to have scent dampeners, which prevent him from being overwhelmed by the sudden onslaught of it. As it is, he can just smell the protective undertones in it. 

Remus turns to face Evan, whose eyes are focused on Remus. He looks Remus up and down, and the rolling growls grow louder. Lyall steps in front of Remus, and Remus is very glad there’s someone between him and Evan. He sees his dad’s hands flex and form fists, and he wonders if his dad wants to throw a punch or a hex. Evan smirks at him before going to the chair on the other side of the room. 

Remus turns his back to Evan, walking closer to James and Sirius. He has to look up to see them, since the platform they are on starts at his waist. James squats in front of him, offering a hand, and Remus takes it. Sirius is still standing, staring at Evan across the room. 

“Alright, Moony?” James asks, and Remus gives him a tight smile. “You’ll be fine. Sirius is ready to jump the barrier to come for him if he tries anything.” 

“Not you, Prongs?”

James smiles at him. “I’m going to beat Sirius across, but I bet your dad doesn’t leave any pieces behind.” 

Monty is at his shoulder now. “It’s time to take your seat, Remus.” 

James squeezes his hand again, and smiles at Remus and his dad. He releases Remus's hand. 

Remus walks to the chair and sits without looking at Evan. He can feel Evan's eyes on him, but he refuses to look. 

His dad steps up on his right, standing slightly in front of Remus's chair. Remus gets the impression that his dad would stand in front of him if he could. Monty stands on his other side, a hand on his shoulder. 

The Wizengamot Official enters the room, and everyone stands. Remus looks at her as she sits down. She's a tall, stoic woman, and Remus is immediately reminded of Minerva. That calms him as much as anything. When she sits at the front bench, Remus takes his seat as well. 

"Good morning, everyone. I'm Justice Selwyn." She shuffles some parchment in front of her. "We are here for a custody matter between Mr. Evan Rosier, alpha, and Mr. Remus Lupin, omega." She looked between the two of them. "Are you, or have you ever been, bonded?" 

"No, your honor." Evan's voice sounds clear, sure, and Remus cringes. He forgot how charismatic Evan could be, and he's afraid of how he'll look next to him. 

"Is the omega's alpha present?" Justice Selwyn looks at Monty and his dad. 

"I am." His dad's voice is thick and firm, with the kind of power that Remus remembers from his childhood. It's a comforting sound. The sound of his dad ensuring he is safe. 

"Who are you, and what is the nature of your relationship?" 

"Lyall Lupin. I'm his father." 

Justice Selwyn nods and makes a note on her parchment. "And the omega is not bonded and has never been bonded?" 

Remus knew that he would not be addressed for most of the hearing–Monty had prepared him for that–but actually being there and being ignored in favor of someone else responding for him was entirely different. His anatomy shouldn't take away his voice. 

"He has not," his dad says. 

Justice Selwyn looks around the room. "Where is the child in question?" 

“Remus is pregnant, your honor.” His dad rests his fingers on Remus’s knee, and Remus takes comfort from the gesture. 

Justice Selwyn narrows her eyes and looks at him. “Stand up, omega.” He does, and feels her eyes trace over his mostly-flat stomach, his bump entirely hidden within the robes. “How far along are you?”

“Twelve weeks, your honor. With twins.” He hates how his voice sounds small, but he can’t help it.

Justice Selwyn looks surprised, and turns to Evan. “This is what you want to discuss custody of? The unborn babies that he’s barely pregnant with, in an omega you’re  not even bonded with? Why are we here?”

“Your honor.” It’s not Evan’s voice, and Remus’s eyes snap up to see an old, hunched solicitor. “The babies in question are my client’s and he wants to ensure that the omega takes care of himself and the babies during the pregnancy. He is not known for taking care of himself, and if these babies will be heirs to the House of Rosier, my client wants to know they are healthy.”

Immediately, a rumble of growls grows in the courtroom, and Justice Selwyn bangs her gavel on the podium. When the sound dies down, she looks at Monty. “I take it there is some disagreement here?”

“Well, your honor,” Monty smiles at her, and he’s every bit as charismatic as Evan is, “aside from the gross defamatory statements made about my client, we would object to any claim that Mr. Rosier is the father of the babies.”

She looked between the solicitors. “Is the paternity of the babies in question?”

“It is, your honor,” Monty responds. 

“My client is the most likely parent, your honor.” The other solicitor held his hands wide. “My client was in a monogamous, committed relationship with the omega at the time of conception.” 

“A relationship that ended shortly after the conceptual heat.” Monty took a step closer. “Ended by Mr. Rosier.” 

“That doesn’t change the question of paternity, however.” She looked down at Monty. “Is there another father?”

“Yes, your honor. Sirius Black is the father of at least once of the babies.” 

Her eyes flash to Sirius–clearly familiar with him or his family enough to know who he was. She regards him carefully, and Remus wishes he could turn around to see what look is on Sirius’s face. “Come down here, Mr. Black.” 

Remus breathes a little easier as he hears Sirius moving to join him on the floor. He’s thankful for his dad–truly he is happy that his dad is here–but having Sirius next to him eases a weight on his chest. When Sirius reaches the floor, he takes the spot next to Remus on Monty’s side, and places his hand on Remus’s arm. 

“Mr. Black,” Justice Selwyn addresses him directly. “You believe you may be the father of the omega’s babies?”

“I know I’m the father of Remus’s babies.” Remus could kiss him for using his name–giving him back just a little bit of humanity. “At least one of the babies is mine, your honor, but regardless of paternity, I claim both.” 

“Nobel as that may be, Mr. Black, you cannot claim a baby that is not yours.” She shuffles the papers in front of her momentarily. “How are you certain they’re yours?”

“At one of Remus’s healer appointments, the healer cast the paternity charm. The results showed that they’re mine.” Sirius turns to glare at Evan, and his hand tightens around Remus’s arm. 

“Can we get the healer in here?” Justice Selwyn turns to the clerk beside her. “Go call St. Mungos, and let’s see if we can get him in here.” The clerk stands up and leaves the courtroom. 

“Mr. Black, you have not bonded with the omega. Are you bonded?” 

Remus hears Sirius inhale sharply, and his fingers tense on Remus’s arm. “Yes, your honor.” 

Remus feels Evan’s head snap toward them, and he looks over. Evan is surprised, clearly. He hadn’t expected this–which, fucking fair, because Remus hadn’t expected it and he’d be present at the bonding. Remus looks away when Evan’s eyes find his, a cruel smirk on his lips. 

Justice Selwyn hums as she makes a note on the page. “Who is your mate?”

Sirius glances over his shoulder. “James Potter, ma’am.” 

She looks at James, then back at Sirius. “Is the omega a surrogate for you and your alpha mate?”

“No, ma’am.” Sirius looks down at his shoes. “We’re newly bonded, your honor. Just a few weeks.”

“So Mr. Potter has no parental claim over the children.” 

Sirius growls and steps forward. “He’s just as much a parent as Remus and I are. We’re having the babies together.” 

Justice Selwyn looks at him with a raised eyebrow. “I am inquiring about the babies’ biological parentage, not social parentage. Is there any chance that Mr. Potter fathered one of the babies?” 

“No, your honor,” Monty responds for them. 

Justice Selwyn turned back to them. “So, we’ve established that there are two babies at twelve weeks gestation, with an estimated 28 weeks remaining in the pregnancy. We know that Mr. Black is the father of at least one of the babies, and Mr. Rosier believes he may be the father of the other. Is this an accurate summation of the facts?”

“Yes, your honor,” Monty responds. 

“Yes, your honor,” Rosier’s counsel responds. 

“Additionally, a question has been raised regarding whether the omega is taking appropriate care of himself–” Justice Selwyn raised a hand when the growls began again “–which I understand is contested by the omega and his alpha. Where does the omega live?”

“My client lives with Mr. Black and Mr. Potter,” Monty responds, voice even.

Justice Selwyn’s eyes find Remus’s. “An unmated, pregnant omega living with two alphas who were only just recently mated? That’s certainly unusual.” 

“They’re my friends.” Remus feels Sirius’s thumb tracing circles on his arm. “We’ve been friends since we were children.” 

The clerk comes back into the room, and whispers something in Justice Selwyn’s ear. She turns back to the room. “The healer will be here shortly. Let’s take a five minute recess.” She stands and leaves. 

Remus doesn’t make any move to get up, and Sirius and Lyall both step forward, placing themselves between Remus and Evan as he walks out of the room. Remus bites back a smile. Introduce a common enemy, he thinks, and they’ll work together. 

Evan is followed out by his parents, who Remus hadn’t even realized were sitting in the gallery, and Monty throws up a silencing charm around them and turns to Remus. “Are you alright, lad? I know that was hard to listen to.” 

Remus sighs, letting his shoulders drop, and instantly Sirius’s arm comes around him. “It was a bit demeaning. I know you said she wouldn’t speak to me, but I don’t think I expected to be referred to as ‘the omega.’” 

“I  know.” Monty smiles. “I wish it was different.” 

“Monty, surely there’s something we can do about what they’re saying about him.” Mia is standing next to him now, wringing her hands. “About him not taking care of himself.” 

Remus shakes his head. “He’s not claiming it’s because of my lycanthropy. I don’t want to push them to reveal that.” 

Monty shakes his head. “I don’t think they will. I’m curious what she wants with the healer though.” 

Remus’s dad crosses his arms over his chest. “Probably to confirm the paternity test, right? What else could he say?”

“Wasn’t our testimony enough?” Remus can hear the frustration in Sirius’s voice, and he feels it too.

“Padfoot, you already tried to tell Rosier that they were yours,” James says. “They’d probably have demand proof anyway.” 

“Be that as it may–” Monty begins

“Can I go to the loo?” Remus didn't mean to cut him off, but listening to them all theorize about what was going to happen was getting to be too much. Plus, he did have to pee (thanks, babies). 

Monty smiles kindly, unconcerned by the interruption. “Of course, lad. It’s just down the hallway.” 

Remus stands to walk out, and doesn’t realize that James and Sirius are following him until he gets to the courtroom door. He looks back at them. “What are you doing?”

“The last time we let you go to the loo by yourself, we had to pull Rosier off you,” James said. 

“We’re not giving him the chance to corner you,” Sirius adds. 

Remus groans, but it’s just for show. He’s quite pleased they’re tagging along, and feels better walking down the hall for it. “Fine, but I’m not letting you shag me in the bathroom. The Justice already thinks I’m slut for living with the two of you.” 

“She does not.” James threw an arm around his shoulder. “Though we can give you some fresh hickies if you want her to.” 

As they get to the loo door, it pops open, and Evan walks out. He looks Remus up and down. “Good to see you, Remus.” 

James pulls Remus closer to his chest, and Sirius steps in front of him. “No, Rosier, it’s not.”

“Going to threaten me again, Black? That’s quite frowned upon in the Ministry.” Evan sidesteps them to get past, like he doesn’t quite trust that Sirius won’t. 

“Threats clearly don’t work, or we wouldn’t be here, would we?” Sirius turns to watch him as he walks away.

Evan looks at Remus over his shoulder. “Don’t you want to end this, Remus? Come home with me. Bond with me, and we’ll have our babies.” 

“Not a chance, Rosier,” James growls. 

“Get fucked,” Sirius says. 

Evan shrugs, walking backward momentarily. “I guess we’ll just have to do this the official way, then. Unless you want to reconsider, Remus.” Growls surround them, and Evan just smirks. “Or not.”

As Evan walks away, Remus buries himself against James, and Sirius comes up behind him. “I fucking hate this and I hate him.” 

James pulls Remus tighter in his arms. “If I could end it all for you, I would in a heartbeat."

"I wish you had let me kill him that first time." Sirius wraps his arms around both of them, and Remus is pinned between his boys.

"I don't want you to murder just because." Sirius snorts, but Remus doesn't relent. "We'll get away from him. It's fine." 

"Do you want to head back?" James is rubbing soothing circles into his back. "By your dad and mine, I mean. You might feel safer then." 

“I feel safe with the two of you.” He says it into James’s chest, but he knows they hear it when their arms tighten around him. “Plus, I actually do have to pee, and if you squeeze me any tighter, I’ll need a change of pants too.” 

They chuckle as they release him. Sirius opens the door. "After you, Moony." 

"You can wait here if you want." Remus steps past him. 

"Nope." James followed behind Remus. "You’re never going alone again, Moony." 

"Never again?" Remus says, heading for one of the stalls. "Don't you think that will get a little ridiculous?" 

"Not at all." Sirius leans against the wall. "I'll come in and hold your dick for you if you want." 

Remus snorts. "If you get your hand on my dick, we aren't going back out there." 

James and Sirius look at each other and shrug. "That's alright by us," James says. 

Remus laughs as he closes the door. "Wait here, I'll just be a minute." 

---

James is back in the gallery, and he hates it. He's the only one who doesn't get to stand on the floor. Sirius gets to be down there and be all grrr at Evan, which is fair because he's the dad. 

James is a dad too, of course, and he wants to be all grrr too, but the Wizengamot doesn't care that they're his babies because his dick wasn't involved in the process. 

So James is stuck being grrr from the gallery, while Sirius and Lyall get to be grrr from the floor. 

Evan is just sitting there, all smug, and James would really like the excuse to put his fist into Evan’s face. However, his mum taught him to be civil and keep his head, and he had managed to do that so far. 

Now, they’re sitting in their seats again, and the stupid Dumblewick healer is standing in the middle of the floor, talking about treating Remus. 

“You cast the paternity charm over the omega, then?” Justice Selwyn is taking notes on her parchment, occasionally looking up over her glasses. 

“I did.” Flitledore shuffles his feet. “They told me there was a question over who the father might be, so I offered the charm.” 

“What were the results?”

“The charm was positive for Mr. Black’s paternity.” 

Justice Selwyn stopped writing and stared at him. “Does this resolve the paternity question?”

Dumblewick shook his head. “No, your honor. All that could be established is that Mr. Black is paternally connected to the omega’s womb. In a singleton pregnancy, this would be definitive, but multiples raises the question as to whether the babies were fathered by the same alpha.” 

"In the time since that appointment, has the omega provided any other potential fathers to be tested?" Justice Selwyn is back to writing now, and misses the glare that James and Sirius both send her. 

"No, your honor." Dumblewick shifts again. "I have not treated the omega since then." 

A disgruntled noise erupts from Rosier's solicitor. "Really, your honor. This is exactly the issue we mentioned earlier. The omega isn't even receiving proper prenatal care!" 

"He's receiving care, your honor." James’s dad's calm is legendary. "He just is no longer receiving care at St. Mungo's." 

"Where is he receiving care?" 

"Remus is getting private care from a family friend." Sirius's voice has a steely edge to it that matches James's own annoyance. He's glad Sirius insists on using Remus's name, because he can feel Remus getting smaller every time they call him the omega. 

"Alright." She begins scribbling a note on her parchment. 

"Your honor, surely my client has a right to know where his babies–"

"They're not his," Sirius growls. 

Justice Selwyn bangs her gavel, and his dad puts a hand on Sirius's shoulder. Remus threads his fingers with Sirius's. Sirius deflates slightly, kissing the top of Remus's head. 

James really fucking hates being in the gallery. 

Rosier's solicitor bristles before continuing. "As I was saying, your honor, my client has the right to know where his babies are being treated." 

"If your client is the father, you would be correct. However, that has not been determined yet." Justice Selwyn turns back to Dumblewick. “Is there a way to ascertain paternity now, then?" 

Flitledore nods. "Casting the charm with all of the potential fathers in the room would work. The charm will indicate positively on any alpha who has paternity connected to the womb." 

"Can you perform the charm here?" 

Dumblewick looks at Remus. "I don't see why not. As long as I have the omega's consent, I can do it anywhere." 

"Proceed." Justice Selwyn waves him toward Remus. 

Flitledore turns toward Remus. "Mr. Lupin, I'm sure you remember this spell from when I cast it last time. It requires the fathers to be close, so I'm going to ask them both to step up and I'll cast the spell. Do you have any questions, or do I have your consent to proceed?" 

The court room is quiet, and they wait. James’s mum squeezes his arm, standing next to him watching. James can feel the tension build as all eyes turn to Remus. James wonders for a moment if he is making them wait because of the way he's been treated and talked around. He wouldn't blame Remus if that were the case. Remus looks calmly toward Dumblewick, steady and calm, with the exact measure of composure that James has come to expect from Remus after knowing him for more than a decade. 

This is the Remus who could talk his way out of a detention when caught after curfew in the dungeons at Hogwarts. This is the Remus who could stare down an angry wizard challenging him to a duel and end it with a quiet flick of his wrist. 

This is the Remus who could command silence in a courtroom full of alphas trying to speak for him, and hold it like the entire world isn't waiting for his answer. 

"No, I don't consent." 

He speaks levelly, at a normal volume, but his voice is clearly heard and understood. 

Flitledore nods once and turns away. "I cannot perform the charm." 

Justice Selwyn leans in. "I'm sorry. Did you say no?" Remus nods once, but doesn't offer a verbal reply. She turns to the healer again. "You won't perform the charm on the order of the court?" 

Dumblewick shakes his head, waving an errant hand. "No, I will not cast a charm over him without consent." 

"What if his alpha consents for him?" she asks.

"I will not override my son's wishes." Lyall growls as he says in, and Justice Selwyn looks at him in surprise. 

Flitledore waves him off. "I would not cast it anyway. It is ill-advised to cast magic on an unconsenting pregnant omega. The damage it could do is unknowable." 

She turns back to Remus, finally. "And you won't give your consent, omega?" 

Remus sits a little straighter, squares his shoulders, and James could kiss him, he's so proud. Remus's voice is unwavering when he finally answers. 

"No. I will not consent to any medical testing." 

Chapter 6: Week Twelve: Plums

Notes:

This chapter is written by Krethes.

Firstly, I appreciate everyone's patience during this delay! My life has been a bit crazy, and I'm recovering from surgery, but I'm well and extremely excited to share this chapter with y'all!

C/W: This chapter contains some consensual (but not strictly discussed) kink scenes, though they aren't extreme and everyone is on-board. There's a very brief almost-mention of self-harm, but it's that the character has never thought about self-harm, not an active desire or past wish.

"Remus. Remus. Remus!" Sirius puts his hand on Remus's shoulder to get his attention. "Hey, you're alright, you're alright."

All the color has gone out of Remus's face, replacing the pink flush of bravery from earlier in the courts with a foreign, sickly pallor, and he looks so young, so fucking scared, and Sirius wants to—needs to—make it all go away, to make him laugh, make him yell, make him do anything other than sit on the sofa looking like one wrong look would break him into a thousand, Moony-shaped pieces.

Remus flinches away from him, a delayed response, and Sirius shoots a pained look at James. Monty's just left, and Lyall not long before him, off to do something Sirius suspects is not entirely…legal, or maybe he's just going home to his wife to unload the day. Hecate knows it's been damn draining.

"Moony," James tries, his hands spread wide. Remus lets him near, and Sirius pretends that doesn't sting. Like it didn't sting when he asked for James back in Dover. James manages to get Remus to accept a cup of tea and he sits on the sofa beside him. Sirius is left to stand there like a numpty, wondering how he’s going to fix this mess.

He mumbles an excuse to leave the room and secludes himself in James's bathroom. Sirius turns on the taps and splashes his face a few times with water, leaning forward onto the sink to stare at his reflection. He'd really gone and made a mess of things, back at the court. Remus was so brave, telling the judge that he would not submit to a spell like that, and Sirius was so proud, but then Evan tried to start shit, and Evan's solicitor looked like he was going to pull something out of his arse, so naturally, Sirius had to play the white knight and ask the judge point-blank what their options were.

She hadn't been a big fan of that, but she put it plainly: if the omega (and how Sirius hates to hear Remus referred to as such) will not consent, then the only choice is to wait for the babies to be born and reasses at that time. Sirius doesn't think Remus would want to submit to the paternity test even then, but he thinks he remembers hearing something about it being a standard process at St Mungo's when a baby is born, to ensure that ancient bloodlines are aware of their latest additions. Archaic, horrible shit, really, but that's pureblood culture for you. Maybe they could have the delivery at a Muggle hospital…?

When they were dismissed, Sirius looked at Evan, all smug and self-righteous (because he was and it was deserved) but then Evan tried to talk to Remus, tried to insert himself between non-existent cracks of the wall of Sirius, James, and Lyall (and Monty), and tried to get him to reconsider agreeing to the test, ‘or else’.. Sirius… might have hexed him. Subtly. Secretly. It was just a time-delayed curse that would go off when Evan went to the lav next (or the next four times), nothing major! But...he thinks Remus knows. His nose is too keen, that one, and he's said Sirius's magic has a distinctive scent.

But maybe it's not what Sirius did today, or not just... Maybe Remus is regretting everything. Maybe he's thinking it's all a mistake, that he should've ended the pregnancy early, should've gone back to Evan, should've Bonded with Evan, should've stayed away from Sirius and his narcis s ism . Because that's what it is, right? Sirius's desperate need to help Remus, to be there, to run with him on the full moon, get all that adoration and gratitude, feed his ego.

Remus doesn't love him. He loves James. That much is clear. His face lights up when James enters a room. James is an entire sun, with parents who don't hate him and who isn't burdened by all of Sirius's generational trauma. Remus lets James comfort him in ways Sirius can only dream about, and Sirius gets it. Sirius got him into this mess, from the start. It was Sirius's idea to research the Animagus transformation, it was Sirius's convincing that made Remus agree to letting them spend the moons with him. It was Sirius's insistent neediness and fear of being alone that Remus has to pity, has to smell on him like rancid carrion, and Remus is so damn good that he can't bear to hurt him.

"...talk to him, yeah, no, I can…"

Sirius startles at the sound of Remus's voice and strongly considers Disapparating (Remus's favorite method of avoiding a conversation), but Remus opens the bathroom door before Sirius's frantic mind can even settle on a Destination.

"Hey."

Sirius swallows, his skin prickling uncomfortably, failing to contain his tension. "H-hey."

"Sirius-"

Sirius hates apologies (they require a level of humility that even now he struggles with), but it's best to get it over with. Remus deserves one from him, and Sirius can't deny him that. "I'm sorry. This is all my fault. Evan-"

"-Is a dick." Remus leans against the doorjamb. He's wrapped up in an oversized cardigan and has gotten some of his color back. "And if you're talking about this-this," Remus gestures to his belly, obscured by the cardigan, "I jumped you, remember?"

"Yeah, but-"

"Shut up." Remus pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs heavily. "You're doing the thing you do." Sirius blinks at him. "The ‘oh my Family with a capital F is Cursed with a capital C, and I'm Bad News and you should leave me to wallow in my melodrama because I am the scum of the earth’ thing."

Sirius looks away and at the water swirling down the drain. "It's the truth," he says quietly. He is Cursed with a capital C. His uncle Alphard was, for sure, all entangled in a blood curse that made bad things happen to him, that drove him nearly mad, that turned him from a strong, capable, brilliant Alpha into a frail shell of a man, maybe even made him run. Sirius doesn't blame him for the running; he'd done the same, after all. But Alphard didn't have a James. Sirius suspected he had someone, but Alphard had always been secretive, a locked box with no key, a code without a cipher, and Sirius never got the answers he was looking for before his uncle died.

"What exactly do you think it is I'm freaked out about?"

Sirius startles, yanked from the morose by Remus's sharp demand. "I don't thi-"

"You do. So, go on then, tell me how I'm feeling." Remus folds his arms over his chest and Sirius frowns.

"You're regret-"

"Nope."

"Are you going to let me finish?" Sirius mutters sourly.

"Nope." Remus rolls his eyes and steps into the bathroom proper, shutting the door behind him with a soft snik. "Because what I'm worried about has literally nothing to do with you."

Sirius's stomach twists. Great. He's gone and made it all about him again. Classic Sirius.

"Though I can see why you'd think that," Remus offers far more gently than Sirius expects, or deserves.

Sirius takes a deep, slow breath, forcing the air into his lungs. "So then… what are you feeling?"

Remus sighs again and leans against the door. "God's honest truth? I'm fucking terrified Evan's going to out my lycanthropy to the courts."

"He wouldn't!" Sirius blurts, but rethinks that immediately. He would, if it served his purpose. Sirius has nothing against Slytherins (okay, he does, but he likes to think that he has learned to judge them for their other qualities, after Regulus) but Evan is textbook. "Alright, he would. Maybe. But are you-"

"Unregistered? Yeah.” Remus frowns. “I thought you knew that?"

Sirius shakes his head. "No. I mean, I knew you weren't registered while we were at school, but I thought that was just because you were a minor, maybe, and your dad was protecting you, but that you had to when you turned seventeen…" Now that he says it aloud, Sirius is fully aware of how pale that sounds. Like the Ministry would respect a minor's privacy over something like lycanthropy. Right. The Ministry who puts the Trace on kids the minute their magical signature registers. Sure. Real big on free-range, them. 

Remus fixes him with a flat look. "Because I've such a storied history of following the rules."

"...Fair."

"It's not just being unregistered, which by itself is enough to get me put in Azkaban and the babies taken from me, actually, it's-"

"I won't let that happen," Sirius vows, startled by the steel in his own voice. He means it. Whatever it takes to keep Remus away from the Ministry's watchful eye... though it seems Evan's gone and fucked that up, too, now, by suing Remus for custody of children that are not his. Sure, Sirius doesn't know, in the strictly factual definition of the word, but he can feel it in his bones, a pull towards those little glowing lights that reflect the life within. Those are his babies. Evan's probably too slimy and cruel to even produce viable sperm! 

"Thank you, but I don't exactly have a legal leg to stand on.” Remus sighs, seemingly already defeated. “…Monty warned me. Warned Dad, too, since it could blow back on him since he's my Alpha."

"I could be your Alpha," Sirius murmurs softly, catching Remus's eyes for a fleeting, scant second. He doesn't see an outright rejection, but it's not the expression he's hoping for.

"You're the father of my children, Sirius. You're my best friend. My boyfriend. You're my Alpha in every way but a Bond." Remus looks so earnest, Sirius can't help but nod. "But Evan can use my lycanthropy as an surefire way to convince the Wizengamot that I'm not a fit parent, or that I'm incapable of caring for myself, or-" Remus cuts himself off, and his scent twists into something acrid and sour. Sirius wants to go to him and banish those murky thoughts, but can't handle another rebuff right now. Remus takes a few seconds to compose himself and rakes his curls away from his forehead. "He obviously wants me to live with him again, to keep me under his control. But in reality, I'd have to live with my dad again since he is my Alpha, which, frankly, is preferable to both Evan's flat and the Werewolf Transformation Cells. …And what I should've done from the start."

Sirius wants to shake him and tell Remus that if he just accepts his and James's offer- no, not offer, because they're not doing something for Remus. They want to do something with Remus. Because of Remus. If he'd just accept them and take their Bond Marks, then he wouldn't have to leave. Just the thought of Remus leaving them makes him feel light-headed, and Sirius quickly backs away from that train of thought. Remus doesn't need any more pressure. "That's such thestral shite," Sirius hisses. "You haven't…you're not… Moony. You're gonna be the best dad of the three of us."

Remus cracks a grin. "No, that'll be James."

"Oi!" Sirius can't help the indignant squawk that escapes him. "I'm right here."

"I’m aware.” He smirks, the little shit. “It's a close race, mind."

"I- he- ugh." Sirius huffs and feels his ire deflate with the husk of Remus's breathy laughter. "...How close?"

---

There's something about 3 am that loosens the tongue and relaxes the mind's tight constraint on polite conversation. It's a gauzy hour, when the night is darkest, and the moon's absence in the sky gifts Remus a sense of peace he doesn't normally get to feel. He feels his most human on the new moon, though he can only ever utter that to himself. He once made the mistake, more than half-drunk on goblin wine, of telling James and Sirius in school, and they were so heartbroken and distraught that it nearly broke him.

But Remus isn't drunk now, and that misty midnight confession seems light-years away. He's sitting on the concrete floor of the balcony, wrapped in a soft, loose-weave blanket his mum made and a flimsy cooling charm (he couldn't get the damn thing to stick, but that may be the Bible verse stitched into the border of the blanket thwarting his magic.) It's too late, probably (definitely), to be out here, but...he likes looking at a black sky. It helps him empty his mind, not that that seems to be working.

He keeps thinking about the book he’d bought, tucked under one of the wrought-metal chairs, like hiding it there would somehow keep the words within from being true. Finding anything about werewolf pregnancies felt like a fool’s errand, but he'd looked and looked and looked until he found one. He’d ordered it soon after he learned he was pregnant, and it finally came in the owl post this morning, thankfully after James and Sirius had already gone to work. Remus told himself he wouldn't take anything at face value, as it was likely written by a non-werewolf, but it sunk its claws into him and he hasn't been able to shake it loose.

It said his pregnancy was dangerous and ill-advised, that it never should have happened in the first place. And though Remus is finally getting over the whole…method of conception, as it were, reading that set him back even further than where he’d started. He shouldn’t have done this. He should’ve terminated the pregnancy when he had the chance, he should have-

"Moonbeam?" He shouldn’t have gotten Sirius involved, that much he knows is true. But feeling this way about his babies—their babies—only makes him feel guiltier. Remus can’t imagine ever doing anything that could hurt Sirius, and even the mere thought of going on without the little heartbeats in his body hurts too much to dwell.

Remus doesn't turn to address Sirius, just lets his eyes flick to where he knows Canis Major would be at the right season, and waits for Sirius to sit. "No moonbeams tonight," he says quietly.

"No, just you." Sirius’s voice is quiet, reserved. "Haven't seen you do this since school," Sirius observes. From his periphery, Remus sees Sirius frown, and he can't hold in his relieved exhale when a proper cooling charm breezes over him. It takes a lot for him to feel like he's running hot despite being in a constant fever state (for a normal human), but he's been more sensitive to temperature shifts lately. To be expected, all the pregnancy guidance says, nothing to worry about, even if it's annoying as all hell; he just wants to submerge himself in an ice bath, or take a quick trip to Antarctica to roll about in the snow like a polar bear (or a wolf, he supposes). He's always wondered if penguins taste good. Those things aren't exactly easy or advised, though, so he makes do.

Remus shifts a little and wipes a bead of sweat off his brow that he hopes Sirius doesn't see. The last thing he needs is for Sirius to fuss over him about being outside if he's so hot. And without water, at that! "Only do it every now and again these days. When...when things feel particularly dismal. Or when my lycanthropy gets in the way of things I want to do."

"And what is it…what do you want to do?" Sirius layers another cooling charm on the blanket, adds a few cushioning charms that lift Remus an inch off the floor in invisible pillows, and settles in next to him. In the dark, his profile is hauntingly beautiful, all Grecian angles and pale, smooth skin. His eyes are moon-bright, a siren call that lures Remus in, and Remus feels a longing in his heart he has no right to feel. He's had Sirius in all the ways he's wanted, but Sirius isn't his. He's James's, and that's okay, but his heart doesn't quite agree. Fickle, greedy thing.

Sirius usually tells him what he's feeling, which, while frustrating (and usually very incorrect), often spares Remus from having to be honest about his emotions. It's easier, when he can just go along with whatever Sirius thinks is happening, though perhaps not the most forthcoming. Remus searches desperately for a lie, even a small one, somewhere in his brain, but comes up short. "Just…be." Remus sighs and blinks rapidly to dispel the stinging, hot tears. "Be left alone. Be unmonitored. Be normal. Be… a good dad." He feels like a broken record, like all they talk about lately is his fears. Sirius must think him a coward, or weak-willed…unfit.

Sirius's hand is light on his shoulder, but quickly tightens and pulls him close when Remus nods his consent to be touched. Sirius is warm and solid and smells like James's cologne, which is so comforting, Remus feels just a little less frantic. His Alphas—his Alpha friends…boyfriends—are here. What else could he ask for? He does feel guilty that he's likely dragged Sirius out of bed (and away from James) with his dramatics (though how Sirius knew he was out here is beyond him), away from a good night's rest. Sirius has got work in the morning. Fuck. Remus can't do anything right. 

"I've told you, you're going to be a brilliant dad, Moony. Your lycanthropy doesn't have any impact."

"Don't lie to me, Sirius," Remus says, voice thick and rougher than he'd anticipated, coarse with emotion. Sirius always does this, and James does too, tries to find a platinum-not-silver lining to every problem, tries to lift his spirits when all he wants to do is cloister away. It's noble and kind and loving of them, sure, but sometimes Remus just wants to marinate in his dark feelings. To wallow in his self-pity and angst like a hippopotamus, covered in the muck and left alone. But Remus doesn't know how to ask for that, how to ask for a listening ear instead of a problem-solving one, so he endures their kindness. "It has a metric fuck tonne of impact." 

Sirius, for all his compassion and understanding sometimes just…can't. He doesn't and never will understand what Remus goes through, what he's gone through for practically his entire life. And it's not his fault, nor does Remus blame him, but...he just can't. "I've been reading the proposed changes to the creature laws. If I'm discovered, I'll have to register, I'll be fined for nearly ten years of truancy, and I'll need to submit to yearly checks. They're trying to make them monthly now, since, and I quote: 'a beast on a long lead is far more capable of turning on you than one kept on a short leash.'"

"What?! That's ridiculous!"

Sirius is incensed, but all Remus feels is numb resignation. No one is fighting for his rights. They never have, and never will. "That's the Ministry for you." Remus shrugs and leans backwards until his spine is flat on the concrete, staring up at the sky. "I'm a Class 5 dangerous creature, you know. Known man killer. Untamable. Untrainable. Unredeemable."

"You've got me there." When Remus jerks his head Sirius's way, hardly believing what he's just heard, the bastard is grinning. "You're untrainable."

In the wake of Sirius's jab, Remus's foul mood lifts a little, and he's eager to follow, eager to feel anything even remotely positive. "You do realize I'm on the same level as a Nundu, right?”

“Your morning breath is pretty foul, I’ll give you that.” 

Remus snorts. “You've just as well invited a manticore into your bed."

Sirius smirks and rolls so he’s covering most of Remus's body with his own, his arms bracketing either side of Remus's head. His scent overwhelms him, the tinge of his growing arousal weaving through the tang of his worry and mounting anger. "Hot." It's a welcome distraction from his maudlin melodrama, and Remus indulges.

"Monsterfucker." They're so close, Remus can feel the humidity from his own breath reflecting back onto his face. It's warm—too warm—but it's all Remus can do to keep from arching up under Sirius and pressing into the hard line of his body. He wants this—to feel good, loved, normal—too badly to even begin to be embarrassed at his eagerness. He assumed that after he was properly knotted the first time, his hormones would settle. Or maybe once James and Sirius's ruts had passed, but his rampant horniness has shown zero indication of slowing down. He counts himself lucky that his Alphas—no, not his Alphas, his Alpha friends. Boyfriends!—are so indulgent. Evan would’ve probably tossed his box of toys at him and left for a weekend. 

"You say that like it's a bad thing." Sirius's lips just barely brush Remus's, a tease, each breath ghosting them across his mouth. Remus won't be the first one to crack, not this time. They're in public, basically, and if they start something here, every Alpha in a five mile radius will come slavering up to their door.

And fuck if that doesn't make Remus hard enough to cut diamonds.

"Oh," Sirius chuckles, "What's going through that filthy head of yours, Moony? Are you thinking about getting fucked right here, trying not to make a sound, trying not to wake up Prongs?" 

Remus groans and glares at Sirius's smug expression. Two can play at this game, and if history shows, he's got the upper hand. Sirius is easy to break. He slides his hands into Sirius's hair and scratches at his scalp with his blunt fingernails. "Do you really want to know?"

Sirius shivers in undisguised pleasure at the scratching. "Mmhm, I do. Tell me, Moony. What fucked up little fantasy is playing out in your beautiful brain?" Sirius is hard against his leg, and Remus knows it would be easy to vanish their trousers and pull his legs back, just let Sirius fuck him and all of his self-doubt into oblivion.

"Well, I'm thinking about pulling my shorts down and seeing just how many unmated Alphas live in this city… What do you reckon, thirty? Forty? More?" The button's already undone on his shorts (too tight, to his dismay), and Remus toys with the waistband, folding it down and up again. A low, deep growl rumbles out from somewhere low in Sirius's throat, like those Remus heard during his rut, and he quickly falls deeper into the fantasy. "I'm already pregnant, so what's the harm in trying on every eligible Alpha in town, hm? You want me to make an informed decision, don't you, when you ask me to Bond with you after our babies are born? Want me to have no regrets?"

"'What's the harm'? Are you trying to get me put in Azkaban for mass murder?" That shouldn't be hot, it really shouldn't, but Remus would be a liar if Sirius's occasional manic side doesn't get him going. It's probably an unhealthy thing, to want to bring it out in him, but he just can't help himself. Sirius is fully straddling him now, his capable hands divesting Remus of the wonderfully cool blanket, folded respectfully off to the side, and then of his flimsy vest, tossed to the four winds without a care.

"You'd look fetching in stripes. Come back with a prison tattoo, maybe. That'd be incredibly sexy."

"I'm already incredibly sexy," Sirius growls, palming himself through his athletic shorts.

Remus shrugs, forcing an unimpressed, flat expression onto his face. "Eh."

The next thing he knows, he's across Sirius's lap on the floor with his arse in the air. "You're a brat."

"And you're a madman if you think pulling my shorts down out here is a smart move," Remus retorts, though internally he's begging Sirius to just fucking do it. While he brings out Sirius's madness, Sirius brings out Remus's thirst for danger, for excitement, spurring him to do things he ordinarily wouldn't dream of doing, unlocking that mischief-maker that Remus worked so hard to bury as a child.

Sirius, quick as a whip, doesn't miss a beat. "Well, madness is a family trait." He Vanishes Remus's shorts and pants without a word and brings his open palm down across his arse in one fluid movement. Remus yelps in surprise because really, he didn't think Sirius would actually, but then Sirius's free hand covers his mouth while his other delivers another spank. "Quiet, don't want to wake our neighbors," he teases..

Sirius's scent is overwhelming now, almost as bad as during his rut, and Remus can't get enough of it. It becomes a vicious cycle: spank, inhale, slick, spank, and so on, and he doesn't want it to end. He's been waiting for this, for one of them to actually follow through on their hesitant half-joking threats, to put him in his place. Evan wasn't right for him—Remus knows that now, maybe always knew that—but he did introduce Remus to the finer joys of rougher play, of kisses that were more teeth than tongue, fingers that bruised instead of caressed. For Remus, who often has no control over the agony his body brings upon itself every month, having this unique measure of control over it (because he could end this right now and Sirius would stop) frees him like nothing else. He's needed this, needed it like he needs air, and the pain in his cheeks is more an admission of love in this moment than Sirius's pretty words could ever be. 

After a dozen, Sirius's hand roughly rubs his reddened skin. "Had enough? Ready to behave?" Remus can't stop his derisive snort, and Sirius tuts. "We've let you get away with too much."

"Well I'm-ah! Fuck! I'm pregnant," Remus defends, but pours on the indignation thick enough to choke on, so Sirius knows he's playing it up. He doesn't want him to stop.

"All the more reason to make sure you follow the rules."

Remus laughs, though he knows he shouldn't. Sirius Black, lecturing him on rule following! He's rewarded for his cheek by a particularly hard spank that makes his body go taut and yanks a shout from his mouth. "Oh fuck!"

Sirius hesitates for just a moment and Remus tastes the concern in the air, so he grinds down onto Sirius's thigh. His cock is dripping with precome and his thighs are so covered in slick it's a wonder he hasn't slid right off. "Great idea, Moony. Up." Sirius maneuvers him to the balcony railing and presses close against his back, erection drilling into his spine. A light a few floors down flicks on and Remus sees the blinds twitch. "Your first admirer. Wonder who that is…"

Remus whines high in his throat, mouth going dry while he waits for a head to poke through the blinds, or to see Alpha gold in a neighbor's eyes. Those things don't happen, but Sirius doesn't let him shy away from the rail, openly groping him and reducing Remus to little more than a puddle of want.

"Such a greedy Omega," Sirius taunts, knocking Remus's ankles apart with his bare foot. Remus can feel the silky fabric of Sirius's athletic shorts against the back of his thighs, and knowing that Sirius is going to fuck him without even pulling off his own shorts is torture. Sirius's cock is hot and heavy and sweat-tacky on Remus's overheated, abused arsecheeks. "You have two perfectly fit and willing boyfriends and you still want more." There's no bite to Sirius's words, but it doesn't keep Remus from getting the thrill of half-shame, half-arousal. "How many would be enough for you? Four? Five? Half dozen?"

Sirius parts Remus's cheeks and thrusts into him without preamble, straight to the base. Remus is slick enough and well-fucked enough to take it without much effort, but he still feels the stretch, the fullness. "How many knots would be enough for you?" Sirius continues, barreling straight through Remus's gasping moans and choked breaths. "Could call some Alphas we know, have a party. Let them take care of you while James and I recover from fucking you stupid." Remus's eyes roll to the back of his head, his entire body suffused with heat and want. "What do you think of Frank, hm? Fabian? Gideon? They're keen. Oh…" Sirius chuckles darkly and Remus feels his cock dribble a thick stream of precome at the sound. "Kingsley."

"Oh god," Remus whines, clamping tightly around Sirius's cock. He's had a pash on Kingsley Shacklebolt since before they even presented, since before he even knew what a pash was. He's not in love with him or anything, but fuck if he's always wondered what it would be like to finally be under those big, broad hands and have that deep rumbling bass say filthy things in his ear. Not that Kingsley's mate would ever let that happen…ever. But there's no harm in dreaming.

He's so close he can practically taste it, his mind steeped in half-remembered fantasies and lust and his own obsession with the man currently buried in his arse. He pants in Sirius's hands, reaching back to grasp a chunk of his hair. "Fuck me like you want him to fuck me."

It unlocks something in Sirius that Remus had secretly hoped was there, that deep-seated possessiveness that he'd heard the first time they had sex. Sirius lifts him with a growl and carries him the short distance to the wall to fuck him anew. Scratches litter Remus's back with each thrust against the rough brick and his shoulder knocks into the light fixture, but it just makes the plunge of Sirius's cock into his slick-drenched hole that much better.

Any further barbs or taunts Remus might've had are lost to his frankly embarrassing cries of pleasure. Sirius devours him with every kiss, owning him completely, leaving no room for Remus to even think about anyone or anything else but Sirius.

Remus comes with Sirius's knot shoved gracelessly inside, Sirius's teeth on his shoulder, dangerously close to his scent gland, and Sirius's own cock pumping him full of come. They don't speak, and Sirius doesn't lift his head, just bites down a little harder while he catches his breath. It draws blood, and Remus hisses even as his cock twitches in interest. Sirius jerks his head back in concern, but Remus shakes his head. "No, no, I… I like that," Remus admits quietly. The balcony seems so silent now without the sordid score of their shag.

Sirius just nods and drops his head back down to lave over the crescent-shaped bite mark. "Mine," he whispers, nuzzling into his neck.

"Yours," Remus echoes through the tightness in his throat. Sirius isn't his, though, and that's… that's okay.

Sirius carries him inside while they're still connected, Remus's legs wound tight around his waist. Remus can still hear James's gentle snoring from down the hall, and has a sudden rush of bashfulness. "We just fucked on the balcony."

"Mmhm." Sirius chuckles and presses Remus against the balcony door for another series of long, deep kisses. His knot pulls at Remus's rim while still being flush with his prostate and Remus lets himself just enjoy it, turn off his brain and not worry about anything else but the delightful floaty feeling being fucked well and knotted brings him. "Let's get you to bed before we christen the hallway next," Sirius wisely decides, and carries Remus away.

---

When his knot has gone down, Sirius tucks Remus nice and sound into the waiting circle of James's arms. He offered to help Remus take a bath, or at least cast a cleaning charm, but Remus waved him off, saying he's too tired. Sirius knows better. Remus just wants to rile James up when James is conscious and wakes next to a sex-drenched Omega and, well, Sirius can't exactly blame him. 

Sirius walks back to the balcony to fetch Remus's blanket. It's one Hope made for him, and Sirius knows Remus would be distraught if it got lost to the winds. He scoops it up off the chair and sees a book, tattered and worn, and smiles wryly. Leave it to Remus to read something so many times it's fraying and weathered. But when he picks up the book to carry it safely inside, the title makes him freeze. 

The Management, Morality, and Mechanics of Werewolf Mating and Gestation, by Vidar Sigurdsson. 

It's hand-bound, and poorly done at that, and Remus's sour-candy fear scent is all over the cover and first few chapters. There's a bookmark (Remus would never dog-ear a book and had, in fact, twisted Sirius's ear in third year for daring to do so to his novel of the week) that Sirius flips to and braces himself to read.

It starts off simple enough… Gestation time for werewolves is the same as humans, blah blah blah... 

The chances of multiples are higher in werewolves, though whether that's due to their lycan nature or from the body's biological determination to have at least one baby make it to term… That gives Sirius pause, and his stomach rolls nauseatingly at the thought of losing one of their babies. 

He keeps flipping through the chapters until he reaches a chapter titled: Complications. The pregnancy itself is incredibly difficult. The werewolf transformation requires a great deal of physical and magical energy to manage successfully, and pregnancy is draining. If there are not sufficient energy and magical stores for the werewolf to transform under the full moon, the results could be catastrophic.

Catastrophic. 

Sirius reflexively looks up at the sky, at where the moon should be, and swears under his breath. Catastrophic. What does that even mean? Bad things, obviously, but in the context… He stares back down at the text in his hands, desperate to find some sort of gotcha! or this is all theoretical of course, and male Omega werewolves with two hot Alphas around are immune to any and all discomfort… anything. 

He's too afraid to read on, like the coward he is, and wraps the book in Remus's blanket. He sets them both safely on the mantle inside, shifts into Padfoot, and goes for a long run. 

---

James wakes up with Remus in his arms, all snug against his chest, wonderfully naked, and—Circe's enchanted snatch—smelling recently-fucked and almost entirely of Sirius. James had taken a calming draught last night after a hard, brutal shag with Sirius couldn’t ease his mind about the Evan thing, and apparently he missed quite the event. James ignores his predictably hard dick in favor or burying his nose in Remus's warm neck and inhales deeply, drinking in the fucking phenomenal combination of the two men he's in love with.

"Go ‘way Pads…” Remus groans, his voice thick with sleep, and bats at his face. When his fingers land on the stubbled slope of James’s jaw, James sees his cheeks lift in a sleepy grin. “Y'r not Pa'foo'," Remus mumbles. He half-turns, seeking out James’s mouth with his own by muscle memory, and James is all too happy to oblige him, kissing Remus thoroughly until they’re both a little breathless. "Snuffles m'be…" 

James laughs quietly and gives Remus a little squeeze. He wishes he could transform just his nose into Prongs's, just to really give Remus a good snuffling. Heh. Snuffling. Sounds like a euphemism for sex. ...Which leads James to thinking about transforming other bits of him into Prongs, and if Remus would be keen…or if Moony would be keen, because he's wondered quite a bit, and-

"Y'r prong is pokin' me." Remus squirms in his hold and his arse rubs most distractingly against James's dick. "M'sleep… but y'can…" Remus lifts his leg a little, but trails off after some incoherent mutters, and James has to tamp down hard on his giggles. Godric, but he's cute. And he’s hard. Fuck. 

“Moony,” James whispers, nuzzling into the soft skin behind his ear. “Do you want my help with this?” He slides his hand down Remus’s chest to cup his more-than-half-hard dick. Remus exhales a breathy moan and rolls his hips into it, all languid and fluid like he’s still asleep. “Moooony,” James tries again. 

Remus jumps a little—he was asleep, the minx!—but immediately chases James’s hand when he pulls it away. “Wha?”

“I said, do you want my help with this?” Oh, he could play this game with Remus all day and never get bored. James bites the shell of Remus’s ear, delighting in another gasped moan, and inhales the intoxicating scent of the slick that he can feel dampening the front of his thighs. “Or are you too tuckered out from whatever you and Padfoot got up to last night?”

“Didn’t fuck Pa’foot,” Remus insists muzzily. He thrusts into James’s palm, oscillating from frantic wakefulness to slow, lazy half-asleep grinds. 

“Oh is that so?” James slips his hand further down and delves a finger between Remus’s cheeks. There’s the silky glide of slick, but also the tackier, thicker, and unmistakeable texture of come. He curses Past James for wearing athletic shorts to bed, because he’d love to just slide right in, fuck Sirius’s come back into him. “So where did this come come from, babe?” James withdraws his hand (to an annoyed huff from Remus) and works it between their bodies instead. Remus automatically hitches his leg up again, and James can’t help himself, can’t resist grinding against his arse, his clothed cock hard and aching in his shorts. James supports Remus’s leg with the crook of his elbow and goes back to his task. Remus is still loose, and his rim feels puffy, like the sex had been rough, and if he wasn’t getting to revel in this delectable aftermath now, he’d be sorry to have missed it. James pushes two fingers into Remus’s body and is rewarded with another woken-up flinch-gasp-moan combination. “You’re so tired, sweetheart. Should I let you rest?”

“Nooo,” Remus whines and clamps down around his fingers. “M’awake.”

“Yes, I can see that, but should you be? Feels like you had quite the midnight rendezvous, Moony.” James slowly starts to fuck Remus with his fingers, just a leisurely push in and drag out, not aiming for his prostate, not trying to make him come. The slick and Sirius’s come make the job so easy it should be illegal, and soon the room is filled with illicit, wet sounds, ones that make goosebumps harden Remus’s nipples and send a flush all the way down his chest. “Where did you shag?”

“The…the…” Remus tapers off with a low, guttural moan when James crooks his fingers firmly along his prostate for the first time, and James chuckles into his hair. “Balcony!”

“Oh fuck, Remus,” James groans. He can picture it: Remus riding Sirius on that sort-of dodgy chair he really ought to replace, or Sirius eating him out and fucking his thighs before shooting his load inside of him, just to teach Remus a lesson. What lesson, James hasn’t the foggiest, but it seems like the sort of cruel-hot shit Sirius would try. It just makes James want to fuck him more, to add his own come to Sirius’s and leave Remus like that all day, heavy in his gut. 

“Faster, James, please. More!”

If James were more awake and perhaps had had some brekkie before starting this little game, he might’ve been able to deny Remus a little longer. But his belly is empty, his cock is hard, and his balls are fit to bursting, and he has a begging, slicked-up, fucked-out Omega in his arms and at the end of the day, he’s only human. He does have enough life in him to tease him a little further, though. “Just my fingers, or-”

“Fuck your fingers!” Remus hisses, surprisingly sharp and definitely awake now. He reaches behind him and squeezes the base of James’s dick. “Put it in me.”

“Bossy this morning, are we, Moony?” James laughs.

“Bossy last night, too.” Sirius’s voice makes them both look at the door where he stands, fully dressed (with tented trousers), his work bag slung over his shoulder. James can’t quite see his expression without his glasses on, but he knows the smell of Sirius’s arousal now. “Take care of our Moony, Prongs.”

“Don’t want to join?” James asks, ignoring Remus’s blind groping for his waistband, continuing to finger him open. 

Sirius sighs and adjusts the strap of his bag. “Got a call from Hilda. Says her hippogriff mare’s having contractions, so… Can’t. Want to,” he adds, no doubt as enraptured by Remus’s writhing body as James is. “But can’t. I’ll send my Patronus when I’m finished.”

“‘Kay.” James grins, kisses the air with a wink, and mouths along Remus’s neck. “Say goodbye to Padfoot, Moony.”

Remus whines. “Bye…Padfoot- fuck! James!”

“And you say I’m a bad man,” Sirius tuts, no doubt knowing that James is relentlessly grinding into Remus’s prostate. “I’m going to leave before I… Yeah. Yes. Alright.” He jerks his eyes back towards James and smiles, getting out a, “Love you, have fun!” before he Disapparates. 

James decides to put Remus out his misery and shimmies out of his shorts just enough to let his cock spring free. He removes his fingers and ruts into Remus’s crease, spreading the slick onto himself (and working Remus into a fervor). “Sure you don’t want to sleep?”

“Fuck you!” Remus snaps, huffing and sweating and oh, James just wants to lick him from head to toe. “If you don’t-”

James cuts his rapidly growing tirade off with a sharp kick of his hips, burying himself to the hilt without any additional preamble. It punches a moan out of Remus that James swears he can feel in his cock. “Ssh, I’ve got you. I know what you need, Remus.”

“M’not gonna last,” Remus warns, already starting to tremble.

“S’alright.” James leaves open-mouthed kisses on his neck and shoulders as he fucks him deep and slow. There’s no rush. He’s got nothing on today. No meetings, no forms to fill out, nothing. Maybe if they can drag it out, though, Sirius can get back and join them. James has wondered, quite a lot actually, if Remus would be keen to just take load after load without any cleaning charms to whisk it away after, if he’d let Sirius and James take turns lapping it off of his cheeks and thighs and pushing it all back in with their tongues. 

Yeah, there’s no way he’s going to make it until Sirius gets back. 

Remus wraps a hand around himself, but James pushes him away gently. “Let me. You’re sleepy, remember?” James can feel Remus roll his eyes, but he doesn’t get any lip out of him before he starts to stroke his cock, wet with precome and blazing hot in his palm. He times each pass of his fist with his thrusts, and within half a dozen of them, Remus grasps his forearm and comes, spilling over his fingers and onto the bedsheets. James stills and gives Remus a moment before pulling out. 

“Where- James- you didn’t…?”

James grins and leaves a wet kiss on Remus’s pulse point. “Saving it.”

Remus whips his head round, nearly colliding with James’s chin. “‘Saving it’?”

James laughs, brushing Remus’s sweaty curls off his forehead. He tries not to be concerned about how warm he is. Remus has always run very very hot (dead useful in the winter, if he could be convinced to have a cuddle back in school), and it’s probably just the exertion that’s got him even more so. “Yeah. If I don’t finish now, then when Padfoot comes back, we can just pick back up where we left off!”

Remus blinks at him. “Um. Oh…kay?”

“Don’t think too hard about it!”

“James, I’m thinking the perfectly normal amount about this. What are you talking about? Do you not want to come? Can I… was this not enough for you? Do you…um…” Remus looks away, and James doesn’t miss the extra shine to his eyes. “You need Sirius, huh?”

“What? No! Moony. Remus! No!” James turns Remus in his arms and presses their bodies together, sweaty chest to sweaty chest, and hums quietly when Remus subconsciously cards his fingers through his chest hair. “You can tease me if you want, but… I… um. Well, I’m just going to say it.”

“If you'd be so kind."

“I…might want to see how big of a, um, load, I can put in you.” James says it in a rush, and sneaks a peek at Remus’s expression before barreling onward. “So if I come now, then it’s diminished, isn’t it? And yeah, there’s potions and such, but they taste really foul and make your jizz taste rotten—apparently—and honestly I don’t know if I’d trust a potion that’s meant to alter the, uh, volume of my balls because I really really want to use them someday and what if the potion fucks it up and we can’t have bambies and yes, I’m going to love any child you have, or you and Padfoot have, or you and me and Padfoot have, but also, you know, well. Okay. Pureblood rot incoming: I’d like an heir, uh…a child that looks like me? Maybe? If it’s possible? If you want? Only if you want! But I’ve always thought about getting one of those generational portraits done with the bambi and me and Dad and I never knew my own granddad, my parents being so old and all, so… Remus?” 

Remus has one leg thrown over James’s hip and is curled up snug against him, his nose tucked between James’s pecs, breath tickling his chest hair. A slow smile drifts across his mouth, and he gives James a little pat. “Alright, Prongs. Shh. M’sleep now…”

James worries that the sun that sits above his ribs will just burst right out with the affection that swells in him. “Cleaning charm?” he whispers.

“Nah. Wanna smell like you.”

“Okay then, Moony.” James strokes his hair, relaxing back into his pillows. “Get some rest.”

---

"Look alive, Padfoot!"

Sirius barely registers James's warning before a weighted Quaffle smacks him in the shoulder. "Ow, fuck!" Sirius shoots him a dirty look.

"Don't 'ow, fuck!' me, you twat." James recovers the ball and brushes off bits of grass and dirt reverently from its surface. "I warned you."

"Yeah, when it was an inch from my face!"

"It wasn't your face, it was your neck."

"Well then you missed, didn't you?" Sirius sneers.

"Maybe if it wasn't so scrawny- ooph!" James goes down as Sirius tackles him from his own broom (fortunately not very high off the ground), and they wrestle on the Pitch in the field behind the Potter house, seeing as how Sirius is still definitely banned from their old gym. "Get off m- ow, fuck!"

Sirius-now-Padfoot bites down harder on James's shoulder, growls, and flits away with a bark. His hackles are up, and he doesn't really know why he's so angry, but he just feels wrong. It's for sure not his rut (not even Remus's deliciousness could trigger another one in such a short amount of time, though Sirius honestly wouldn't mind a repeat…) but he's been in a foul mood all day, swinging wildly between the morose and spitting mad. He couldn’t even bring himself to be upset when Remus declared he needed to get some work done outside the flat (though James looked a bit pained about that, clingy darling that he is). Being called out to the gods-damned Hebrides for a pregnant hippogriff who was not, in fact, in labor but just had really awful gas, certainly didn’t get his day off to a sunny start. Maybe it’s that. Maybe it's the ominous things he read last night, or maybe he's finally losing it. 

James's stunner smacks Padfoot in the shoulder and he yowls, dodging spellfire with agile bounds before getting in close and snatching the wand from James's very hand. He tosses it off to the dimension of ‘he doesn't give a fuck’ and doubles back to body slam James again.

He's met with the solid wall of Prongs and yelps when he's knocked flat on his arse. Prongs gives him a solid kick and a warning toss of his antlers, and Padfoot lopes out of range, annoyed but cowed. It's just not bloody fair that Prongs gets stronger and spikier every year! He misses when he was just a scrawny, spindly little thing, back when they weren't entirely sure if he'd be any use at all against a frothing, hungry werewolf. Padfoot was top dog then (werewolf company not included), but now…now Prongs weighs nearly 30 stone and has eighteen fucking tines on his antlers (which James, upon growing his latest set, informed them qualifies him as a Monarch stag and they ought to refer to them as such, the wanker).

He feels dangerous, like he needs to do something stupid and reckless to escape the ants-on-toast feeling in his skin, so he leaps forward and nips at Prongs's front hocks. Prongs huffs and tries to kick at him, but Padfoot dances easily out of the way. Prongs might have fucking machetes attached to his head, but Padfoot is fast, whipcord lean. He does it again, this time catching some of the skin between his scissored front teeth, weaving through Prongs's long legs and snapping at his back hooves, too. One of those catches him firmly in the hip and Padfoot yowls again before racing off into the woods surrounding the Potters' house.

It smells like safety here, in the far coastal reach of Cornwall, like home. The sun is a relentless force overhead and the salt air is tangy in his nose, luring him closer. Padfoot thinks he can understand why Moony likes the ocean so much, if it feels like this to him, too. He hears the sound of hoofbeats behind him, the grunting and huffing of a stag in full gallop, and cranks up the speed, darting between trees and bounding over limbs and boulders. They haven't done this, just the two of them, in ages, and it's exhilarating. In another forest, Prongs might've been tripped up by the obstacles, but this was where they spent their adolescent years practicing for the full moons. Being animals didn't mean jack shit if they couldn't actually keep pace with Moony on a tear.

Padfoot sniffs the air at the edge of the forest and, confident that Monty's wards are still in place to avoid looky-loos, he bounds across the wooden bridge that leads down to the beach, leaps off the top of the last step, and promptly lands flat on his face with a mawful of sand.

Prongs's huffs of laughter are familiar and chafing, and Padfoot growls at him, though the effect is entirely ruined by the white sand streaming from his mouth and coating his black fur. Someone must've moved the step or something or maybe Monty's magic grabbed his ankle…whatever. Prongs butts his shoulder hard with his muzzle and Padfoot flops over with a groan. Fine.

He plays dead for several seconds, ignoring Prongs's humid breath ruffling and tangling his fur. But when Prongs delivers a well-aimed (if gentle) kick (more of a hoof-smack, really) to Padfoot's bollocks, Padfoot yelps and jumps nearly out of skin trying to get away and is moderately successful, as he lands back in the sand as a man.

"Ow, fuck!" Sirius hisses, cupping himself through his athletic shorts. 

Prongs prances in a victory lap before turning back into James, standing triumphant, arms akimbo. "You've already used ‘em, what's the harm?"

"Twat."

"Wanker."

"Pillock."

"Arsewipe."

"Bellend."

"Poof."

Sirius launches himself at James and tackles him back to the sand, all elbows and black hair and sweat as they grapple there. "Says the man who just ate me out in the shower!"

James laughs and flips them so he's got Sirius pinned to the ground. "Never said I wasn't one!" Sirius scowls at him, and James rolls his eyes. "The fuck else crawled up your arse, though, Padfoot? You've gone all pissy again."

"'Again'?"

"Yeah, you're doing that thing you do."

"I don't do a thing!" Sirius cries, indignant.

"Shut up and tell me what's wrong so I can tell you you're being an idiot?"

Sirius glares up at James and tries to buck him off, to no avail. "Or we could fuck?" He doesn't want to talk about this. He doesn't want to dredge up all the icky feelings lurking under the garbage heap of his box of emotions. He doesn't want to burden James with what is probably fiction, not until he knows for sure and has a plan at the ready. Sirius runs his hands up James's muscular thighs and slides his fingers under the compression lining of his shorts. James didn’t get off earlier. This should be easy.

"Sure," James agrees, leaning down close. "But only after you tell me what's wrong."

Oh fuck him. Sirius tenses his abs to try to kiss James, but James puts his own hand over his mouth.

"Nmph!" James mumbles around his hand. He's enjoying himself, the bastard, but Sirius has a sinking feeling that he's being serious. Rude.

"M'not drunk enough for this conversation." Where would he even begin? James isn't going to be able to just do nothing about it, Sirius knows. He'll walk to the ends of the earth to find a solution, but…there might not be one. And that’s worse, isn’t it? Knowing about a very big problem and not being able to do a thing to fix it? Awful.

James pulls his hand away. "All the more reason to have it sober."

"Agree to disagree," Sirius snips.

James rolls his eyes and shuffles until he's properly sitting on top of Sirius, legs and arms crossed. "Speak, Padfoot."

Sirius mutters a dark woof and stubbornly remains quiet for several seconds. James pinches his side, Sirius shows his teeth, and runs his hands over his face. "It's probably not even that big of a deal."

"Well that's on-brand for you, yeah?"

"Oh piss off! Fine, I'm not telling you!"

“So your plan is to suffer on your own, then, is it?”

“It is.”

James pinches his nipple, hard, and then flicks the bond mark on his shoulder. “Tell me or I’ll tell Remus you’re in a snit and-”

“No!”

James raises his eyebrows. “So it’s to do with Remus, then?”

“...No…” Sirius lies.

“Right. So what’s the matter? What’s he done? What’ve you done? You’ve barely said three words to each other today, and you got on just fine last night, if memory serves, so…?”

Sirius heaves a heavy, resigned sigh, and covers his face with his hands again. “Nothing. He didn’t do anything wrong-”

“Worked that out for myself, actually.”

“Founders’ fuckmeat, James, shut up. Fine, I’m not tell-”

James wraps his fingers around Sirius’s wrists and pulls his hands away and up to his lips, pressing soft kisses to his fingertips. “Okay, alright, sorry, sorry. Go on.”

“He’s been reading a book, which, yeah, isn’t anything new, but I’ve no idea where he’s gotten it from. It’s handbound and hand-written, and… it’s about werewolf pregnancies. James, it’s… there’s some scary shit in there.”

A furrow grows between James’s brows, and he slides their palms together, fingers interlaced. “Scary how? He seemed fine this morning…not afraid or nothing.”

“I mean, maybe he didn’t get to that part? I sort of flipped through it, but basically… His magic is going to weaken.”

James frowns slightly. “Yeah? I mean… that part is pretty normal for pregnant male Omegas, right? What- did you not read the books I gave you? Well- nevermind that. When a male Omega gets pregnant, their bodies are undergoing a lot of change, and their magic makes it all happen. It’s why there aren’t any Squib Omegas, but there can be Beta and Alpha Squibs, though that one’s basically a myth. But back to Remus… Yeah, of course his magic is going to weaken. It’s not going to be a problem though, because he’s got two very powerful wizards as his Alphas and he won’t need to lift a finger, let alone his wand!”

Sirius doesn’t bring up the fact that Remus isn’t going to let himself be doted on hand and foot (he barely accepts compliments outside of the throes of sex!). “The book didn’t specify Omegas. They said all pregnant werewolves experience this.”

“Well, it’s handwritten, so maybe they just forgot to put Omega in?” James suggests.

Sirius shakes his head. “I don’t think so… But even if that’s what they meant, that’s not the scariest bit. James, if he doesn’t have enough magic to survive the transformation on the full moon, he could die.”

“...Like… die-die?”

“Yes, like die-die, James!” Sirius shouts.

James falls quiet for all of three seconds before hopping off of Sirius and clapping his hands together. “Right. So I’m off to the library to do some research, and we’ll…we’ll invent a potion or something if it doesn’t already exist that can augment his magical core. Or a ritual. Or a snack, or something. Like an herbal supplement! A protein shake? Bet we can make it caramel-flavored for him. It’s going to be fine, Sirius. And that book probably isn’t even true!” 

Sirius’s disbelief must be painted across his face, because James hauls Sirius to his feet. “Listen. We’re brilliant. He’s not quite three months gone, yeah? Plenty of time to work out a solution. We’ve got Poppy and Minerva in our arsenal, too, and Lyall! And Regulus- Regulus! Maybe it’s a curse thing? Maybe he can reverse it, or put in a counter-curse or something on an amulet. Owl him! Wait.” James searches Sirius’s face, frowning. “You have told him, haven’t you?”

Sirius, mind spinning from the avalanche of word vomit that’s just come at him, blinks and shakes his head. “Not exactly…”

“So no.”

“That is correct.”

“Okay, so I’ll go to the library, and you’ll go to Regulus, and-”

A token in Sirius’s pocket starts beeping an alarm and it grows increasingly hotter until Sirius pulls it out. He swears and brushes sand from his trousers. “Fucking Hilda again. If this hippogriff is still not popping that foal out, I’m inducing labor, I’m not even joking.”

“So…I’ll go to the library and you’ll put your arm up a hippogriff’s bum.”

Sirius slugs him on the shoulder. “Foals don’t come out the arse, idiot.”

“Wonder where our babies are gonna come out from…gotta read that chapter of the book…”

“You do that. Okay. I’ll… Fuck. I don’t know when I’ll be back. Just… don’t tell Remus?”

James grimaces. “It doesn’t seem like something we should keep from him. It directly involves him, Padfoot.”

Panic creeps up Sirius’s chest and tightens his throat. “No. I suppose… I suppose not. Just- fuck you, you stupid little coin!” He deactivates it and shoves it in his pocket. “Okay. Yeah. Well. Send a patronus if it gets…dicey. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He steps in close and kisses James, comforted by the firm embrace he’s drawn into. 

“We’ll be fine. Go on. Go bring new life into the world, Doctor Black.” 

---

"Hey, uh, Remus?"

Remus looks up to see Benjy Fenwick walking up to the butcher block counter where he’s been munching away at his latest masterpiece. "What's up, Benjy?"

Benjy looks supremely uncomfortable, his face red, and he can't quite meet Remus's eyes. "Don't take this the wrong way, but…is it possible that you're maybe um, in the family way?"

Remus sets his snack down and tries to keep his expression and voice level. He's not been too keen on the idea of telling other people so soon. He's not quite outside of his first trimester, and with the whole mess with Evan, keeping it a secret from those who don't need to know feels comforting, offers Remus a semblance of control. 

"Why would you think that? I'm not mated," Remus says evenly.

"Oh, I know!" There's a brightness, a sparkle to Benjy's lovely blue eyes that doesn't go unnoticed. He sounds so thrilled at that, too, and Remus supposes he should be flattered. Benjy's a fit Beta, tan skin and striking blue eyes with honey-brown hair. He's tall, but not quite as tall as Sirius, and he's built like a rower, broad shoulders and a trim waist. "I just um, well … you look a bit different? And I’ve got four sisters and they’ve all been pregnant, so I’m sort of an- well, no, they wouldn’t want me presuming I’m an expert, but I’m experienced, is all I’m saying."

Remus blanches and looks down at himself. His jeans didn't button this morning, so he just left them open and put a concealing charm over them to hide the fact that his button's undone, but even though he only cast it a few hours ago, it's gone and fizzled out. Great. It's his turn to blush, feeling terribly self conscious. He should just live in trackies. A drawstring elastic would be far more forgiving and comfortable. 

Benjy must realize what he's said and how it's landed, because he's shaking his head and holding his hands out in front of him. "Oh god not like that! I mean, you're just… Well.” He makes a vague gesture in Remus’s direction. “And then there's this!" He makes a far more recognizable gesture to the plate in front of Remus. 

"What's wrong with it?"

"Remus. You know I think you're brilliant," Benjy stresses, genuine and eager, "but… tuna and chocolate on an onion bun? That's…something."

Remus thinks it tastes fucking great. The tuna adds a tanginess to the chocolate, and onion buns are just good. He smiles mildly at Benjy. "Agree to disagree, which is fine. That's why I work with you: you're not shy about telling me something's off." He wraps the remainder of the toast in wax paper and puts it in his satchel. He needs to go home and learn alteration charms, immediately. He's not even proper showing and apparently it's fucking obvious. "So, thank you. For that. I'm, um, gonna call it a day and try to rework this at home, shall I?"

Benjy looks lost, guilty, and a little crushed. "Would you like some help? I just got this salt that’s from the banks of the Styx, might impr- give you some more options to play with."

Remus rests his hand on Benjy's shoulder and shakes his head. "Nah, I'll crack it. Make James taste test it until it's right." Benjy's face falls, and he looks like he might say or ask something else, and Remus needs to go. "So I'll see you tomorrow? Yes? Have a good night!"

Remus walks (half-jogs) to the Tube station and hustles the rest of the journey to the flat. He's sweating buckets by the time he steps through the front door, his shirt plastered to his back and his hair dripping a little. Maybe he should buy a car. And sit for his license. Anything would be better than this.

The climate charms in the flat are a relief, but as soon as the door shuts behind him, Remus starts peeling off his sweaty clothing. He dumps his bag on the table, puts his very special toast under a stasis, and strips down to his pants. The cool air is a balm and Remus leans against the even cooler wall with a gratified moan. 

After a moment of reprieve, Remus gathers his clothes and takes them to the laundry hamper in his bedroom. It has the unfortunate effect of him seeing his body in the mirror though, and he grimaces. He's a mess, a chewed-up dog toy, knobby-kneed and oddly proportioned. Sure, his bum is rather nice, but every twist and turn reveals a new scar, a new horror. What will his children even think of him, looking like the monster he is?

"Well good afternoon, Mr Lupin." In Remus's hurry to cool off, he didn't notice James coming home. From the reflection in the mirror, he can see James leaning against the doorframe, and his appreciative smirk is rapidly replaced by a frown of concern when he takes the whole sight in. "What's the matter? Something happen at work? Are you alright?"

Ridiculously, Remus wraps his arms around his middle, like James hasn’t seen literally every inch of his body, up close and personal. "I'm fine."

"So that's Remus for 'not at all okay'," James prompts. He approaches slowly from behind and covers Remus's crossed arms with his big hands. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but…you can if you'd like."

Remus chews on the inside of his cheek, suddenly anxious and overwhelmed. He leans back into James's chest with a sigh, and takes comfort in the gentle press of his lips on his temple. "Apparently, I look pregnant."

He sees James's eyes flick down to his stomach, and watches the confusion spread. "Uh…huh? I mean, you've a bit of a swell, maybe, here, but it's not noticeable, if that's what you're worried about. I think you look beautiful."

Remus blushes. "That's what you said the morning after our first full moon together," he says quietly. "My nose was broken and I'd given myself two black eyes, on top of the usual carnage." Based on their retelling, the wolf had been very suspicious of the new creatures following it around, and played a very evasive game of tag, resulting in some less than stellar maneuvers on the wolf's end. Tree trunks are very solid. 

James smiles and kisses the top of his head. "I always think you're beautiful, Remus." 

A moment of peace falls between them, light but meaningful. Remus finally turns in his arms to kiss James properly, his own arms coming to rest around his shoulders. "I also apparently make weird pregnancy food."

Remus can smell the faux indignation radiating from James a mile away. He's a dreadful liar when it comes to this sort of thing. "What? No! That, uh, gravy toast…thing on the counter looked pretty sort of good!"

"It's tuna, chocolate, and onion bread."

"Oh. Yeah. Well.” James cracks a grin. “That's rough, mate." James laughs through Remus's huff and kisses him soundly. "I'll just add it to the book!. But who's this accusing you of stuff?"

"Benjy," Remus says before he can think better of it. 

"Benjy," James repeats. He's calmer than Remus expected, but, then, James isn't Sirius. Sirius has a possessiveness streak that Remus is all too (and wonderfully) familiar with. "Do I need to have a chat with Benjy?"

"What? No!" Remus laughs, exasperated, and places his palms flat on James's chest. "He's just concerned. He's always looking out for me."

"Always looking at you, you mean. Not that I can blame him. Or judge him."

Remus rolls his eyes but smiles up at him. "I need to take a shower. I'm disgusting."

"Disgustingly beautiful," James agrees sagely with a nod. "Want some help?"

A zing of arousal sparks through Remus, but he tamps it down. James wants to save his spunk for his own reasons, he'd do well not to tempt him away from that. "You're just trying to get my pants off."

James smiles, cheeky. "What can I say?" He starts penguin-walking Remus towards the bathroom door. "I'm always trying to get your pants off."

James doesn't complain when Remus sets the taps to lukewarm, and doesn't fuss when Remus just stands there, getting watered like a plant, his core temperature finally feeling like it's coming down. If he's already this sensitive to the temperature this early on, he's less than thrilled about later on in his pregnancy. Summer’s not even properly here, but of course London would choose to announce its impending arrival with too much sunshine and not enough clouds, for the first time in history.

“Pass that to me, would you?” James says, reaching for one of the several vials of hair potion on the shower shelf. It’s one of Sirius’s, Remus notes, but as his own is empty and he’s forgotten to buy more, he’s not going to complain. Hopefully Sirius won’t be such a prat about it now that they’re all adults (and actively shagging) like he’d been in school. Hell hath no fury like a Sirius who’s learned that someone's used his twenty-galleon hair potion. 

“You don’t have to do this, you know.”

“I know.” James kisses the crown of his head before proceeding to shampoo it, using copious amounts of the soap to lather up Remus’s hair. His thumbs rub the tension out of his neck, and before Remus knows it, he’s being held up solely by James’s arm around his middle, boneless and relaxed. “That’s it, Remus,” he murmurs comfortingly. He washes the rest of Remus’s body, his hands roving lovingly and not amorously down the flat planes, lingering low on his belly before he rinses Remus off. 

James braces him as they get out of the shower, and wraps Remus up in a warm, fluffy towel. It would’ve been suffocating earlier, but now that he’s cooled off, Remus just feels good. It reminds him a little of long summer days spent colting around on the beach at home, the sunshine turning his skin brown and warm and bleaching his hair. He’d come in after a full day of it, soaking wet with sea water and covered in sand and salt, and his mum would direct him to the shower with a swat of her tea towel. But when he came out, she’d have a spot for him on the sofa with one of her quilts, a big glass of cool lemonade, and a massive bacon-and-pickle sandwich. She’d untangle his curls one by one and he would just melt into the couch, tired and content. 

This is a bit like that. 

“Steady on, Moony,” James chuckles and lifts Remus into his arms.

“Prongs!” 

“Shh, just enjoy it.” James kisses the tip of his nose and carries Remus back into the bedroom with an ease that just does things to him. Slippery…slick things. James sets Remus on the bed with a casual, low-distance toss and stands at the edge of the bed. Remus can’t help but watch a bead of water slide down the cut of his hip and through the hair on his thigh, and he’s found himself suddenly quite thirsty. 

Remus sees the moment James smells the slick. His pupils widen, his heartbeat ticks up, his scent changes as his cock starts to fatten. Remus fully expects (and wants) him to act on it, so he’s completely taken by surprise when James clears the air with a wave of his wand, charms a filtration bubble over his own nose, and sits down next to Remus. “Uh…”

“I had a segue to this but it was almost an hour ago and trying to do it now would be sort of pointless and, uh, fuck, what’s the Latin for it? Nonsex cute Tor…y? No, that’s not right.”

“Non sequitur,” Remus answers softly, still stunned and now a little concerned. James never hesitates to speak his mind, and the fact that he’s struggling with it is…odd. Foreboding. What could be so bad that he’s nervous? 

Before Remus’s brain can run away with a thousand and five doomsday scenarios, James clears his throat. “We found your book.”

“My…book?” A sizzling, sinking stone settles like soured milk in his stomach. Maybe James means a different book. Remus does have a lot of books, so it honestly could be any of them. He even has a few tucked near his toy box, erotica novels and a few books on kink that Mary gave him once she found out about Evan’s whole thing. It’s probably one of those, then. Because the book he’s worried about them finding is… is… “Oh.” The memory of leaving it outside after his energetic fuck with Sirius last night stings like nettles. “Listen, James, I-”

James takes one of Remus’s hands and holds it between both of his. “No, Remus, you need to listen.” He takes a deep breath and lifts his head to look at Remus full-on. “I know you think all knowledge is knowledge worth having, but that book is dangerous. We have no way of knowing if it’s true, and worrying about your magical core is just going to make you second-guess everything that you do!”

His what? “My magical core?” Remus hasn’t made much progress on the book. It has a moldy smell to it, tucked under layers of mothball-esque charms to protect the pages, and something like formaldehyde, and honestly after the prologue, he spooked himself and needed to stop. 

“Ah…bollocks.” James grimaces. “So let’s forget everything I’ve just said and have a snog, shall we?”

Remus pushes him back as James advances, shaking his head. “No. James. No. What about my magical core?”

What James tells him is properly horrifying. Remus knows a bit about magical core theory. His dad taught him before he even went off to Hogwarts after Remus, in a fit of angry-werewolf-child rage, accidentally summoned a legion of selkies, mermaids, and hippocampuses (and one juvenile kraken) to their beach with his wild magic, all ready to fight against the injustice of not being able to stay up late to see Santa Claus come down the chimney, all at his beckoning. It took his dad nearly an hour and several translation spells to get everything sorted out and everyone sent back to their proper reaches of the sea. Remus was very sick and weak for a few days afterwards, and his dad sat him down to teach him about self-control and self-regulation. 

“I could… die?” His throat feels tight and he can’t breathe . It’s just another ball of fuck you the universe has lobbed his way, just another way his lycanthropy can make his life agonizing. It’s not even the dying part Remus is worried about. He’d be a liar if he said he’s never thought about death before. Not in a self-harm sort of way, but that he doesn’t actually fear it, because how can it be any worse than the hell he’s put through every twenty-eight days? So it’s not that that has him panicking. It’s the idea that his babies are in danger, and that the people around him who love him would be devastated and in so, so, so much pain if something bad happened to him. 

James pushes himself over to surround Remus’s body with his own, covering nearly every inch of Remus. He’s warm and solid and his heartbeat is a little quick, but steady, and Remus focuses on that. “If what the book says is true! And, look, Remus, it’s probably not! It’s just some rot written by some weird fucker named Vidar which - that name sounds really familiar and not in a good way, right? Is it just me?” James shakes his head as if to clear his thoughts. “Look. Why don’t… Poppy’s not an expert on werewolves or anything, but she knows magical core stuff, right?”

“She…does?”

James’s huff of laughter tickles the back of Remus’s neck. “Oh, I suppose you weren’t a bellend who tried to do advanced magic in first year and nearly got himself blown up… You always were smarter than the rest of us, Moons.”

“Well, yes. But I don’t follow.”

“I got sent to the Hospital Wing and Poppy has a special little thing-a-mah-jiggy that gave me a little poke and a re-up of magic, I guess. To be honest, I wasn’t paying a lot of attention to the mechanics because I was trying to decide if I wanted to be a ghost and haunt Sirius for shits and giggles or if it would just be better to just pass on… I’m getting off topic.” James sighs. “Point is, Poppy knows a lot about this, and I think she has a spell or some whatsit to see what yours looks like.”

“I suppose… I have been meaning to go for a check-up anyway. So you do think it’s a possibility?”

“Does no one read the books I give them?” James groans and squeezes Remus a little. “Your magic is already going to be a little silly since you’re a pregnant male Omega, but those dips are well-documented and researched. Poppy will know what to do.”

“So you do think so.”

“Remus, I think that book is nonsense but I love you and our bambies and I don’t want to take any risks.”

Remus falls silent for a few moments before nodding. “Yeah, alright. But let’s wait until Padfoot comes home and we’ll ring her and set up a date to come by. Sound good?” When James nods, Remus turns in his arms and muffles a yawn in James’s shoulder. “Right now, though, I’m pretty keen on a nap.”

James kisses him, soft and slow and incredibly sweet. “Sounds good, Moony. Sounds good.”

---

The flat is still dark when Sirius comes home the next morning, near dead on his feet and still smelling faintly of hay. The morning light streams through the blinds and makes geometric shapes on their carpet, but other than that, it might as well be nighttime. It’s gone nine o’clock, and James is usually up and about, showered and fed and watered after his dawn run and his post-dawn workout. There’s usually a plate of waffles or scones or, sometimes, a near-full English kept under a stasis for Sirius when he’s out on calls overnight, but…nothing.

Well, he hadn’t sent his Patronus ahead of him. He’d returned James’s pacing stag a few hours ago, saying he was okay but still working on it, but hadn’t let him know when he’d be back. So he supposes it’s his fault there’s no brekkie waiting for his hard-working, sore-shouldered self. Ugh. Of all the dumb luck. 

Sirius chucks his med bag onto the couch and kicks off his boots, sending them soaring to the entryway where they belong (he’s not a complete slob). His stomach growling, he decides to really give the kitchen a thorough look for a snack James might’ve hidden away, for some reason, just for Sirius. What he finds on the counter is a plate of toast with nutella and maybe a marshmallow spread. “Oh hell yeah. Ta, Jim,” Sirius says to the countertop, and shoves near half the toast into his mouth.

His eyes water and Sirius makes a mess of the backsplash, a spray of bread and Morgana-knows what hellspread coming out. He turns on the tap and sticks his head under it to rinse his mouth out, but the taste still lingers. “What the fuck?” he whines, shock turning to confusion turning to anger, overriding his exhaustion. He’s gone for nearly a full fucking day and this is the thanks he gets? This is the welcome? 

Sirius storms down the hallway to give James a piece of his mind. Their room is empty when he kicks open the door, and as he stalks across to Remus’s room, a sound breaks through his indignation that shatters it completely.

“Good boy, Remus.”

It’s followed by a low moan, and Sirius doesn’t hesitate to investigate. He sees Remus, fully naked, kneeling on a pile of pillows between James’s spread knees. James’s cock is down Remus’s throat, but neither of them are moving much. Remus’s throat works as he gags a little and swallows, and James’s entire upper body is made darker by an aroused flush, but nothing else. 

“Don’t look, love, ” James tells Remus. Sirius bristles—James is using his Alpha voice on Remus? It’s… that’s… that’s not okay! He’s not his Alpha, so he doesn’t exactly have the legal right to use it unprompted. But James looks up at Sirius and smiles, and Sirius struggles to stay angry. “‘Lo, Padfoot. Delivery go well?” he asks, like he doesn’t have his gorgeous cock down Remus’s throat. 

Sirius can’t look away from where they’re joined, Remus’s lips stretched thin around James’s cock, drool coating his chin and jaw and neck, some dripping down to his chest. “Er…yeah. Twins, actually. A colt and a filly,” he answers distractedly. 

“Lovely stuff.” James cards his fingers through Remus’s hair, and Remus moans at the contact. “Good boy, Remus. You’re taking this so well, aren’t you?”

“Uh…James.” Sirius clears his throat. It’s getting harder and harder to think clearly when the room is drenched in sex and slick and also he’d a fucking liar if he said James’s Alpha voice didn’t do things to him sometimes. “Alpha voice, really?” he manages to choke out.

“Hm? Yeah. He asked me to, actually. Didn’t you, Remus?” Sirius watches Remus’s head bob in a nod, and James groans. “Don’t be so vanilla, Padfoot,” James teases. “He’s clearly having a good time. He’s been hard for over two hours.”

Sirius’s eyes go wide and his dick twitches, nearly fully hard in his work robes. “Two hours?”

“Mmhm. That’s it, Remus. Move for me?” Remus obeys, and James swears. “Oh fuck, yes, good. Fuck.” His eyes flutter shut and Sirius shrugs off his robes, desperate with the need to touch one or both of them. “Let him…mmm, ease up, Moony, there’s a good lad. I let him rest a bit after your last Patronus and then, well, you know our Moony, hard as rocks when he wakes up. But we thought we’d wait for you this time, and he’s been so good, keeping my cock warm.”

Remus whines and thrusts into the air, his dick hard and neglected, an almost angry shade of red, soaked with precome. The pillows, too, are wet with slick and Sirius drops to his knees behind Remus. 

“I haven’t come since the other night,” James tells him. “Thought I could make it a little longer, but…fuck, look at him, Padfoot.” 

Sirius does look, covetously running his hands down Remus’s back and around his waist, splaying them out flat just above Remus’s prick. “Look at you,” he murmurs against the shell of Remus’s ear. “You still even with us, Moony?”

Remus whines again and tilts his hips backwards, trying to rub his arse against Sirius’s clothed erection. Fuck, why is he wearing clothes again? He garbles something that sounds suspiciously like fuck you , but anything else is cut short by James starting to actually thrust into his mouth. 

“How do you want to do this, Padfoot? You’ve not gotten any rest. I can always finish up here, if you want to sleep.” 

Sirius doesn’t miss the mischievous twinkle in James’s eyes and he rolls his own. He strips efficiently and presses his body flush to Remus’s sweat-slicked back. “The fuck I want to sleep.”

“Thought so,” James laughs. “But I’m going to knot him, so you pick what you want to do.”

A part of Sirius rankles at the idea of James knotting Remus instead of Sirius getting to do it, but the rest of him is practically slavering at the thought. He weighs his options. He could leave and take a Pepper-Up potion, but then he’d be wide awake for the rest of the afternoon and miserably tired by sundown (not to mention it makes your spit and come taste like bad mouthwash, he’s learned from experience). As much as he wants to, he really doesn’t think he can muster up the energy to fuck Remus like he deserves to be fucked, but he also knows he can’t just go to sleep. 

“Moony,” Sirius whispers, repeating it over and over through kisses on his shoulderblades and neck until he hears an answering groan. “Do you want to eat me out? Three taps for yes, one tap for-” Remus taps the floor three times before Sirius can even finish speaking, and Sirius smiles against his skin. Sirius looks back up at James. “You heard the man.”

James thrusts a few more times into Remus’s throat and withdraws, the movement accompanied by a fucked-out moan from Remus when he’s finally out. “That was perfect, Moony.” James helps Remus stand up and kisses him, a filthy, open-mouthed thing that makes Sirius nearly feral, seeing the pink swipe of Remus’s tongue, of James’s plunging into his open mouth like his cock just had.

“Any day now, Prongs,” Sirius rasps, grabbing the base of his dick tight with his hands. 

James flips him two fingers. “Get comfy, princess. I’ll improvise.”

Sirius gives Remus’s neck one last kiss and gets to his feet. He climbs onto the bed and crawls to the head of it on his hands and knees before dropping his head down into the pillows, knees spread, arse up. The pillows are saturated with Remus’s watermelon scent, and Sirius could just stay here all day, breathing it in, letting it fill him up and push everything else but Remus out of his brain. There’s a little bit of James there, too, on the side closest to the door, and Sirius can’t help but rub his cheek into that as well. The bed dips behind him and the cool tingle of a cleaning charm goes through him, strong enough to leave even his mouth feeling nice and fresh. When he shoots James a look over his shoulder, James just shrugs. 

“What? You were elbow-deep in a hippogriff’s muff and Godric knows what else.”

“Not gonna let you come if you say anything like that ever again,” Remus mutters, the first proper words he’s spoken since Siirus has been home. His voice is wrecked, and the message all the sterner for it. Sirius can feel the heat of him against his thighs and considers, for a moment, asking Remus to fuck him. But then Remus bites at the meat of his arse and all Sirius wants now is that tongue on him.

“Not going to let me, is it?” James laughs. Sirius can feel him moving Remus around behind him and mourns the brief loss of Remus’s mouth. “Well then I’ll have to be on my best behavior. Lay down. On your elbows.”

The mattress shifts again as Remus moves to comply, and Sirius drops down a little more, too. He’s spread out quite far and feels extremely exposed like this, but Remus is nuzzling his balls from behind and his warm fingers start to stroke him, and then he doesn’t really care about that after all. 

James apparently is done waiting, and wastes zero time in entering Remus with a sharp buck. It forces Remus forward, but Remus just makes use of it to grab hold of Sirius’s hips, dragging him to his level, and licks a broad swipe over his furled hole. “Oh, fuck,” Sirius breathes, goosebumps mottling his skin. He reaches back with one hand to spread himself a little, and gets a happy little hum from Remus. 

Remus isn’t shy about it, Sirius realizes. He’s soon lost to the sublime pleasure of Remus’s tongue working him open, forced a little deeper each time James fucks into him. Sirius can feel Remus’s moans and cries of pleasure and hissed swears, and does his best just to stay put so Remus can continue on. James pitches forward, and suddenly Remus is even closer, close enough to wrap his hand completely around Sirius’s needy cock and start to stroke him in earnest.

“Good, Remus. Make him come all over your pillows,” James rumbles, and Sirius can’t help but clench down at that. “You want to, don’t you Padfoot? Mark them up like the dog you are?”

Fuck, but he does, and a low whine works its way out of somewhere deep in his chest, unbidden, and Sirius finds himself extremely close to the edge. “Close, Moony, close. C’mon, keep… ah- keep…almost…”

“Use your Alpha voice,” James suggests, not even winded, the athletic fucker. 

“No, it’s wrong, it’s-”

“Do it,” Remus gasps, come up for air. “Tell me what to do. I want it. Please.”

Sirius frowns and tries to think, but his thoughts aren’t sticking; they’re sliding off like water on glass and he just wants to come, dammit. But Remus wants it. He does. It’s okay. “Make me come on your tongue, Moony.”

Remus makes a desperate, needy sound, and delves his tongue back into Sirius’s hole. He’s like a man possessed, licking and sucking and nibbling, and when he slips one finger past Sirius’s loosened rim and crooks it against his prostate, Sirius is done. He comes with a broken groan, coating the pillowcases with it, riding back on Remus’s face until it passes. 

Sirius doesn’t wait until the aftershocks are done. He turns around to see the show, and is rewarded by the sight of James, sweaty-chested and looking like he’s built from fucking bronze, each muscle standing out beautifully. They look so fucking good together, James’s brown skin next to Remus’s tan, James’s bulk nearly double Remus’s, their curls mixing together when James drops down onto his hands, head hanging between his shoulders, going like a freight train. 

“Ready to come on my knot, Moony?” 

“God, yes,” Remus pleads, looking up through his fringe at Sirius. His eyes glaze over, a primal sound rips from him, and then he’s coming, bucking back against James frantically, and stopping only when James comes, too, fully seated in Remus’s body.

If he died right now…Sirius wouldn’t mind. He’s prefer not to, obviously, because he wants to do that again (and maybe have Remus fuck him next time…maybe…) but he could go as a content man. His limbs feel heavier than lead, but Sirius forces them into compliance so he can help James and Remus arrange themselves into a comfortable position. 

Now that he’s come, James is predictably affectionate, nuzzling into Remus’s neck and grabbing Sirius for loving, tender kisses. Remus is on top of him, but James drags Sirius down, too, to curl up on his side. Sirius’s legs tangle with Remus’s, and it’s so hot and sticky and someone should cast some sort of cleaning charm. He does a half-hearted one, but stops there, feeling fully done for the day. Maybe the week. 

Remus is quiet for nearly five minutes, but threads his fingers with Sirius’s atop James’s chest.. “Twins, hey?” 

“Your voice is sin, Moony,” Sirius notes. “But yeah. Twins.”

Remus smiles, clearly feeling the same way Sirius did (and does) when he delivered them. Twin hippogriffs are rarer than even twin humans, and seeing a perfect outcome at his job gives him the hope that their twins will be healthy, too.

---

It’s nearly a week before Poppy is able to see Remus. She and Minerva were away on a trip, something just for the two of them before their girls returned from school, and Remus assured her it was no rush and not an emergency , because they deserve to have a nice time, but he spent each of those days in a constant state of near-panic. James and Sirius did their best to distract him, but as soon as their knots went down, Remus’s mind would spin up again. 

But the day has come and even though James is away at a conference, Remus feels plenty safe with Sirius as they set out for Poppy and Minerva’s cottage. Just the smell of the place: herbal and clean with the tempting aroma of freshly-baked biscuits, has his mind settling. Poppy wastes no time in greeting them and ushering them through to their sitting room where she pushes a mug of tea into Remus’s hand and a plate of biscuits. “Eat. You’ll feel better.”

“I feel fine,” Remus lies around a mouthful of biscuit crumbs.

“You only lie to me when you’re not feeling fine, so would you care to try that again, Remus?”

Damn. She knows him too well. 

“He’s worried about his-”

“Sirius,” Poppy interrupts gently, “I need to hear it from Remus’s mouth, please. I know you are well-intentioned, but he has his own agency, don’t you, Remus?”

A little sparkler spray of gratitude bursts in his chest at Poppy’s correction, and Remus nods and smiles. “It’s alright, Padfoot,” he’s quick to assure a rapidly shuttering Sirius. “It’s like I said in our Floo Call: I’m worried about my magical core.”

“Right, because he’s-”

“Sirius-”

“-Padfoot!” Poppy and Remus scold in unison, and Sirius holds his hands up in apology. 

Minerva approaches Sirius. “Why don’t you come with me, Sirius? We can go over your registration paperwork while Poppy does her exam.”

Sirius shoots Remus a pained, questioning look, and Remus nods. “S’alright, Pads. Promise. I’ll tell you everything when I’m done, and if anything’s wrong, Poppy will come get you, right?”

Poppy nods. “Right.” She passes Sirius another couple of biscuits. “You eat up—I can always tell when you’ve been too stressed to eat, Sirius.”

Sirius drops his head and nods sullenly. “Yes ma’am.” He stuffs one of the biscuits in his mouth and Remus watches him rebuild his armor, his jubilant, exuberant mask before Minerva leads him away to another room. 

“Sorry about him.”

Poppy tuts. “Nonsense. He loves you. It’s only natural that he wants to protect you, even if it does get a little…”

“Overbearing?”

“I was going to say smothering.”

Remus laughs and takes a bracing drink of his tea. “Only when he’s really freaked out. But…I dunno. I don’t mind it, usually.”

Poppy smiles fondly. “Good. Because I doubt at his age he’s going to change.” She refills her teacup and relaxes against the back of her plush chair. “So. Your magical core. Well, all male Omega experience a dip in it when they become pregnant, and a boost, actually, when you go into heat.”

“I’m sorry, a boost?”

Poppy chuckles. “Yes, Remus. Did you never notice that your spells were stronger around your heats?”

“I thought that was a werewolf thing…since they always fall around the full moon.”

“Goodness, no, love. The Ministry would have quite a lot more trouble on their hands with the mercenary packs if that was the case.” When Remus blushes, ashamed at not knowing, she reaches out to touch his arm. “Omega sexual education classes are primarily geared towards female Omega, Remus, since they’re far more common. That and, well, we give them to sixteen-year-olds whose hormones are off the charts and somehow expect them to retain that information into adulthood. Seems a bit counterproductive to me, don’t you think?”

Remus has to admit it, he barely retained enough information to understand what to do during his first heat. All he’d been able to think about was how uncomfortable he was and how good his Alpha classmates smelled (like how much he wanted to march back into his old dorm with James and Sirius and make a nest out of their sweaty Quidditch leathers and wank until he passed out.) “So it’s not dangerous?”

“I suppose it could be dangerous.” She taps her tips with her fingertips, like she’s weighing the pros and cons of saying more. “If the magical core is somehow depleted, a wix can fall extremely ill and succumb to the weakness in a matter of days if not properly treated with a transfusion. Your James nearly succeeded in that, as I recall.” Poppy rolls her eyes, but can’t hide the fondness in her voice. “There’s an entire ward on the second floor of St Mungo’s for magical core maladies with special rooms set up—sort of like Muggle oxygen chambers—to help reintroduce magic into the body at a concentrated rate. By all accounts, it’s an unpleasant procedure, but arguably preferable to death. But…actually wearing yourself out to that point is difficult. Even for children doing too-advanced magic, which is why we don’t have something so sophisticated at Hogwarts.

“The capacity of your core is dependent on magical aptitude, of course, and grows as you age and become stronger. I suppose you could think of it like a muscle.”

Remus grimaces. “A muscle that if you strain it too hard can kill you.”

“Again, Remus, it’s very difficult to get to that state.”

“I just…I read something. About…werewolf pregnancies,” he mumbles. Poppy’s brows shoot up and Remus quickly looks at his suddenly very interesting teacup. “And we did some reading on werewolves in general.” 

When Remus was eight, he tried learning everything possible about what he was. He’d overheard a conversation between his parents that he definitely wasn’t supposed to hear, and went into a frenzy, trying desperately to learn how much of a danger he would be to his mother when he got older. After stumbling across something harrowing (a drastically short life span), he’d sworn off of it, and actively avoided reading about himself from there on. So when James and Sirius came to him with a mountain of notes and bookmarked texts, Remus was reluctant to indulge, but they were right: they needed answers. He just didn’t like what he saw.

“Is it true that Muggles can’t become werewolves?”

“That’s correct.”

“And Muggles also don’t have a secondary gender.”

“Also correct. It’s something unique to wix, either a holdover from before we interbred with Muggles, or a manifestation of our magic. It’s also why most Squibs are Betas. It’s not to say that all Betas have low magic—I mean, look at Professor Flitwick or Headmaster Dumbledore, for example—but there is a threshold of magical aptitude, combined with genetic makeup and a host of other things we still don’t fully understand that make a wix into an Alpha or an Omega.”  A concerned look crosses Poppy’s face like a shadow. “Remus, what are you getting at?”

“If Muggles can’t become werewolves or have a secondary gender, wouldn’t it follow that both have to do something with the magical core? I know that if a Squib gets bitten by a werewolf, it’s…not good.” A chilling memory resurfaces: a Squib writhing in the bed next to him at the Bite ward, frenzied, out of her mind with madness, foaming at the mouth and snarling. The Healers had erected a barrier around her to muffle her sounds and keep the other patients safe, but Remus heard everything. Saw everything. Saw her suffer, unable to be sedated. Saw her die, succumb to the bite.

Poppy’s face falls, and she looks genuinely heartbroken at that. “Yes, that’s right,” she says somberly. “Again, this is all theory, since getting real answers would require a large pool of werewolf participants to study, and the Ministry’s track record with experimentation on werewolves is despicable. But there are some who theorize that lycanthropy is a curse, rather than a virus, or a combination of the two, that feeds on a person’s magic. If the wix is strong enough to survive the bite, then they become a werewolf and if not, well, they die.”

“Which is why I’m an anomaly,” Remus says quietly.

“It’s rare for children as young as you to survive a brutal attack like that, yes, Remus.”

“What I read…said that a werewolf’s magical core drops during pregnancy, and if it’s not strong enough to survive the transformation-” He cuts himself off with a choked gasp, the panic rising again. 

Poppy is at his side in an instant, their tea and biscuits safely floating to the coffee table, but so is Sirius. He bursts through the door in a wave of Concerned Alpha, hand on his hip where he holsters his wand, for all appearances looking ready to take on the world. He kneels in front of Remus and cups his face in his hand. “What? What happened?”

“Sirius,” Minerva sighs. Remus spares her a glance; she looks exasperated and tired. “I’m sure if it were something of great import, one of them would have come to fetch us.”

“It’s okay,” Remus whispers. “I just got a little anxious telling her what’s going on.”

Sirius’s eyes flick across his face before he pulls Remus in for a firm, but brief, kiss. “You’re sure? I can stay.”

Remus nods. “I’m sure, Sirius. Go on. We’ve not even done the exam yet.”

Sirius stands with visible reluctance, but nods his understanding. “Just a door away, Moony.”

When they’ve gone, Remus gives Poppy an apologetic grimace. “Sorry about him. He’s…”

“A concerned father who loves you,” Poppy finishes. “I’d actually be more concerned if he wasn’t storming in at the slightest change to your scent. It means he just wants to protect you when you need it, and support you when you don’t. It’s a good thing.” Remus can feel his cheeks and the tips of his ears burning, enormously pleased at the confirmation of Sirius’s actions but also a little embarrassed, seeing as how it’s Poppy. 

When Poppy returns to her chair, she folds her hands in her lap. “Alright. I’m running under the assumption that this was not a book you found through the usual channels, as in: not something found in Flourish and Blotts, or in a public library?” Remus nods, and she continues. “Which is to say: it’s quite possible it’s all a load of rubbish, Remus. However, it is a good idea to monitor your levels as your pregnancy progresses. That way we can keep an eye on any normal dips in your magic.”

“...Does it hurt?” Remus feels completely foolish and a little childish for asking, but it just came out. 

Poppy smiles and shakes her head. “Not a bit. The spell to check it feels like butterfly kisses, actually. Most people find it pleasant.” She draws her wand. “Now, I wouldn’t expect as much, but have you had any issues casting so far? Spells not working or lasting as long as they normally would?”

Dread fills him, drips down his neck and pools like sweat at the small of his back, somehow at once both icy and burning. “N…-” Poppy is the last person he should lie to about this sort of thing, he realizes, and swallows his fib. “A little. Nothing major. I can still cast spells, but yeah, some of them don’t sustain as long as they should. It’s the more complicated charms like climate control and concealment, though.”

“Twelve weeks is a little earlier than we’d normally see, but you are expecting twins. It makes sense that it would start to drain you a little quicker since you’re making twice the life.” Her words calm the new spike of panic, and Remus takes deep, settling breaths. Poppy waits until he meets her eyes before casting the spell. It manifests as bright, magenta sparkles that flit around his body a few times, tickling his cheeks and his sides. They coalesce back in the middle of Poppy’s open palm and turn into a bubble, filled mostly to the top with swirling gold flecks. 

“Is…that…?”

“It’s good, Remus.” Poppy holds it out so he can see. “You’re obviously down a little, but this is no more than I’d expect to see after a morning spent doing household cleaning charms. I’ll check this every time you come to see me, and we’ll just keep an eye on it.”

“Can you teach me the spell?” If Remus knows the spell, he can track it himself, use it to calm himself down whenever he gets nervous. 

“I could, but I won’t.” Poppy closes her fingers around the bubble and it disappears in a poof. “I know you, Remus. It would become an obsession, and not a healthy one, and that is final. Now, are you ready for your exam?”

It goes as expected: babies are fine, still growing and healthy, heartbeats strong and steady. She reassures Remus about the temperature swings and writes down the ingredients for an aloe potion that will cool him down when it gets unbearable. Remus thanks her and tucks it into his pocket. That’s one worry down, one worry deferred, and the others, well… they always resurface, his doubts about being a fit parent, but there’s not much to be done for that. 

"Something else is bothering you. Whatever it is, you can tell me, Remus. You've my word as your healer and your friend." Poppy's hand is gentle and cool against his arm.

Remus chews the inside of his lip for a few more moments. "How…how did you know?" He looks down at his hands, folded on his lap. Ugly hands, his. Bony. Knobbly. Scarred. Fingernails bitten, cuticles mangled. Merlin help his babies if they get his hands.

"Now, Remus. You're a grown man. Must we play this game?" Her voice is gentle but stern, and Remus submits to her chiding easily enough.

"How did you know you were going to be a good mam?" Remus blurts. He pauses, tuts at himself, and waves off his words. "Stupid question, sorry. There's no way you wouldn't have been." He hesitates, but offers her a shy smile. "Always were to me."

A rare flush pinks Poppy's cheeks, and she raises her hand to stroke his curls back from his face. "Your mum is-"

"My mam is perfect, practically a saint, an angel, all that, yes," Remus chuckles. "But she gave birth to me. She sort of…has to love me." It's not entirely true, Remus knows, because Sirius's biological mother is a horrible dragon, but on the whole, mothers instinctually love their kids. "But you…well." He shrugs, suddenly embarrassed by this line of conversation.

"Would you like to know a secret?" Poppy asks, tilting her head to the side. When Remus nods, she settles next to him on the plush sofa. "Minerva had honestly been wanting children for quite a while, but Alpha-Alpha bonding and marriages were still rather complex to navigate legally, so I'd put it off for years. But… meeting you, and watching you go from a scared, lonely wisp of a thing into a thriving young man, well. That convinced me."

It's Remus's turn to blush, and he blinks back sudden, hot tears. "I was terrified of you, you know. It wasn't your fault. It was all healers, really."

"They'd not given you much reason to trust them, Remus. I hardly took it personally."

"I know, but… still. I was petrified that first full moon, and it was awful. The Shack…the wolf hated it." He swallows hard and pushes past the shadowy memories of month after months of brutal, bloody transformations in a dark, dank room that the wolf raged against. "But when I woke up the morning after, you were there. You were there with a warming charm and a vial of dittany and hot chocolate and…you touched me. You weren't afraid of me. Weren't worried I'd bite you or infect you."

"I treated you like a person, Remus. Like a hurt child, because that's what you were."

Remus gives her a wan grin. "Exactly. No one had ever done before, except my Mam. Even my dad, for a bit, was afraid, but… not her, and not you."

Poppy clears her throat but draws Remus in for a hug, pressing a brisk kiss to the side of his head. "To answer your question, I didn't always know. I wasn't even certain through the first pregnancy that I was going to be able to give this child even a fraction of the love I have for Minerva, or be able to dedicate enough emotional energy to her after dealing with the students so much, but…" She smiles at him and draws back. "I think I managed not to muck it up too badly. All children need is someone who loves them. If you can do that and keep them fed and warm, the rest will come."

It sounds so simple, and Remus wants to protest that there's no way he'd make a good dad, but he's tired of feeling the doubt and the fear and the worry. Maybe just for today…he'll let himself believe her. 

---

James is home that evening, jet-lagged but gabbing non-stop about the new features he’s going to propose to his team for the next line of brooms. “You’re late!” Sirius grumbles in a yell, though clearly delighted, and greets James with a sound kiss.

“A wizard is never late! Nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to!” James announces, ruffling Sirius’s hair and then dipping down to hug Remus close.

“That’s the last time I recommend movies to you,” Remus laughs into his shoulder. He’d shown them both Lord of the Rings, and after the commotion about how Gandalf bears a striking resemblance to Dumbledore, Sirius and James were captivated. 

“Tell me everything I missed!”

“It’s only been thirty hours, Prongs.”

“Your point, Padfoot? Our Moony is growing new life, he is! Lots has changed! They’re a little bigger now than they were before, aren’t they?” James rests his hand on Remus’s belly and smiles. 

Sirius wraps his arms around Remus from behind and props his chin atop his head. “Squidlets are whole, hale, and healthy, I’m pleased to say.”

“Good, good, and everything else?”

“Everything else,” Remus answers, already knowing where James is going with this, “is okay, too. I’ll go in for regular checks, but so far, Poppy doesn’t think it holds much water.” 

“Good, good, good,” James nods. “And everything-everything else? Have you told Regulus yet, Padfoot?”

“Well, you see…”

“Padfoot!” 

“What ? We had a whole crisis, didn’t we! And he’s a very busy little twat, don’t you know? And…well…” Sirius looks up and to the side, cheeks pink. “I might’ve wanted to wait for you, Prongs. Since they’re our babies and Regulus is the only member of my family worth speaking to.”

Remus gets crushed between their very firm bodies when Sirius steps forward to hug James, not that he’s complaining. It feels good. Safe. Right. 

“We’ll go tomorrow, promise,” Sirius murmurs, nosing along the bond mark on James’s shoulder. 

They arrive on Horizont Alley after a lunch at the Leaky Cauldron in Diagon. Remus is oddly nervous, not that he’s any need to be. Regulus has always been perfectly civil, if a little cold, towards him, but as they open the door to the building that houses a host of office suites, his nervousness changes to a new type of fear.

He hears it before anything, a muffled groan, a too-sharp smack that breaks through what has to be three layers of silencing charms, not that they're doing much good. Remus looks swiftly up at Sirius. "You told him we're coming, yes?"

Sirius waves him off with a scoff. "He's my brother and it's the middle of the work day. I hardly need an appointment, Moony!"

The scraping squeak of a wooden desk on a tile floor makes Remus think otherwise. "Maybe we should send a Patronus?"

"Yeah, Pads, you can show off your new wolf!" James teases, slinging his arm around Remus's shoulder. "Sure Reg'll get a crack out of that."

"I'm not sending in a Patronus!" Sirius snaps. He rolls his eyes and flicks James's nose, for good measure. "He's here every day from the arse crack of dawn to seven pm!"

Remus grimaces and wishes, not for the first time, that he could just shut off his stupid hearing. Except it's not just that. Scents are now filtering through, permeating his brain and firing off synapses that are not appropriate. "It's not that I don't think he's here," Remus says in a final attempt to avert this crisis. "Rather the opposite, in fact. It's just… um. He might be with someone."

Sirius gives him an odd look. "I mean, we're not strutting in there naked and tied, are we? I'm sure his client will survive."

"Yeah!" James agrees. "He fired his last assistant, too, right? That Amanda bird? So it's fine!"

Remus looks heavenward and sighs. God, why was he in love with two absolute idiots? He braces himself for the worst as Sirius opens the thick cedar door emblazoned with "Chimera Cursebreaking & Curios". Remus hangs back, but even still, he gets a fairly decent eyeful of the scene. 

Regulus, pink-cheeked, is poured over the side of his handsome wood desk, his trousers down around his knees, but his shirt fully on and buttoned (with cufflinks and all), getting absolutely railed by his mate: Kingsley Shacklebolt, who fortunately (or unfortunately) still has his clothes on, save for the flies of his slacks. Remus gets a glimpse of Kingsley's cock on a back swing and immediately takes a step forward in unconscious allure and then several, hasty steps back as his brain catches up. 

Retreating behind a stunned James and Sirius (how ever could they have seen this coming?) doesn't stop the smell, though, and Remus feels himself chub up in his trousers. This was a bad idea. He should've owled Regulus the minute Sirius suggested going to see him. 

They seem to have arrived at just the right (or wrong) time. Regulus's head snaps up as Kingsley growls (a sound that wraps right around Remus's dick and pulls), both spotting them. Sirius turns on his heel with something like a distressed squeak, but James stands steady, unphased as Kingsley visibly comes buried in Regulus's arse, his knot woefully un-seated. 

Remus could help him with that… He's got nowhere to be, no clients to help, unlike Regulus. A knot like that deserves a nice, warm, tight hole to call home and it's not like Remus has lasting designs on Kingsley, he'd just like a little sample. A taste. A test drive with no intention of purchase. That's all. 

"Moony!" Sirius hisses in his ear, yanking him back to the doorway when Remus wanders closer to Kingsley. He misses Kingsley tucking himself back in his trousers, which is a shame, but doesn't miss the bright flash of a red plug going somewhere in the vicinity of Regulus's arse. His body flushes with heat and Remus wraps one arm around Sirius to stay upright. 

"Your door's unlocked!" James announces cheerily. Regulus makes a noise not unlike an angry cat. "I'd apologize but you got what you were after, so, I think all's well since you got your end away, yes?"

Remus just stares at James. The cheek. The gall. The balls in this man. Kingsley is not a joker. He would never be called easy-going or laid back. He's stern and serious and takes no shit from anyone. 

"You're actually a bit lucky it were us, right Pads? I mean, if a client had walked in- phew, that's a show, isn't it?"

"James shut up," Remus whispers sharply, keeping one eye on Kingsley who is not pleased. And that's not even mentioning the dark storm cloud that is Regulus Black literally caught with his pants down. 

"Regulus's work is by appointment only," Kingsley says, directed at James but looking at Remus. His nostrils flare and he glances down at his husband, fully put back together, not a hair out of place. "It seems you're to be an uncle."

"Wow, take the surprise out of it!" James laughs, incredulous. 

Regulus gives Remus a once-over before glaring at his brother. "Only a matter of time before you sired a bastard."

That finally unsticks Sirius's tongue. "You don't even know it's mine!"

Regulus arches one eyebrow. "Well it is not Potter's."

"It could be!" James protests. 

Regulus silences him with a glacial stare. "Potter is too sanctimonious to knock someone up without Bonding with them first. You, on the other hand…" Regulus casts a withering look at his brother. "Well." 

Remus can feel Sirius's temper flare and pinches his side before he can launch into a full strop. "Remember why we're here," he advises. 

Sirius grumbles something unintelligible and exhales harshly, resigned. "So they are mine, yes."

"And Remus's!" James supplies.

"Seeing as how only Omega men can get pregnant, you will have to excuse my complete and utter lack of shock, Potter," Regulus drawls. He looks Remus over again, silver eyes lingering on his only-slightly-bigger middle. Remus has always wondered (very very privately because he rather fancies keeping all of his blood inside his body) if Regulus, as a Beta, has some…longing or desire for a child of his own. He's not exactly the nurturing type, but it's clear that he and Kingsley have a very special, deep bond, and he does spend quite a long time looking at Remus's belly. "But back to a matter of actual interest: 'they"?"

"Twins, right?" Kingsley asks as he draws Regulus subtly closer. He's still looking at Remus, too, and it's starting to get a little uncomfortable. 

James leans over and nudges Remus. "Relax, it's because you smell so fucking good," he reassures. It doesn't relax Remus in the slightest. It makes it worse because now his stupid arsehole of a brain is recreating the scene they walked in on in his head, but with Remus in Regulus's place, that fat knot filling him, and…fuck, he's hard. He's hard in a cursebreaker shop in the presence of his boyfriend's little brother and his own teenage crush. James apparently doesn't give a rat's arse about their audience, because he gives Remus a little squeeze through his trousers and a wolfish grin. "We'll be coming back to this later, Moony, you slag," James breathes against his ear. 

Remus is going to kill him. Yeah. That seems reasonable. Just obliterate him, turn to ash where he stands, and then he won't have to see Kingsley seeing him turn scarlet and a little sweaty. Fortunately (or, again, unfortunately, maybe) Kingsley is a mated Alpha and has far more control over himself than Sirius and James have had. His attention feels curious, searching, not predatory. Damn. 

No, not damn! Get it together, Lupin!

Remus clears his throat when he realizes Kingsley has been waiting for him to speak. "Er, yeah. Yes. Right. Twins."

"Ooh, two bastards, look at you being industrious, brother," Regulus jabs. Remus knows he doesn't mean anything cruel towards him, exactly, just that he's trying to get a rise out of Sirius. "I presume Mother is on her deathbed, then? Or preparing to turn into her true, scaly form and scorch the earth?" Regulus passes his hand over the surface of his desk, Conjuring a full tea setting for the five of them. Despite having just eaten, Remus's stomach growls, and he accepts the offered egg and cress sandwich with gusto. 

Sirius makes himself comfortable in one of the client chairs, a wide, leather thing with sturdy arms. He tries propping his feet up on the desk, but his chair scoots him backwards out of reach—twice. Visibly annoyed and muttering very unkind things about Regulus, Sirius crosses his arms over his chest. "I've not told her yet."

Regulus looks genuinely surprised, though he reels it back under his impassive mask. "You must be at least…three months along, by the look of you." Remus blanches. What does that mean?! "You have been dodging her ever since?"

Sirius shrugs carelessly. "Thought you'd like to come."

"And bear witness to your immolation?" A rare smile blooms like the dawn on Regulus's mouth before twisting into a smirk. "You do love me. Very well. Let us go."

"What, now?" 

"We could wa-" Remus tries, but is silenced by Regulus's lifted hand. 

"No time like the present. It is best to get it over with." Regulus pulls a pocket watch from Kingsley's pocket. "She is at Grimmauld today and then out to the Continent for the rest of the summer."

Sirius frowns. "Now, wait a minute-"

"I will not."

"Morgana's minge, you're insufferable!"

"And you are crass. Your point?"

Only the fear of seeing Walburga Black in a rage is keeping Remus from laughing. It's about time someone else puts Sirius in his place. 

"Remus shouldn't Apparate."

Regulus tuts. "We are in the heart of London. We have a Floo."

"He doesn't like-"

"He can speak for himself, thanks," Remus interrupts. 

James clears his throat and wipes his fingers, smeared with a bit of jam, on his trousers. "Maybe Remus should stay behind?"

"What? Why?" both brothers Black chime, and then glare at each other for the synchrony. 

"Well," James starts, completely unbothered by the force of their ire, "She's batshit, isn't she? And more of the 'curse with dark magic and not ask questions later' type?" Remus subconsciously splays his palm over his belly, and James covers his hand with his own. 

"I agree with James," Kingsley says, startling Remus away from the radiating heat of James's palm. "It's safer for Remus if he doesn't go."

Sirius's brow is furrowed, but he turns to Remus. "Do you want to go?"

"Fuck no," Remus blurts. "If she doesn't hex me, Merlin knows what that house'll do." The handful of times Remus has been to Grimmauld, the building was an absolute fucker to him. The steps to the door disappeared under him, the rug would tangle under his feet, the heirloom silverware would suddenly be on every surface, and that was just to name a few. No, Grimmauld Place gave no quarter to a halfblood werewolf. 

"Very well," Regulus concedes. "Sirius and I will go, and you will remain with Kingsley and James."

"I'll remain with Kingsley," Remus corrects, even though he doesn't think he needs a babysitter. But, then, Walburga's reach is long, and who better to protect him from harmful magic than a hitwizard—sorry, private security wizard. "Because James is going with you."

"You're damn right I am!" James plops a kiss on the side of Remus's head. Sirius opens his mouth to protest, but James tsks until he shuts it. "I'm not having your ‘oh it's fine she's not that scary’ and ‘ James you're overreacting, everyone's mum does a cheeky little Cruciatus every now and then!’ hippogriff shit. I'm coming."

Sirius pinches the bridge of his nose and takes Remus's hands in his. "You'll be alright with Kingsley?"

Remus expects to see a trace of teasing in his eyes, referencing the other night on the balcony, but there's only genuine concern there. "We'll get on like a house fire."

"A what?" Regulus looks startled at the comparison. 

"Er… it's a Muggle saying. It's a good thing."

"I fail to see how a house on fire could ever be a good thing," Regulus mutters.

"Unless it's Grimmauld and fiendfyre," James adds hastily, under his breath. "What? Tell me I'm wrong!"

Sirius dips down to kiss Remus sweetly, cradling his face in his hands like he's something precious. Remus practically melts into it, held up only by his hands around Sirius's wrists. "We'll be back in time for dinner."

Regulus makes a noise of dissent. "Do not make promises you know you cannot keep, Sirius. Kingsley- well. You know." Regulus fixes the lay of one particularly wavy lock of his hair and straightens back up. "I'm Side-Alonging you, so you do not back out at the last minute," he tells Sirius crisply. Remus thinks that's pretty wise. James grabs into Sirius at the last-last minute, and with a crack! the three of them are gone, leaving Remus alone with Kingsley Shacklebolt. 

"So…"

"Anything you want to tell me, Remus?"

Remus blanches. Oh god no. Definitely not. Definitely definitely not. "Um…"

Kingsley sits on the corner of Regulus's desk (the same place Regulus had been bent over, Remus is keenly aware), facing him. "I've always liked you, Remus." 

Remus's brain shuts down, crashes into the floor, and he blinks stupidly at Kingsley. Surely not. Surely not. 

"If you need something done, you only need to ask." 

Remus can't think, not with this Adonis next to him, smelling like gunsmoke and warm metal, similar to but so much better than Evan's scent, not when he saw not fifteen minutes ago said man giving Regulus a proper seeing to. "Uh…" he says intelligently, at a loss for words. 

"It's alright. Tell me what you need." 

Chapter 7: Week Thirteen: Lemons

Chapter by TherestheSnitch

Notes:

This chapter is by theresthesnitch

Warning: This chapter includes discussion of abuse against children (Black family trauma), past incidents of miscarriage/forced miscarriage against the will of the pregnant person (not Remus and the twins) with some detail that, while not really graphic, is quite viceral, and both on-screen and implied incidents of violence against family members. Please read with care. In addition, I’ve messed with the Black Family tree. Alphard is Orion’s older brother instead of Walburga’s brother.

 

Listen, I swore I wasn't going to do this again. I fully intended to keep this chapter closer to 20k words. I really, really tried. And then it just.... got away from me. Again. This chapter comes in around 31k words, and I just.... I'm almost sorry about it.

For just a moment, Remus's imagination runs wild with thoughts of Kingsley shagging him over the desk like he'd just done Regulus. His broad hands hold Remus down, and then Kingsley knots him the way he didn't knot Regulus. Sirius, James, and Regulus are probably going to come back and find them like that. He and Kingsley would have to go on the run, but that would be fine. With Kingsley’s hit wizard skills and Remus’s werewolf senses, they’d absolutely be able to avoid their exes. The full moons would be tricky, though. They would probably be most susceptible then, and if James, Sirius, and Regulus caught up with them, they would absolutely be–

“Remus?” Kingsley's voice pulls Remus out of his reverie, and it’s soft and kind and Remus melts just a little bit. “What is it?”

“I can’t go on the run with you while I’m pregnant, and Sirius would probably be mad enough to find us anyway.” 

Kingsley’s eyebrows furrow slightly. “I’m sorry, why are we going on the run?”

"Because if you knot me…" Remus trails off as a mischievous smile spreads across Kingsley's face. "You weren't offering that, were you?"

Kingsley laughs loudly. “No, I wasn’t. I think my husband and your boyfriends might have a problem with that.” 

Remus crosses his arms. “That’s why we’d have to go on the run,” he grumbled.

Kingsley laughs again. “Well, I’m sorry to say we won’t be going on the run. I do, in fact, love my husband.” 

“So if he was okay with it?” Remus asks hopefully. 

Kingsley crosses his arms, lips pursed together in an amused smile. “Well, assuming he was, I don’t think I want to risk having to duel your boyfriends to the death just to knot you.” 

“I’m sure it wouldn’t be to the death if we only did it once.” Remus purposely avoids looking at Kingsley’s rolled sleeves exposing his forearms. 

“Still not a risk I’m willing to take.” Kingsley moves then, coming to sit in the chair next to Remus. “Really, though. Tell me what I can do for you.” 

Remus’s mind goes blank. He’s certain–absolutely positive–that Kingsley is not propositioning him. Or, well, he’s certain that they just ruled out that option. Except it really sounds like Kingsley is propositioning him again, and Remus doesn’t know how he’s supposed to respond to that. “What, exactly, are you offering here, King?”

“I have lots of useful skills to offer someone in your position, Remus.” 

Remus huffs. “You really are trying to make Sirius hex you, aren’t you?” Kingsley smiles darkly, and it’s the kind of look that reminds Remus that he is a very powerful wizard with a very clandestine job. His mouth closes into a quiet O. “You mean–” He doesn’t say it. It’s absurd. He can’t actually be asking Kingsley to do this. 

Kingsley waits with far more patience than Remus would in the same situation, waiting for Remus to figure out what he wants to ask. “Can you kill Evan?”

Kingsley sits up straight at that. Whatever he’d been offering, it clearly wasn’t that. “Evan–Evan Rosier? You want me to kill Evan Rosier?”

“I mean–” Remus looks around as though he expects there to be someone in the room overhearing them. “Maybe? It would certainly clean up a lot of things in my life. Is that not what you were offering?”

Kingsley leans his head against his hand, arm propped up against the back of his chair, with an amused look on his face. “What does Rosier have to do with this?”

Remus shrugs, feeling hot under Kingsley’s attentive gaze. “Well, I mean, he’s fighting me for custody, for one.” 

Kingsley’s amusement turns to confusion. “How is he fighting you for custody? I thought they were Sirius’s babies?”

“Oh, uh.” Remus wonders if he should even be sharing this. Sirius might not even want his brother to know about Evan’s involvement, and here Remus was asking Sirius’s brother-in-law for murder for hire. “What were you offering originally?”

“I figured that Sirius, being who he is, needed strong-armed into not being an idiot about this whole baby thing.” Kingsley waves indistinctly at Remus’s stomach. “However, this is much more interesting. Please tell me more about Rosier and why he needs to go away.” 

Remus is trying to figure out how to answer when the gunsmoke and warm metal scent hits him again, and Remus realizes with a jolt that the scent is arousal. He laughs. “Merlin, you get off on this, don’t you? This whole avenging wizard act. You want me to ask you to be my big strong alpha as some sort of turn-on for you?”

Kingsley shrugs, seemingly unaffected by the revelation, but for the slight darkening of the skin at his neck that Remus knows is a blush. “Regulus is going to be very needy when he comes back. The extra eagerness will only benefit him.”

Remus smiles smugly. “Alright, I’ll help you get your rocks off.” 

Remus tells Kingsley everything. Like, everything. Well, not James’s everything, because Remus is still scared from telling James’s parents about their everything, but he tells Kingsley far more than he expected to tell him. 

He hesitates briefly over the nature of the conception–mostly because he doesn’t know how to approach the lycanthropy issue–but Kingsley cuts him off. “I assume your heat corresponded with the full moon?”

“Yeah, it–wait, you knew?” Remus asks. Kingsley fixes him with a look that schools Remus’s doubts immediately. “Right. Of course, you knew. Probably because of your…work?” Kingsley doesn't answer but smiles knowingly, and Remus continues. 

So, ultimately, Remus tells Kingsley a bit of everything, at least as far as Evan goes, including the fear of being turned into the Ministry if Evan doesn’t get his way. Kingsley’s gunsmoke scent fades, and Remus finds himself relaxing, somewhat. As though sharing the burden halves it. 

“I can see why you would want to get rid of him,” Kingsley says when it is finally over. 

“It would solve a lot of my problems.” Remus shrugs. 

“Well, perhaps not.” Kingsley sits back in his chair, rolling a silver sickle across his knuckles as he considers the question–and Remus definitely is not thinking about how dexterous his fingers are or the other things they could probably do well. “If he mysteriously dies now, everyone is going to assume that Sirius went after him.” 

“Or my father, maybe,” Remus adds. 

“Perhaps,” Kingsley shrugs, “though if I were looking for the culprit, I would assume Sirius unless he had a very good alibi. It’s always the partner. So unless you’re planning on occupying his time, it could get tricky.” 

“So you’re saying we can’t kill him.” Remus feels a bit defeated at the news. 

“You could, of course.” Kingsley rolls the coin across his fingers. “It’s just not a very good idea. We might be able to otherwise discredit or ruin him, and he’d drop the case quickly.” 

“You think you could get him to do that?” Remus asked, hopefully. 

“Maybe. I can certainly dig around in his background, if you like.” Kingsley leaned a little closer to Remus. “Would you like me to do that?” The smell of gunsmoke and metal is back. 

Remus pushes against Kingsley’s chest. “Get your rocks off with your husband, you perv. I’m pregnant.” Kingsley laughs and pulls back. “But actually, yeah. If you don’t mind looking.” 

“Sure.” Kingsley stands resolutely. “Shall I make some more tea?”

Remus nods and stretches, and that reminds him of his bladder and the two heavy weights sitting on it. It isn’t until Remus is drying his hands that it occurs to him that James, Sirius, and Regulus have been gone a while. A very long while. 

Dread fills Remus before he really has time to consider the issue. Going into that house could mean any sort of problem happened now. They could all be strung up in the dungeon. They could be in a massive duel against Walburga and her china army (or maybe that one’s a little too Beauty and the Beast). They could have decided that Remus wasn’t worth it and run off together–

Regulus is with them, Remus forces himself to think. It’s then that he realizes the panic he’s feeling is far more potent than normal because even though Remus knows, intellectually, that James and Sirius would never run off with Regulus, Remus is absolutely certain that’s what happened. He can’t force his mind onto any other possibility. 

“Remus? Are you alright?” Kingsley’s voice sounds through the other side of the door. “Your scent had a strong enough change that I smelled it from the kitchen.” 

“I–” Remus tries to say he’s fine, but the words catch in his throat. He scrabbles for the handle and throws the door open to find a concerned Kingsley on the other side. 

“You are not alright.” Kingsley places a hand on his shoulder, but the weight of it is wrong and not nearly as helpful as it should be. With a jolt, Remus realizes that it’s wrong because it’s not Sirius and it’s not James, and that makes it worse. The anxiety builds. “What can I do?”

“I don’t–” Remus feels like he can barely breathe, choking under the weight of his panic. 

Panic. This is a panic attack. Unfortunately, naming it doesn’t really help make it stop. 

Kingsley grabs him by both shoulders. “Okay, Remus, I need you to focus on my scent. Can you do that?”

Remus tries, and he’s immediately confronted with the smell of warm leather and hay. It’s not the light rain or evening forest of James and Sirius, but it still manages to help Remus focus and try to calm himself. It mostly works. 

“Come here,” Kingsley says, his deep baritone voice echoing through his chest under Remus’s cheek. Remus doesn’t even know at what point he started leaning against Kingsley. “Let’s go sit.” 

Remus tries to take a step forward, but his legs give out under him. He would have fallen, but Kingsley’s arm is still around his shoulders. He sweeps Remus up with a hand behind his knees and carries him back toward the front room where Regulus has a wide leather sofa. 

Remus makes a cursory resistance to being carried, but he settles into Kingsley’s chest and tries not to think about how it’s the wrong chest and the wrong arms. Honestly, he thought being carried by Kingsley should do more for him, given Kingsley’s… well, everything, but all it really does is make him miss Sirius and James. 

Kingsley sits on the couch and sets Remus next to him, still tucked under his arm. The panicky feeling still lingers in Remus, though it has died down some. He can breathe again, thankfully, but he’s certain that he would fall apart again if it weren’t for Kingsley’s calm scent and steady heartbeat under his ear. 

“Do you want to tell me what happened?” Kingsley asks kindly. 

“They’ve been gone a long time,” Remus replies. 

He hears Kingsley hum deep in his chest, a rumbling noise that helps soothe Remus. “They have, but they’re fine.” 

“You don’t know–” 

“I do, actually.” Kingsley soothes him with fingers running up and down his arm. “Regulus and I are in contact, and they’re not in danger.” 

Remus perks up. “Can you ask him when they’ll be back?”

“No, I can’t,” Kingsley says. “Unfortunately, the messages we can send are much more basic than that, but he has a way to let me know if he is in danger or safe, and he is safe.” 

Remus tries not to think of how they might be communicating. “That doesn’t mean that James and Sirius are safe.” Panic rises in him again.

“Do you truly believe that Regulus would allow his brother or James to be hurt and not call that danger?” 

“Honestly? Yes,” Remus says. “I think he enjoys seeing Sirius suffer sometimes.” 

Kingsley shakes his head. “Only when he’s the one to inflict it. He wouldn’t allow their mother to actually harm Sirius.”

Remus rubs his forehead, trying to comprehend that sort of relationship. Though, Remus has never had a sibling, so maybe this is normal. “I will never understand those two.” 

“Best not to try, and just accept it.” Kingsley shifts on the couch, pulling Remus with him as he lays back. “Now, I can see you’re still feeling off. How can I help you to relax before your boyfriends are back?”

Remus feels himself drooping against Kingsley, the receding panic taking a lot of Remus’s energy with him. Kingsley’s wide, broad hands rub gentle circles on Remus’s back as he leans into his chest. Perhaps he could allow Kingsley to help him, since he’s so kindly offered. 

---

Sirius’s stomach twists as he looks at the old house he grew up in. He doesn’t have particularly fond memories of living here, and even standing in the shadow of the house leaves him feeling shaky and off-center. It looms over him, and given the weight of what he has to confess to his mother, it feels like the house is a foreboding sign. 

James nudges his arm, shaking him from his reverie. “Hey, it’s going to be alright.” 

“You don’t know that,” Sirius mutters. 

“Sure, I do.” James wraps an arm around his shoulders. “I won’t let her hurt you.” 

Sirius tries to smile, but he’s pretty sure it comes out as a grimace. He exchanges a look with Regulus, whose otherwise blank expression is marred by the slight pinch at the corner of his lips. Regulus knows what James does not–if his mother wanted to hurt him, James would stand no chance of stopping her. 

He’s never told James about certain aspects of his childhood. Sirius had complained, of course, about the obligations of being the Heir with a Capital H. It had been oppressive. He and Regulus spent hours in their mother’s study learning how to be proper Black alphas. Nevermind that neither of them had presented yet–Walburga Black was certain that her offspring were alphas. How could they be anything else?

Since Sirius was the oldest, Walburga was determined to mold him into the perfect alpha son, so he had it worse. Particularly because he’d never been very good about conforming. James knew about the etiquette lessons and the tutors, about having to memorize the family tree all the way back to Merlin. 

Sirius hadn’t told James of the magic that burned the inside of his skin and made his ribs feel like they were cracking, but which left no outward marks. It wasn’t a common punishment, but one she reserved for when Sirius was at his worst. He could still remember the night after the party when Sirius was eight, when he’d met the girl they’d intended to betroth him to, and the family had walked away from the interaction without interest in pursuing the relationship. 

To date, Sirius can’t place what he’d said that caused such a reaction, but he can still remember the burn of his mother’s wand where it connected to his skin. It was a mistake that he never repeated. She’d locked him in his room, unable to touch the door without blinding pain shooting down his arm and through to his magical core. He’d survived because Regulus snuck food and water to him, probably without his mother’s knowledge. 

It only relented when Uncle Alphard came with Grandfather Arcturus to force his mother to release him. Sirius had been partially mollified when Arcturus held Walburga responsible for the way Sirius was, but that had only made her double down on his lessons in the last few years until Hogwarts. 

Part of the reason that James doesn’t know is that his mother eased up on him when he was sorted as a Gryffindor. It was like she’d given up on him, allowing him to spend holidays at the Potters’ house more often than not as long as he was home for important family matters. He suspects that had Regulus presented Alpha, she would have disowned him and made Regulus the heir. 

But Regulus presented Beta, which isn’t quite as bad as Omega as far as running the family, but it has the distinct disadvantage of not being worth trading for an alliance either. For their mother, it meant that Regulus was practically worthless. He’d been given leeway that Sirius had never been granted–so much that he’d been allowed to marry and bond for love with an Alpha from another pureblood family without consideration for how it affected his prospects. 

It also meant that she had to make amends with Sirius. He’d let her, mostly, though being an of-age and self-sufficient wizard (or, well, as self-sufficient as a nineteen-year-old who was taken in by his best friends’ parents could call himself) when she came back removed some of her power over him. While he’d agreed to be the heir, he’d promised that he would only do it on his terms. 

Unfortunately, that means he has to tell his mother about these updates in his life–the bonding; the babies. They will affect the family, so they will need to prepare. He has no idea how his mother would react. The sting of her wand is already on his mind. Honestly, it is good that Remus isn’t here so that he and the babies are safe from any sort of retribution. 

Sirius sighs. “Let’s get this over with.” 

They walk up to the door, Sirius in front with Regulus just to his left and James on his heels. Sirius knocks on the door–despite his status as the Heir or the fact that this was their childhood home, he wouldn’t dream of just walking in. He’s certain it would earn him a hex at minimum, or more likely, a trip through the trapdoor under the floor mat to the dungeon. 

The door creaks open, revealing a hunched-over Kreacher. “Young Masters Black. My Mistress is not expecting you.” He makes no effort to move to allow them in. 

“No, I wouldn’t expect that she is.” Sirius gives him an imploring look, and when Kreacher still doesn’t move, he rolls his eyes. “We’re here to see her anyway.” 

He doesn’t move, and Sirius is beginning to wonder if he would have to hex him to gain admittance. He also wonders–briefly, fancifully–if the house elf had somehow managed to die while answering the door. 

Unfortunately, Kreacher shuffles backward to open the door wider, and they step through behind him. Kreacher watches James as he steps through the door and huffs in disappointment when the doormat does not send James to the basement. 

James turns to Sirius in confusion when Kreacher turns and hobbles away. Sirius sighs. “You’re too pureblooded to fall through the trapdoor, and he’s disappointed.” 

“How pureblooded do you have to be?” James asks in surprise. 

Sirius shrugs. “I think half-blood?”

“Half-blood for the doormat,” Regulus says, stepping in behind them. “However, the doorknobs sting if you have a single muggle grandparent, so beware of those as well.” 

"I'm a pureblood?" James says, as though Regulus wasn't very well aware of that. 

Regulus glances back at him and looks him up and down. "Really? I couldn’t tell."

James huffs in indignation, and Sirius pulls him along behind Regulus with an eye roll. 

They follow Kreacher back to the sitting room where Walburga is holding court. She’s alone, of course, but that doesn’t change the atmosphere that makes Sirius feel like he’s obligated to bow. 

The six-year-old who wanted nothing more than to please his mother probably would have bowed. Sirius no longer bows to anyone. “Mother,” he says. 

She turns her head in their direction, and there is a squaring of her shoulders before she responds. “My sons have come to visit their ailing, elderly mother.” 

“Mother, you’re not old. You’re only fifty-” 

Her wand points in his direction and ties his tongue before Sirius can even finish his sentence. “It is rude to discuss a lady’s age, Sirius”

Sirius breaks the tongue-tie by force; a practiced act learned from spending hours unable to speak until he could manage to break it. “If I meet a lady, I’ll be sure to keep that in mind.” 

Walburga turns from him without response. “Regulus, my son. How is your partner?”

“My husband is well, Mother.” Regulus corrects her softly, as he does every time. Sirius knows she’ll mischaracterize their relationship again. “He sends his best.” 

Sirius snorts. Kingsley did nothing of the sort. Both Walburga and Regulus ignore him. “Good. I am glad to hear he is well.” Sirius notices she does not invite him over, which is definitely an intended slight that they all choose to ignore. “Kreacher!” 

The hunched elf appears at her side. “Yes, Mistress?”

“Is dinner prepared? My sons and their guest will be staying,” Walburga says.

“We will not–” Sirius starts.

“Mother we had not planned to–” Regulus speaks over him 

“It’s only half-three?” James asks, the most confused of all of them. 

Walburga merely holds up her hand. “It is not my fault that you only show up at odd times. I want to have dinner with my sons before whatever wretched news you have come to give me. If dinner must be served at four in the afternoon in order to make that happen, then we shall dine at four.” 

Kreacher has already gone, of course, and Sirius feels suddenly trapped. He walks to the mantle, pouring two fingers of the firewhiskey in the decanter into three separate glasses, levitating one to James and Regulus. If they’re going to make it through dinner, they’ll need the drinks to start. 

Walburga, of course, refuses to let them broach the subject before dinner. Or during dinner. Or after dinner. For three hours (up to dinner, during dinner, and after dinner drinks), she fills the silence with news of the family. Mostly deaths, as that seems to be the main news that she brings. Sirius is thankful that his duties as future head of the family do not require him to attend the funerals. Honestly, Walburga would have nothing else to do with her time if she didn’t fill it with that. 

Sirius says little during dinner, and though he appreciates James’s hand on his leg, it’s of little comfort as he comes face to face with sharing the news as they retire to the sitting room once more. Regulus converses normally with Walburga, though Sirius does notice him shift uncomfortably in his seat occasionally. Perhaps he isn't entirely unaffected. 

Walburga takes her seat again, gesturing to the couch. James and Regulus take seats there, but Sirius remains standing. Walburga looks for a moment like she will fight him, but she merely sighs. 

“Well, do what you came here for.” She waves her hand in a rolling, spit-it-out type gesture. “Tell me who you bonded with.” 

That stops Sirius short. “What? How did you know I was bonded?”

Walburga rolls her eyes. “Your neck. If you wore robes like a proper wizard, it would not be so blatantly obvious. So, who is it? I hope she is a pureblood omega.” 

Sirius huffs. “Mother, you know I’m gay.” 

Walburga scoffs, waving him off. “Fine, I hope he is a pureblood omega. It is the least you could do for what you have put your family through.” 

Sirius sighs. “You’re half right.” He waved a hand toward James. 

James, as if on cue, pulls back his own collar, which does slightly better at hiding the bonding mark, though he isn’t wearing robes either. Sirius doesn’t point this out. 

Walburga looks over him carefully. Sirius holds his breath and waits for her condemnation. Surprisingly, it didn't come. “I suppose you could make a worse choice. His family leaves something to be desired, but I suppose they are at least pureblooded. The roughness can be trained out of him” 

James looks offended, but Regulus and Sirius exchange surprised looks. This is a far better response than they had expected. Regulus clears his throat. “I agree, Mother. I think James is a respectable choice.” 

“Well, I would not go as far as to call it respectable.” She waves a hand, dismissing the idea. “However, it is far better than that mongrel your uncle tried to bring home.” 

Sirius feels the air change around them, like the house recognizes what is about to come and is preparing for it. He can feel James’s confusion and Regulus’s hesitation, and if Sirius had any sense about him, he wouldn’t press the issue, but Sirius has never had sense where his mother was concerned. 

“Uncle Cygnus?” he asks. “I thought he was arranged to marry Druella.” 

“Not my brother.” Walburga bristles. “Your father’s brother. Alphard.”

“Sirius,” Regulus says, and Sirius knows it’s a warning. 

He’s never been good at heeding those where his mother is concerned either. “What do you mean? I didn’t think Uncle Alphard had a relationship since he couldn’t have children.” 

“He certainly could not after he brought that tramp home.” She pinched the bridge of her nose like it was just one more exhausting matter that she’s been forced to live through, and it grates on Sirius. 

“What tramp?” he spits out. 

Walburga continues as though he hasn’t spoken. “Alphard appears one day with that thing in tow, guiding him through the front door as though we have not particularly guarded against such impurities in this house, and introduces him as his lover and his betrothed.” Walburga scoffs dismissively. “As though we would ever let him tie this house to someone so common and dirty. As though we would allow a half-blood harlot to carry the name of Black.” 

Sirius wants to ask, needs to know, but the words stick in his mouth behind the bile that rises up at what he thinks he knows is coming. The boy was killed, obviously. Probably in front of Alphard as a reminder, a punishment. Sirius doesn’t need to ask to know this is true. 

Walburga is on a roll with the story, and she continues for her unwilling and unwitting captive audience. “I told him that, of course. That he would never be allowed to bond with such filth and then lead the family. He thought he would just come in here, talk to his father, and that Uncle Arcturus would be fine with it.” Walburga scoffs, a haughty noise that sets Sirius’s teeth on edge and makes him want to change into Padfoot to bite her at the source of that noise. 

“As if that was not bad enough, he had already made it worse. An absolute blight on this family” She sips from the tea Kreacher hands her–an after-dinner concoction that Sirius knows contains tea, brandy, and some potion that Sirius has always suspected is a beauty potion–and it seems for a moment like she’s done speaking. “He had, of course, knocked up the bitch and thought that we could not turn him away then.” 

Sirius feels like he’s standing on an empty shore the moment she says it, as though all of the water has been sucked away from around his feet. It can’t be true, though, because Uncle Alphard has the blood curse. Had. He was cursed, and he couldn’t have children, and that’s why he couldn’t lead the family. He was cursed. Alphard was cursed. 

It hits him like the tide coming in a massive tsunami crashing back to the shore. Alphard didn’t have a blood curse. He was cursed. “You cursed him. You–you– What did you do?”

“Of course, I cursed him.” She sets her cup down with a loud clatter. “He brought that wench with his round belly full of an overripe menstrual period, and I could not allow them to continue their disrespect of this Family. So I cursed Alphard.” 

Sirius doesn’t get it, of course. Even if Alphard was cursed, what happened to his mate and the baby? Why had Sirius never even heard of them?

“What was the curse?” Regulus asks the question, but Sirius waits on bated breath. His skin crawls with premature dread, and for a moment, he thinks of Remus and the way he’s taken to cupping the small bump that he carries now. 

He clears his mind. It wouldn’t do to dwell on Remus and his babies now. Thoughts like that could shrivel in this house. 

“It was a curse of my own making.” She smiles cruelly, and Sirius suppresses a shiver. “It condemns the heirs of the body to a wretched and painful death. When the curse completed its course, the house elves cleaned up the bloody remains of their relationship off the floor beneath their feet.” 

“They lost the babies?” It’s James who dares to speak now. Regulus knows better, and Sirius can’t stop picturing Remus and the outcome of the curse. 

Walburga narrows her eyes at James. “My cousin lost those scraps, and the curse would not allow him to make that mistake again.” 

The aftershock–did tsunamis even have aftershocks or was this just another one–hits Sirius, the pull of the wave back out from under him and then slamming into him all over again. Not just losing the baby, but never being able to have another chance at that. 

A bloody curse. No wonder Alphard went a little bit insane. No wonder he ran. 

Sirius can’t stop thinking of Remus, and each thought in his direction hurts, like an extra stab of pain when Sirius is already lost at sea. 

He’s breathing slowly, carefully. Counting careful, measured breaths. He can feel his magic gathering in the pit of his stomach, the kind of magic that young children lose control of in a burst of rage. He hasn’t lost control to accidental magic since he was small, but he can already feel the potential of it in his gut. 

“You took everything away from him.” Sirius hears the deathly calm in his voice, and James’s eyes snap to him. Regulus is on his feet now, standing nearly in the direct path between Sirius and their mother. “He should have led the family, but you took that from him.” 

“I did.” There’s no remorse in her tone as she looks at him. “It worked out well for me, too. I was supposed to be traded to the Rosier family. Married to their beta second son in exchange for Druella to marry Cygnus.” She holds her flat palms up as though gesturing around her at her life. “Instead, Alphard could not lead the family and your omega father–” she says the word like it is dirty word, like it is ash in her mouth “–certainly could not be trusted to lead. Uncle Arcturus loathed to let his control of the family slip to Father, so I married Orion, earning the title of head of the family for myself.” She smiles cruelly, and Sirius hears the implied and look how well I have done.

“You took everything.” Alphard and his mate and baby. Remus and Sirius’s babies. “You would take everything from me.” 

“Nonsense.” Walburga waives him off. “You only bonded with a lesser pureblood. It is not insurmountable.” 

Sirius laughs, and there’s hysteria mixed in it. He can feel his magic filling his gut, and it’s up to his chest now. It sloshes around inside of him like he’s merely the vessel that one small crack will shatter and allow his magic to explode around them. He laughs again, and there’s an edge of insanity to it. 

“You’re wrong, Mother dearest.” Sirius runs a hand through his hair, ignoring the Sirius, quiet! and don’t, Sirius, no from his brother and his mate. He honestly couldn’t stop it now if he wanted to. “You’re wrong, because I have knocked up an omega. A beautiful, wonderful, half-blood, perfect man is carrying my babies, and there’s nothing to do about it. You begged me to come back, and I told you I’d only do it on my terms, so you have no choice now.” 

She looks at him, pulling herself to her full height, and when Sirius was little, she would have towered over him. Sirius isn’t afraid of her anymore. He is stronger, better, faster, than he was before. 

Or so Sirius thought he was. 

Walburga’s wand whips in his direction, the spell falling from her lips before Sirius even draws his wand. The air is filled with a sharp orange bolt of lightning that is headed right for him, and Sirius watches it come toward him with only the time to think and I’ll lose everything too.

Regulus is faster than either of them, and before the spell can connect with Sirius, Regulus is in front of him. Regulus falls back into him as the spell is absorbed into his chest, and Sirius watches over his shoulder as the bolt of power sinks into him. 

Walburga shrieks, a noise that Sirius didn’t even know that she could make. “How dare you? You would have run this family, once I broke that alpha of yours. You could have bore children, even as a beta, but now, you have ruined that as well, you worthless, pathetic cretin!” 

That is, apparently, the final drop that breaks Sirius. His magic explodes out of him and every piece of furniture in the room evaporates. Sirius considers it a matter of small luck that James and Regulus are unharmed. 

Walburga is pinned to the now blank wall next to the fireplace–a fire which is now extinguished–looking as though her tongue and hands are tied. Sirius closes the distance between them and places a hand in the center of her chest. 

He doesn’t know how it happens, or how he knew to do it, but he feels her power seeping out of her and into him. When he speaks, it’s in alpha voice, and he makes no effort to stop it. “You will not hurt Regulus. You will not hurt me. You will not hurt my mate or my omega or my children. You will never hurt anyone again. You will no longer be able to.” 

Her magical core drains through the hand he’s placed on her chest, running out of her body and into his, until he contains all the power that both of them possess. She is empty, and Sirius is full. Sirius’s family is safe.

He takes a step back, and Walburga crumples to the floor. There are no outward marks to suggest he’s done anything to her. She looks old, laying against the wall on the floor. Her eyes are sharp, but they’re hooded in pale, almost translucent skin. He wonders how much of her appearance was faked, wonders how much of it she can maintain without magic. 

“What did you do?” James asks. 

Sirius doesn’t answer. Honestly, he doesn’t know, but there’s still a low thrum of power in him, and he’s not entirely sure that he’s gotten it all out of his system. He might still be a live fuse on a bomb left behind in his own wake, and he doesn’t know where the trigger is. 

“He drained her magic.” Regulus’s voice is small, and that’s enough to pull Sirius’s attention away from Walburga. Regulus is on the floor against the wall opposite Walburga, but he is sitting up better than he had been. His eyes are on Sirius, and he looks unafraid. “He’s taken everything from her.” 

He had, of course. His mother is nothing without her magic, and as far as Sirius is concerned, she can rot here in this house without it. 

“You can do that?” James sounds more awed than afraid, which Sirius will probably be thankful for later.

“Let’s go,” he says, and he starts toward the door. 

They’ve made it to the front landing before Sirius thinks to turn to Regulus. “Are you alright? I don’t know what she hit you with.” 

Regulus huffs a breath. “I think she’s cursed me to not have children ever again, though she meant for it to hit you.” 

It hits Sirius again. He knew that, of course, but one does not get used to hearing their mother would treat her children–her grandchildren–that way. “Thank you.” It’s not enough, but he doesn’t know what’s enough. 

Regulus wrinkles his nose, as much of an acceptance as he will get for his weak thanks, and says, “Come on. Let’s go back.” 

---

Remus’s cheek is pressed into the carpet, and he’s not entirely sure how he got into this position. Not that he’s complaining. Okay, he really can’t stop the low whine that’s coming out of his mouth, but–

SMACK! His arse burns under the sting of Kingsley’s hand. “Quiet, omega.”

Well, he’s not complaining anymore. 

Kingsley has Remus draped over his lap, hands and head on the floor and braced between Kingsley’s knees. He is bent at the waist so that his thighs press against Kingsley’s, and his arse is spread and on full display. Remus’s ankles are hooked behind Kingsley’s shoulders, and Kingsley’s broad hands are freely roaming his upturned arse and thighs. 

Remus can’t see them from this position–in fact, he can see little but Kingsley’s shoes–but he’s certain that his arse and thighs are bright red from Kingsley’s repeated punishments. 

Remus has already come untouched, dripping down his stomach and chest, and he might be able to come again if Kingsley keeps going like this. Kingsley hasn’t even taken his clothes off yet, but Remus is naked and trembling in his lap. 

“Good, omega. I think you deserve a little reward for that.” 

Kingsley runs his fingers down Remus’s crack, brushing the pads of his fingers across his swollen hole before plunging two in. Remus whines again when Kingsley pushes against his prostate, and Kingsley’s hand comes down to smack his arse again. The sound chokes off with a sharp inhale. 

“Good, you’re learning, little one. Now, let me taste you.” 

Kingsley pulls his fingers out suddenly, but before Remus can think to complain, Kingsley is bent over him and his broad tongue licks right across Remus’s hole. He pushes the point of his tongue into the tight ring–

“What the fuck is going on here?”

Sirius’s voice jerks Remus’s eyes open, and his cheek is pressed into Kingsley’s chest. There’s a small puddle of drool under his lips, which Remus is hoping Kingsley hasn’t noticed. 

“What do you mean, Sirius?” Kingsley asks, a little too calmly for the way he’d just had his tongue in Remus’s arse.

“I mean, what are you doing with my omega, Shacklebolt?” There’s a growl to his voice and a thrum of power that makes Remus want to crawl across the floor in supplication. 

“Is’ fine.” Remus’s voice slurs a bit. “He didn’t even knot me yet.” 

The room goes icy cold, and Remus isn’t entirely sure why. He opens his eyes a little wider right as the wildfire of Sirius’s scent hits him. 

“To be clear,” Kingsley says, voice now taking a slight edge, “that was not anywhere close to happening. He was just sleeping.” 

“What? I wasn’t sleep–” Remus lifts his head and looks at Kingsley, who is wearing a distinctly unamused look, and takes stock of where he is. He’s laying on Kingsley’s chest, on the couch in Regulus’s office, precisely where they’d been when Kingsley carried him out of the bathroom. Remus is hard and pressed into Kingsleys’ thigh, but his clothes are all still on. “We weren’t uh–” 

“No, we weren’t. You were asleep.” 

Sirius growls, and Remus snaps his attention back to him. James approaches him carefully and places a hand on Sirius’s shoulder. “Sirius, they weren’t. We’d be able to smell if they’d had sex.” 

Sirius’s nostrils flare as he smells the room, and Remus can tell he’s searching for any sign. “Remus is aroused though.” 

“I noticed.” James winks at Remus, and Remus resists the urge to bury his now-red face against Kingsley’s chest. That definitely would not help things. “Let’s take him home and deal with that, shall we? Let Regulus have Kingsley back.” 

Sirius’s shoulders drop, and the buzz of magic in the room lessens. “Alright, yeah.” 

“Fantastic,” Regulus says, walking to the couch and standing over Remus. “Please get off my husband.” 

Remus scrambles off of Kingsley and takes James’s offered hand. Sirius is already opening the door and heading out. Remus lets James pull him by the hand to follow. He glances back to see Regulus take his spot on top of Kingsley, showing far more vulnerability than Remus has ever seen from him before. 

Kingsley opens his arms and immediately pulls Regulus into him. “Are you alright, love?”

“No.” Regulus’s voice is muffled against Kingsley’s chest, and Remus misses whatever he says next as the door closes behind him and James. 

He turns to James. “What happened to Reg?”

James has a pinched look on his face, staring ahead at where Sirius has just apparated away. “Let’s get home and we can talk about it.” 

---

When they make it back to the flat, Sirius is already laying on the floor of the living room, arms and legs spread wide from his body. James can feel the slight hum in the air, the overcharge of magic radiating off of Sirius leftover from the fight with his mother–or perhaps leftover bits of his mother’s fight, James supposes, and shudders a bit at the thought. 

“Alright, Padfoot?” James asks, though he’s certain that he’s not.

Sirius exhales slowly and the magical tension in the room settles moderately. “Yeah. Yeah, I am.” 

“What happened?” Remus asks. He moves to gingerly sit on the couch, cupping his stomach as he moves down. “Did you tell her?”

“I told her.” Sirius offers no further explanation. 

Remus raises an eyebrow. “And?”

“And what, Remus?”

“And how did she react?” James can sense Remus’s annoyance in having to ask again. 

Sirius can, too, if the way he clenches his jaw is anything to base it off of. “She wasn’t thrilled.” 

James realizes it, then. That this is what Sirius does–what he must have always done. His mother–damn her for even thinking to request that title–does something thoroughly vile, and Sirius comes home and downplays it. James knew that Walburga was unkind and uncaring, and that she ruled her children with an iron fist. He just never thought that her iron fist came with claws coated in her children’s blood. Sirius had never really said, and they had assumed her to be far more of a verbal threat than a physical one. They’d been wrong. 

“How not thrilled was she?” Remus asks, prodding for information that James now suspects Sirius doesn’t want to share. “Did she threaten to remove your status as heir again? Did she try to lock you in the house until you changed your mind? Did she try to remove access to your bank vault?”

“Remus.” Sirius groans, covering his face. James feels the magic around him pulse through the room again. 

James steps forward, trying to calm them both. “Alright, how about we take a break and we can talk about this later–” 

“Why?” Remus’s voice has gone up in pitch, and James knows it’s because his anxiety is increasing. He can smell it in the subtle change of Remus’s scent. “What happened that you don’t want to tell me? Did she tell you to leave me or something? Not to be with me? Not to claim the babies? Does she not want you to be with me?”

“Of course she doesn’t want me to be with you, Remus.” Sirius is sitting up now, glare directed at Remus. “Did you think she’d be happy about this, given her repeated lessons on the advantages of blood purity? Bad enough that you’re a man, but half-blood too? You didn’t expect her to coo over her grandchildren and start knitting blankies, did you?”

Remus reels back at the sudden bite in Sirius’s words, and James has the urge to step between them. That thought alone makes him reel back, because that’s what Regulus did, and the analogy is terrible. 

Remus licks his lips nervously. “I mean, I–I didn’t, but–” 

“Well, she didn’t. She doesn’t approve, and it doesn’t matter.” Sirius lays back on the floor again, and James knows he is trying to forcibly slower his breathing. 

They sit there in silence for a minute, and James wonders–hopes–if that will be the end of the conversation. 

Remus, however, is still frustrated. James knows he didn’t like letting them go without him earlier, and Sirius’s lack of information is grating on his nerves. He leans forward again. “So, what? That’s it? Mummy dearest disapproves and now you what? Pout about it?”

“I’m not pouting,” Sirius bites back. 

“Oh sure.” Remus throws his hands up. “What else happened?”

“She tried to hex me, okay? It doesn’t matter. She didn’t hit me.” 

Remus holds his hands out. “Okay, well, well dodged then? What else?”

“Remus,” James says. He knows what Remus is doing. They do this, sometimes. Goad each other into reacting in the loudest, messiest possible way, and then clear the air when the dust settles, but James really isn’t sure that Sirius is in a place to do that right now. 

“What, James? Is there something I’m missing, because I really don’t get it?” Remus raises his hands and drops them with a slap to his thighs. “And what happened to Reg, huh? Because I saw him just tell Kingsley that he wasn’t okay, so–”

Sirius is up in an instant, before James can try to intervene, straight from his back to his feet with a kind of agility that is–frankly–hot as fuck. James should tell him that–later. It’s probably not important right now. 

Sirius pins Remus to the couch without laying a finger on him, an arm on either side of him gripping the cushion. Remus didn’t back down an inch–which, again, hot as fuck–but instead he meets Sirius rage for rage. 

“Is that it, Remus? You want to talk about Kingsley?” Sirius’s voice is poison, and James thinks it sounds more like his mother than like him. He probably won’t tell Sirius that later. “I saw how you were laying on him, how you were hard against him. Was that you living out your little Kingsley fantasy, Remus?”

“I didn’t do anything with Kingsley.” Remus’s voice is unwavering, but it’s taken on a low, sultry quality. 

“You didn’t?” Sirius tuts his tongue. “I have eyes, Remus. I saw the way you were clinging to him. Is he what you want?”

“He’s married to your brother,” Remus says. 

“That’s not an answer,” Sirius says, and James privately agrees. “Do you want Kingsley?”

Remus huffs. “You might have noticed that I’m an unmated, pregnant omega. It’s a bit of a biological imperative to react to alphas around me. It’s not my fault.” 

“You might remember that you’re unmated by your own choice, Remus.” Sirius leans in closer, dropping his head to Remus’s neck and sniffing. “I could change that right now. I will, if you want, if that’s your argument in favor of Kingsley.” 

“It wasn’t an argument in favor of Kingsley,” Remus says, and he sounds a bit breathless despite the way he appears to be trying to hold onto his anger. “I just meant that my reaction to him was not really by choice. It’s not because I want him.”

“What do you want, Remus?”Sirius presses forward between Remus’s spread legs and grinds down against him. James moves to sit on the floor in a spot where he can watch. He could join, probably, but suddenly presented with the option of watching them shag their shit out, and he’s very in favor of watching. 

“Isn’t that obvious?” Remus says, and he wraps his legs around Sirius’s waist. 

“No, it’s not.” Sirius grinds against him again, and Remus lets his head flop back against the couch. Sirius reaches between them and palms Remus through his trousers. “Tell me, Remus. What do you want?”

“Oh, fuck.” Remus’s mouth is open, and his eyes are closed. Sirius grazes his teeth along Remus’s jaw and Remus clings to his arm. “You, you arse. I want you. I always want you.” 

“Good.” Sirius’s hand moves from Remus’s crotch to grasping his jaw, his thumb on the hinge of one side of Remus’s jaw and his fingers pressed into the hinge on the other side, and Sirius kisses his open mouth. It’s dirty and messy, and James has to grab himself through his own pants at the sight of the way they’re devouring each other’s mouths.

Sirius pulls back, panting a bit with Remus’s face still in his hand. “Good, because I almost lost everything today for you, and I need that not to have been a mistake because you’re going to leave me for Kingsley.” 

Remus groans, but Sirius cuts it off with another dirty, messy kiss. James is distracted by their mouths and tongues, and he misses entirely the surge of magic that comes with Sirius vanishing Remus’s trousers and pants. The scent of slick hits the air, and James grips himself harder as Sirius growls against Remus’s neck. 

Remus smacks Sirius’s shoulder and wraps his arms around Sirius’s neck. “You fucking prick. I only have two pairs of trousers that fit now.” 

“Shut up.” Sirius sucks on his scent gland, making Remus arch up under him. “Shut up for once in your fucking life, Remus.” 

Sirius places his teeth around Remus’s scent gland and presses softly in. It’s not enough to break the skin—not enough to be a bonding bite, but it’s close. It’s in the right spot, and if he just pushes a little deeper, he’ll break skin and start the bond. 

Remus is limp in his arms now, likely a product of the position Sirius has put him in and Remus’s body screaming yes. A small whine comes out of his mouth. “Sirius, no.” He has an edge of tears in his voice, though he makes no move to push Sirius away. James wonders if he should intervene. “Don’t. Don’t force me to bond with you.” 

Sirius rolls the scent gland between his teeth, Remus’s flesh bending beneath them, but he doesn’t bite. He lets go and kisses the spot gently. “I will never take your choice away, Remus. No matter what anyone does to me.” 

He pulls back from Remus suddenly and kneels between his legs. James thinks he’s going to suck Remus off now, but he just bends his head to kiss Remus’s belly. Remus looks down at him with such affection that it almost makes James cry.

Sirius moves again and flips Remus over with such controlled strength that it impresses even James—specifically, in that it’s hot as fuck. Remus braces himself on the arm of the couch, arse in the air, and Sirius kneels behind him. He runs a hand down Remus’s back before he grips his thighs hard enough to leave fingerprint bruises. “Tell me if it’s too much,” Sirius asks, but he doesn’t wait to push inside of Remus and set a bruising price. 

“Yeah, I ohh—” Whatever else Remus would have said, presumably in response, is lost to the deliberate unrelenting thrust against his prostate with every snap of Sirius’s hips. 

James’s cock is in his hand now, moving fast as he watches his lovers fucking. They’re beautiful. Gorgeous. He is the luckiest fucking man alive. 

Remus is resting his head on his arms on the end of the couch, but his face is turned toward James and his eyes are open. His lips are parted and spilling delicious sounds of pleasure that James wants to record and save on his mePhone to listen to with his morning jog. Probably a mistake, though, because he’s not sure how much running he’ll get done if he’s constantly hard and wanting to get back in bed with Remus. 

Sirius is behind him, fingers digging into Remus’s hips. His stomach is taut with effort, and the tattoos on his chest fade a bit into the deep flush of his skin. His face is–

Well, he’s not really wearing the expression that James would expect. He looks a bit–pained? 

“Alright, Padfoot?”

Sirius’s eye shoot to James, but he doesn’t slow his pace. He bites the corner of his lips, but he doesn’t answer. 

Remus is unaware, lost to the feeling of being fucked and the growing knot in his arse. He reaches a hand down to stroke himself. “I’m close,” Remus says. 

Sirius’s brow furrows as he focuses on Remus, but James can tell that something is wrong, still. He doesn’t ask again. Maybe he should have. 

Remus comes across the couch cushion, striping it with his release. His eyes slip closed as his face colors, and it takes him only a moment to recover and begin urging Sirius to finish too. 

“Yes, Sirius, please. Knot me.” He gasps, the evidence of oversensitivity lining his face. “Fill me, please. I want to be so full of you, and then I want James to come plug me up and fill me again. So full that when these babies are done, I’m already baking the next ones. I want–” 

Sirius pulls out suddenly, takes himself in hand, and with a few strokes, he comes across Remus’s back and arse. The room goes eerily silent, aside from their panting breaths. 

Sirius moves, standing up and practically running out of the room. Remus seems frozen where he is, unsure but otherwise fine. James looks between them, to the door where Sirius retreated and to Remus still awkwardly posed on the couch, and he has to make a choice. 

“I’m–I’m sorry, Remus. I think I need to go–” James stands up. “I’m going to go check on Padfoot. It’s just–with his mum, I think– I’m sorry.” 

James walks out of the room and follows Sirius into his room, and he truly isn’t sure he made the right choice. 

James opens the door to Sirius’s room, and his eyes narrow in on the twisting pile of blankets on the bed. He locks and silences the door, suspecting he’s about to yell at Sirius, but before he can even open his mouth, he hears a low whining noise. 

James steps closer to the bed. “Padfoot?” The movement on the bed stops. “It’s okay, Padfoot. It’s just me.” 

He sees the tip of a black, furry nose poke out from under the blanket and sniff the air. James stays still until Padfoot whines and disappears back under the blanket. 

“Okay, I’m going to get in. Tell me if you don’t want me to.” James sits on the edge of the bed, outside of the blanket. When there’s no change, James lays down on the bed, not under the blanket, but he moves to where he is almost wrapped around the blanket-covered lump of Padfoot. 

James tentatively places a hand on top of the blanket, and when Padfoot doesn't react, begins petting him through the blanket. “It’s okay. I’m here.” 

Padfoot doesn’t move, but he starts shaking under the blanket. James isn’t sure if he wants it–if he’s allowed to–but he lifts the edge of the blanket so he’s under it too.

Instantly, Padfoot is on him. He licks his face and neck, nuzzling under James’s chin and into his cheeks. He scrabbles across the bed, feet and legs struggling to make purchase against the sheets as he presses his body as close to James’s as he can get until James wraps his arms around him to keep him close. 

“It’s okay.” James drops his voice and speaks into Padfoot’s fur. “I’m here. I’ve got you. Everything is okay.” 

Padfoot continues licking his head and face while also trying to lay inside of James’s chest, but James just continues holding him, petting him, soothing him, until Sirius changes back. 

Sirius is crying and mumbling in his arms as soon as he is a person again, and James just holds him tighter. “He–he almost– She was going to– James, Prongs, she was going to–” 

“I know, Padfoot.” James pulls him tight and kisses his face. “I know, but she didn’t.” 

“He has no-no idea, James. He would have– Remus would die.” Sirius buries his face against James’s neck. “He-he doesn’t say it, but Remus adores those babies. He would die, James, if he lost them. We-we would have lost all of them. I- I could have lost-everything.” 

“No, not everything. Not me” James kisses his face, everywhere that he can reach. “And it didn’t happen. Okay? She can’t hurt us anymore.” 

“What i-if she does?” Sirius is hiccuping now. “What if she- what if it wasn’t enough? What if she already did?”

It dawns on James then. “Is that why you didn’t finish? In Remus. Why you didn’t knot him?”

Sirius clutches James like he’s an anchor in a storm. “Wh-what if she already did? What if I’m cursed like Alphard was? What if I hurt him, or the babies?”

“No, Sirius.” James kisses his cheeks and his forehead. “No. She’s powerless, now. You took that away from her. She can’t hurt us. She won’t hurt us. You made sure of that.”

“But what if–”

“No, Sirius.” James cups his face in his hands and kisses the tip of Sirius’s nose. “She didn’t. She won’t. She can’t.” 

Sirius sighs and leans forward until his forehead is against James’s lips. “Okay. I-I’ll try to remember.” There is silence for a minute. “Is Remus okay?”

James kisses his forehead. “I think so, but I came after you.” 

Sirius’s brow crinkles under James’s lips. “You should go check on him.” 

“I will.” James moves to kiss his temple, his cheek, and finally his lips. Sirius lets himself be kissed at first, then slowly slides his lips apart until James can really kiss him. They separate with heavy breaths. “Are you okay?” Sirius shakes his head. 

“Why don’t you come with me to check on Remus?” James asks. 

Sirius is shaking his head before James even finishes talking. “I can’t, James. Not tonight. I-I feel like if I touch him, he’s going to fall apart.” 

“You have to tell him something, Sirius.” 

“I-I will. Not tonight. Please.” Sirius shakes his head and presses his face into James’s shoulder. “You can’t tell him either.”

“Sirius–” 

“No, James. Please. Promise me you won’t. It’ll–it’ll only hurt him to know. We have to find a way to tell him that will be–” Sirius shakes his head again. “We have to make it alright.” 

“I won’t lie to him,” James says firmly. 

“That’s fine. Just don’t tell him what she did.” Sirius kissed James’s scent gland. “Not yet.” 

“Okay,” James relents, “but we will tell him.” 

Sirius nods, grasping James a little tighter. James doesn’t move away. “Are you going to go to Remus?” Sirius asks.

James nods, but pulls Sirius closer. “I will, as soon as I think you can handle me being gone.” 

---

It takes Remus a minute, laying folded over on the couch, to realize that they’d both left him. 

There. Left him there. They didn’t leave him, that’s ridiculous. They are just in the other room. They would come back in a moment and help him clean up, help him move off the couch. 

They don’t come back. 

Remus waits several minutes, until the come on his back is drying and sticky, until their scents are all but gone from the room. 

They don’t come back. 

Remus shifts awkwardly on the couch, trying not to land in the pile of come under him on the couch, trying not to wipe the come on his back and arse off on the couch. He probably does anyway. He doesn’t check. 

His body protests the ache. It’s also probably something to do with the moon, which is only two days away from being full. Maybe that’s why Sirius didn’t want to knot him. Perhaps he’s just a bit too wolfy right now. Though that never bothered him before, even when Remus was a literal wolf and Sirius got him into this position. 

He walks to the door they disappeared behind. Perhaps they’re waiting for him to come join them. He tries it, but it’s locked. He presses his ear against the wood, but it’s clearly been silenced. 

Remus walks slowly back toward the bathroom. It feels like the worst kind of walk of shame, with the come on his arse cracking with every step. He goes straight back to the bathroom, charming the water extra hot and standing under it. 

He gets stuck under the water. 

Remus isn’t sure how long he stands there before hands find him. It could be minutes, it could be days. Maybe it’s morning, and they slept together in the other bed without Remus, and now he’s just in the way of their morning shower. 

“Remus, what happened?” 

James charms the water cooler, and Remus starts shivering. “J-just trying to g-get clean.” 

James wraps his arms around Remus, tucking Remus under his head. Remus stops shaking. “How long have you been here?” James asks. Remus could only shake his head. “Did you get clean?”

“Soap is in the other bathroom.” 

James grabs a flannel and his own soap. “I’ll use mine. Hope you don’t mind smelling like me a bit. I can grab Padfoot’s instead, if you pre–” 

“No. No, y-yours, please.” 

“Okay, Moony.” James runs the cloth over his body, between his legs, and Remus sinks into him, letting James take his weight and hold him. “Alright, Remus?”

“Sorry.” Remus nuzzles against his neck, pressing the space between his eyes to James’s scent gland. “Sorry.” 

“For what?” James asks.

“I don’t— I don’t know.” 

James shuts off the water and grabs a towel without letting Remus go. “You did nothing wrong, you know.” He wraps the towel around Remus and lifts him with an arm behind his legs. Remus protests for a moment, but he settles in against James’s chest. 

“Then why did he—” the words catch in Remus’s throat. “Why,” is all he manages to croak out. 

James sighs. “He’s going to have to tell you himself. I’m sorry. I’ve promised I wouldn’t say anything.” 

“Oh.” Remus doesn’t know what to think about that. “I guess I’ll just… wait.” 

“It’s not bad,” James says quickly. “Well, I mean, it’s bad for him, but not for you. Well, I mean, you shouldn’t worry about it. It won’t hurt you… anymore?” James pauses and grimaces. “I’m not helping am I?”

Remus swallows bile that has risen in his throat. “Not really, no.” 

James kisses his temple as he sets Remus down on the bed, still bundled in the towel. “Well, try not to worry. He’ll tell you and then everything will be…” James sighs. “Well, it will be. You’ll see.” James claps his hands and looks around. “Clothes?”

“Um,” Remus shakes his head, trying to clear it of the innumerable questions that have lodged in there. “I don’t have— in the other room.” 

“No problem. I’ll get you some of mine.” James turns to the wardrobe and begins digging through his things. 

With James’s back to him, Remus feels himself sinking into the chaos swirling in his mind. What was it that James wouldn’t say? What did he do that left Sirius unable to knot him? What happened that left him so undesirable—or what did Sirius realize about him?

By the time James turns back around with joggers and a shirt for him, Remus has drawn his knees up to his chest—which is quite a feat considering his bump has grown enough to make that nearly impossible. However, he’s folded in on himself, and it takes James half a glance to realize something is wrong. 

James drops the clothes and gathers Remus up again. “Baby, what’s wrong?” 

“I—” 

It catches in his throat, and he doesn’t know how to ask. He just shakes his head, and James pulls him closer. 

“What can I do?” he asks, and he’s already moving up the bed to lay down with Remus wrapped in his arms. 

“Can- Can  you knot me?” Remus looks up at him, and he knows that his voice is weak. He hates it. “I mean, if you can. I don’t know if you shagged Sirius or if you need time or something, but— a-also, if you don’t want to kn-knot me, I’d rather n-not.” 

“Remus,” James kisses him lightly. “Yes, I’ll knot you. I didn’t shag Sirius, but even if I did, I would love to knot you.” 

Remus rolls over, and James pulls him tight against his chest. Remus doesn’t need stretched since Sirius did that earlier, but James adds some lube–which Remus pretends does not feel like failing since he isn’t slick enough–and lines up to his hole. He pushes in and, after a few thrusts, he reaches around to wrap a hand around Remus. 

“No.” Remus stops his hand, pulling it instead around his waist.  “I don’t think I could right now. I just- I want to feel you, James. Please knot me.” 

“Are you sure, Remus?” James doesn’t slow his hips, but Remus can tell that he’s itching to touch him, to help him get off. 

“I’m sure.” Remus leaned into James. “Just don’t wait. Please, I want to feel it.” 

“Alright, Remus.” James kisses his shoulders, but he keeps his arms wrapped tight around Remus’s waist. “Give me a mo’, and I’ll knot you.” 

James is still hesitant, but Remus doesn’t offer any further explanation. He’s not sure how to tell James that he’s felt off ever since Sirius ran off, and that even now, he feels unsettled. He needs the knot, in a way that he cannot explain, in a way that feels like he might break into pieces if James doesn’t knot him soon. 

Luckily, however, it’s not long before Remus can feel James’s knot beginning to grow. Unfortunately, the wrongness in Remus’s chest grows rather than dissipates. He scrabbles against James’s arms, grasping at him desperately as though he can force James to stay and knot him that way. 

“Woah, okay Moons.” James presses kisses into his neck and against his scent gland, and Remus leans into it, baring his neck so that James can do as he pleases. “I’ve got you, baby.” 

“Alpha, please.” Remus can hear the desperate tone in his voice. “Your knot, Alpha. Please knot me. Please please please please please–”

Remus chants the word, falling on repeat from between his lips until James’s knot locks inside of him. “I’ve got you, baby.” James grunts, pulses of come landing inside of Remus. “I’ve got you. Such a good Omega. My good omega.” 

The wrongness in Remus’s chest begins to settle as James’s knot pulls against his rim but won't come out. His breathing evens out, and he kisses James’s arms where he can reach them. “Thank you,” he says, even then clenching as though to check that James is still, in fact, inside of him.

James kisses up his neck. “Moony, there’s no need to thank me. I want to do it.” James snorts against the skin behind Remus’s ear as he presses kisses to that spot. “That’s not even the half of it. I should be thanking you. I love being buried inside of you.” 

“Do you?” Remus sighed and let James mouth over his scent gland again. “You can anytime you want, you know. Even if I’m not–I mean, if you just need to come inside of me, I don’t mind that. I’m–” 

“Remus, I want you to feel good too. I always want you to come, too.” James brushes his curls aside so he can kiss Remus’s cheek. “Is this about Sirius?”

“Maybe.” Remus wraps his arms around one of James’s cuddling into it as though he needs to cling to James to keep him there. “He didn’t want to knot me.” 

“I don’t think it was about want, really.” James kisses his neck softly again. 

“Don’t lie for him, James.” Remus closes his eyes. “He could have, but instead he just– he left me on the couch, covered in come, and he ran away.” 

“Fuck,” James says, pulling him closer. “I didn’t think about the way we left you. I should have–” 

“You did.” Remus shrugs. “Eventually, at least.” He paused before he said it. “He’s not going to come find me, is he?”

“No, I don’t think so.” James kisses him again. “Not tonight, anyway.” 

What did his mother say to make him realize I wasn’t worth it? He doesn’t ask. He’s not ready for the answer. Instead, he says, “You know I’m not interested in Kingsley, right? Or any other alpha. I’m not looking for another alpha. I don’t want another alpha.” 

James kisses his cheek again. “I know you’re not. Which is good, because if I thought you were, I’d have to fight him, and you know how I feel about fighting.” 

“Only when it’s necessary to protect the people you love?” Remus says, half joking. 

“You’re damn right, Remus.” James turns his head, this time kissing Remus awkwardly on the lips from this angle. “And you’re one of those things. Don’t you forget it.” 

Remus huffs, but turns to try to get a better angle on the kiss. After a moment, James smiles. “Really though, you don’t have to lie about Kingsley.” 

Remus scoffs. “I’m not lying.” 

“Kingsley is fit as fuck, and I can tell when you’re having a wet dream, Remus.” James grazes his teeth across Remus’s ear. “You smile and moan in your sleep. What was it about?” 

Remus squeezes his eyes closed. “Ugh, fine. He was spanking me.” 

James laughs in his ear, then smacks Remus’s arse. Remus wasn’t expecting it, and his hips jerk in response, which then pulls James’s knot against his rim and they both inhale sharply. “Go on, tell me more. I want to hear all about it.” He smacks Remus’s arse again. 

---

Godric help him, James loves these two idiots. They’re stupid, immature, adorable, fit as fuck, complete idiots who can’t figure out how to talk to each other. And, James is stuck between the two of them. 

James wakes up the next morning with Remus pressed against his front. He whimpers as James’s cock slides in, and begs him for a knot again. Remus let James pull him off this time, but only after James had knotted him. 

He leaves Remus in the shower–happy, this time, and not with drying come on his arse–and joins Sirius in his shower. Sirius says nothing, but pushes James against the wall and pushes inside of him after only barely getting two fingers of preparation. It burns deliciously and James limps when they leave. 

The two of them, however, can barely look at each other. Remus spends the day sitting on the couch, perking up each time Sirius walks in–from his bedroom, from the run he went on, from going to the kitchen to grab water. Every time, when Sirius disappears again, James watches him sink a little further into himself. 

That, of course, is not acceptable. James kisses Remus once on the head with a I’ll be right back and locks himself in Sirius’s room with a silencing charm up as soon as the door closes. 

“What the fuck are you doing, Sirius?”

“What’s that?” Sirius barely moves when James walks in, but he can smell the…. Uh… surprise? He thinks? In Sirius’s scent. Honestly, James is still really new at this whole reading-his-alpha-mate’s scent signature, and it’s not really the same as reading Remus. Sirius is a whole complex system of scents that James is still learning, and–

He’s letting himself get distracted, and he can’t do that. This is important. 

“You.” James gestures back at the door. “With Remus. What are you doing to him?”

Sirius shrugs, but it’s not quite as casual as he pretends it would be. “Nothing.” 

“Yeah, I think that’s the problem.” James crosses his arms. “Why haven’t you told him?”

“Because I don’t know how to!” Sirius throws his arms out and falls backward on the bed. He covers his face with his hands. “Because I’m not ready for him to look at me differently when he finds out.” 

“He’s not going to look at you differently,” James says, but Sirius is already shaking his head. 

“He will, Prongs. He’s going to find out that my mother tried to hex me, and that I took her magic, and–honestly, James, do you think he’s not going to have questions about it?” Sirius sits up again, and he looks down at his hands like they’ve changed, physically, since the Wally incident (as James has taken to calling it) occurred. “You don’t think he’s going to want to know why or how? I don’t have answers to that.” 

James sits next to Sirius on the bed. “Maybe Moony will. You know he reads more than we do.” 

“I don’t think this is something that could be found in a book.” Sirius licks his lips and looks down. “I don’t want to see him afraid of me.” 

“He won’t be–” 

“He might.” Sirius rolls off the bed and walks toward the loo. “I can’t risk him looking at me like that. Not yet. I think it would destroy me.” 

“It might destroy him,” James calls out behind him, “if you wait too long. It honestly might destroy him, and I don’t think you want that to happen.” 

Sirius stops with a hand on the door. “Remus is tough. He’s tougher than both of us. He’ll be fine.” 

James waits on the bed, hoping that Sirius would come back and face this head-on like a Gryffindor, but he doesn’t. Instead, James walks into the kitchen to find Remus making another pot of tea, with three cups set out like he expects James to return with Sirius. 

James hates disappointing him. 

The smile fades off of Remus’s face when James shakes his head as he walks into the room. He bites his lip as he pushes one cup away, and pours steaming mugs for himself and James. 

James takes a drink from the mug. “This is perfect. Thanks, Moons.” 

In spite of himself, Remus smiles at the praise. “Thanks. I’m happy to–” 

“Oh, sorry.” They turn to see Sirius standing in the doorway with a towel wrapped around his waist and looking freshly showered. “I didn’t realize you’d be in here. I thought you’d be in your room.” 

“Nope,” Remus says coldly, and James can’t really blame him. “Turns out there are other rooms to this flat than just the bedroom. You should try them sometimes.” Remus flicked his finger at the mug he pushed away earlier, wandlessly pushing it into the teapot which messily tipped and poured tea into the cup and all over the counter. “There. Tea, since I figure you’re not used to doing that without mummy’s house elves to help.” 

“Remus–” Sirius says, and there’s bite to his tone. 

Remus doesn’t let him speak. “Save it, Sirius. I’m not interested.”

Sirius deflates as Remus walks out of the room, and James can’t stop himself from walking over and giving Sirius a hug. “If you tell him, it will all get better.” 

“Or it will get worse,” Sirius says, and he walks out of the room too. 

James finds Remus laying in bed, his mug under a stasis charm, otherwise untouched. James folds himself along Remus’s body, and it’s only when he wraps an arm around Remus’s waist that he realizes that Remus is trembling. “Baby–” 

Remus moves, quicker than James expected. He’s on his hands and knees with James’s pants down around his thighs, and he sucks James’s cock like it’s his only chance to stay alive. There’s a desperation in it that James doesn’t quite recognize, so he makes no effort to stop Remus. Instead, he pets his head, strokes his hair, and tells him about what a good omega he is. 

Remus pushed himself deeper when James’s knot hits, knotting inside of his jaws. Remus is blissed out on James’s knot–and still breathing, James did check!–so James shifts until he can reach Remus’s arse, and fingers him until Remus is trembling for a much better reason. When Remus comes, James fills him with fingers, and then a plug, and when James’s knot finally releases, Remus is relaxed and lays down to sleep with the plug still tucked inside of him.

James leaves Remus in bed and walks across the flat to find Sirius–honestly, he probably doesn’t even need to go to the gym a third time today with the gymnastics he is doing between the two of them. 

Sirius is going stir-crazy in his room, pacing and practically running around the small space. They leave a note for Remus (okay, James leaves a note because he doesn’t think Sirius would have) and apparate out to the Forbidden Forest to run. 

It’s still one of their favorite places to run as Padfoot and Prongs. It’s the familiarity of running through the same woods they’ve been in before, of feeling the ground under their feet and knowing where they’re going. They know the animals and the magical creatures, and they’re known by them as well. 

When they return to the flat, James can smell that Sirius has calmed down by the smell of the forest settling in for the night that follows him around. It’s a scent that settles James as well, which is a wonderful feeling. He’s already hoping to sink into the couch with Sirius, maybe snog a bit, maybe snog Remus for a bit if James can entice him out. 

Sirius opens the door of their flat, and they run nearly smack into Remus, who appears to be heading out. Sirius’s scent darkens as his mood shifts. “Where are you going?”

Remus looks at him unamused. “I’m out to find an Alpha who actually wants to knot me. Excuse me.” James snorts–which might not have been the best choice based on the way that Sirius glares at him, but Remus kisses his cheek on the way out of the door. 

Sirius crosses his arms as the door closes. “Well? Are you not going to go after him?”

James shrugs, moving to the counter where he’d left the note for Remus earlier. “Nope.” 

Sirius scoffs, throwing his arms out. “Why not? Do you want him to find another Alpha? Is the plan not still to bond with him after the babies come?”

James sighs. “It is, and I’m not worried.” 

“Why not!” Sirius scent takes on the slight wildfire taste that James knows Remus had talked about before. 

“Because he’s not really going to find an alpha, Sirius.” James smacks his chest with the note Remus left, scribbled in next to James’s own note. Gone to Lily and Mary’s. I’ll be back late. Don’t wait up for me.

Sirius smacks the note back to the table and stalks out of the room, and James wonders if plans for snogging on the couch are caput. 

---

James goes to bed with Sirius after (thankfully) salvaging the evening with some generous rounds of snogging and handies, but he leaves a message for Remus to come in and get him if he needs. He wakes up alone in the morning with a message from Sirius that he got called to work. 

As soon as James walks through the other bedroom door, Remus pushes him into the wall and sinks to his knees in front of James. He falls back against the door with a groan, and it’s only a few minutes later that James realizes he forgot to put up a silencing charm. Hopefully Sirius isn’t home yet and having to listen to this. 

James stops Remus with a firm grasp of his hair. “I can’t knot you this morning.” 

Remus’s eyes immediately turn dark, and he whimpers around James’s cock. “Hey, it’s not because I don’t want to. I have to head to work today. You get that, right?”

Remus nods–as best as he’s able to with James in his mouth (and fuck if that’s not hot)–but James can tell that’s still not okay. “I still want you to get me off, Moony. Would you like to do that?” Remus’s eyes light up, and he sucks on the head again. “Good, I’d really love that, baby. Would you like me to come on your face, or in your mouth?” 

Remus shook his head, and pulled off a bit. “You choose. I want whatever you want. Have me however you want.” 

He sits back on his knees, submissive, and lets James control the motion. It would be really sweet if James didn’t know it came from a place of insecurity. Perhaps later, after his two idiot stop being, well, idiots, James can convince Remus to submit to him like this. 

James grips his hair tight, fucking into his mouth until he feels his balls tighten. He pulls Remus off of him at the last moment, splashing come across his face and tongue. Remus’s eyes flutter open when James finishes, and he looks completely debauched. 

James pulls him to stand, and Remus doesn’t resist at all. James kisses him messily, and suspects that Remus would let him do anything in that moment. 

“I’m going to clean you up, alright?” James brushes the pads of his fingers down Remus’s jaw. 

Remus whines, but leans into his touch. “Can you leave it?”

James kisses him again. “No, because I’d like to take you out to breakfast. Can you clean up to come with me?”

Remus lets him cast the cleaning charm and goes to get dressed, and James goes to send an owl to work that he’ll be a bit late. He grabs his bag when Sirius walks in the front door, looking like he hasn’t slept and possibly like he got dragged through a swamp. Which, James (helpfully) tells him.

Sirius sighs, a slightly amused look on his face. “Perhaps because I got dragged through a swamp.” 

“By what?” James asks, handing Sirius a cup of tea. 

“Got a call about a suspected rougarou in Milford swamp,” Sirius sips from the cup. 

James tries to remember back to school, but he must be wrong. “Aren’t those only in the States?”

“You see why I was surprised to hear about it.” Sirius sets down the cup and rubs a hand over his face. “Turns out it was just a clever group of hinkypunks, but–” His face goes blank as he looks toward the door. 

James turns to find Remus standing in the doorway. “Nice skirt,” James says with a smile. 

“Thanks. My trousers keep getting ripped and not replaced, so I don’t have a lot of clothing options right now that fit over my bump.” Remus runs a hand under his belly, displaying the clear curve of his stomach. “Hope you don’t mind that I borrowed it,” he says passingly to Sirius.

“Where are you going?” Sirius asks instead, and James could smack him, the possessive twat. 

“Out.” Remus grabs Sirius’s cup and takes a drink. “I have a breakfast date with a sexy alpha.” He hands the cup back and walks out the door. 

James stops Sirius from following with a hand to his shoulder. “He means me. He’s just trying to get a rise out of you.” 

Sirius slumps a bit under his hand. “I’m too tired for this shit.” 

“Go sleep.” James turns toward the door. “Actually, go shower and then go sleep. You reek.” 

James sees Remus outside the flat. “That wasn’t very nice.” 

“Yeah, well. I’m not feeling particularly nice toward him right now.” Regardless of his bravado, he grips James’s hand tightly as they make their way to the restaurant, as though afraid that James might pull away. 

They have a lovely breakfast, but when it’s over, James can tell that Remus is antsy. “What’s wrong?”

Remus shakes his head. “I just don’t want to go home.” 

“Can you go to work?” James suggests.

Remus shakes his head again. “They’ve hired a company to come in and install some new grills. I’m supposed to stay away.” 

“Do you want to come with me? I’ve got that couch in my office, and I know you’ve got a book in your pock–” 

“Yes, please.” 

Which is how James ended up working at his desk with a lighty snoring Remus laying on his couch when his compact went off around mid-afternoon. “Hey, Padfoot. What’s up?”

“Do you know where Moony is?” Sirius sounds a bit panicked. “He wasn’t at home when I woke up, and he’s not at work. I don’t know where to find him” 

James turns his mirror to show a sleeping Remus on the couch. “He’s here,” James says, then flips the mirror around. “He might have told you that himself if you would just tell him what your mother did already.” 

“I can’t. I’ve got to go.” 

“Sirius wait!” But it is too late. He is already gone. 

James sighs and tucks his compact away. The room is deadly silent. “You might as well roll over. I know you’re awake.” 

Remus rolls on the couch until he’s facing James. “His mother did something?”

“You heard that, huh?” James makes no effort to deny it. 

“Why won’t he tell me?” His voice sounds nearly on the verge of tears. 

“I don’t know, Remus, but if he doesn’t soon, I’ll tell you myself.” 

Remus didn’t say anything else, so James went back to the paperwork in front of him. He was sketching out the blueprint to his latest design when he felt a tap on his leg. Remus was on his knees on the floor next to him, and James slid his chair back. 

Without any further invitation, Remus slipped under James’s desk and between his legs, wrapping his arms around one of James’s legs. “Alright down there?”

Remus rubbed his face on the inside of James’s thigh. “I just need to be right here. I can’t explain it.” 

“You don’t have to. You can be there.” James dropped a hand under the desk and runs it through Remus’s hair. “Anything you need, baby.” 

James goes back to work, pretending like he’s not at all distracted by the way Remus nuzzles into his crotch a moment later. He seems content there, and James takes a moment to wonder what he last washed his balls with. He was fairly certain it was his rainforest scented soap, which must have been what Remus got a nose full of when he inhaled. 

Of course, while James is trying to draw a straight line for a broomstick handle, Remus snaps his fingers and James’s trousers unzip and pop open. He looks down to watch Remus nuzzle the white fabric of his pants over the V of his trousers fly. He mouths James’s now hard cock, leaving a wet spot on his pants. 

James reaches a hand down and frees himself from the tight fabric. As soon as he is out, Remus has his mouth wrapped around James and is taking him as deep as he’ll go. Before James has much time to consider that Remus is about to blow him in his office, Remus stills with his cock in his mouth. 

James strokes his thumb across Remus’s lips, which are split around his cock. “You want to stay there like that? You can if you want. You’re so gorgeous like that, do you know, baby? Gorgeous with my cock in your mouth.” Remus hums appreciatively, stroking James with a broad tongue. 

James once again turns back to his work, nearly giving it up as a lost cause, when his office door opens. He reaches under the desk and reassures Remus with a hand to his head right as Eddie Bones walks in. 

James wonders briefly what the office smells like to the other Alpha. Like sex, probably. James can’t help the way his cock twitches against Remus’s tongue at the thought. “Can I help you, Ed?”

“I just noticed your friend was gone. Where’d he go?”

James works to keep his face impassive as Remus runs his tongue along the length of his cock. “He ducked out for a minute. He’ll be back later.”

“Oh, good. Good.” Eddie looks around the room like he wants to stay, which is really going to be a problem if Remus continues sucking on him–which, to be clear, James very much wants to continue. 

“Did you need something else?” James casually moves his head under the desk and wraps Remus’s hair around his fingers. 

“He’s an unmated omega, right?” Eddie tries to make it sound casual, but James can see in the set of his shoulders that he’s expectant. 

James grits his teeth. “He is.” 

“And he’s pregnant.” Eddie reached out and flicked the wing of the snitch that James had on his shelf, and James might have come over and broken his finger if he wasn’t currently being deep-throated by Remus. 

“He is,” James replied in a steely voice. “He’s very excited for the twins to be born.” 

“Twins.” Eddie takes a step closer to James’s desk, and James briefly considers that, if he gets closer, he may notice that Remus is swallowing James down. James makes no move to hide them better. “Is he seeing anyone?”

“What?” The question catches James so off guard that he grips Remus a bit too hard and pushes him down a bit more than intended. Remus chokes around him, which James manages to cover with a cough of his own as he releases Remus’s head. Remus began bobbing his head up and down in the most infuriatingly teasing way. 

“Well, I’ve been single for a while now, and he’s rather sweet, isn’t he?” Eddie shrugs, leaning against the front of James’s desk. “I was thinking about asking him out to dinner if he’s not seeing anyone.” 

“He is seeing someone.” James pushes Remus’s head down on his cock again, feeling Remus effortlessly swallow around him as he does. 

“He is?” Eddie crosses his arms and looks at James skeptically. “And his partner just lets him walk around pregnant and leaking slick without bonding with him first? Seems ill-advised. Maybe he needs a better Alpha. Who is he seeing?”

James narrows his eyes, tightening his grip on Remus’s hair. “Me.” 

Eddie’s eyes go wide, and James can see the hint of doubt in the set of his brow. “You? But you’re already bonded.” Eddie scoffs. “You’re being a good friend, but you don’t have to protect him from me. I’ll treat him right. You’ll see.” 

James’s blood is boiling at the dismissal, and he moves without considering. “No, he’s with me. If you don’t believe me, you can ask him yourself.” James slides his chair back from beneath his desk. His hand is still on Remus’s head, and he drags Remus back out by the hair with his mouth still on James’s cock. Remus comes willingly, still sucking happily. 

“What the–” Eddie stammers. 

James pulls Remus by the hair and dislodges himself from Remus’s throat. Remus shamelessly chases James’s cock with his tongue, but James holds him tight. He looks wicked and wanton, staring back at James with half-lided eyes and an open mouth. “Are you with me, Remus?”

“Yes, Alpha.” His voice is fuck-rough and gorgeous. 

“And are you happy with me, Omega?” James pulls his hair a little harder. 

Remus’s eyes flutter closed. “Yes, Alpha.” 

James rubs the thumb of his free hand across Remus’s lower lip, and Remus laps at it like he’s desperate to have something in his mouth. James hums appreciatively. “Do you want to leave me and go on a date with Eddie?”

“No, Alpha. I just want your cock.” 

Well, James can’t deny him that, can he? He pushes Remus’s head back toward his lap, and Remus immediately begins bobbing again. James looks back to Eddie. “Does that clarify things a bit?”

Eddie pulls his eyes away from Remus’s mouth on James’s cock, and James notices his eyes are blown wide. A glance down tells him that Eddie is hard, too. Poor bastard; he won’t get any relief for that. “You’re doing that at work?”

“You might not realize this, but when your pregnant Omega has a craving, you give them what they need.” James looks down at Remus again, who is sloppily devouring James’s cock. James is, honestly, minutes at best from coming, and if Remus keeps going the way he is, it will be much shorter than that. “Right now, my Omega needs me to come down his throat.” Remus hollows his cheeks as he sucks as though in confirmation, and James inhales sharply and wills himself to not come. 

“Does he?” Eddie says, and James sees him palm himself through his trousers. 

“Ed.” James’s voice is hard, and Eddie’s eyes snap to his face. “This is not a spectator sport.” 

“What?”

“Get out, Ed.” James’s voice left no room for interpretation, and Eddie scrambles for the door. 

James turns his attention back to Remus, gripping his hair again and shoving his head down on his cock. “You’re such a good Omega, baby. So good for me. Do you want me to come in your mouth baby?” 

Remus nods, and begins sucking again. James lets go of his head in order to grip the arms of his chair, and his hips involuntarily thrust up into Remus’s mouth. A moment later, he’s coming as Remus moans around him. 

As soon as he’s finished, James pulls Remus up until he’s straddling James’s thigh, with his skirt flaring out around them. James wishes that he wasn’t wearing trousers so that he could feel Remus on his leg, but there’s no time to take them off now.

Remus grips his shoulders as James grabs his arse and pulls him tight against his leg. Remus groans at the friction. “Yeah, baby. It’s your turn now.”

“Fuck, Alpha.” Remus ducks his head as James pulls him against his thigh again. 

“I want to see you come in this pretty little skirt.” James flips up the front of the skirt, and Remus is wearing his regular white briefs under them. There’s a wet spot on the front of them, dampened by precome, and James runs his thumb over it.

Remus gasps, and thrusts his hips against James again. James strokes him through his pants as Remus continues moving. “I think we should get rid of these, don’t you?”

James snaps his fingers, and Remus’s pants vanish. Remus groans as the bare skin of his dick rubs over James’s trouser leg. The scent of slick hits the air, and James’s cock gives a half-hearted jump. 

He reaches an arm around Remus’s arse and under the skirt to find his hole, running a blunt finger over it. “You’re already so wet for me, baby. You needed this, didn’t you?”

“You.” Remus shifts forward again, then back, and James positions his finger so that just the tip slips into Remus’s hole. Remus gasps. “I need you. Please, Alpha.” 

“Take me, baby. I’m all yours.” James pushes his finger in deeper, allowing Remus to fuck himself on it as he rubs against James’s thigh.

“More, please.” Remus clenches around his finger, and it feels like he’s pulling James in deeper. “Another one. I need another.” 

James coats another finger in his slick before pushing into Remus with it, and Remus’s eyes flutter closed. “Like that, baby?”

“Yeah,” he says, and fucks himself on James’s fingers and his thigh. “More,” follows quickly after it, and James finds himself three fingers deep in Remus’s arse. 

Remus begins thrusting again, and James can tell by the desperate little movements of his hips that he’s getting close. James ducks his head to Remus’s neck and inhales deeply of the spicy-watermelon-candy scent that pours out of him. James licks over his scent gland, and Remus shudders against him. His thrusts rapidly increase. 

“That’s it, baby. Take what you need.” James pushes his fingers deeper, and Remus groans into his shoulder. “Ride my thigh, baby, until you get what you need. You’re so good for me, baby. Such a good omega.” 

Remus comes suddenly against his leg, covering James’s trousers and the inside of his skirt in come. His thrusts slow as he rides out his orgasm. 

He settles against James’s chest, and James pulls his fingers out of Remus’s arse. He wipes them off on the skirt and runs his other hand along the bumps of Remus’s spine. When Remus lifts his head, he lazily kisses James until he comes back to himself a little more. 

“Are you ready to go home, then?” James asks and places a kiss to his temple. 

Remus blinks at him in surprise. “I can wait until you’re done with work.” 

James laughs. “It’s after 5, Moons. Time to go home.” 

Remus shifts around until he can see the clock. “Fuck me, when did that happen?”

“While you were fucked out, I believe.” James shrugs and kisses the tip of his nose. “Maybe while you had my cock in your mouth. You were like that for a while.” 

“Was I?” Remus shrugs as he stands up. His legs wobble a bit, but he holds on to James until he’s stable. “Alright, take me home, boyfriend.” 

James stands and casts a cleaning charm at his trousers, then tucks himself into his pants and zips his trousers up. He looks Remus over, then begins rummaging in his desk. “Sorry, I vanished your pants. I can probably transfigure something out of a paper clip if I can find one.” 

“No, don’t bother.” Remus straightens his skirt. “I’ll just go home like this.” 

James freezes and turns back to him. “Remus, you reek of slick. It’s literally dripping down your leg. There’s also come on your skirt.” 

Remus glances behind him at his leg where a trail of clear fluid dripped down from under the edge of his skirt, and James definitely does not consider getting on his knees and licking that line up to the source. Remus shrugs. “I guess it’s good that I have my big strong alpha to growl away anyone who might try something.” He leans forward, holding James’s shirt in both hands and kisses him soundly. 

James melts into the kiss and runs his hands up and down Remus’s sides until he ends up with his hands under Remus’s skirt and cupping his arse. James laughs into it. “Fine. I like getting growly for you anyway.” 

Remus smiles and kisses him again. “Good, because it’s kind of hot.” 

James perks up at this. “It is?”

“Are you kidding?” Remus kisses the underside of his jaw. “You just had me suck you off in front of your coworker to prove a point, and I came across your lap like a newly-presented schoolboy. That was hot as fuck.” 

“You never came across my lap when you were a newly presented schoolboy.” James winks at Remus.

“No, it was worse. I got off thinking of coming across your lap like that.” 

James huffs.  “I’m glad you think that was hot, because I was worried I pushed that too far, doing it in front of him without talking to you about it first.” 

Remus groans and presses his body against James. “Absolutely not. In fact, feel free to do it again. Or more. Pull my trousers down, turn me over the table, and shag me right in front of someone.” Remus pauses for a moment and narrows his eyes at James. “Not in front of your parents. Or mine. After you told your parents everything, I feel the need to clarify that.” 

James laughs. “I wouldn’t do that!” James wraps an arm around Remus’s shoulders. “Although, your parents are fit as fuck.” 

“Do not shag me in front of my parents!” Remus pinches James’s side as they walk through the door.

James pulls him closer. “Never. Your dad would probably murder me. Though if your dad wants to shag me…” 

“No! No way!” Remus tries to pull away from him, but James wheels him back in. “No shagging my dad either.” 

James pulls Remus in front of him and pulled him until his arse was pressed into James’s crotch. He dips his head to Remus’s neck, and Remus tilts his head to the side. 

“Alright, only you then,” James whispers against his scent gland. He ran his hand up Remus’s thigh, lifting the back of the skirt until Remus’s bare arse was against him. 

The scent of slick fills the air again, and James slides his hand between them and dips a finger into Remus’s cleft. “Here, Remus? In the hallway where anyone could see?”

Remus clings to his arm. “Don’t act like you don’t want to.” 

“Maybe I do.” James nips at his ear and pushes his finger deeper, grazing his hole. “Bend you over right here, make you grab your ankles, and I’ll shag you in this hallway.” 

Remus arched against him, turning his head so that James could kiss his lips…when a door down the hallway opened. “Is someone still here?”

James brings a hand up to cover Remus’s mouth. James whispers against his ear. “Sh, it’s Eddie again. Come with me.” 

James grabs Remus’s hand, and they take off running through an office on their right, down a hidden staircase, through a corridor that Remus is certain does not see regular (human) traffic, and somehow come out near the apparition point. 

James smiles over at him. “Ready to go home?”

Remus laughs. “How did you know that was there?”

James pulls him against his chest, and kisses the tip of his nose. “I’m always good at finding secret holes, Moony.” 

James apparates to their flat before Remus can say another word. He pulls Remus through the front door, wondering if they can pick up where they left off in the hallway here. It’s not quite as public, but if he bends Remus over, they can pretend–

“You’re both home. I didn’t know you’d be late.” 

James turns to see Sirius standing in the doorway, and any thought of fucking Remus over the table slips away. “Hey, Padfoot. Sorry, we got a little, uh, distracted.” James winks at Sirius, making it clear just what type of distraction they had. 

Sirius’s eyes are on Remus, and James sees his nostrils flare as his eyes go to Remus’s–Sirius’s, really–skirt. “You’re still wearing my skirt.” 

Remus gives him an all-too-innocent look. “Well, I didn’t take it off.” 

“Is that–is there come on it?” Sirius’s eyes are glued to a few white spots dotting the front of the skirt. 

Remus lifts up the front of the skirt, simultaneously revealing his semi-erect dick and the splatter of come on the inside of the skirt. “It is. I think there’s slick on the back too.” He turns around and, under the pretense of showing Sirius the slick, flips up the back of his skirt so that his arse is on display. “I was propositioned by another alpha–do you know Eddie that works with James?”

Sirius grumbles. “I know Ed.”

Remus smiles sweetly. “Well, he thought I was sweet, and one thing led to another, and–” Remus shrugs. James really has to give it to him. He certainly knows how to get under Sirius’s skin without telling a single lie.

Sirius scoffs. “You can’t go picking up alphas while wearing my skirt.” 

Remus puts his hands at his waist, and James expects him to lecture Sirius. Instead, he slips his thumbs in the waistband and pushes it right off of his hips. “I suppose I should take this off again, then.” He drops the fabric in Sirius’s hands and walks back toward the bedrooms.

Sirius is looking blankly at the skirt in his hands, which is covered in Remus. Sirius holds it up to his nose and inhales, and honestly, James couldn’t blame him. Sirius and Remus hadn’t been together in days, and he knew he’d miss them if he didn’t get to be with them every day. 

“Padfoot?” 

He shakes out of his reverie at James’s voice. “What?”

“You know Ed didn’t do anything to him, right?”

Sirius sighs and looks away. “I know. He’s just trying to get to me. Ed probably didn’t even talk to him.” 

“Oh, no. That part was true.” James moves into the kitchen and pulls a glass out of the cabinet to fill with water. “He asked me if Remus was seeing anyone and if he could take him on a date.”

“He what?” Sirius glanced at the door like he was ready to go find Ed now and strangle him. “What did you do? Wait, where was Remus? What did he say?”

James can’t help the smile that comes over his face. “Oh, Remus didn’t say much. His mouth was a little full. I let Eddie get a glimpse of exactly who takes care of Remus.” James hides his smug smile behind his glass.

Sirius makes a strangled noise and his hands clench around the skirt. James sets his glass down. “Alright there, Padfoot? Do you need something?”

Sirius looks down at the fabric in his hands, then back at James. He hands him the skirt.  “Yeah. Get in the bedroom and take your trousers off. Then put this on, and get on your hands and knees on the bed.” 

There was no question in Sirius’s tone, and honestly? James’s answer would have been yes anyway. 

---

“I don’t like to leave like this.” 

James drops another shirt in his bag. Remus is sitting in the middle of his bed, cross-legged and wearing nothing but a large tshirt. James can see the hint of the plug between his legs that James had pushed inside of him when his knot deflated earlier. If James hadn’t just come, the sight of it would make him want to spread Remus’s legs and pull it out with his teeth. As it is, he’s already hoping to knot Remus once more before he has to leave.

Remus shrugs, though the move is anything but carefree. “You’ve been planning this conference for a while. You have to go.” 

“Yeah, but when I planned it, I didn’t realize that you and Padfoot wouldn’t be speaking.” James opens his drawer and pulls out several pairs of socks. “I don’t want to leave while you two are fighting.”

“Do you have the power to reschedule your conference?” Remus asks like it’s a question, but they both know he doesn’t. “Because if not, then you just have to go.” 

“I know.” James looks over his bag one more time before zipping it up. “You know that you can call me at any point, right? I’ll have the mirror with me, and you can just call whenever you need.” 

Remus grabs a pillow and holds it against his chest. “I know. I’ll be fine. I promise.” 

James leans across the bed and kisses Remus. He’s hesitant in his response at first, but eventually smiles under James’s kiss. When James breaks away, his eyes have gone soft. “I’ll miss you.” 

His smile balls up his cheeks and his eyes flutter closed. “I’ll miss you too.” James turns to the door to grab some things. “I’ll mostly miss your cock though.” 

James shoots a wink over his shoulder. He finds Sirius laying in the middle of the bed in the other room, conjured stars dancing over his twirling wand. “Alright, Padfoot?” 

Sirius glances over at him but doesn’t move. “I’m fine.” 

James leans against the doorway. “You know I’m leaving today, right?”

“Yup.” Sirius makes the stars blink around his wand.

“Do you think that maybe you want to have a conversation with Remus before I go?”

“Nope.”

James gives an exasperated sigh. “You can’t keep treating him like this when I’m gone. It’s not good for him and it’s not good for the babies. You do remember that he’s carrying your babies, right?”

“I remember.” Sirius let his wand arm fall beside him on the bed. “You might remember that my dearest mother tried to curse me for that fact, and maybe you’ve forgotten, but my mother’s magic now lives inside of me.”

James furrows his brow. “Are you worried that her magic will try to hurt him? Do you think she can still control it?”

“Maybe. I don’t know.”

James moves further into the room, grabbing a few things to take with him. “Does it feel like she is?”

Sirius sighs. “No, not really, but it was the last magic she did. What if the residual animosity that attacks him.” 

“You must realize you’re being ridiculous, Sirius.” James has his back to him, so he doesn’t see the way Sirius has covered his face until he turns around. “Padfoot.” 

“I feel like I can still feel her inside of me. What if it changes me?”

James sits on the edge of the bed. “It hasn’t so far, has it? But do you know what is happening?”

“What’s that?” 

“He’s suffering for your distance.” James puts his hand on Sirius’s. 

Sirius rolls away from James. “He doesn’t seem to be suffering. He seems to be finding particular fun in torturing me over it.” 

“You know our Moony. Always hiding his feelings behind snark and anger.” James scrubs a hand over his face. “Listen, I’m not going to force you to tell him–yet, there will be a time that I do–but you have to take care of him while I’m gone. If he comes to you, don’t turn him away.” 

Sirius sighs. “I’m not sure I can be what he needs me to be.” 

“You are what he needs. I’m not sure why you’ve decided you can’t be.” James stands up and walks to the door. “I’m going to go knot him once more before I have to go. I’m not looking forward to going five days without it.” He looks back over his shoulder. “You could join, if you want.”

“Have fun, Prongs.” 

James shut the door behind him with a sigh. 

It turns out that having James around was actually necessary to Sirius and Remus peacefully coexisting in the flat, and it takes Sirius about three hours to figure that out. 

They’re not fighting, exactly, though Sirius is certain that Remus is passive aggressively charming his tea cold every time he gets a new one, but he can charm it warm and it doesn’t even really taste that weird. However, the air of the flat is tense, and every time Sirius leaves his room, he can feel Remus looking at him, waiting. 

Sirius doesn’t know what he can offer. 

It’s three hours into James being gone when the flat starts to smell weird. It takes Sirius another hour before he realizes that the smell is a change in Remus’s scent, but it’s not one he’s smelled before. 

It’s unpleasant in a way that makes Sirius a bit nauseous. It’s like hot sugar, overcooked in a pan until it’s burned and bubbling. When it first came, Sirius rushed to the kitchen thinking that Remus had left a pan cooking on the stove, only to find the kitchen empty and immaculately clean.

He found Remus on the couch. “Were you cooking something?”

Remus’s eyes light up when addressed. “I wasn’t, but I can. Are you hungry?”

“No, there’s just a weird smell.” Sirius retreats back to his room. “I thought it was something on the stove.” 

“Oh, okay.” Just before Sirius closes the door, he sees Remus sink onto the couch and under a blanket his mother sent. Sirius puts a scent blocker on the door, hoping to keep the smell out.

Three hours later, Sirius orders food to be delivered. He sends the owl out the window of his room so that he doesn’t have to use the floo. 

He walks out into the flat just before the food is expected to arrive and finds Remus in the kitchen and wearing an apron, surrounded by pots and pans and bowls. On the table, there are three covered dishes that Sirius is fairly certain are filled with food. His stomach drops. 

“You’re cooking?” 

Remus jumps when Sirius speaks, and then turns back around quickly. “Oh, um. Yes. Just a few things. I thought maybe– I don’t know. I just wanted to cook. I was going to come get you in a bit when it was ready.” 

“Oh, Moony. Um–” There’s a knock at the door, and Sirius goes to answer it. He accepts the bag of food and closes the door. When he turns around again, Remus is standing there, looking wretched. “I wish you had said something. I sent out for food.” 

“I didn’t see you use the floo.” 

“I sent an owl.” Sirius feels like he should apologize, but he’s not really sure what for. He didn’t know Remus was planning to cook. “I got enough for you, too, if you want some.” 

Remus looks back toward the table. “Oh, I’ll just, uh. Eat some of this.” 

“It smells great.” Sirius mostly means it, but all he can really smell is burned sugar.

Remus gives him a small smile, and casts a stasis charm over the table. “I think I’m going to go have a nap before I eat.”

When Sirius comes out the next morning, the food was still under the stasis charm. He packed it away into the cooler box. 

---

The kelpie population of Northern Ireland seems to be suffering from significant population decline over the last twenty-five years. There has been speculation that the cause of it is run-off magic from the local–

Sirius was reading the most boring report he'd ever read, and his mind just wasn't in it. He couldn't concentrate, no matter how hard he tried or where he tried to position himself to do it. 

He knew what the problem was. It was Remus, or more accurately, the burned sugar scent. Sirius thought he was adept at reading Remus’s emotions through his scent, but whatever this one was, its meaning was lost on Sirius. 

Regardless, it was driving him insane, and it had been two days. 

Sirius got up off the couch and poured himself another cup of tea from the pot he’d charmed to stay warm and fresh on the counter. Armed with the new cup, he sat at the table and tried to dive back into the report. 

There has been speculation that the cause of it is run-off magic from the local magi-farming operations that have started to use new spells to enhance their produce. While the spells have significantly increased the output of the field productions, it seems that the originators did not–

Remus walked into the room, bringing his burned sugar smell with him. Sirius’s nostrils flared at the intrusion. He doesn’t look up, forces himself to keep his attention on his paper. Sirius can feel Remus’s burning gaze on him, but he doesn’t look up. 

James has only been gone two days, but every hour that they are in the flat alone only increases the tension between them. Sirius knows that he needs to address this with Remus–stubbornly, he thinks he shouldn’t have to, that the business of the House of Black is irrelevant to Remus for as long as he refuses to bond with Sirius–but he’s not willing to make the effort to address it yet. 

Or maybe, he’s not ready to. 

So he ignores Remus and his pointed stare as he walks through the room, and he tries to ignore his confounding scent. Neither really work that well for him. 

–the originators did not consider the lasting environmental impacts on the local magi-wildlife population by making such a change. In fact

Remus sits down on the floor and crawls under the table. It’s awkward, given the growing roundness of his belly, but he manages anyway. Sirius doesn’t think to protest until Remus settles between his legs, tucks his legs under the spindles, and rests his head on Sirius’s leg. Sirius watches under the edge of the table as Remus closes his eyes and inhales deeply. 

“Remus?”

 Remus winces, and Sirius isn’t sure why. When he speaks, it is quiet, barely above a whisper. “I won’t bother you. Please.” Please don’t make me go. Sirius can hear it implied in the way he shakes his head against his thigh. 

If he comes to you, don’t turn him away, James had said. 

“I have to finish reading this.” It’s not a protest, not really, and he isn’t sure if he means it as one. 

“I’ll be good, Alpha.” 

The word hits Sirius, somewhere deep in his gut. It’s partially pain–Remus used his title, his presentation, rather than his name, and if nothing else, it speaks to the deep chasm between them. Yet, he can’t deny that his Omega calling him Alpha, being submissive to him, does something to Sirius that he isn’t quite ready to admit. 

Remus stills after he says it–so much that Sirius wonders if he is still breathing. His chest is pressed up against Sirius’s calf, arms wrapped around it, and the movements of his chest are so small that Sirius has to concentrate to register them. He is though, and a glance down at him reveals that he is content to just have his head resting on Sirius’s thigh, so Sirius turns back to his report. 

He doesn’t notice when, sometime later, his hand wanders under the table and cups the back of Remus’s head. It seems so natural, so simple, that he just does it without thinking. He threads his fingers into Remus’s hair, and begins stroking him gently until he realizes that Remus is making a low humming sound. He wonders if Remus is even aware of it. 

Sirius doesn’t know how long they sit there, but he’s pages into his report before Remus moves again. Sirius expects him to pull away–which would be fine and definitely does not give him the urge to tighten his grip on Remus’s hair and hold him there. 

Only, Remus doesn’t pull away. Instead, he moves forward and buries his face into Sirius’s joggers-covered crotch. He inhales deeply, as though he’s drinking in the scent of Sirius’s musk and–frankly–ball sweat like he can’t get enough of it. 

Sirius palms his head, not pressing him any closer or pulling him away. He simply allows Remus to nuzzle into him as though it’s the most natural thing in the world, and he doesn’t comment on it. 

Remus stills again, with his nose pressed into the base of Sirius’s cock through his thin joggers and his lips lightly brushing his balls. He stops moving, is barely breathing again, and Sirius returns to his report. It’s another page in before he realizes that he’s grown hard, something he only notices because Remus begins mouthing along it through the now-damp material. 

Sirius looks under the table again, expecting to see a teasing look on Remus’s face, but his eyes are closed. Other than the way his lips are moving around Sirius, it seems as though he’s oblivious to what he’s doing. 

Sirius’s fingers tighten marginally in Remus’s hair, and that seems to spur Remus into moving. He reaches up and, with both hands, pulls Sirius’s joggers down around his thighs until his cock springs free. Remus doesn’t touch it with his hands, but immediately wraps his mouth around it and slowly licks and sucks his way to the base. 

Sirius inhales sharply, but he doesn’t stop Remus. He’s not sure why he doesn’t–they’re not really speaking, which means they’re not shagging, which means that Remus really shouldn’t have Sirius’s cock in his mouth, but there’s something about it that just feels so right. They were a puzzle that was out of socket, but Remus’s mouth found his cock and they are complete again. 

Remus rests his head against Sirius’s thigh again, his cock still tucked deeply into his mouth, and Sirius can’t resist running his hand across Remus’s throat and feeling the bump there that Sirius knows is his cockhead. 

Sirius groans. “I have to read this report.” 

Remus stills again, nothing but the breath from his nose moving the hairs at the base of his cock to tell Sirius that he’s breathing, but he is. Sirius knows that he is asking, pleading, to stay just where he is. How can Sirius deny him?

Sirius’s hand finds the back of Remus’s head again, gently stroking it. He turns back to his report, and is nearly to the end before he realizes that Remus’s scent has changed again. It smells hot, like sugary syrup bubbling over the fire, a sticky sweet caramel scent that is just shy of burning again. 

Whatever this is Remus that is doing, it’s helping him. Even in his frustration, Sirius can’t begrudge him that. 

He finishes his report–finally, thankfully. He doesn’t move when he finishes, hoping that Remus doesn’t pull away. He’s not sure if he wants Remus to pull away or if he wants him to climb into Sirius’s lap and ride him until they both forget whatever stupid reason they’re fighting. 

Sirius can’t even think what it is, not while Remus’s mouth is wrapped around his cock. 

His hand tightens in Remus’s hair again, and Remus seems to take it as a sign that he is free to continue. He hollows his cheeks against Sirius’s cock, running his tongue in broad strokes across the vein that Sirius knows is bulging under this much stimulation. 

Sirius uses his grip on Remus’s hair to pull him off just a few inches, and Remus’s mouth goes slack around him. Sirius pushes in slowly, giving Remus a chance to stop him, but each subsequent thrust of Remus’s head onto his cock increases in frequency and intensity. Sirius wonders if it’s too much, but before he can even try to ask, Remus moans greedily around him and grips his thighs as though to pull him deeper. 

He doesn’t warn Remus that he’s going to come, but Remus’s hands grasp his thighs tight enough that Sirius suspects he’ll have fingerprint bruises there, and it’s with this thought in his mind that he spills into Remus’s throat. Remus swallows all of it without effort, licking around Sirius until he starts to soften against his tongue. Remus doesn’t pull away then, either, but allows Sirius to rest, warm and spent, in his mouth. 

Sirius waits to catch his breath, the warmth of Remus’s mouth pulling more desire from him. Remus rests his head against Sirius’s thigh again, still holding him in his mouth, and a look of such serenity passes over his face that Sirius can’t bare to make him move. 

He lets his mind wander briefly to how long Remus could do this. Could he sit under this table for the rest of the day, waiting for Sirius to grow hard in his mouth again? 

He is the picture of the perfect omega, kneeling at Sirius’s feet and waiting for a command. It draws something possessive out of Sirius, an urge to growl and claim his omega, and–

The thought turns sour in his mind, because Remus isn’t his and doesn’t seem to want to be his. Not that he can blame him. Not after what Walburga almost cost them. 

Remus moves–suddenly, finally, disappointingly–dropping Sirius out of his mouth and tucking his joggers back up around him. Remus slinks out from under the table, less than gracefully with his growing belly, and Sirius feels such an intense sense of loss from the movement that Remus is at the door before Sirius thinks to stop him. 

“Remus, wait.” He stops and looks at Sirius expectantly. Honestly, Sirius hadn’t considered this far into the plan, and he isn’t sure what his next lines are. “I, uh. I can get you off first, before you leave.” 

His eyes dart to Remus’s crotch, only to find that there isn’t a sign of arousal at all. Sirius instinctively sniffs the air, only it’s taken on the burned sugar smell again. It occurs to him, then, that Remus never smelled of arousal or anything close to it the entire time. The spicy watermelon scent never filled the room, only the burned sugar and the sticky caramel, and he isn’t sure what to make of it. 

Remus shakes his head once and turns to leave again. “Wait!” He turns back, expectant once more, and his face is free of any annoyance at being called back like this. Sirius has no better idea what to say this time. “Stay?”

For a long moment, Remus just looks at him, gaze unwavering. Sirius considers for a moment whether Remus thought he wanted him to stay just in the doorway when really Sirius wants him to stay in his lap and curled up into his side and tucked under his chin and–

“Is that an order?”

His voice is so quiet that Sirius almost misses it in the sea of his own thoughts. He realizes, with a jolt, that this is the first time that Remus has spoken since he first crawled between Sirius’s legs. “No, of course not.” 

Remus’s head dips once, and Sirius can’t tell if it’s acknowledgment or disappointment. Without a further word, he walks out of the room, leaving behind the burned sugar smell again.

---

“Well, isn’t this a surprise visit.” Sirius crosses his arms and leans against the doorframe. 

Regulus rolls his eyes. “You’ll notice that I knocked rather than barging in to find you and your mate in a delicate position.” 

Sirius laughs. “I don’t know what you thought we saw, but there was nothing delicate in what you and Kingsley were doing last week.” Sirius jumps out of the way before Regulus’s burning hex hit him, though it does singe the carpet. “Besides, James has been out of town for three days now.” Sirius moves back and gestures Regulus into the flat.

Regulus steps over the threshold like he is afraid he might trigger a hex or a curse or a bucket of water falling on his head merely by entering. “Isn’t that supposed to be the benefit of your arrangement? One mate out of town, but you’ve got another one hanging around to wet your dick? Where is your personal incubator?”

“He’s not my personal–whatever.” Sirius shuts the door. “He’s around here somewhere.” 

Regulus turns to him with a look like he read way more into that sentence than Sirius had meant to say, stupid perceptive wanker that he was. “What did you do to already fuck that up?”

Sirius scoffs. “I didn’t do anyt–”

“Oh, Regulus. I didn’t know you were going to be here.” Sirius looks up. Of course, Remus would decide to come in the room now. 

“Nor did Sirius.” Regulus looks between them with a far too knowing look for Sirius’s liking. “Though I gave the courtesy of knocking so I would not find you in a–” he glares at Sirius “–compromising position.” Sirius bites back a smile, only to catch Remus looking at him with a confused frown. 

“Yes, well.” Remus shrugs. “Little chance of that, I suppose. I’m just headed out to work, so I’ll leave you two alone.” Remus edges past them to the door. 

“Remus,” Regulus says, just before he closes the door. “Kingsley is at home if you need to take him up on his offer.” Sirius looks at Remus, who wears a look of mild surprise. “Yes, I know what he offered you, and I agree with him.” 

Remus blushes, and his eyes flick to Sirius and then away again. “Ah, no. I, um. I think I’m alright. Thank you, though.” He shuts the door quickly behind him. 

Sirius can feel his temper flare as he turns back to Regulus. “What, exactly, did your husband offer him?”

“Nothing that you need to concern yourself with, brother.” Regulus moves toward the kitchen. “Are you going to offer me a cup of tea?”

“Kingsley can’t do anything for Remus that James and I can’t do for him, so tell him to back off.” Sirius sends a heating charm toward the kettle with such force behind it that immediately sharply whistles and wobbles on the counter.

Regulus takes a seat at the table, legs crossed. “First, let me assure you that is not true, but perhaps you will be surprised to learn that I did not just suggest that my husband could shag your boyfriend.” 

“It sounded like it,” Sirius crosses his arms over his chest as he sits back in the chair. 

“Well, I do not want that to happen any more than you do. The difference is that I trust my partner.” Regulus picks a fleck of lint off of his trousers. “Why do you not trust yours?”

Sirius bristles. The question hits him much more deeply than he had expected it to. “I– I d–” He tries to say I do, but that really is the crux of it, isn’t it? He doesn’t really trust Remus. It’s still too new, and his relationship with Remus is too uncertain. “We aren’t bonded.” 

Regulus scoffs. “Like that matters. You don’t need to be bonded with someone in order to trust them, so why don’t you trust him?”

Sirius buries his face in his hands. “I don’t know.” 

Regulus raises an eyebrow. “Well, I suggest you figure it out before you ruin whatever it is you have with him.” 

“Right, sure. Just figure out why I don’t trust him.” Sirius sits back hard in his chair. “It’s so easy.” 

Regulus sips his tea. “Well, what did he say when you told him about Mother?”

Sirius scuffs his foot on the floor. “I didn’t.”

“I’m sorry, I think I misheard that.” Regulus sticks a finger in his ear and rubs it. “Say it again.” 

“You heard me,” Sirius grumbles. 

“No, I must have heard wrong, because I think you said you did not tell him.” Regulus looks at him expectantly. “I cannot imagine why you would not tell him, considering the entire reason we went was to discuss him.” 

 “And the entire reason she tried to hex me was because of him.” Sirius grabbed his tea and spooned sugar in–far more than he intended to. “You don’t think he’s going to realize that and blame himself for it? You don’t think he’s going to believe he caused this?”

“So you convince him that it is not about him! It is about Mother and her shitty beliefs. If you let her destroy what you have with him, then it does not matter. It was all for nothing, and she wins.” 

Sirius glares at Regulus. “It’s none of your business, so why don’t you just drop it.” 

“Oh, I think it is my business after Mother cursed me for you and your omega.” Regulus sits up primly and glares back at Sirius. “Or had you forgotten that part?”

Sirius buries his face in his hands. “I haven’t. I’m really sorry about that, you know.”

“I know.” Regulus relaxes his posture. “It was worth it for your babies to be alright.” 

“At least you weren’t planning to have kids, right?” Sirius says, hopefully. 

“Who says I was not?”

Sirius is a bit baffled by the response. “No one, I guess. I just assumed since you’re a Beta and Kingsley is an Alpha–” 

“Omega surrogacy services exist, you know,” Regulus says, and there’s still a bit of a bite in his tone. 

“Sure, but Kingsley is an Alpha. Wouldn’t he be the one to–” Sirius makes a crude gesture to get his point across.

Regulus rolls his eyes. “You are so crass, brother. We had not decided who would father our children, but, before mother’s delightful curse, we were leaning toward each of us fathering one.”

Sirius feels like the floor fell out from under him. “I took that away from you.” 

“No, you did not. Mother did. It was awful, but it is all on her.” Regulus clears his throat. “Speaking of awful, I am trying to locate Alphard’s mate. I do not know if he will even want to hear from us, but it feels wrong that we do not know him.” 

Sirius sighs. “Yeah, it does. I hate that she did that to him. If you find him, I want to meet him.”

“Of course.” Regulus crosses his legs and straightens his robes. “Kingsley is quite upset with Mother.”

“Does he know what happened after?” Sirius asks. 

“Of course he does.” Regulus bristles. Sirius can hear the implied I tell my partner about important things that happen. “He thinks Mother could still be a threat.” 

“Because she could still control her magic even if I have it?” Sirius sighs, resignedly. 

“What?” Regulus sits up a little straighter. “Have you felt her influence on you?”

“No, but–” 

“Well, do not be ridiculous, Sirius. She doesn’t control her magic, and if she could, she would have by now.” Regulus sips more tea. “She is dangerous because her magic is only part of her power. She is too clever by half.” 

Sirius feels his heart race at the thought. Their mother has always been more frightening because of the influence she yields. “Do you think she’ll do anything?”

“Yes,” Regulus sets down his teacup and folds his hands over his knees. “She has already called for Bella.” 

---

Regulus leaves hours later, and Sirius is on edge until Remus comes back from work. He sits and has dinner with Remus, then sits across the room from Remus as they both sit in the living room. Eventually, Remus excuses himself to shower, and Sirius does the same. 

He tries to sleep in his room that night, the same as he has every night, but the conversation with Regulus about his mother and Bella keeps him from sleeping. He shifts into Padfoot, thinking that his less complex mind will allow Sirius to rest. 

However, Padfoot knows that the problem is that he can’t be sure Remus is safe if he’s in the other room, and there’s a simple solution to that. 

Just before Padfoot opens the door, he hears Remus talking at a low murmur. He scratches at the door a second before popping the lock open, and noses his way inside. Without waiting for an invitation, he pops up into bed with Remus and curls up at his side. 

“Padfoot?” 

He feels fingers tangle in his fur, and Padfoot just closes his eyes. A low whine escapes his throat. 

“What’s going on, Moony?” 

Padfoot’s ears perk up and he turns his head around. That explains the voices. James is on the compact mirror. 

“I don’t know. Padfoot just crawled in bed with me.” Remus turns the mirror toward Padfoot, who noses at it. 

“Hello, Padfoot. Everything alright?”

Padfoot whines again and curls up against Remus. Remus strokes his hair. “Does this have something to do with Regulus showing up today?” Padfoot whines and moves away, intent on leaving the room. “No, no. I’m sorry. You don’t have to tell me. Pl-please stay with me.” He does, curling up against Remus. 

James sighs. “Two more nights. I’ll be home in two more nights.” 

“Two nights.” Remus pets Padfoot until he drifts off to sleep. 

When Sirius wakes up in the morning, Remus is already gone, but the burned sugar smell lingers. 

Remus’s scent—the burned sugar one—is thick in the flat tonight, and it’s giving Sirius a headache. It doesn’t help, of course, that he’s trying to finally read through this case study report on crup herding. It’s dry and thick and the sticky scent has him on edge anyway. He’s got a scent filter on the room, but it seems to be penetrating through by now. 

There is the lightest knock on the door, so light that Sirius is certain that he misheard it. He turns back to his report. 

The door cracks open, and before he can even see Remus, the acrid scent fills the room. “Sirius, can I—” Remus trails off as though he hopes Sirius can fill in the blanks of what he wants. 

“What?” He snaps. It comes out much harsher than he intended, and Sirius knows as soon as he says it that it was the wrong thing to say. Or at least the wrong tone to take. 

There’s a sharp increase in Remus’s scent—still a pungent, singed flavor—and Sirius’s head snaps up. Remus’s face is pinched, eyebrows tight and lips pursed, and unless Sirius is very much mistaken, he’s holding back tears. 

“Remus?” It’s much softer now, though Sirius knows it’s too little too late to counteract the bite of his earlier word. 

“Sorry, I’ll go. I shouldn’t have— I’ll leave you alone.”

It hits Sirius as Remus begins to pull the door closed before Remus even finishes talking, and he feels like an arse. “Is that—are you feeling rejected?”

Remus stops closing the door, and Sirius sees him square his shoulders in the doorway of the room. The smell deepens—the rejection (and Sirius is sure now that’s what it is) is still there, but there’s another layer to it now, like Remus is preparing for something. Steeling his nerves for it.

“If you don’t want this anymore, you can just tell me. I’ll be fine. You don’t have to-to pretend you still want this,” Remus says, though he can barely look at Sirius while he says it. 

It’s so far from what Sirius has been thinking that he doesn’t know how to address this. “What are you talking about?” 

“This!” Remus gestures to himself. “Me. Our babies. You don’t have to feel obligated or whatever if you don’t want this. I will be fine. I just—I just need you to tell me.” 

“I still want you!” Sirius is yelling again, and he knows he shouldn’t, but he can’t stop it. “I still want you, but apparently you’d rather seek out other options!”

“I–what?” Remus is yelling now too, and that makes it easier. Better. They can burn off this anger between them this way. “I’m not trying out other options?”

“Oh, no? Like I didn’t see you rutting against Kingsley and begging him for a knot. ” Sirius can feel the extra power in him welling up again–the remnants of his mother’s magic, the steady reminder of her threat against him. 

“I wasn’t begging him for anything.” 

“No?” Sirius throws his hands up. “Sure looked like it to me. Maybe he’d be a better alpha for you. Isn’t that what you think? And apparently Eddie too. Is there anyone else?”

Sirius is prepared for Remus to fight back. To yell at him again. This is how they’ve always answered their problems. It might not be the healthiest way, but it’s worked for them. 

He is not prepared for Remus’s face to crumple, for the burned scent to deepen, and for Remus to look like he’s about to drop to the floor. Sirius is instantly on his feet and crossing the room. 

“Do you want me to leave?” Remus asks before Sirius even makes it to him. “Do I need to look for a new alpha? I can’t–I can’t keep fighting about this Sirius. I–if you’re–if you’re trying to get me to leave, then please just– Just tell me, because I will. I just can’t keep this up.” 

Sirius reaches up to brush the tears that are now falling down Remus’s cheeks–tears because he’s actually made Remus cry–and he shakes his head. “I really, really don’t want that. I’m not rejecting you, Remus. I’m terrified to lose you.”

His shoulders drop. His voice is thick, sharp, and it stabs Sirius. “Well, what was I supposed to think? You go off to tell your mother about me, this, and you come back and don’t even want to talk to me. It doesn’t seem to matter what I do, you-you just—” Tears are freely running down his face now, and Remus angrily swipes them away. “Ugh, and I’m not a fucking crier. I don’t cry, but these stupid babies apparently are criers and now I am too.” 

It’s not funny, truly, but Sirius can’t stop a laugh. Remus huffs and crosses his arms over his chest, and the pout on his lips is adorable. Sirius wraps his arms around Remus in a hug, then pulls him back to the bed. “Well get over here for a cuddle so I can make the babies stop making you cry then.” 

Remus rolls his eyes, but he doesn’t hesitate to crawl into bed next to Sirius.  He curls into Sirius’s side, head on his shoulder, and Sirius wraps one arm around his back and places the other hand over Remus’s bump. Remus’s scent settles. There’s still a slight tinged taste to it, but he can pick out the watermelon again. 

“Feeling better?” Sirius asks. 

Remus sniffs, then rubs his face into the fabric of Sirius’s shirt. “I—I don’t know.” 

Sirius sighs. “I’m sorry you felt rejected. I hope you know that there’s nothing my mother could do that would make me want you any less.” 

Remus scoffs. “You say that, and yet you’ve been avoiding me since you saw her.” 

“That’s not because I don’t want you, Remus. It’s because I want you too much,” Sirius says.

Remus lifts his head and fixes Sirius with an unamused glare—spoiled slightly by the red eyes and running noise. “That’s bullshit and you know it. Is this more of your my family is so bad and you deserve better shit?”

“It’s—” Sirius stops before he denies it. How can he deny it? Remus isn’t wrong, but he’s not exactly right either. “It sort of is.” 

Remus lays his head down again with a sigh. “Sirius.” 

“Sorry.” 

“Do you want to tell me what actually happened so I can stop catastrophizing?” Remus asks. 

“What if it’s worse than what you’ve been thinking?” Sirius replies. 

Remus’s scent turns again, and Sirius backtracks quickly. “No, no. Remus, nothing like that. I’m still not rejecting you.” 

“Then it can’t be worse, can it?” Sirius can hear the pain and the anxiety behind his words. He won’t believe Sirius that he isn’t being rejected until he knows, and Sirius doesn’t know what telling him will do to Remus. “Fine, I’ll tell you. Before I do, though, I need you to know that—that I love you, and I don’t want to hurt you.” 

“Okay.” It’s still hesitant, uncertain. 

“She told me what happened to Uncle Alphard,” Sirius begins. 

“What do you mean, what happened?” Remus asks. “I thought he was just an awkward recluse.”

“He was when I knew him. I had always been told it was because of a blood curse that kept him from having kids, and that he couldn’t run the family because of the blood curse.” Sirius kisses the top of Remus’s head, needing the reassurance as much as he thinks Remus needs it. 

“Is that not true?” Remus asks. 

Sirius hesitates, not sure how to tell Remus this part. He had to, he knows, but he also knows that Remus will see himself in the story as much as Sirius did. “Apparently, my mother cursed him. Before that, he was fine.” 

Remus lifts his head, resting his chin on Sirius’s chest to look at him. “She cursed him? Why?”

“He fell in love. With a half-blood omega, and got him pregnant. He brought him to meet the family, and Wally cursed him—she cursed Alphard so that he could never have living children.” Sirius keeps eye contact with Remus as he spoke, waiting for the realization to hit him. 

“But, that means—” Remus’s eyes widen as the news sinks in, and his hand goes to his belly. “Oh.” 

“Yeah.” Sirius covers Remus’s hand. “That’s how my mother and father ended up being the head of the family despite the fact that Alphard was my father’s older brother and an alpha. She hexed him so that he could never lead the family, and she took everything from him.” 

“Oh.” Remus seems to be processing a million emotions at that moment, and Sirius waits, still holding Remus. “Did you tell her about me?”

“Yes, I did.” 

Remus’s scent turns sour—fear, this time, which Sirius easily recognizes.  “Did she— Am I going to lose the babies?”

“No, Remus, no.” Sirius pulls him closer. “No, we are fine, our babies are fine. She—she tried to hex me, but Regulus jumped between us and took the curse.” 

“He did?” Remus sounds teary again, but the sour scent dissipates. “What does that mean for him?”

“Regulus can never have biological children,” Sirius says. 

“He couldn’t anyway, though, right? He’s a beta?” Remus asks. 

Sirius shakes his head. “Apparently they had planned to. They were going to use a surrogate, so they were both going to father a child. Now, he can’t.” 

Remus clings closer to Sirius. “He did that for us.” 

“Yes,” Sirius says. 

The room is quiet for a long minute, then Remus groans. “He’s going to be fucking insufferable about it, isn’t he? Going to demand to be godfather, or something?”

Sirius laughs, and it breaks the tension in the room. “Probably.” Sirius kisses the top of Remus’s head. “There’s more.”

“What could possibly be more?”

Sirius sighs. “I, well I had a bit of accidental magic after she hexed Regulus. I sort of, um, blew up her sitting room. And then I drained her of her magic.” Remus looks at him with wide eyes. “I suppose that last bit wasn’t exactly accidental magic, but I couldn’t tell you how I did it.” 

Remus looks bewildered. “What does that mean? You took her magic?”

“I honestly don’t know. She has no magic, and I can feel the magic I stole from her inside of me. It feels different, a bit. More, maybe.” Sirius sighed, kissing his cheek. “I’m sorry I’ve pushed you away. It just scared me so much. I’m afraid of how she can hurt you by using me.” 

“Pushing me away isn’t really going to help that, is it? You can’t make me any less knocked up by refusing to knot me now.” 

“No,” Sirius agrees. “I guess I’m just afraid that she can do something to hurt you if I do.” 

“You think your mother put a spell on you to hurt me if you knot me?” Remus glares at him. “You think she thought enough about you knotting me to come up with that plan?”

Admittedly, it is a little ridiculous, though not outside the realm of possibility for Walburga. “Well, no, probably not. But then your scent changed, and I thought you had changed your mind about me.” 

“My scent changed?”

“Yeah. Sort of like burned sugar.” Sirius kisses his head again. “It was because you thought I was rejecting you, wasn’t it?” 

“Yeah, this week kind of sucked.” Remus burrows in. “I didn’t know what was going on. You came back, and suddenly you didn’t want to knot me and then you stopped even looking at me. It was better with James, but with him gone it–” he looks up at Sirius. “I was worried.” 

“I’m sorry.” Sirius sighs, burying his nose into Remus’s hair. “We came back and you were all curled up with Kingsley, and then you said it was a biological imperative to find a good alpha, and I thought you’d maybe realized that I wasn’t worth it.” 

“And me immediately grabbing my ankles for you to fuck me didn’t decisively answer that question?”

“After you had a wet dream about Kingsley?” Remus blushes under the accusation. “No, I can’t say that it did.” 

“It wasn’t a wet dream,” Remus mumbles. “Actually, being with Kingsley just made me miss you more.” 

“Yeah, you looked like you missed me.” Sirius knows his voice is a bit cruel, but there’s hurt there too. He knows Remus hears that as well. 

Remus pinches his side. “I did, you arse. I didn’t just cozy up to Kingsley as soon as you left, you know.” 

“Oh? Did you give us an hour?”

Remus pinches him again. “I didn’t mean to at all. No, actually, I had–well, I guess a panic attack.”

Sirius leans up to look at him. “You did? What happened?”

“I realized it had been a while since you left, and I was worried your mother had done something to you. Or–” Remus shook his head, and Sirius wonders what Remus decided not to tell him. “Well, it doesn’t matter. I just thought that you weren’t alright, and Kingsley tried to calm me down.” 

“With a quick shag?” Sirius is being a shit now, and he knows it. 

“No, with his scent and a hand on my shoulder. Except it was the wrong scent, and his hands felt wrong, and I just–” Remus looks up at him, and there’s something between longing and pain in his eyes. “I just missed you more.” 

“Missed me so much that you got hard in Kingsley’s lap?” Sirius flops back onto his back. 

Remus sighs. “It wasn’t like that. He assured me that he’d been in contact with Regulus and that you all were fine, and the anxiety attack exhausted me. He kept trying to use his scent to calm me and told me to just try to sleep, and so I did. I–well, okay, I had a dream about him, but I don’t think I can really be blamed for that.” 

Sirius runs a hand down his face. “I guess, but Remus. If you want to, I don’t know, see if there’s a better alpha out there for you–” The thought of it makes Sirius sick. He can’t even finish the thought.

“I don’t, though, Sirius.” Remus moves until he’s half on Sirius’s chest, looking down at him. “Listen, Kingsley is fit as fuck and I would obviously love to take him for a round or two if Regulus wouldn’t absolutely flay me for it–” 

“Is this supposed to make me feel better?” Sirius interrupts. 

“But,” Remus says, “that would be all it was. Because I don’t want Kingsley for anything more than that. Not the way I want you. Not the way I want James.” 

“You do?” Sirius cringes at the desperation in his voice. 

“I do.” Remus kisses his cheek. “I’ve never wanted anyone else the way I want the two of you.” 

“Not even Evan?” Sirius spits out his name. 

“Not even Evan,” Remus says. “It was never like this with Evan, as much as I wanted it to be. So as much as I may have had a dream about Kingsley, it’s still you that I want to belong to, and I need you to remember that.” 

“You know, this would be easier if you would just let us bond with you,” Sirius says.

Remus rolls his eyes. “This is exactly why I don’t want to bond with you two.” 

“What!” Sirius yells, louder than he means to. “If we were bonded, then you would be ours no matter what.” 

“If you decided you didn’t want me anymore–” the scent of rejection fills his nose again, and Sirius pulls Remus closer “–then bonding would make it that much harder to separate.” 

“Remus, that’s not going to happen.” He presses a kiss to the top of Remus’s head. 

“It’s felt like it this past week.” Sirius opens his mouth, but Remus quiets him with a finger to his lips. “You don’t get to say it didn’t, Sirius. I felt like you were rejecting me this week, and I’ve been a mess about it. Bonding would make that worse.” 

Sirius gathers him in his arms,  holding Remus as tightly against his chest as he can. “I don’t know how to convince you that’s not true.”

“I don’t think you can. Not yet.” Remus nuzzled under his chin, and Sirius doesn’t miss how he drags his face across Sirius’s scent gland. “Just give me time. After the babies are here, after we can be sure that this feeling isn’t just related to the pregnancy, then we can talk about bonding.”

“Okay.” Sirius sighs. 

“Okay?” Remus asks.

“Okay.” Sirius throws a leg over Remus, pulling him closer. “I don’t like it, but I do understand. Mostly.” 

“Thank you.” Remus leans his face up, and Sirius meets him in a kiss. 

They start soft and slow, long languid kisses, but they grow heated and hungry until Sirius finds himself slotted between Remus’s legs and pulling at his lips with his teeth. He breaks away, pressing his forehead against Remus’s. 

“Tell me what you’re thinking,” Remus says. 

Sirius almost laughs. He’s hard against Remus’s thigh, so he’s sure that it should be obvious what he’s thinking. Only, when Remus asks, it unlocks something inside of him. “I wish I could claim you right now. I want to make you mine.” 

Remus lets out a shaky exhale, and it’s full of need and want. “So mark me.” 

Sirius’s head rolls back in exasperation. “Don’t bond with me, Sirius. Give me time, Sirius. Mark me, Sirius.” Sirius lowers his head and grazes his teeth along Remus’s jaw. “You’re driving me crazy, Moony.” 

Remus laughs. “Not bond with me, you twat. Mark me. Claim me.” He holds his hands wide out beside him. “Take me and use me and leave me marked as yours. You and I both know you love seeing the marks you leave behind, so do it. I give you permission to mark me in any way you please.” 

Sirius’s eyes went wide. “Really?”

“Really.” Remus nips at his jaw. “Mark me, baby. Make me yours.” 

The words go straight to Sirius’s cock, and he groans. “Yes. Yes, please. How do you want me to do it?”

“No, that’s not–” Remus grabs his face and brings tilts it down to look him in the eye. “I want you to do it. To order me around. Can you–Will you use alpha voice on me?”

“Moony, I don’t like doing that. I don’t want to take your will away.”

Remus shakes his head and kisses the corner of Sirius’s lips. “Not that. It can just be for sex, or whatever. I just–” Remus licks his lips. “I feel so out of control. I need you to take control for me. Please, Sirius, I need it.” 

“Okay, okay, but–” Sirius sigs, knowing there’s only one way he can feel comfortable doing it. He puts on alpha voice. “Any order that would hurt you, or the babies, or that is anything you really don’t want to do, from me or any other alpha ever, you must say no. Understood?”

Remus shivers against him, and a serene smile spreads over his face. “Yes, Alpha. Anything you need.” 

“Alright. Please remember that. Don’t let me do anything that hurts you.” 

Remus opens his eyes and kisses him softly–their first full kiss since this whole mess started. “I will, I promise.” 

Sirius rolls half on top of him, enough to put pressure on his body, but not enough to squish the babies. He kisses Remus again, licking into his mouth until Remus is pliant beneath him. 

He breaks the kiss with a nip to Remus’s lower lip. “Stand up and wait at the end of the bed.”

Remus scrambles to get off the bed and waits expectantly for the next request. Sirius can already smell the change in his scent, the watermelon now clear and a spice building in it. Sirius steps up to him and buries his face in Remus’s neck. He’d missed that scent. 

Sirius uses his wand to stretch the bottom pole on the bedframe up into the air like a single post on a four poster bed. He conjures a length of rope. 

“Hold your hands up–” 

“Not rope.” 

Remus’s interruption pulls Sirius up short. “What?”

He swallows hard. “Not rope, please.” 

“Oh? Why not rope?”

Remus shakes his head, and his eyes squeeze close. “I just–I don’t like it.” 

Later. I’ll ask later. “Alright, no rope then.” He vanishes the rope. Instead, he takes Remus’s arms and pushes them up over his head, until his hands are grasping the pole above him. “Comfortable?”

“Enough, yes,” Remus replies. 

“Good.” Sirius bends to kiss his cheek. “Do not drop your arms without permission. I’ll be very upset if you do.”

“Yes, Alpha.” 

Sirius removed his hands, but Remus kept his arms up. He looked at Sirius longingly, obediently, and it made something inside of him purr contentedly. “Good omega.” 

Remus preened under the praise, his hips arching away from the post. Which, conveniently, reminded Sirius that he was still wearing clothes. He removes them carefully, kneeling in front of Remus to slide his trousers and pants off his legs, then standing and releasing one arm at a time to remove his shirt. 

Remus stands in front of him, completely naked and dripping slick, and absolutely prepared to do whatever Sirius asks. It is delicious. 

“First, so you don’t have to worry.” Sirius places a hand over each of Remus’s scent glands and lets the magic seep from his fingers. “It’s a bite guard. It will last about 24 hours, so you don’t have to worry about an accidental bond. See?” Sirius ducks his head to Remus’s neck and bites down. He can feel the skin under his teeth, but they make no mark. Sirius bites harder, but there’s no impression made.

Remus sighs. “Thank you.” 

“Where should I leave my mark on you first, Omega?” Remus’s eyes flutter closed, and he takes a deep breath that moves his whole body. Sirius watches him swallow, hard, and his eyes follow the movement of his Adam’s apple. “There.” 

He lifts Remus’s head and kisses down his jaw until he finds the spot just under his ear. He sucks the skin into his mouth, pulling on it until a mark begins to bloom there. Then, for good measure, he sucks on it again. 

Remus is limp against him as he tongues over the mark, soft sighs coming out of his mouth. Sirius moves a bit further down and sucks another mark into his skin. Then again. 

He continues around until Remus’s neck is littered with blooming marks and there’s a puddle of slick between his feet. “Gorgeous. No one is going to be able to look at you and not know that you’re mine.” 

Remus whimpers. “Thank you, Alpha.” 

“Mmm, I like that.” Sirius kisses him. “Thanking me for marking you as mine. Thanking me for claiming you. I want you to keep doing that.” 

“Yes, Alpha.” 

Sirius moves down his chest, adding bruises and kisses to Remus’s chest and stomach. Remus is hard and standing straight out, precome leaking down from the tip. Sirius doesn’t touch him there, but works down his thighs with more marks. 

Sirius stands up and takes a step away to look Remus over. “Gorgeous, but I think something is missing.” Remus looks back at him with hazy eyes, and Sirius can feel him slipping slowly into bliss. “I know what you need.”

He gets to his knees in front of Remus again and taps the inside of his calves to make him spread his legs. Sirius gently lifts one leg until Remus drapes it over his shoulder. His soft, delicate inner thigh is laid out before him. 

Sirius leans in and gently kisses Remus’s inner thigh. Remus trembles beneath him, and Sirius turns the skin red underneath his lips. Remus moans above him as Sirius licks over the bruise. Remus sighs, and Sirius bites. 

He bites down hard enough to leave a mark. Remus groans, and flexes his leg, pulling Sirius in closer. Sirius releases him, licking over the spots left behind by his teeth. He moves higher up his leg and bites again. 

He repeats the treatment on Remus’s other thigh, then kisses his way up Remus’s stomach. Once he’s standing again, Sirius finds a fleshy point of his shoulder outside of his scent gland. He licks and sucks, and when he bites down, Remus drops his hands onto Sirius’s shoulders. 

Sirius lifts his head and looks Remus in the eye. “You alright, Moony?” Remus hums in response, and Sirius laughs. “I’m going to need a verbal response, darling.”

“Yes, Alpha.” 

“You’re not hurt or uncomfortable?”

“No, Alpha.” 

“So then why, sweet Omega, are your hands not over your head.” 

Remus’s eyes pop open, and his hands immediately go up above his head again. “I’m so sorry, Alpha. I forgot.” 

A wicked grin spreads over Sirius’s face. “So nothing is wrong, then?”

“No, Alpha.” 

Sirius squats in front of his stomach and places a gentle kiss over the swell. “Hello, babies. Your daddy has been very bad, and I’m going to punish him now. I promise I won’t hurt you.” 

Remus makes an absolutely indecent sound as Sirius stands up again, and Sirius chases it with his tongue. He brings his hands up to Remus again as he kisses him, slowly lowering his hands once more until they’re resting on Sirius’s shoulders. 

He moves his hands to Remus’s thighs, lifting until Remus wraps his legs around Sirius’s waist. Sirius moves to the bed and then, while still carrying Remus, walks across the bed on his knees. 

When they reach the headboard, Sirius presses Remus’s back against in and thrusts up with his hips so that Remus can feel his still-clothed-but-very-hard dick, and it makes him moan deliciously. 

“Baby, what am I going to do with you?”

Remus whines. “Anything you want.” 

The permission sends a shot of need down to his cock, and Sirius knows he won’t be able to resist sinking inside of Remus for much longer. “Yes, I will, and you’re going to like it, aren’t you?”

“Yes.” Remus clings to him desperately. 

Sirius thrusts up again, then sets Remus on the bed. “Turn around and hold onto the headboard.”

Remus scrambles up and holds on. “Don’t let go, Omega.” 

Sirius moves back, putting an inch of space between them, and Remus chases him by pushing his hips back. Sirius gives a light pop of his hand against Remus’s arse. “Stay still.” 

Remus freezes, and Sirius runs a finger down his spine and into his arse crack. Remus whimpers, but he doesn’t move. “I think I’m going to spank you, but you enjoy that, don’t you?”

“Yes, Alpha.” 

“Perhaps I’ll put a plug in you first so you can feel nice and full when I spank you.” 

“I– No, Alpha.”

“No?” Sirius looks at him in surprise. “You don’t want a plug?”

“No, Alpha.” 

“Explain, please.” 

Remus turns to look at him. “I’ve been basically living with a plug in this week because I– Well, I want you to knot me, and I don’t want a plug. I would really like you to spank me, though, but–” His inhale is shaky. “Please promise that you’ll knot me after.” 

“Alright. Spanking, no plug, and I promise I will knot you.” Sirius runs a hand down his arse again. “I think I’m not going to use my hand to spank, though. But what should I use? Hmm…” 

He walks to the desk, pulling off his shirt as he does. The room is much warmer now, and he casts a cooling charm over them that makes Remus shiver. Sirius pulls out a couple of old quills. 

He transfigures the first into a paddle, broad and thick, and the second into a whip with dozes of soft suede tails at the end. He set them down where Remus could see them. “Open your eyes, Omega.”

Remus’s eyes open, and he whimpers when he sees the paddle and whip. Sirius smiles. “Yes, don’t they look fun? I think I’ll use this one–” Sirius points to the paddle, as wide as his hand and longer “–to spank your arse, and this other one to make your skin all pretty and pink for me all over.” Remus groans. “Do you want me to do that, Omega?”

“Fuck, yes. Please.” 

“Yes, what?” Sirius runs his hand down Remus’s back, cupping his arse. Remus preens under the touch, pushing back into his hand.

“Yes, Alpha.” 

Starting on his cheek, Sirius strokes Remus’s face with the paddle, he trails it down his back and along his sides. When he gets to his arse, he runs it down his crack, making Remus shiver. He removes the wood from Remus, only to bring down the flat side of the paddle against Remus’s arse with a light smack. 

Remus jerks forward when it connects, and Sirius replaces the paddle with his hand to soothe the flesh. “Is this alright, Omega?”

“Please, more. Please Alpha. I’ll be so good, I won’t move. I’ll be good, just please–” 

Sirius leans by his hand, a hand still on his arse, and turns Remus’s face to kiss him. Remus easily moans into the kiss. “Tell me if I need to stop, alright baby?”

Remus hums happily, his arse wiggling into Sirius’s hand. Sirius smiles. “Omega, tell me if you need to stop at any point.”

“Yes, Alpha.” 

Sirius sets about turning the skin of his thighs and arse bright pink with repeated swats from the paddle. He checks in with Remus every five or ten swats, and every time, he’s begging for more. 

Sirius switches to the soft suede flogger. He swings it lightly, letting the swing of the tails take the majority of the force. It’s not hard enough to impact beyond the sting of his skin, but Sirius is still careful to avoid a direct hit on his belly. Even still, it’s not long before Remus is pink-skinned and trembling, hardly coherent any longer. 

That is when Sirius hears James. 

“Padfoot? Pads, are you there? Please be there. Pick up.” 

“Stay quiet, Omega.” Sirius bends over and kisses his pink arse cheek. “If you’re good, I’ll fuck you.” Remus is so quiet that he barely seems to be breathing. 

Sirius summons his mirror to his hand, not taking a hand off of Remus to reassure him that he’s still here. “‘Lo, Prongs.” 

James’s concern-lined face appears in the mirror. “Pads, have you seen Moony? I can’t get him to answer his mirror, and I know he’s been– Well, I’m just concerned about where he might have gone.” 

“He’s fine,” Sirius says, glancing past the mirror to where Remus is struggling to maintain his position. Sirius places a hand in the middle of his upper back, and Remus allows his shoulders to rest into the mattress, arse still on display. 

“He–you’ve seen him? I don’t mean to be an arse, Pads, but you’ve barely talked to him. You know where he is right now, or why he’s not answering?”

“I do.” Sirius can’t stop the smirk that comes to his lips. “He’s a little beat right now, but I’m sure he’s fine.”

“Is he there? Can I speak with him?”

“Well…” Rather than try to explain further, Sirius turns the mirror to face Remus on the bed. “Omega, tell your alpha hello.”

“Hello, Alpha.” His voice is soft, quiet, delicious. 

Sirius turns the mirror back to himself, and James is looking back open-mouthed. “Is he okay?”

“He is. He’s just very in the headspace right now.” Sirius moves over to Remus, laying down next to him with the mirror hovering above them. “Tell me: how are you feeling, Omega.”

“So good, Alpha. I need more, please. Please fuck me, Alpha.” 

Sirius reaches a hand out and tucked the curl of hair behind his ear. “I will, little one. Very soon. How many times have you come, baby?”

Remus hums, pressing his lips together. “Twice, I think.” 

“Do you want to come again?” Sirius runs his thumb along Remus’s lip. “Do you want to come on my knot?”

Remus nods and opens his mouth to suck on Sirius’s thumb. Sirius smears the spit on his lips before standing and looking back in the mirror again. “Well, Prongs. Do you want to watch as I fuck him?”

Only James wasn’t sitting in the frame this time. “James? Where did you go?” James popped back in. “I’m coming home. Fuck this trip. I want to see you knot him.” 

Sirius laughs. “Well, you better hurry, because neither of us will last long once I start fucking him.” 

“I’ll be so quick.” James disappears again, and Sirius tosses the mirror away. 

“Did you hear that, Moony?” Sirius brushes his fingers up Remus’s thigh, which is as pink and swollen as his arse. “Prongs is coming home.” 

“Alpha, please. I’ll be so good. Please, please fuck me.” 

“Oh, don’t worry, my sweet Omega. I haven’t forgotten.” He spanks Remus again on the swell of his arse, but there’s no real intention behind it. “I promised to knot you tonight. I’m going to do exactly that. But first, there’s one more place I need to mark you. 

Sirius moves behind him, kneeling between his legs on the bed. Sirius bends over, one hand on either arse cheek, and spreads them until he can see Remus’s pink hole. He runs a rough thumbpad over it, making Remus shiver, and then moves to the left. 

Sirius sinks his teeth into Remus’s arsecheek, biting down hard enough to draw blood. Sirius tastes the coppery hint of it, and licks over it with his tongue. He moves to the right, and on the other cheek, gives him an identical bite. 

Sirius pulls back a moment later to look at what he’s done, admiring the twin marks dripping blood down his thighs. “Gorgeous. Mine.” 

Remus whines, his dick so hard that it is visibly throbbing. “Yours, Alpha. All yours.” 

He moves closer to Remus, cock in his hand, and presses between his cheeks, They both sigh when he bottoms out, though Remus also gasps as the sting of the spanks and bites set in. 

The bedroom door flies open, and James is there. His shirt is half off and trousers undone, socks trailing behind him like he is so eager that he began dropping them between the front door and the bedroom. 

“I’m here, I’m here.” James pauses when he sees the two of them. “Am I too late?”

Sirius smiles as he pulls back and slams in again, making Remus whimper. “You’re just in time for the real show, Prongs.” 

James tosses his shirt and trousers off and lays down on the bed next to Remus. “Hi, baby. You look like you’re feeling good.” 

Remus smiles at his voice. “Alpha. He’s going to knot me.” 

James kisses Remus’s cheek. “That’s so good, baby. You’re so pretty. Such a good omega.” 

Sirius slams his hips forward again, picking up a blinding pace that feels like it matches the intensity of the evening so far. He looks down at his two boys. James, with his dark skin and pants still on, gently stroking Remus’s cheek. Remus, skin littered with scars and bruises and marks, and looking so gorgeous. They’re his boys. Sirius’s. He’s not sure how he ever thought he could give this up. 

Eventually, he reaches down to stroke James as he’s fucking Remus, intent on having them both at once, but it’s sloppy and awkward. Instead, Remus comes a moment before Sirius’s knot locks inside of him, enough that he’s still clenching around Sirius’s knot, and Sirius reaches around him to finish off James after. 

When James comes, Sirius turns his focus back to Remus, who seems to be barely aware of where he is, other than with his alphas. “Are you alright, Remus?”

He hums, but makes no other response, even when Sirius asks again. “Alright, love. I’m going to move us to a better position, alright?” Remus hums again. 

Sirius lifts Remus off of his knees and lays them sideways so that they are spooning with his knot still inside of Remus. James slides off the bed and returns with a wet flannel, and they take turns running it gently over Remus’s pinked skin. 

He responds to them, mostly, but it’s hums and grunts, and Sirius knows that he’s deep in bliss. They clean him, apply lotion, and take turns murmuring soft praise into his skin until he comes back aware enough to know where he is. 

“James?” His voice is still soft, but he’s finally latched onto their names rather than calling them Alpha. “I thought you were away?”

“I was, but I missed you so much that I came back.” James leans forward to kiss his nose. 

“Oh.” Remus smiles, and it’s a little dopey and still half blissed-out. “Padfoot knotted me.” 

James chuckles, looking over Remus’s shoulder. “I know; I was there. It looks like he nearly ate you too.” 

The smile on Remus’s face gets bigger. “Isn’t it swell.” 

James laughs. “Well, yeah. I guess it’s swell.” James kisses his nose again. “Do you want to sleep, baby?”

“Um.” Remus reaches back finding Sirius’s arm and pulling it across his waist. “Will you both still be here when I wake up?”

James looks at Sirius with a raised eyebrow, and it feels like a punch to the gut. “Yes. I’ll be here.” 

Remus’s eyes fall closed. “Okay. Shh, sleep.” 

They each kiss Remus on the cheek, and they all snuggle in to sleep.

---

Remus wakes up sandwiched between James and Sirius. They are a tangle of legs and arms, with miles and miles of skin surrounding him. Remus settles back in, with their arms draped across his stomach, in an attempt to go back to sleep. 

He can’t go back to sleep. All he can think about is the fact that he has two hard dicks pressed into his back and thigh–not including his, so he really has THREE hard dicks pressed into his back, thigh, and belly–and he has a desperate need to be filled. He won’t be able to sleep until he does, and perhaps not even then. 

The need sits hot in his belly, unlike anything he’s felt before. He feels like he might split in two if he doesn’t have a cock (or two) inside of him immediately. In fact, he decides that he’s probably still stretched enough from last night, given how hard he was fucked in the end, and he could probably take one of them with a bit of extra lube and no additional prep. 

Neither James nor Sirius wakes when Remus sits up, but they both shift until they’re laying away from him. Remus looks between them. It’s a tough decision, but Remus goes with his instinct. He throws a leg over and lines his still puffy hole up to be filled. 

He works himself open with the head, generously adding conjured lube even though he is now producing slick, and waits for them to wake up to the scent. 

They didn’t. Their noses twitch as it hits them, and James goes so far as to rub his hand across his face, but neither of them wakes up. 

Remus pushes down until he’s fully seated, cock buried inside of him, and he can’t stifle the groan. Still, they don’t wake up. 

He moves, bouncing on the cock with little regard for his sleeping boyfriends other than the fact that he’s horny as the giant squid and they’re still asleep.

Remus grinds his hips down, and hands come up to grip his waist. He doesn’t stop his motion. “Too busy to wake me up first?”

“Sorry,” Remus inhales sharply as he manages to hit his prostate. “I couldn’t wait. I needed–” he pushed down again, trying to take push it as deep as possible. “I need.” 

“Fuck.” Sirius squeezes his waist a little tighter. “Me? You needed me?”

Remus scoffs. “Yes, you, you wanker.” Remus braces his hands against Sirius’s stomach and tries to increase the pace. His voice turns desperate. “Please.” 

“What do you need me to do to help?” Sirius asks. 

Remus bites his lip and shakes his head. “Just stay still.” He grinds down against Sirius again, inspiring moans from both of them. “And fucking knot me when you come, you prick.” 

“Oh, come on. We worked through that, didn’t we?”

Remus twists his hips slightly as he pulls up again. “I’ll let you know when we’re past it.” 

“Fair enough.” Sirius reaches over to smack James. “Wake up before you miss this.” 

James’s eyelashes flutter against his cheek, and it takes him a moment to register what he’s seeing–perhaps that’s because his glasses are still on the bedside table. He snatches them and blinks behind the lenses. “Oh, come on. Wake me up earlier next time.” 

“I’ve been awake about fifteen seconds,” Sirius says. “He did this all on his own.” 

James shifts so his stomach–and incidentally, his hard cock–is not pressed into the mattress. “How did neither of us wake up while he prepared himself?” James asks. 

“Didn’t,” Remus says, words now getting more difficult as he gives into the sensations. “Still ready after last night.” 

James groans, a hand now gripping Remus’s thigh. “You just, what, climbed on?”

Remus gasped. “Yes. Just really need it.” 

James leaned over to kiss Sirius while Remus continued to ride him. They were beautiful, and Remus thought he might just come from watching them together. That, and the dick in his arse. “You heard him, Padfoot. He needs it.” 

“Oh, fuck.” Remus braces himself as Sirius begins thrusting up into Remus’s arse. James moves down until he can take Remus in his mouth. He holds on with one hand in James’s hair and the other on Sirius’s stomach as they suck-and-fuck him until he is filling James’s mouth. 

As he’s coming, he feels Sirius’s knot begins to tease his hole, stretching it open with the widest part of the knot, and for a moment, Remus wonders–worries, really–if he will actually complete the knot. 

Sirius thrusts into him one more time, and it locks inside. It’s perfect. Remus is in complete bliss with James’s mouth around his cock and Sirius buried inside of him, and he thinks that he could die just like this and be happy. 

James releases his now softening cock and moves up to kiss Sirius again. Between their lips and tongues, Remus sees James pass Sirius a mouthful of come, and if it were remotely possible, he would come again at the sight of it. As it is, he clenches around Sirius’s knot, triggering Sirius to thrust into him a few more times, but his dick does little more than give a half-hearted twitch at it. 

When they break the kiss, Remus pulls James up to him and tastes himself and Sirius on James’s lips. James smiles against his lips. “Good morning, Moony.” 

“Good morning.” Remus grabs his face and kisses him harder, then tugs at his arms to get him to move again. “Your turn.” 

“No, I’m fi–” 

“James, I need you to fuck my mouth, now.” Remus pouts his lips and blinks rapidly. “I’m pregnant, you wouldn’t deny me a craving, would you?”

James’s mouth drops open, and Sirius laughs. “Are you going to put that one in the book, Prongs?”

James moves to his knees. “Probably.” 

Remus doesn’t respond–mostly because his mouth is now full of James–but he grumbles without intent as James gets a grip on his hair and begins to use his mouth. Sirius reaches out to grab Remus’s cock, working it gently until it fills again, and then makes short thrusts of his hips that match the speed at which James is fucking his mouth, and Remus comes across Sirius’s chest just before James comes down his throat. 

Remus holds James’s come in his mouth as he pulls off. One drip runs down his chin, and James wipes it up with the pad of his thumb and shoves it into his mouth. “Good boy,” James says as Remus licks clumsily around his thumb. 

Remus leans down across Sirius’s chest and pulls against his knot as he stretches out. Sirius groans as Remus kisses him with tongue, sharing the taste of James with him. Sirius deepens the kiss with his hands wrapped around Remus’s face to hold him in place. 

As they’re kissing, Sirius’s knot releases, but before he even slips out of Remus, James’s tongue is there licking inside. Remus gasps into the kiss with Sirius. Sirius leans around him to see James lick a long stripe up Remus's cleft. "I think you like that, don't you Moons?" 

"Oh fuck."

"Yeah, I thought so." 

Sirius kisses him just as James puts his lips to Remus’s hole and sucks. Remus can barely think, especially as James begins thrusting his tongue in and out of Remus's hole, so the kiss is more Sirius's tongue in his mouth than anything, and Remus only just registers that they flick their tongues against his opposite ends simultaneously in exactly the same manner.

Sirius breaks the kiss, but James doesn't relent on his tonguing. Sirius takes his face in hand and looks Remus in the eye. Remus looks back, despite the weak focus that is all he can manage. "Are you going to come again on his tongue, Moony?" 

He’s not even hard again yet, still stinging with overstimulation, but he thinks that he might just be able to. Before Remus can form the answer, his stomach gives a mighty rumble that echoes through the room. 

James and Sirius both freeze. A moment later, they’re both laughing, and Remus feels himself blush. “What! It’s– I’m pregnant, you can’t blame me.” 

James slides off the bed, casting a quick cleaning charm over his mouth and hands before he pulls Remus into a kiss. “We don’t. Let’s feed you before you cannablize those babies.” 

Remus scoffs as he scoots to the edge of the bed. “That’s not how it works. I thought you had a baby book.” 

“I do.” James braces Remus with a hand as he puts his feet on the floor. “I’m still not entirely clear on where you’re carrying those babies. I used to think they were just up your butthole, but I feel like I’ve searched there well enough I would have found them if that were true.” 

Sirius is rolling on the bed laughing. “There’s a uterus, Prongs!” 

James looks over at Sirius as he helps Remus stand. “Is there really?”

“Yeah, mate. I’ll draw you a diagram later.” Sirius wipes away a tear. 

Remus winces as he tries to take a step, and James’s hands catch him. “Alright, Moony?”

“Yeah, just a lot more sore than I expected.” Remus grasps James’s arms. “I feel a bit like someone beat me up.” 

“I wonder who did that,” James lowers him down on the edge of the bed again.

“Some really hot alpha, I bet.” Sirius leans back on the bed, smugly looking over Remus.

James snorts. “Alright, Mr. Hot Stuff. How about you help our boyfriend put on clothes since you broke him, and I’m going to go make some breakfast.” 

“Does he need clothes?” Sirius asks. 

“Help him, Padfoot!” James disappears out the door. 

Sirius helps Remus pull on a pair of boxers and a button-up shirt of Sirius’s that hangs off of him, and the two of them come into the kitchen just in time for James to put plates of fried eggs and sausages on the table. “Hope that’s alright, Moons. I can make you something else, if you want.” 

“No, it smells really good, actually.” Remus takes a massive forkful of egg and shovels it in his mouth. “‘Fanks.” 

Remus finishes his plate in near record time, not anywhere close to full. James looks up as Remus sets his fork down. “All done, Moony?”

“Um, is there any more?”

James passes Remus his plate. “Have mine. I’ll make more.” 

James is just cracking eggs into the pan when there is a knock at the door. The three of them look at each other. “Were you expecting anyone?” James asks. 

“Nope,” Sirius says, and Remus shakes his head. James heads to the door. When he opens it, he calls over his shoulder. “Put on clothes, lads. We have visitors.” 

Remus buttons a few of the buttons on his shirt, but Sirius makes no effort to cover his bare chest over his grey joggers. James leads Regulus and Kingsley into the room. 

“I thought he told you to put clothes on,” Regulus says as he sits in the chair across from Sirius. 

“He did,” Sirius responds, “but anyone who shows up this early on a Saturday doesn’t deserve more clothes.” 

“It is eleven thirty,” Regulus says. 

“Exactly,” Sirius replies. 

Regulus scoffs. “At least we knocked first.” 

“At least we weren’t having sex,” Sirius counters.

“We had the decency to put clothes on,” Regulus says. 

“Well–” 

James sets his plate on the table with a clang. “Surely there’s another reason you’re here than just to insult your brother.” 

Regulus sits a little straighter. “Yes, we have news.” 

“Oh, this sounds important.” Sirius grabs Remus’s hand and pulls him out of his chair and onto his lap. “Come sit with me so that Kingsley can have a chair, Moony.” 

Remus sits happily on Sirius’s lap–and Sirius casts a cushioning charm, not entirely sure how Remus is sitting this morning–and Remus leans forward to grab his–James’s–plate to finish his breakfast. 

Regulus huffs. “Well, I am happy to see that you two have made up, but Merlin, Sirius. Did you have to devour him?”

Sirius draws back the collar of Remus’s–Sirius’s–shirt, showing the chain of kiss-bruises and bites across Remus’s neck, shoulders, and chest. “Yes, I did.” 

“Slithering Salazar, you’re obscene.” Regulus looks away.

“Thank you,” Sirius says. 

Remus finishes his plate-well, James’s–and looks at Sirius’s. “Are you going to finish that?”

“Worked up an appetite, did you?” Sirius drapes a hand around Remus’s waist and across his thigh, and Remus instinctually spreads his legs. “Go on, Moony. Have it.” 

Remus doesn’t miss the way that Sirius’s hand rests just over his cock, or the way that Kingsley’s eyes follow the movement of Sirius’s thumb as he begins (almost) discreetly stroking it. Remus makes no effort to stop him. 

Sirius sighs. “So what is it, then? What news required you to come interrupt us.” 

“We didn’t interr–” Regulus shakes his head, brushing off another bout of bickering with his brother. “Mother is dead.” 

They all stop at these words. Whatever they’d all been expecting, this is not it.

Sirius clears at his throat and sits up a bit taller, no longer teasing Remus (or Kingsley). “She is? Are you sure?”

“She has been missing for several days, apparently.” Regulus picked some bits of lint off his blazer. “I went to check the tapestry yesterday. It has added a death date.” 

They all exchange looks, but no one seems to know what to say. 

Regulus continues. “There is going to be an investigation into what happened. They will be looking for evidence, so I suggest you all get your stories straight.” 

“What are they going to investigate?” Sirius asks, and although he doesn’t show any outward signs of stress, the way his hand is now clenching Remus’s thigh tells him that Sirius is not entirely calm. “Do they even have a body?”

“No,” Kingsley says. His deep voice fills the room. He looks at Sirius and Remus, and then briefly exchanges a look with James that Remus does not understand. “They won’t find a body.”

 

Notes:

Come visit to us on Tumblr! Theresthesnitch and Krethes

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 3 of More of Everything