"I'm tired, Molly."

"Well, of course you are. You're wearing yourself out trying to get all of this done without sleeping. You're no good to any of us if you run yourself into the ground."

Remus nodded, his brow furrowing as a bevy of light scents carried in through the open window. "So make my apologies, nod sagely behind my back and let me go? I promise I'll go straight home and to bed."

"Home." She sniffed. "You need out of the place as desperately as he did." His eyes closed automatically and she caught her half-gasp, half-sob. "I'm sorry, Remus."

"Don't be. You just…maybe someone needs to say it."

"Of course we don't need to say it. You know it. You're just not ready. You'll be ready eventually." She touched his sleeve gently. "Just…we all love you, Remus. So much. You mustn't forget that."

"As if I could, Molly."

"We're no replacement for him…"

"He was gone for twelve years, Molly, most of which we spent angry and hurt at each other, unsure of each other. We'd just…It wasn't like it was before. It couldn't be."

"But you still loved him."

"I had no choice in the matter." Remus shrugged. "I have a choice in the here and now though." He kissed her gently on the top of the head. "And I'm going to go home and go to bed."

Molly nodded and stepped aside, allowing Remus to slip past her. He gave her a weak smile and walked out onto the porch, waiting until the door had enveloped the house in some semblance of quiet before walking down the steps and heading onto the lawn.

"You do know it's futile to hide from me, right?" Lupin turned slightly, his golden eyes glowing in the waxing moon.

George stepped out of the shadow of the trees, leaning against the nearest one. "It's not you I'm hiding from."

"The crowd in there?" Remus gestured back toward the Burrow, the noise level deafening even through the closed doors. "Not feeling sociable?"

"They're not who I want to see." George shifted, his eyes fixed on Remus as the older man looked away. "You didn't come into the store today."

"I really don't have much call for practical jokes these days."

"I didn't say anything about shopping." George pushed away from the tree. "I wasn't aware we were pretending nothing happened."

"Nothing did happen, George." Remus approached him slowly. "Just a kiss."

"And it was nothing to you?"

"I didn't say that."

"Really?" George shrugged his disbelief. "That's what it sounds like to me."

"It's sounding that way because it suits your purposes." Remus shook his head. "What happened the other day, George, was simply an emotional response. I wish I could say that I had my iron control back, that it wasn't easy to slip into the mem…"

"Bullshit." George scoffed. "You weren't kissing Sirius. You were kissing me. You were feeling me."

"George."

"You just don't want to admit it because that would mean that you're actually getting on with your life and what's the point in being a tragic hero if you're not nearly as tragic anymore."

"Don't you dare try and…"

"And what? Make this about me?" George's eyes danced with anger. "Well, it was me you were kissing, Remus. Me you were fondling, in case you were busy giving me black hair and gray eyes. It wasn't him and it was you. So you're just going to have to deal with that at some point." George shoved past Remus. "Sirius is dead. It isn't fair and it isn't right, but it is."

"I told you I didn't want this, George. That I didn't want…"

"Me?" George laughed. "No, Remus. You never told me you didn't want me."

"You're too young."

"Too young for what? To die? To live? To fuck? To feel? Well, guess what, Remus, I'm older than you were when you started shagging your best friend, so you'll forgive me for not believing a single word you have to say."

Remus growled, grabbing George's arm and whirling him around, his body coming up hard against Remus's. "You don't know anything about this."

"About what, Remus? Nothing happened."

Remus shoved him away, shaking his head as George stumbled. "Go home, George."

"I am home. You want me to go away. Go away so you don't have to feel guilty that your heart or at least you cock still function even though Sirius is gone. You don't want to have to admit that you're still alive. You think it should have been you, right? Should have been you because you're not Harry's godfather, and you're the one with the curse and you're the one who believed that Sirius did those things and you're the one that needs to die, right Remus? Because then there'd be some sort of poetic justice to it and you'd stop being tortured? Well, guess what, I'm not torture. And I'm not going to play along. You want to fuck me, you know where to find me."

Remus shook as George started to walk away. With a low growl he couldn't control, he launched himself at the younger man, tackling George around his knees. They both fell to the ground with a loud grunt, George turning and kicking at Remus. Without thinking, Remus climbed up George's body, pinning him to the ground. "Shut the fuck up."

"Why? Every word I say gives you license to feel, right? Gives you license to stop being numb and to feel and to breathe and live." He panted the words, staring up at Lupin's wild eyes. "You think Sirius would just be pining away for you? You think he'd…"

"Shut up." Remus ground his lips against George's, silencing him. He wrenched back, breathing hard, licking his lips, pressing them together. "Just shut. Up." He found George's lips again, the pressure just as intense as his fingers raked through the short red strands of hair.

George groaned, the sound lost in Remus's growl, as his lips parted, his tongue sliding over George's lips until they opened, his mouth surrendered to Remus's questing tongue. Remus's body thrust down against George's, the rough layers of clothes doing nothing to hide the hard press of cock against cock.

"Yes," George begged quietly as Remus's mouth left his to pepper hot, demanding kisses against George's jaw and neck, sucking at the pale, supple flesh. Remus ignored him, turning George's head to the side, forcing his quiet pleas into the night.

Teeth grazed George's skin as Remus nipped at it, sharp teeth pinching the smooth surface. George's body arched up against his, hands grabbing at Remus's robes, tugging him closer. Remus forced his mouth away, pulling back and moving off George's body. The younger man gave a soft whimper of protest, rolling toward Remus as he moved to the side.

Remus grabbed George's arm and yanked hard, sending him onto his stomach. With a quick, lupine move Remus insinuated himself against George's body, his chest warm against George's muscled back. "Is this what you want?"

George moaned into the grass, his whole body trembling with need. Remus ignored the sound, his own chest rumbling with low growls as he knelt between George's spread legs, his knees edging against George's thighs. His hands snaked under George's hips and lifted them, sliding down to unfasten his jeans, stripping them down George's legs with practiced hands.

George's breath caught on a soft sob, nodding helplessly as Remus pressed his body against George's as he finished pushing the denim to his feet, his hard cock sheathed, pressed hard against the bare globes of George's ass.

"Is this what you want?" Remus's voice was hard and harsh, wolfish and sharp, as he thrust against George's body. George moaned and nodded, his hands digging into the grass as he pressed back against Remus. Remus pulled away, one hand firm on George's back, holding him on the ground, as the rasp of his zipper filled the quiet night, the slippery sound of fabric moving in the darkness.

Remus panted harshly, feeling the wolf pulsing inside him as he fumbled for his wand, muttering under his breath as clear liquid spilled from the tip, pooling on the skin of George's lower back. He shoved his wand away, his robes brushing his own bare thighs as he bathed his fingers in the liquid, sliding them down George's back to the smooth flesh of his ass, dipping them into the crease, pressing them firmly against George's tight muscle.

George gasped, his nails black with dirt, grass clinging to his palms, his cock thrusting down toward the hard ground. Remus's fingers lingered for a moment before disappearing, his hand bathing in the gel-like liquid, spreading it over his cock, smoothing it over the velvety flesh of his shaft before pressing it against George's ass, sliding it between the curves until the tip met the puckered tightness of the muscle.

"Is this what you want?" He snapped, thrusting forward, his cock penetrating the skin, delving into the dark channel, shallow thrusts rocking into George, inching deeper inside him. "Me inside you? You want me fucking you, George? Is this enough feeling? Enough life? Is this what you want?"

"Yes," George gasped, his body shaking as he came, spilling himself over the cool ground. "Oh, God, Remus. Yes."

Remus groaned, stilling, his head buried against George's back. They lay motionless for a long moment before Remus's fingers dug into George's hips, jerking him back against him as he began moving again, his strokes long and hard, the hot tip of Remus's cock buried against George's prostate. He panted harshly, thrusting with every breath until he loosed a thick moan, spilling the sound from his lips as he came deep inside George's taut flesh.

George shuddered lightly, the slight movement sending shockwaves through Remus's body. He eased away from George, the redhead's body contracting as he slipped free. Without speaking, Remus dressed quickly, keeping his eyes averted until he pulled his robe closed around him.

George lay still on the ground, his body sprawled weakly, pale in the moonlight. "I'm sorry," Remus breathed quietly. "Gods, George, I'm sorry." His hand lighted on George's back, pulling away as the younger man trembled. "I'm so sorry."

"Stop," George urged him, just as softly, getting to his knees. Remus looked away, fumbling for his wand and aiming a quick scourgify at George. He dressed in silence, settling beside Remus on the grass when he finished. He glanced at the older man, his eyes moving over the sprinkling of gray in his sandy brown hair, the chocolate hue that rimmed his burning gold irises. "Stop apologizing."

Remus shook his head, stilling as George caught his chin. They stared at each other for a long moment, Remus wetting his lips under George's searching gaze, closing his eyes as George leaned in and kissed him softly, the barely there brush of lips forcing a sob from Remus's throat.

"I don't want you to apologize," George whispered against Remus's lips, his breath warm and soft. Remus shook his head, pulling away, forcing distance between them. "Remus…"

He shook his head violently, his lips pressed tightly together to hold back his sobs as he vanished with a sharp crack. George closed his eyes, pressing the heels of his hands against his eyelids as he fell back on the grass.