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Sirius Black had never been to therapy before, which was precisely why the idea sounded like fun.“C’mon, Moony, live a little. We go in, we argue a bit for show, and then we confuse the poor sod with how bloody perfect we actually are as friends.” Sirius swung an arm around Remus’s shoulders, glancing up at him in that way that always, always worked.Remus could feel the warmth of Sirius’s arm pressing against his shoulder, and he hated how his chest fluttered. He wasn’t falling for it. Not this time.“Counseling is supposed to be serious,” he countered. “For people who need it.”“Exactly why it’ll be a riot!” Sirius grinned, leaning closer, his grey eyes sparkling with mischief. “We don’t need it. So we go in, play along, and maybe they’ll give us one of those Muggle stress balls or something as a prize. If anything, Ms. Broderick will be proud of herself for solving our fight.”Remus sighed, rubbing his temples. “But we’re not actually fighting.”Yet. He could feel an impending headache, and it had Sirius Black written all over it.James, sprawled across the Gryffindor common room couch, chimed in. “I think it’s brilliant. We’ll have a laugh, Moony. A real laugh! Besides, it’s not even harmful. The counsellor will never know we tricked them.”Of course James thought it was brilliant. He and Sirius shared one brain cell most days, and today it seemed Sirius was holding it hostage.Peter, sitting cross-legged on the floor with a half-eaten Chocolate Frog in hand, looked skeptical. “What if they figure out we’re faking? Won’t that be awkward?”“Only if you break character, Wormtail,” Sirius said, waving him off. “Think of it as a challenge. Besides, we’re real professionals by now, aren’t we? We don’t fail challenges.”Remus knew better. Sirius was too charming for his own good. And Remus Lupin is weak to Sirius Black’s charm. He already knew he’d cave, but he grumbled anyway:“Fine. But when this goes horribly wrong, I’ll be the first to say, ‘I told you so.’”The next afternoon, Remus found himself seated in a cozy, lavender-scented room with mismatched chairs and an ominously cheerful woman named Ms. Broderick. He didn’t know why he was surprised. He’d been predicting disaster from the start, but of course Sirius had somehow convinced even Professor McGonagall to sign off on their “team-building session.”“So, boys,” Ms. Broderick began, adjusting her glasses. “I understand you’ve been having some… difficulties getting along?”Remus snorted quietly under his breath. James gave Sirius a pointed look, and Sirius—predictably—leaned forward like an angelic cherub.“Oh, terrible difficulties,” Sirius said dramatically. “Constant bickering. Hurt feelings, even. It’s a nightmare.”He’s so full of it, Remus thought, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling.Ms. Broderick nodded, her enthusiasm almost painful to watch. “Well, one of the exercises I use is a role-swapping game. It can help you understand each other’s perspectives and identify some of the things that might be causing friction.”“Role-swapping?” Remus raised an eyebrow. What fresh hell was this?“Exactly,” Ms. Broderick continued. “You’ll pretend to be one another. It’s a safe way to express grievances without personalizing them too much. I’ll assign roles, and then you’ll act as that person for the rest of the session.”Sirius was already smirking. “Oh, I like this. Who am I going to be? Remus? I could do a great Moony impression.”“No,” Ms. Broderick said with a smile. “You’re James.”Remus sat back, dreading whatever nonsense was about to unfold.“James, you’ll be Sirius.”Remus groaned internally. Oh no.“Remus, you’ll be Peter. And Peter, you’ll be Remus.”Thank Merlin, Remus thought. At least Peter was easygoing. If he’d been assigned James or Sirius, there’d be actual yelling within ten minutes.“All right, let’s begin,” Ms. Broderick said. “Sirius, why don’t you go first? Pretend to be James. A normal day—go ahead.”Remus prepared himself for the worst.Sirius immediately puffed out his chest and ruffled his hair until it stuck up in wild tufts. “Right, everyone up! It’s five a.m., and there’s no time to waste! Quidditch practice starts in ten minutes, and we need to—”Remus tried to stifle a laugh but failed. Merlin, he’s spot on.James’s jaw dropped. “I do not sound like that!”He absolutely did.“You absolutely do,” Sirius shot back, still in character. “Oh, and don’t forget to bring my broom, Sirius, because I left it in the common room again. And while you’re at it, fetch me some toast because Quidditch is hungry work, and Merlin knows I can’t get it myself.”Remus could feel his cheeks aching from holding in laughter. This is worth the impending chaos, he thought. Even Peter seemed to be hiding a grin.James, clearly trying to decide if he was offended or amused, pointed at Sirius. “All right, my turn. Now I’m you.”He stood, striking a pose that was meant to be aristocratic but ended up looking ridiculously wonky.“Oh, look at me, Sirius Black, the most handsome wizard in the entire school. Oh, woe is me, because the love of my life doesn’t even notice me.”Remus froze.The love of his life?Sirius stiffened visibly. “I don’t have the faintest what you’re on about.”Remus’s thoughts spiraled. Sirius was in love? Sirius was in love. How had he missed this? His stomach sank as he imagined Sirius confessing his feelings to some gorgeous girl, maybe one of the Ravenclaws he always flirted with. He tried to focus on breathing. No. He’s Sirius. He doesn’t fall in love.“Oh, you know exactly what I mean,” James continued, clearly getting into the role. He clutched his chest dramatically. “Oh, James, have you seen Moony today? His hair is so cute! His nose is also cute! He has 27 freckles on his nose, do you think there’ll be more in the summer? Oh, and his forearms! Merlin, have you seen his forearms? I might die alone, Prongs. Do you think Moony fancies blokes?”Remus blinked.What.He felt heat rushing to his face. Sirius… fancied him? No, this had to be a joke. A prank. James being dramatic. But Sirius wasn’t laughing. He wasn’t doing anything.“Sirius?” Remus asked, his voice softer than he’d intended.Sirius’s mouth opened, but no sound came out.James suddenly looked guilty. “Oh. Uh…”Ms. Broderick, blissfully unaware of the chaos, clapped her hands. “This is excellent! You’re really getting into character. Let’s dig deeper—what else do we notice about Sirius?”“No,” Remus interrupted, his heart pounding. “Sirius. What did he mean by ‘love of his life’?”Peter muttered something about needing water and fled the room. James buried his face in his hands, clearly regretting every choice that had led him to this moment.And Sirius? Sirius sat frozen, looking like he was moments away from jumping out the window.Remus’s pulse thundered in his ears. “Sirius,” he said again, his voice barely above a whisper. “What did James mean?”Sirius blinked, finally snapping out of his stupor. “Uh, nothing,” he said quickly, a forced laugh escaping his lips. “He’s just being James, you know how he is.”James groaned into his hands. “Mate, don’t drag me into this. I’ve already done enough damage,” he mumbled.Remus wasn’t letting this go. His heart was hammering, his mind racing with possibilities he didn’t dare believe. “James isn’t making that up,” he said, his eyes locked on Sirius.Sirius stood abruptly, shoving his hands into his pockets and avoiding Remus’s gaze. “Can we just… drop it?”Ms. Broderick, blissfully unaware of the charged atmosphere, cleared her throat. “Perhaps we should take a short break.”The room erupted into chaos as the boys scrambled for excuses to leave. James muttered something about needing to check on Peter, and Ms. Broderick, still smiling, ushered them out with promises to reconvene shortly.Remus didn’t follow the others. Instead, he grabbed Sirius’s wrist, stopping him just outside the room.“Moony,” Sirius began, his voice shaky. “I—”“No,” Remus interrupted, his heart pounding. “You’re not running away from this.”Sirius looked at him, his grey eyes wide and panicked. “It’s not what you think.”But it is, Remus thought. It had to be. “Then tell me what it is,” he demanded, his voice firmer than he felt.Sirius hesitated, his mouth opening and closing like he was trying to find the words. Finally, he groaned, pulling his hand through his hair in frustration. “Fine, you want the truth?”Remus nodded, his breath hitching.“I’m in love with you, okay?” Sirius blurted, his voice rising. “I’ve been in love with you for ages, and I didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t want to ruin everything, but now James has gone and—”Remus didn’t let him finish. He stepped closer, grabbing Sirius by the collar of his shirt and kissing him.Sirius froze for a split second before melting into the kiss, his hands gripping Remus’s arms like he couldn’t believe this was happening. Remus felt the world tilt beneath him, every pent-up feeling rushing to the surface as Sirius kissed him back with a desperation that made his knees weak.When they finally pulled apart, they were both breathing hard, their foreheads resting together.“You’re an idiot,” Remus whispered, a small smile tugging at his lips.Sirius grinned, his grey eyes shining. “Takes one to love one.”Remus laughed, the tension finally breaking. “So you’re not running away?”“Not unless you are,” Sirius said softly.“Not a chance.”From down the hall, James’s voice echoed. “Are you two done snogging yet? Because Ms. Broderick is going to start thinking we actually have issues!”Sirius and Remus laughed, their hands still tangled together. Whatever chaos the rest of the session held, they’d face it together.