Remus's eyes fluttered open. For a moment, he was confused—why was he sleeping in the corner of the Gryffindor common room? Then memories came flooding back: late at night, Sirius, panic attack, all leading up to... His eyes narrowed in a fierce desire to protect when his gaze landed upon the beautiful boy sleeping in his lap.

Sirius looked calmer when he was asleep... younger. His chest rising and falling slowly, his heart beating in rhythm with life itself. Remus let out a soft exhale, his fingers gliding up to tangle in Sirius's long, dark hair; he felt the boy subconsciously lean further into him.

He found himself humming a song, one his mother used to sing. She didn't sing it to him anymore... not since... He pushed the memory away, focusing on the gentle beat instead.

'You are my sunshine,
My only sunshine.'

He whispered the soft lyrics, his hand tracing patterns in Sirius's hair.

'You make me happy,
When skies are grey.'

He relaxed into the calm rhythm, gently leaning back until his spine touched the wall, his arm supporting Sirius's back as the boy lay on top of him.

'You'll never know, dear,
How much I love you.'

He sighed contentedly, because in that moment, there was nowhere else he'd rather be.

'Please don't take,
My sunshine away...'

He finished the chorus with a small but determined smile—no one would take his sunshine away, not now, not ever.

His hands continued their soft stroking of Sirius's hair, threading through it gently, careful not to pull too hard. Slowly, the other boy began to stir. Remus didn't stop his hand's motion as Sirius let out a shaky exhale.

"Where... Rem..." Remus's heart constricted at the soft whine that came soon after. "Shh... I'm right here... I've got you, Pads... you're okay..." Sirius relaxed into the comforting words, dark lashes struggling to blink away the remnants of sleep.

Sirius pulled Remus closer, burying his face in the crook of his boyfriend's neck, inhaling deeply at the calming scent—chocolate and books, safety. He slowly woke up, stiffening as he remembered why he was curled up with the werewolf. His breath hitched.

Remus just continued carefully carding through his hair, murmuring sweet nothings into his ear. Sirius let out a slow, shuddering exhale, fingers clenching Remus's jumper like a lifeline. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean..." He trailed off as Remus shook his head.

"Shh, don't worry, you have nothing to be sorry for." His tone was gentle, but Sirius could hear the underlying firmness, the fire that burned within. "B-but I should... should be able to control it now, should be... stronger..."

Remus pulled back just enough to stare his crystal amber eyes into Sirius's stormy grey. "Listen, Sirius, you are strong, you're so strong... strength doesn't mean never breaking, it means letting someone help you pick up the pieces, letting someone help—that's strength. Alright?"

Sirius nodded, not quite believing but too tired to argue. Remus pulled him close again. Sirius hesitated, uncertain, before asking his question with a child-like softness that made Remus's heart ache. "Can I... can I talk about it?" And Remus nodded, "Always."

And so he did talk. He talked until tears fell, and then he talked more. He told Remus about the guilt he felt for leaving his brother, and he told him about his parents—what they were like behind closed doors. His voice cracked as he whispered secrets he'd held close to his heart for too long, his tone tumbled when he talked about the Death Eaters, who he would have been forced to become, who his brother would soon be forced to become.

He sobbed about when he'd been left alone with his insane cousin, Bellatrix. And Remus listened; Remus listened to it all. He nodded and hugged Sirius tighter, and he held him when he broke. He listened, and that's all Sirius needed him to do.

A/N
If you liked this, it'd mean the world to me if you checked out my other book 'Bound By Scales: A Dark Trio Story'

(Haha, me posting an advent drabble just a couple minutes to midnight? Whaaat? Noooo.....oops...)