---

“I’m telling you, he’s seeing someone else.”  Remus paced the length of the sitting room.

Kingsley spoke from behind his newspaper.  “Don’t be ridiculous.  For one thing, I think we keep him busy enough between the two of us, don’t you?  And for another, if he were stepping out on us, I highly doubt it would be with a woman.”

“But I heard him,” Remus insisted.  He stopped in front of Kingsley, hands on his hips, and demanded, “Would you put down that bloody paper for once!”

Kingsley lowered his newspaper.  “Calm down, Remus.  Tell me what exactly you think you—”  Remus scowled, and he continued, “What exactly did you hear?”

“He was arranging a meeting with a Mademoiselle Mercier.”

“That proves nothing; it could be a business meeting.”

“You didn’t see how guilty he looked when he realized I was in the room.  He was blushing when he ended the call.”

“A Floo call?”

“No, he was on that mobile you insisted we get.”  Remus glared an accusation at Kingsley.

“So not just a woman, but most likely a Muggle.”  Kingsley pulled Remus down onto his lap.  “You really think Severus would go seeking his pleasure with a Muggle woman when he could have this?”  His lips formed the words against the skin of Remus’s neck as his hand unerringly clasped Remus’s prick through his trousers.  “And this?”  He shifted slightly and pressed his hardness against Remus’s bum.  “He has no more reason to look elsewhere than you or I do.”

For the next several minutes, all else seemed forgotten as their lips met in a heated kiss.

But as Kingsley’s fingers found the fastening of Remus’s trousers, Remus broke away.  “You can’t distract me as easily as that.”

“No?”  Kingsley hands continued their work, but Remus caught them in his.

“No.”  He stood up and held out his hand, pulling Kingsley up with him.  “Come on.”

“Where are we going?”

“West Hampstead.”

“And what’s in West Hampstead?”

“Mademoiselle Mercier.  And Severus.”  With that, Remus spun on the spot, taking Kingsley with him.

***

From the alley where they landed, Remus dragged Kingsley around the corner and down the street, holding onto him tightly as if afraid Kingsley would bolt if given the chance.

Finally, Kingsley dug in his feet, and Remus had no choice but to stop and face him.  “What?”

“Remus, you know that Severus will not appreciate your spying on him.”

“Our spying on him.”

“Fine, our spying on him.  Have you really thought this through?  What exactly are you planning to say or do?”

“No, I haven’t thought beyond tracking him down.  I expect once I see what the situation is, I will know what to say or do.  Now can we go?”

“Typical Gryffindor,” Kingsley muttered under his breath.  “How much further?” he said aloud.

“Not much.”  Remus’s steps slowed.  “Seems like the scent trail ends just there ...”  Remus gestured at the nondescript building in front of them.  They looked at the small sign on the door.

“That can’t be right.”  Kingsley shook his head.  “You must have lost his trail or something.”

“I’m telling you, he’s in there.”  Remus cast a Disillusionment Charm over them.  “And you can bet Mademoiselle Mercier is in there, too.”  He moved to the window and peered in.  Under his breath, he muttered something that sounded like, “Probably very bendy.”  By now his nose was practically pressed against the glass.  “What the …?”

“What?”  When Kingsley moved closer, Remus grabbed him and practically shoved his nose against the window, too.  “What the …?”

They turned and stared at each other.

“It just can’t be …”  Remus leaned against the window for support.

“If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I never would have believed it,” Kingsley said.  He spread his hands helplessly.  “Now what?”

“Now?”  Remus echoed his gesture.  “Now … I don’t know.”  He shrugged.  “I thought I would know what to do, but who could have predicted …”

“I know.  It’s a shock.”  Kingsley put his arm around Remus.  “Let’s go home.  He’ll have to come back eventually, and then we can have it out with him.”

This time, it was Kingsley who Apparated them home.

***

The fire was dying down to embers when Severus walked into the sitting room to find Remus and Kingsley snuggling together on the couch.

“Where’ve you been?” Kingsley asked, his tone light.

“Nowhere in particular,” Severus said as he flung himself into the wingchair before the fire.  Slinging one leg over the arm, he asked, “What have you two been up to?”

“Nothing in particular,” Kingsley said, tightening his arms around Remus.

“Oh, cut the crap, Severus,” Remus said, ignoring Kingsley’s intended warning.  “We know.”

“Way to be subtle, Remus,” Kingsley muttered.

Severus lifted an eyebrow.  “Just what exactly is it you think you know?”

“We know, Severus!”  Remus’s voice rose.  “We saw you!”

“You saw … what, exactly?” Severus asked, the slightest flush creeping over his cheeks.

“We saw you!  With that woman!  At that place!”

“What did you do?  Follow me?”  Severus jumped out of his chair and rounded on Remus.  “You followed me?”

“Yes!”  Remus jumped up now, too.

“Can’t we all calm down?” Kingsley asked.

“How dare you follow me?” Severus demanded.

“How dare you lie—”  At Severus’s outraged expression, Remus rushed to correct himself, “Well, keep secrets from us, anyway.”

“Remus, calm down.”  Kingsley’s voice was low and soothing.  “Severus is entitled to a personal life.  We all are, aren’t we?”

“I suppose.”  At Kingsley’s urging, Remus sat back down.  “But you were just as shocked as I was, Kings.”

“Et tu, Brute?  I’d expect Remus to run off half-cocked—he is a Gryffindor, after all—but I always thought you had more sense.”

“He didn’t give me that much of a choice.”  Kingsley chuckled wryly.  “Severus, Remus was worried that you were hiding something, so he overreacted.  You know how the wolf in him can make him a little overprotective sometimes.”

“I suppose that’s true.”  At Kingsley’s coaxing, Severus returned to his armchair.  “So where does this leave us.”

“That depends,” Remus said.  “The basis of any good relationship is trust, would you agree?”

“I suppose,” Severus admitted.

“Well then, were you ever planning to tell us you’re taking ballet lessons?”

---

Notes: This was originally written for the hpcon_envy community at LiveJournal for to fulfill luvsev's request, SS/RL/KS and a quote: "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." Thanks to Clairvoyant for the beta.