Title: The Trouble with Idiotic Muggle Boys

Rating: PG-13

Pairing: Remus/Sirius

Word Count: 5,860

Summary: Remus almost gets arrested by the North Ireland police, Sirius runs away from home...

Disclaimer: Honestly. I think the word "fanfiction" should be good enough for a disclaimer by now.

The Trouble with Idiotic Muggle Boys

July 10, 1976

Remus walked along the street, trying to ignore the late afternoon sun beating down into his shirt, warming him uncomfortably. His nearly shoulder-length hair clung to the back of his neck, moist with sweat. Even the almost full moon hung above him in the sky, as if taunting him. As he walked around a corner wall, he bumped into someone.

"Oh—sorry," he quickly apologized; steadying the boy he had collided with.

The boy, whom looked to be about sixteen or seventeen, had dark curly hair and pale blue eyes. He frowned when he saw Remus.

"Hey—aren't you one of the sons of that Lupin family that lives down Millbrook Lane?"

"Erm, yes, I am. May I ask—"

The boy started to laugh. Remus made a slight face when he caught a whiff of alcohol on the boy's breath.

"What's so funny?" he asked testily.

"You—how old are you?"

"Sixteen…."

The boy snorted. "Six—sixteen? Ahh, that's a laugh. You look thirteen!"

"I do not," Remus protested. He had enough of Sirius's teasing at school to tell him things like this; he didn't need a complete stranger telling him as well. He sighed in annoyance. "Look. I don't know why you are trying to bother me, but—"

"Ohh, am I bothering you?" the boy said slowly, drawing out his words and emphasizing them, taking a step forward. "An' why do you think I would care what a feckin' little twat like you says anyway? Your family's dirt poor—and yet, I've never even seen you around 'til now. What do you do, anyway, during the school year? It's not like your parents can afford to send you off to some fancy pants private school."

Remus frowned, clenching his fists. "You don't know anything," he snapped. "Why the hell do you even care? Do you take some sick pleasure in putting down others?"

The boy smiled. "As a matter of fact, I do. Gives me a rush, if you know what I mean."

Remus made a face. "That's disgusting."

"Shut the hell up. I don't have to take that shite from a poor, good-for-nothing British bastard like you."

He wasn't expecting Remus to suddenly punch him in the face, and it took him a long second to react. He punched Remus right back in the face, and Remus's nose began to bleed. He grabbed Remus's right arm and shoved him into the wall. Remus cried out as he felt his arm pop out of its socket, but he threw himself to the ground to get out of the way, somehow managing to get his arm back in place. He gasped when he felt a foot collide with his stomach, and he coughed loudly. The boy seized his upper arm and dragged him to his feet, shoving him against the wall again.

"No skinny little brat is going to get the best of me," he growled, face inches from Remus's own. His breath made Remus feel like retching. Instead, he spat in the boy's face.

"Get off of me," he snarled, kneeing him in the groin and then shoving him away. Blood was pounding in his ears, and he began punching the boy again, ignoring his angry shouts.

"What the bloody hell! What is going on here?" Remus was grabbed from behind and shoved to the wall, while the boy was helped to his feet by a guard.

"He attacked me for no reason!" the boy instantly exclaimed, pointing at Remus as he breathed heavily and tried to get his bearings together.

"What! No I didn't! He—" He yelped when a guard grabbed his hair to pull him back from the boy. "Ow! Let go of me!"

"Shut the hell up. We're going to the station, where we'll call your parents and decide what to do with you."

Remus was silent for the rest of the way to the station, sitting in the back of the police vehicle. He was beginning to feel rather frightened. He'd never been involved with the Muggle authorities before, and he was sure there was some sort of rule about wizards getting into trouble with the Muggle police. What was going to happen to him?

When they got to the station, Remus was sat down on one of the wooden chairs by a desk. He didn't dare ask if that boy was getting into trouble as well.

"What were you doing, attacking Mr. O'Shea like that?"

"Who?"

The guard sighed in annoyance. "The boy you attacked. Michael O'Shea. Do you not even know who you were fighting with?"

"I didn't start it. I don't even know who he is. He seemed to think he knew a lot about me, though."

"Listen, lad. When we found you two, you looked like you were about to murder the poor boy."

Remus scowled, licking at a cut on his lip. "He did more damage to me than I—"

"You're one of those smart arses, aren't you?"

Remus blinked and didn't say anything. He'd never been called that in his entire life. What was going on? Everything seemed to be falling apart.

"What's your name, boy?"

Remus tensed, and his knuckles turned white as he tugged at the hem of his shirt.

"I asked you a question, boy. What is your name?"

"Remus Lupin," he said quietly. He heard the sound of a pen scratching on paper. He looked up to see the guard shuffling through a filing drawer.

"Your parents Dorian and Jacqueline Lupin?" the guard asked, pulling out a packet of papers.

Remus nodded slowly.

"How old are you?"

"Sixteen."

"If you would just follow me," the guard stood up, indicating Remus to do the same. He led Remus through a doorway and past some cubicles.

"Could you call this number," the guard handed the papers to another man, "and tell them that their eldest son is being held here until they come and pick him up?"

"Sure."

Remus was tapped on the shoulder and given a little shove to keep walking. They left that room and entered another, which had a wall of bars closing off a section. When Remus realized he was being led toward the bars, he stopped abruptly.

"No," he protested. "No, please don't make me go in there."

"It'll only be for a little while, lad. Until your parents arrive. I can't just let you hang around, loose and unattended in the other rooms, after what you did."

"But I was only defending myself! And I swear I won't cause any more trouble. Please!"

The guard grabbed both of Remus's arms and pushed him toward the barred door.

"No! Stop it, you can't put me in there!"

Remus struggled against the guard, shouting angrily in panic. However, the guard was much larger and stronger than Remus, and in the end, he was thrown into the barred off room, falling to the hard floor and scraping his palms. He scrambled to his feet and stared at the guard furiously before walking over to the farthest wall and sitting down, burying his face in his knees.

Ten minutes later, Dorian Lupin entered the police station and went to the front desk.

"May I help you?"

"Yes; I was told my son is here? Remus Lupin?"

"Ah. Hold on a moment, please." The secretary called through a door for someone, and a man appeared.

"Mr. Lupin?"

"Yes. What happened? I was only told—"

"Your son got into a fight with another boy, and I'm afraid he was quite violent. We thought it best to take him into custody and call you."

Dorian raised his eyebrows. "Into a fight? That doesn't sound very much like Remus…."

"Well, that's certainly what it looked like when we arrived. He was practically killing him. Come on; I'll take you back to see him."

They walked through the station until they reached the room Remus was being held in.

"Dad!" Remus exclaimed when he saw Dorian. He stood up and walked over to the bars. "Dad, I—"

"My goodness, your face!" Dorian interrupted, staring at Remus's dried bloody nose and lip, both of which contrasted harshly with his pale face.

"Mr. Lupin," the guard began as he unlocked the door and let Remus out, "we are a little concerned about your son. He got into a fight for no—"

"I was provoked," Remus protested quietly, looking down at his scraped up hands.

"Even if you were provoked, you should know not to turn violent like that. That is no excuse. Would you feel sorry for a murderer if he claimed to have been provoked?"

"I'm sorry," Remus murmured, wanting the floor to swallow him whole.

Several minutes later, after much talking that Remus didn't feel like listening to, Dorian and Remus were dismissed. When they were walking down the street, toward home, Dorian spoke.

"What were you thinking, getting into a fight with that boy, Remus? You know very well that if the Ministry had gotten notice, they would haul you off with no thought."

Remus swallowed. "I couldn't help it. Honestly. I just…I just got so angry. Dad—I didn't mean to. I just…."

"What did he say? He said something to you, right?"

"He…he was insulting you and Mum, and me…and our family in general."

Dorian sighed. "You need to learn to not listen to those people."

"I know. I'm sorry."

It was silent the rest of the way home, but when they walked in the front door, Jacqueline immediately pulled Remus into the living room and sat him down.

"What happened to you?" she got a washcloth and some healing cream from the bathroom and began to wipe away the blood from Remus's face.

"He got into a fight with a Muggle boy."

Jacqueline looked shocked. "But—Remus, you never fight! Oh, what are we going to do with you," she sighed and patted his arm. She frowned when Remus winced and pulled his arm away. "What's wrong with your arm?"

"It's just a little bruised, that's all."

"Bruised? Are you hurt anywhere else?"

"Mum, I'm fine. Leave me alone."

"I don't think I believe you, young man. Let me see your arm. My word! Your hands, too?" She fought his hands from him and rubbed the healing cream into the scrapes. "Alright, Remus. Take your shirt off. I don't trust you to tell me the truth right now."

"Mum!" He tried to push her away, but she tugged his shirt over his head and dropped it on the floor with a gasp.

"Oh. Remus—" Her eyes began to look over-bright. She stared at the darkening marks on his arm and the already dark areas on his stomach.

"Mum, don't—"

"What did he do to you?" she whispered, kneeling next to the sofa.

"Jacqueline, perhaps that's not the best thing—"

"Fine. But Remus, we can't heal bruises like these. Your father can only heal open cuts with magic. I'm sorry…I could put some cream on them, but I'm not sure it would make a difference."

"Don't bother. I heal quickly anyway, Mum. You know that." Remus picked up his shirt and yanked it back on. May I go to my room now?" Without waiting for an answer, he stood up and walked to his room, shutting the door and locking it. He could hear his mother and father talking in the other room.

"Why is he acting so different now? School has changed him so much."

"It's just those teenage boy hormones, Jacqueline."

Jacqueline gave a humorless laugh. "Magnified by his Lycanthropy, of course."

Remus stepped away from the door so he wouldn't have to hear the rest of their conversation. He dropped onto his bed and almost immediately had to roll over onto his back, because his stomach throbbed.

The next day, Remus's bruises were even more prominent on his skin, though he didn't tell his mother that. She would have a fit.

"Erm…where am I going to stay during the full moon today?" he asked his father after breakfast.

"I've cleared the cellar out, and we can put a silencing spell over it so that the neighbors don't hear anything," Dorian told him.

"Ah. Okay." He nodded. After a moment of silence, he asked quietly, "Is Mum angry with me?"

Dorian sighed. "No, I would say she is more worried about you than angry."

"But she—" he broke off. "Never mind. It doesn't matter." He went back into his room, ignoring Aubrey's requests to play with him.

"Daddy, Remy's being mean!" he heard Aubrey whine loudly to Dorian.

"Hush, Brey. He's just having a hard time right now. Daddy'll play with you, though; how does that sound?"

---

When Remus woke up after the moon had set, he was lying sprawled on the cold cement floor of the cellar. He groaned and pushed himself into a sitting position, feeling painfully queasy. There were many new cuts on his body, and the bruises on his stomach from the two days previous seemed to have gotten larger. As he sat up, he suddenly felt his stomach rise, and he hunched over, convulsing and retching, though his empty stomach did not bring anything up.

The door opened, and Jacqueline quickly came over to his side. "Shh, shh; it's all right, Remus."

He leaned heavily against her as he tried to calm his ragged breathing. He wrapped his arms around her and wept into her shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Mum. I'm sorry."

She kissed the top of his head and rocked him gently back and forth, just like she had when he was younger. "No, don't be. You have nothing to be sorry for. It's not your fault."

---

"Letter for you, Remus," said Jacqueline as Remus sat down for lunch much later.

He picked up the folded piece of parchment and opened it, instantly recognizing James's handwriting.

Remus –

I know you're probably still recuperating from the full moon, but I thought I'd tell you—Sirius ran away three days ago and has come here. He's fine, albeit a little worse for wear—which is sort of understandable, considering his family. I just wanted to let you know, so you weren't completely in the dark. I'm hoping he recovers soon, as it's rather irritating carrying on one-sided conversations all the time. (I don't think he even listens to me!) All he does is sulk, and I've no idea what to do about it. Maybe if you could find a day to stop by, you would know what to do? You're good with those kinds of things—I'm not.

James

"What is it, dear?"

Remus jumped when his mother spoke, accidentally knocking over his glass of milk.

"Oh, my!" she exclaimed. "Are you alright? What has happened? You were just staring off for a few seconds there."

Remus swallowed nervously, handing the empty glass to Jacqueline to be refilled as she cleaned the mess up with a towel.

"Mum, can I go over to James's sometime very soon?" he asked anxiously.

"What?" she looked confused now. "What does that have to do with—?"

Remus handed her the letter to read. "Please, Mum?" he began as she finished reading and looked up at him. "I'm really worried. I think something must have happened to make Sirius snap like that. You've met him before, and we both know what he's like, so I…I just know something must have happened to give him a sudden reason to do this."

Jacqueline set the letter back down on the table. "Of course you may go to see Sirius. It makes me so happy that you care for your friends this much, you know." She gave him a warm smile. "If you're sure you are feeling all right, you may go today, even. And you can stay as long as needed, as long as you aren't a bother for Mr. and Mrs. Potter."

Remus grinned happily up at her. "Thank you! And I won't be a bother, I promise! I'm going to call James right now, okay?" He stood up from his seat and headed into the living room, almost running into Aubrey on the way. He sidestepped his little brother just before they collided, and he swiftly grabbed Aubrey's left arm to steady him before continuing into the other room, wincing slightly.

Reaching into the clay jar on the mantle, Remus took a handful of Floo powder and tossed it into the fire.

"Potter Place!" He knelt down beside the green flames and stuck his head into them.

---

When Remus came out of the Potters' fireplace half an hour later, he was greeted by James.

"He's up in my room," he told Remus, his voice toneless. He looked tired and a little annoyed.

As they entered James's room, they found Sirius sitting on the spare bed, staring off into space.

"Hi, Sirius," Remus said in as cheerful a voice as he could manage.

Sirius just grunted and glanced shortly at him before returning his gaze to the opposite wall. "Why are you here?" he asked rudely.

Remus silently sucked in his breath. "I heard about...about what happened, and I thought…I thought maybe you would want the extra company."

"You don't know anything about what happened," Sirius snapped, standing up and glaring at him. "So don't tell me you do. You don't know anything."

Remus forced himself to stand his ground, even though Sirius's words hurt. He had to remind himself that Sirius's emotions were overbalanced at the moment.

"Well, maybe if you told me what happened, I could help."

"How could you possibly help?" Sirius laughed coldly, sending shivers down Remus's spine. He hadn't heard Sirius speak like that since first year, when they didn't like each other very much. He clenched his fists.

"You fool," he said softly. "What is your problem? You run away from home, come here, expecting the Potters to take you in, and then whenever someone tries to show their care for you, you push them away with smart remarks. What the hell are you trying to achieve?"

James stared at him in astonishment, having never seen him react like that before.

"I don't know why I even try. You don't appreciate anything I do."

"Remus—" Sirius began hoarsely. The edges of his eyes were red, though the rest of his skin was pale.

"Why did you run away?"

"I—" he swallowed. "I couldn't take it anymore. Every time they open their mouths, it is always to insult Muggleborns and half-breeds and my friends and my…choices…." He lowered his head, letting his dark hair hang in his face.

"Well I understand that, but that still doesn't account for why you are giving your friends the cold shoulder."

"I'm not—" he broke off, frowning. "I just don't feel like talking to anyone right now."

"Fine then. Prongs and I will just have to hang out without you," Remus replied rather spitefully. Perhaps it hadn't been the smartest choice to come, after all. He wasn't always in the best of moods right after the full moon, and his injuries were a throbbing annoyance. He sat down on one of the beds, went to pull his knees up to lean on, and then thought better of it when the effort sent a stabbing sensation through his stomach.

There was an uncomfortable silence for several moments, and Remus fell back into his thoughts. He wondered what the real reason for Sirius's sudden departure from his house, because all of those problems that he had listed had been going on since before Remus even knew Sirius. There must have been something different this time. Something that threw Sirius off the edge….

"—ull moon go?"

Remus blinked and looked up at James. "Sorry? Did you say something? I guess I was a little out of it." He grimaced apologetically.

"I asked how the full moon went. It wasn't too bad, was it?"

"Nah," he shrugged, "it went all right, as far as I can remember. Though that doesn't account for much." He laughed, trying to make light of the situation, like he always did.

James raised his eyebrows, but didn't say anything.

The rest of the afternoon went awfully slowly, with Sirius not speaking to either of the two Marauders. James and Remus couldn't find anything to talk about—they didn't have many of the same interests, and it was almost a wonder they were such good friends. Mrs. Potter took one look at Remus and muttered about how thin he was, almost immediately proceeding to stuff him with snacks. The only plus side of dealing with Mrs. Potter's attitude was when it elicited a small snicker from Sirius.

"Why don't you boys go out and swim in the pond? It's just the weather for it."

Sirius shrugged and followed James outside. Remus bit his lip and then ran to catch up. He wanted to go swimming, but he didn't want his friends to see the bruises. He sat down on the bank by the edge of the pond, watching as James and Sirius shed their shoes and shirts and jumped in.

"Aren't you going to come swimming too?" James called, treading water to stay afloat.

"I'm not sure. I mean…I want to, but…." He looked down at his feet.

James's expression suddenly changed. "Oh—does it have to do with—"

"The full moon? No. It has nothing to do with it. I'm completely healed from that."

"Then what is it? You've been acting strange, Remus. Not as strange as Sirius, thank Merlin, but still strange."

Remus sighed and stood up, wincing and sucking in his breath sharply.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'll swim. But I don't feel like taking my shirt off, if you don't mind."

Sirius raised his eyebrows and glanced at James.

James shrugged. "Fine; go right ahead."

The water was cold, but it felt good in the summer heat. They swam and splashed around for a while, until James decided he was going to tackle both of his friends. He grabbed Sirius first and wrestled him down underwater. As Sirius came up, sputtering angrily, James attacked Remus, shoving him in the front so that he fell backwards into the water. Remus's eyes widened in pain, and he swallowed a mouthful of water before he forced himself up again, coughing and gasping, a strange scratchy cry coming from his mouth as he fought to get to the bank.

"Remus—what…?"

Remus collapsed onto the ground, clutching his stomach and coughing, tears leaking out of his eyes. James and Sirius splashed out of the water, rushing over to their fallen friend and pulling him upright.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to hurt you that badly!" James said in panic. "Is—is there anything we can do to help?"

Remus shook his head, grimacing as he sat up without their help. "I—its just some bruises, that's all."

"From last night?" Sirius asked in concern that overcame his sulking silence.

Remus shook his head again. "No. I…sort of got into a fight with a Muggle boy the other day."

"With a Muggle!"

Remus coughed slightly. "Yeah…and then I was dragged off to the police station because…well, apparently I was on the verge of really doing damage to the guy."

Sirius couldn't help it. He snorted. "You were arrested? Remus Lupin, Gryffindor Prefect?"

"Shut up. It wasn't entirely my fault. I just…lost it. I couldn't control myself," he said softly. "I got so angry when…." He didn't want to say, 'when he had me on the ground and was kicking me in the gut,' so he just trailed off.

"So what's wrong with your stomach?" Sirius asked. "You were clutching it after James shoved you under."

After a moment of hesitation, Remus pulled his shirt up to show the large, dark bruises covering his abdomen.

James and Sirius sucked in their breaths. Sirius reached forward and gently touched the darkened areas on Remus's stomach.

"Geez. He really got you, didn't he?" James commented, choosing not to pay attention to what Sirius was doing.

"I guess you could say that," Remus shrugged, pulling his shirt down again. Sirius's fingertips were sending conflicting sensations through his body; both a burning, tingling where his fingers had come in contact, and a chilling shiver that shot through him.

"You say you lost control of yourself," Sirius began slowly, sitting down next to James, "…did it have anything to do with the waxing moon?"

Remus frowned. "I don't know. I suppose it did. The…the moon was up in the sky, and I could feel its pull, but…." Suddenly he looked up, his face pale, and they saw a trace of fear in his eyes. "What if it happens again? What if I'm not stopped, like I was last time? I—I could kill someone." Maybe this was why people felt so unsafe around werewolves, even when it wasn't the full moon. He had always thought their fears were so ridiculous and prejudiced…but perhaps there was some truth to it, after all.

He tugged at the hem of his shirt. "This isn't even the first time it's happened, remember?" he continued. When his friends didn't say anything, he explained. "First year. Sirius, don't you remember? We got into that fight, and I beat you up because I was so angry at you."

"Ohh. Yeah, I remember that. Wasn't sure what you were talking about, at first."

"And that time you were provoked, too," James realized aloud.

Remus nodded. "What am I going to do? Dad…said that it was a good thing that the Ministry didn't know about it…because they'd take me away."

"Take you away?" Sirius interrupted furiously. "What would they do to you?"

Remus stared in surprise, before he looked down again, shrugging his shoulders. "Dunno. Probably lock me up and leave me there. Then maybe I'd be put on trial…and they would decide whether I…I deserve to live."

"Damn those fucking bastards," Sirius swore vehemently.

"Sirius!" Remus protested weakly, though a small smile tugged at the edge of his mouth.

"Don't you dare defend them, Moony," Sirius scowled.

"I'm not…but watch your language," he managed laugh.

"Didn't you get healed after the full moon?" James asked. "Why didn't your bruises go away, too?"

"My mum can't heal them, obviously. And all my dad can do is make the cuts disappear, which is why I don't have any scars, but the only way we could heal the bruises is if we went to St. Mungos—which we can't do every full moon, as it would just be too expensive—or just let time take care of them. So that's what we do."

---

Remus was shifting uncomfortably on the mattress that Mrs. Potter had transfigured for him, trying to find a position that did not hurt too much, when he heard shuffling in the dark. He could still hear James's snoring, so the only other person it could be was Sirius.

"What is it?" he quietly asked the shadowy figure that had crawled over to the side of his mattress.

There was a slight intake of breath. "You're awake?"

"Obviously, if I'm talking to you right now." Remus barely managed to keep himself from rolling his eyes. "What did you want?"

"Oh," there was a pause. "Nothing. Sorry." Sirius began to turn around, but Remus reached out and grabbed his arm.

"Don't lie to me, Sirius. You came over here for a reason. Well, I'm ready and willing to listen to you, if that's what you need."

"I…" Now that his eyes had adjusted more to the dark, he could see Sirius's gray eyes reflecting the light from the window, where a corner of the moon was shining from. "I just…" Sirius's fingers fiddled with the edge of Remus's pillow case. "No. It's not important."

Remus sat up straighter. "Sirius, of course it's important—whatever it is—because if it wasn't important, then you wouldn't be struggling with yourself like this." He hesitantly placed a hand on Sirius's hand, and felt the muscles instantly grow taut. Sirius pulled his hand away, but left it resting on the mattress.

"I was just wondering if you were all right, is all," Sirius muttered in one breath, and Remus somehow knew that was not the truth. But he would humor Sirius.

"I'm fine, don't worry. I just couldn't get to sleep."

He saw Sirius bite his lip, and Remus's fingers involuntarily twitched. After a long moment of uncomfortable silence, he forced himself to lie back down on the mattress, wincing just slightly as the sore muscles in his abdomen were pulled too much. He rested his head on the pillow, looking up and watching Sirius sit by the mattress.

"You should go to sleep, Sirius," Remus murmured.

"Don't feel like it." Sirius was doing an unusually good job of avoiding eye contact with Remus.

Deciding that someone had to do something, Remus dropped his hand onto Sirius's and tightened his grip when Sirius attempted to pull it away.

"Remus, what—?"

"You can stay here if you want," Remus whispered, staring up into the darkness that was Sirius's face.

There was a moment of silence as Sirius gaped down at him.

"What—?"

"You don't have to," Remus shrugged nonchalantly, slowly closing his eyes and settling back into the pillow. "I was just offering." His brow twitched slightly as a bruise was pressed against the mattress.

"Moony?"

Remus did not open his eyes. "Mm?"

"…Are you…I mean to say, do you…"

The mattress dipped and flattened as more weight was added. Remus felt a warm cloud of air brush against the corner of his jaw. His eyes remained shut.

"What is it you want?" he murmured, lips barely moving.

"I…I want to touch you," Sirius replied, so quietly that only Remus's heightened hearing could pick up the sound waves and distinguish them for what they were.

Remus's eyes slid open. Sirius was mere inches away from him, lying at an awkward angle on the mattress. He could see his reflection in the shadowed gray eyes.

"Then why don't you?"

Sirius's entire body seemed to go limp as he collapsed onto the mattress, licking his lips nervously. Slightly trembling fingertips suddenly came in contact with the material of Remus's shirt, by his right hip. They slid down and then moved up under the hem, brushing lightly against Remus's hipbone. He closed his eyes, and Sirius took this as a sign to become bolder; the fingertips became an entire hand, sliding over Remus's smooth, heated skin.

Remus's lips opened to admit a shuddering breath of air. He could still feel the warm cloud by the corner of his jaw.

Sirius's hand jerked suddenly when there was a loud, snorting snore from the other side of the room, but Remus pressed the hand back against his skin and shifted closer to Sirius.

"He won't wake until morning; you know that," he murmured into Sirius's ear.

He was rewarded when the hand resumed its movements, thumb rubbing circles on the area just by his hipbone, by the hem of his pants. He moved his arm around to Sirius's back and slipped it underneath and up the back of his shirt, tracing patterns on Sirius's back. Sirius's breathing became heavier, and the ministrations of his hand moved upward to Remus's chest, gently stroking every bit of skin he passed.

The cloud of air by the corner of his jaw was hot and rhythmic now, tickling the hairs on his neck.

He bit his lip to stifle a moan as Sirius's other hand traveled up the back of his shirt and the hand on his chest circled a nipple before pressing it between his thumb and forefinger. His entire body was trembling with denied need that he forced himself to hold off—this was the worst place to be doing this.

"I wish we had our own—"

"Shh," Sirius murmured, and for the first time his lips touched Remus's jaw and trailed down his throat.

Remus involuntarily tightened his grip on Sirius's back, pulling him closer. His mouth was open more now to allow as much oxygen to his brain as possible, for he was beginning to forget to breathe as Sirius's lips and then tongue traversed down over Remus's chest—the buttons on his shirt had mysteriously been undone in the past two minutes without his notice—around both of his nipples, past his rib cage, over the dimly aching bruises on his stomach….

He gasped as Sirius's mouth sucked and licked at the skin just above his waistline, and forced himself to grip Sirius's shoulders to pull him up, away from the enticing sensations he was causing to course through Remus's body.

"No," Remus whispered. "Not yet, not here."

It took Sirius a moment to respond, he was so out of breath. When words failed him, he nodded, and cupped Remus's face in his hand.

"How did you know…?" His lips were less than a centimeter away from Remus's.

Remus wet his lips. "You don't treat me the same as you do James or Peter. The first time I noticed, I felt hurt; I thought that you did not like me as much as you did them. But then…then I also noticed little things that I hadn't before."

"Like what?" Sirius was shivering.

"You were always the one to wake me up in the mornings by jumping onto my bed—you didn't do that to the others. You never failed to visit me in the hospital wing, even after the other two had left. I woke up in the middle of the night sometimes to find you draped over the edge of the bed," he clarified, when a shade of puzzlement crossed Sirius's features. "And I noticed that you touched me a considerable amount more than you did anyone else. They were friendly touches, but touches nonetheless. And then I discovered that I liked your attention."

Sirius smiled. "It's a good thing you're so observant," he began, "because I honestly don't think I would have ever gotten the nerve to tell you. I had thought you were asleep when I came over here."

"I know."

"When can we—?"

"Perhaps sometime when just the two of us can get out."

"Where there are no people to bother?"

"Yes."

Sirius sighed. "I want you now," he whispered.

Remus gently pushed him away, smiling. "Sirius, we can't. James's room is the last place I want to—"

"You're too stubborn," Sirius complained, stroking Remus's hips and lower abdomen, hoping to draw out a needy response from the other teen.

"And you are too impatient," Remus countered, removing Sirius's hands from their places. "Go back to your bed and sleep."

"You are absolutely no fun," Sirius muttered as he finally forced himself to get up.

Remus smiled and muffled a laugh with the pillow that now smelled like Sirius. "Don't lie to me, Sirius. You know I can see through it."

"Lucky for me," he replied with half a smile.

---

The End.

A/N: I have thought about continuing this, but I don't think I'll ever have time, so you can make up for yourselves what happens next. (Lol, they never even officially kissed in here.)