Decem

Author: Marauder
Rating: NC-17
Archiving: All FQF will be archived solely at this site until September 30th, 2005. After that, it's yours to do with as you will.
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. I do not own Harry Potter, its characters, or anything associated with it. I'm not making any money from this story, and I don't intend to.
Challenge & Summary: Challenge FM #09: Ten ways to make a werewolf howl.
Author Notes: This has some spoilers for HBP.

April 1977

"Of course I'm positive," Sirius says. "I checked it four different almanacs. There's another twenty minutes until the moon is completely full, so we've definitely got the time."

Peter joins Sirius and Remus under the Invisibility Cloak; all four of them can't fit anymore since James grew five inches last summer. Now he winks at them and says that he'll find a place to stand guard.

They learned to move as one under the Cloak in second year or so, and as they leave the tower there are no false steps or blunders. Remus sneezes once but there's no one to catch them on the stairs, or in the corridor either, the map says.

Outside they run to the grass below the Slytherin tower and it's as Remus told them before, Snape is sitting by one of the windows reading a book. It probably involves cursing people or brewing potions to make them suffer in hideous agony, knowing Snape.

"Fourteen minutes now," Sirius says, glancing at his watch and then sliding his arm around Remus's waist. "A few good loud ones and then we should probably run for it."

"Really loud," adds Peter. "Snape's got the window closed."

Remus takes a deep breath and Sirius can feel his ribs as his lungs fill with air.

The howl is deafening, the sort of howl that makes a person shudder to think of how much power is behind it, the way that Sirius is shuddering now, though he'd never admit that he is. Snape looks up with a start and Peter has to clap his hand over his mouth so he won't laugh. Remus howls once more and this time two windows in the tower are thrown open, and anxious Slytherins look out. Snape is not one of them. Snape has snapped his book shut and got up from the window in one swift movement.

"Damn," Peter moans, "he's probably going for someone."

"Run," Sirius whispers in Remus's ear, and the three of them move as one and are gone into the night.

July 1981

Harry has learned a remarkable amount of words for a child his age; when Remus remarked on the fact, James kissed Lily and said that Harry must be clever like his mother. She smiled and rolled her eyes and asked Remus if he would like another piece of lemon cake.

At the moment James and Lily have gone to do some errands for a few hours, and Harry and Sirius are lying on the floor, feeding each other bits from the last piece of cake. As Harry's fingers poke into Sirius's mouth Sirius makes exaggerated munching noises, which makes Harry giggle.

"Is he even old enough to be eating cake?" asks Remus, who's sprawled across the couch. He's been staying late at work recently and when he got home last night Sirius was in an amorous mood. He can't remember the last time he got a full night of decent sleep.

"It's mostly frosting," Sirius replies; at that moment Remus knows that Sirius knows nothing about what babies are supposed to eat. "The rest is all soft and he hasn't really got to chew it."

"More," Harry says.

"You're getting it all over his face," remarks Remus, and closes his eyes.

"It washes off," Sirius says. "Okay, Harry, open your mouth."

Remus hears the soft and wet sound of baby lips smacking up and down. "More."

He opens his eyes; Sirius is holding up the empty plate. "Sorry, there isn't any more, we ate it all."

Harry looks confused. "More!"

"No, all gone," Sirius says.

Harry's eyelids scrunch up and the next second he's wailing, in that way that babies have that makes it sound as though their entire world has just crumbled before them. Sirius picks him up and starts walking him around the room, explaining very logically that all the cake is in their tummies now, but babies aren't logical and Harry cries until he tires himself out and can only make whimpering noises.

Sirius sits down in the rocking chair and starts to rock him back and forth. "You've got a strong set of lungs, eh?"

Harry sniffs.

"You want to know a secret?"

Harry looks up; he probably doesn't even know what a secret is yet, Remus thinks, but something about Sirius's voice makes it sound exciting.

"See Moony over there? Moony can make really loud noises." Sirius makes a little howling sound to demonstrate and Harry smiles and hiccups in a contented sort of way. "There are lots of ways you can get him to do it, but I'll show you the easiest way."

Remus looks up, alarmed. "No. No, you're not."

"Yes, I am," Sirius whispers in Harry's ear. "Come on, I'll show you." He holds Harry with one arm and reaches the couch in two long strides.

"Padfoot - "

"Ready, Harry?"

"Padfoot, don't - "

Sirius reaches for Remus's stomach and begins to tickle, long fingers dancing their tips across the ribs and down to the navel.

Remus shrieks; he can't bloody help it, Sirius found that out in second year and he's never forgotten it since. In fifth year he'd try to tickle Remus all the time, which make Remus think Sirius was being a colossal git until the middle of sixth year when Sirius tackled him tickling onto the bed and then, after a pause, kissed his throat.

Harry giggles. "Funny!"

That was his third word, after "Mummy" and "Daddy", and what else could you expect from James's son and Sirius's godson?

Sirius won't stop tickling and Harry won't stop giggling, and there's still a plate of crumbs and frosting on the floor and when are Prongs and Lily getting home, they can save Remus from being attacked by the lethal combination of boyfriend and baby, Sirius won't stop and Remus is howling because he feels like he'll burst and Harry laughs and laughs and laughs in Sirius's arms.

Finally Sirius relents and smoothes the hair off Remus's forehead. "Sorry."

"No you're not," Remus mutters, and leans forward to kiss Sirius.

He tastes the lemon and moves his tongue forward to taste it again.

"Mooy Ahfuh," Harry says, which means "Moony Padfoot," though Lily thought it was something about a cow at first. They've been trying to teach him to say "Wormtail" but it's hard when Peter doesn't stop by very often anymore.

May 1977

It wouldn't be that big of a deal if it did hurt a bit, but Sirius seems to have this imagine in his find of the Perfect First Buggering and it is not allowed to involve any pain on Remus's part. They've both agreed that they want to try different things with who's putting what where, eventually, but right now Sirius and his Perfect First Buggering are giving Remus a headache.

"I won't be able to get off it I know it's hurting you," Sirius argues. They've just been giving each other head and Sirius is in Remus's bed, with both of them naked under the sheet. Remus definitely isn't opposed to the idea of Sirius taking it up the arse before he does, but it's not going to be perfect, no matter what Sirius says. Besides, he can take a little pain. He takes a hell of a lot of pain every month, and he tells that to Sirius.

"Great, having sex is comparable to turning into a wolf."

"Shut up, you know that's not what I meant."

They argue some more, back and forth, until finally Sirius says, "Look, we have another hour and a half before anyone gets back. This is a waste of time."

"That's what I was trying to say," Remus retorts.

"Fine. Where's the lube?"

"You aren't going to stay in this mood while we're at it, are you?"

"What mood?"

"Your petulant resentful mood."

"At least I'm not the one who argues when someone is trying to help him out."

"That's not what I was doing!"

They hear the clock in the common room chime; Sirius lays back and moves his legs apart. "Let's forget about this, Remus. It's not going to be perfect, all right. I don't think you're a weakling or anything. Sorry. Okay?"

"Okay."

Sirius smiles.

"I love you."

"I love you too, Moony."

"Prat."

A couple of minutes later Sirius is gritting his teeth and Remus is gasping, because it's so damn good and they're finally doing it, they really are. He feels Sirius begin to relax and once Sirius starts to moan he thrusts, hard. Soon they're both getting to the point where they're nearly going to come; Remus realizes a primal, ecstatic sound is escaping from his mouth. Sirius climaxes first and Remus follows a second later, blood pumping madly through his heart.

"Maybe sex is comparable to turning into a wolf," Sirius says when they can both breathe normally again. "Aooooo...the alpha male claims his mate..."

"Prat," says Remus again, but in a softer voice than before.

July 1995

"If it's all right," Sirius says hoarsely. "I understand if it's not."

"It's all right," Remus says, and pulls back the blanket. "Come here."

Remus's arms around Sirius are thinner than the way they used to feel, and it makes Sirius want to go and blast the whole Ministry into pieces, for not letting Remus have a decent job so he can eat enough goddamned food, among the other crimes the Ministry has committed like - he doesn't want to think about that now, he's with Remus in Remus's bed and he's wanted this ever since the feelings lost in Azkaban all came back. After he escaped he couldn't laugh, and he couldn't cry, and he couldn't get hard. He'd tried them all. Laughter was the first to return; he's heard that he laughed as they took him to Azkaban but he can't remember it. He thinks it might have been a scream.

It surprised him, that he could laugh before he could cry, and it worried him until he wondered what the hell he was complaining about. A few months later Sirius was thinking about Remus and the time they'd skived off one of their classes in seventh year to fool around under the Quidditch stands. He thought about Remus yanking up his robe and eventually taking him into his mouth, how it felt when Remus's tongue flicked up and down. When he thought about it he was in a cave near Hogsmeade, human, for once. He was so hard it hurt, as if his body was trying to make up for lost time.

He's only cried once, in Dumbledore's office a few weeks ago, when he heard about Voldemort's return and remembered how unreal it had all felt before, the way it felt now, and how even when it was so painful that it had to be real part of him still couldn't quite believe they were at war, and that those who had died were gone for good.

He and Remus lie on their sides, facing each other; they aren't touching very much yet, just Remus's arms around him and his fingertips resting on Remus's lips. Sirius moves a little closer and his knee bumps softly against Remus's thigh. Remus is wearing an old nightshirt that smells like strong soap.

They kissed each other a few days ago, Remus kissing first after he said goodnight and before he went back to his own room. It was a very light kiss but it lasted for at least five seconds, or an eternity. The next morning when they ate breakfast (Remus is trying to get Sirius to have at least two meals a day; three makes him feel sick) they held hands under the table until Remus moved his to open the jar of jam.

Sirius moves his fingertips away and kisses Remus, quickly at first and then again, more slowly. One of Remus's hands slides from Sirius's back to his chest, and then his stomach. It's warm, Sirius realizes, in bed with Remus. It's warm in a way he hasn't felt in a long time.

He's spent so much time alone that he has to feel something solid to comfort him, and so he lies on his back and pulls Remus on top of him, straddling. He closes his eyes as Remus's weight, light as it is, presses him down to the bed. He reaches up to undo the buttons of the nightshirt that smells like soap; Remus helps him and pulls it off once the buttons are undone.

There are some new scars that Sirius doesn't remember, but the starkest sight is Remus's skin pulled tight across his ribs. His heart feels as thought it could jump past his ribs and through his skin.

Remus is taking off Sirius's clothes now, Remus's best pair of pajamas on loan. For a moment Sirius remembers how he used to lie under Remus, or on top of him, or next to him, naked and feeling as though every inch of his body was perfect because he was beautiful and because Remus had touched him. Now he feels like his body has been ravaged but Remus looks nearly the same. He doesn't know whether to feel comforted or saddened because they are alike.

Remus reaches over to take a tube of lubricant out of the nightstand drawer; Sirius wonders if Remus has been with anyone else but then Remus always had lubricant for wanking, anyway, and Sirius doesn't want to think of someone else with Remus and so he doesn't ask. After everything that's happened, it doesn't really matter anymore. Remus unscrews the cap and squeezes some into Sirius's hand. "Slow," he says. Sirius nods.

They stroke each other for a few seconds, until Sirius reaches down to rub the lubricant over himself and then tentatively pushes his wet finger into Remus's arse. Remus closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. Sirius pushes his finger in further, about halfway and then all the way in after a moment's pause. "That's good," Remus whispers. "That's good."

A few minutes more and Remus feels loose enough inside; he's the one who puts Sirius inside of him, slowly, inch by inch. They stay still for a moment and then Remus, who's been sitting up, lies down on top of Sirius and wraps his legs around him.

"Remus," Sirius moans. The last time they made love was - what, July 1981? Not any later than August. Their descent and deterioration had been swift once Remus went to Romania and didn't write and once Sirius took the midnight guard shift and never slept at home. "Remus, this - Remus - "

"I know."

And then their hands are all over each other, Remus gripping Sirius's arse hard enough to bruise, Sirius roughly rubbing Remus's chest, Remus pushing down Sirius's shoulders and pinning him to the bed, Sirius grabbing Remus's hips and pushing him up, and down, and up, and down. Remus throws back his head and wails, howls, that way he always did when it felt so good that he couldn't be quiet and reserved as he usually was and had been. He comes in hot spurts all over Sirius's stomach and chest, some even landing on his cheek. Sirius pushes him down one final time and thrusts, thrusts again, feels his first orgasm in over a decade explode and gasps, breathless.

September 1971

Peter's brother Nathaniel takes them in their second week of first year to meet Hagrid, the gamekeeper who lives in the huge wooden hut Sirius noticed on their first day of school. Nathaniel says that Hagrid is the best adult in the school, except for maybe Dumbledore; Hagrid has loads of animals and if you come to visit him he'll offer you biscuits, even if they are like flat rocks, and sometimes cake, even if it does taste as though he's had it for a thousand years.

Before they've had a chance to knock on the door Hagrid's dog Fang comes jumping up from the other side of the hut. Sirius is the first to try and pet him and immediately gets dog slobber all over his hands. He tries to rub it on James's head, saying maybe it will make his hair stick up better, and James is about to hex him when Nathaniel hisses at them to stop acting like stupid prats. A voice from inside booms, "Who's tha' by my door?" and a moment later Hagrid turns the handle and steps out, grinning on seeing Nathaniel and looking curiously at the four other boys - who, Sirius thinks, probably look like ants to Hagrid. When Nathaniel introduces them all Hagrid stares and then blinks at the name Black, the way about thirty million other people have done since Sirius got to Hogwarts. He can tell that Hagrid can't be all human, as enormous as he is, but Nathaniel seems to like him and Hagrid politely invites them all in, apologizing for the mess in the kitchen.

Right away Sirius doesn't care about the mess, because it's for a good reason; Hagrid's other dog, Lucinda, had a puppy last night, whose name is Fang the Second. Both Fang the First and Lucinda are hugs dogs, but the puppy is small, with his ears flattened back on his head and tiny eyelids that haven't opened yet. "Cool," says Peter, and crouches down on the floor to look at Fang the Second. Sirius, James, and Nathaniel quickly follow, but Remus hangs back, chewing on his lower lip.

"Go ahead, yeh can take a look a' him," says Hagrid to Remus; Remus nods, blinking, and kneels down next to Sirius.

Lucinda is lying on one side and after a couple of minutes Fang the Second must be hungry, because he starts nosing at her belly in search of a nipple. As he's so little and new and blind, he keeps missing. "Come on, Fang, on your left," says James, but Fang hasn't quite figured out what he's doing and is still searching for the milk.

"Here," says Remus, and leans over to nudge Fang's mouth towards the nearest nipple. As he touches Fang's head with one finger Lucinda growls; Remus looks up, startled, but it's too late and Lucinda lunges forward and bites him on the arm, blood staining the torn sleeve of his robe.

Before Sirius quite realizes what's happened Remus is howling in pain, tears escaping his eyes even though he's trying to wipe them away with his other arm. Hagrid hurriedly reaches down and scoops up Remus, the skinniest of them all, in one arm and sets him down at the table, telling Lucinda in a harsh voice that she's a bad dog and she had no cause to bite a nice young man who was only trying to help. Remus is still wailing and Hagrid pulls back what's left of the sleeve, telling Nathaniel to get some water and then some rags from the bottom shelf of the cupboard.

Nathaniel is getting the water, Peter goes for the rags, James is glaring at Lucinda, and Sirius sees what no one else except maybe Hagrid does, that Remus has a faded pink scar higher on his arm that has the same shape as the new bite, which is still dripping blood.

December, 1979

Sirius leans in to kiss Remus as they reach the street corner, and from somewhere overhead there's a loud whistle. Remus looks away from its direction but Sirius turns his head and waves.

"Some woman leaning out her window," he says, stepping off the curb. "I didn't know this place was going to be so nice in that respect."

"What, women whistling at you?"

"No," replies Sirius, rolling his eyes and nudging Remus in the ribs. "This is one of the only places we've been to that we can hold hands and things and no one cares."

"I suppose one marginalized group is apt to accept another." They reach the other side of the street and open the door to Remus's school.

Andrea Lennox and Melanie Weiss are talking in the corridor; upon seeing Remus they look up somewhat guiltily but don't speak. "Aren't you two supposed to be in for curfew in about five minutes?" he asks lightly.

"Well, of course we are," starts Melanie, by far the most garrulous of Remus's students, "but that's five minutes, and we can run fast, we aren't technically breaking a rule, and besides, Richard said that Professor Rose said that you were coming by tonight with your boyfriend, and we wanted to see him. Is that him?"

"No, I'm his grandmother," says Sirius, and Melanie titters.

"Hello," says Andrea, blushing immediately. "You look really good. I mean - " she blushes deeper " - not that you're handsome, even though you are, I mean, you look like you're in very good health."

There's a pause. "Sirius isn't a werewolf," Remus replies. It's the best compliment you can give in the school, saying that someone looks like they're in good health. Andrea and Melanie are both pale girls, very thin, and Andrea's bite is still dark pink, partially hidden by the collar of her uniform blouse. It's her first year at Langerton Academy, and the school is four years old. Greyback killed one of its teachers five months ago.

"Oh," she says, and looks at her feet.

"That's all right," Sirius says at once. "Perfectly logical misunderstanding. I mean, I don't suppose it's very often that a non-werewolf comes to this town."

"Just inspectors and people's families," says Melanie. "But then I suppose you're sort of like Professor Lupin's family, aren't you?"

"Of course, as I'm his grandmother," Sirius says, and winks.

After the bell rings and the girls race upstairs, Remus takes Sirius to see his classroom - small, first floor, windows facing west, enormous bookshelf in the back - and then they walk back outside, ready to return to the hotel. Sirius is seeing more tomorrow and then they're apparating back home, the way Remus usually does every day after classes and tutoring end. They'd live here, probably, if Sirius weren't so attached to the cottage and if Remus didn't need to hide his occupation from the Death Eaters. Perhaps that part is already a lost cause, as Greyback has been seen around recently and there have been more and more things in the past months connecting him to Voldemort.

"This really is a nice town," Sirius says, holding Remus's hand as they walk down the sidewalk, lit by the streetlights and the half-full moon. "You don't have to hide anything here, do you?"

"Not much," Remus answers.

"I mean, you could howl out loud if you wanted to." Before Remus can stop him Sirius throws back his head and howls into the night air. A few sarcastic replies echo up and down the street. "Come on, Moony, howl with me."

"We're going back to the hotel."

"I know we are. Just one howl, please?" Sirius looks beautiful in the unearthly light; Remus sighs and nods. "Okay. On three."

Their combined howls ring out, magnified as the sound bounces off the stone buildings. "Shut up, you wankers!" yells what sounds like an old man from up above, and Remus grabs Sirius's hand and they run away, laughing as they turn corners and leap up steps.

July 1997

They’re determined to get through the war and be as normal as possible.

They’re determined, even though Remus still feels guilty yet exhilarated every time he kisses Tonks, and even though she sometimes sobs about how she feels she’s betrayed Sirius’s trust, and even though Andromeda is upset and even though Remus sometimes wants to just hide away from the rest of the world so he doesn’t have to deal with any of it. Molly Weasley is thrilled; Remus thinks of how she never liked Sirius and wonders if Molly would be so thrilled if Remus hadn’t been Sirius’s lover first.

Remus and Tonks have yet to do anything but kiss, but it occurred to him the other day that if they slept together they’d have to make plans about contraception, something that’s never been an issue in his life. His last girlfriend – God, he’s too old to have something called a girlfriend – was Sarah Beck in fifth year. They went to Hogsmeade together three times and then Sarah decided she fancied Everett Welch.

He’s Tonks’s Patronus, and he doesn’t even know if he can protect himself. He couldn’t protect Sirius. Dumbledore couldn’t even protect Sirius, and in the end no one could protect Dumbledore, either.

Tonks has Sirius’s lips, when she’s in her natural form, and the same shape of eyebrows.

Sometimes she has his sense of humor.

Remus still hasn’t told Harry about loving Sirius. He wonders now if he ever will. He should. He shouldn’t. He can’t. He will. He –

They’re back from the funeral, in Tonks’s flat, because Remus told her he’d bring her home and see that she made it safely inside. She turns to face him, pressing her lips together, and inside Remus’s mind and heart is a desolate howl that echoes like the cry of a man at the mercy of the Furies.

Then she presses their lips together, and he realizes that he will always have two of the shafts of Eros piercing his heart.

January 1977

The four of them are streaking off into the night sky, James in the lead, with the motorbike and Peter on his broom behind. The wind is icy and on occasion Sirius hears a branch crack as they fly too low over the trees, but his hair is streaming behind him and Remus’s arms are warm around his waist. His mother’s screams are echoing in his ears but that sound, never to be heard again, is fading fast.

The stars are bright. “You’re free, mate!” James yells over his shoulder. His hair is sticking straight up in the wind and he’s grinning. “You’re a free man!”

“No more lectures on duties as an heir!” Sirius shouts gleefully, not caring if there are any Muggles on the ground to hear. “No more sneaking out at night!”

“No more Kreacher driving you mad!”

“No more hearing why Regulus is such a bloody good son!”

“No more creepy pureblood girls!” Peter yells from the back. “No more creepy inbred pureblood girls who want to marry you!”

“Here’s to that!” Remus shouts.

“No more!” Sirius and James scream together joyously, and Remus throws his head back to howl ecstatically into the wind.

November 1974

The curtains have been drawn all night but Sirius found a crack in one of the walls that gave him a good view of the main room inside, where Remus is. Sirius leans his head back to crack his neck and groans; he’s been sitting here most of the night and his legs are stiff. He leans his head further back and looks at the upside-down moon, which looks full to him, but soon it must be about to wane enough for Remus to change back.

He hears a tortured sound from inside; it begins as a wail and ends as a whimper, and then he can hear Remus swearing under his breath. Safe to go in now. Sirius picks the lock on the door of the Shrieking Shack and quickly darts inside.

“Who’s there?” Remus is lying bloodied on the floor and Sirius whips off the invisibility cloak. “Sirius?”

“Yeah.” He kneels down on the floor and touches the blood on Remus’s forehead. “Hell, Moony, you never told me it was this bad.”

“I’ll be fine,” Remus moans. “I always am, aren’t I? Why are you here?”

Sirius had hoped Remus wouldn’t ask that; really, he doesn’t know why he’s here, or why he feels a different sort of feeling when he thinks about Remus than the feeling he gets when he thinks about James. He just felt like he should be there, somehow.

“You’d better go,” Remus says, “Madam Pomfrey will probably be here soon.”

“And you’ll be okay?”

“I told you, I always am.”

“Remus?”

“Yeah?”

“I – I really hope you are.”

When Sirius leaves the Shack his cheeks are flushed; he didn’t say what he wanted to say, he knows, but he doesn’t know what it was he wanted to say, either.

October 1995

It was the first game Sirius had thought of, the first time their sex life was going through a game phase, back in sixth year. It’s the first time in years Remus has thought of it, and the first time in a month that Sirius has looked so happy. When Sirius’s lips brush Remus’s inner thigh, it’s the first time that Remus thinks he might lose.

The game didn’t have a name; it had started shortly after their first experiences sucking each other off, when Sirius complained that Remus hardly ever made any noise. “I know you want to,” he’d said, and Remus had reddened at the truth of it. “You’re just so used to being quiet and studious that you’ve forgotten how.”

It was simple enough. Sirius teased Remus, and Remus tried not to make any noise until he inevitably lost.

“Finally getting a bit less bony,” Sirius says, turning Remus on his side to run a finger down one side of his arse. Suddenly he slaps it, quick and hard, which is something Remus will never admit he likes – he’s still a little embarrassed by it – even though it makes his heart race. Sirius turns him onto his back again and begins to play with the hair on his chest.

Remus closes his eyes. “Open them,” Sirius says; obeying Sirius is the main rule.

Sirius rests his thigh between Remus’s legs and presses down, just a little, slowly moving back and forth. “It’s been ten minutes and I haven’t let you come,” he whispers into Remus’s ear. “I don’t think you’re desperate enough yet.”

His tongue runs down Remus’s body until it reaches the tip of his cock; Remus thrusts his hips upward but Sirius pushes them back down again. “Don’t move.”

Sirius’s lips are moving back and forth on Remus’s cock and when his tongue flicks at the vein on the underside, the first whimper escapes from Remus’s mouth. Sirius looks up, his eyes sparkling triumphantly, and cups Remus’s balls with one hand. Remus barely manages to bite back another sound.

Sirius’s head begins to thrust quickly. “Padfoot…” Now he is getting desperate. “I – don’t stop, please, don’t stop.” He can’t help begging now and besides, Sirius loves it when he does. Such a beautifully wet mouth… “Faster, please, faster, I – ah – ah – “ Remus closes his eyes and gives himself over to the wailing howl that’s forcing its way out of his mouth. He grabs Sirius’s hair and pulls as he feels himself come into Sirius’s mouth.

A second later Sirius is straddling Remus’s head; he comes in under a minute, the bitter taste nearly making Remus choke. The sheets are wet and smeared with lubricant and semen. Sirius collapses next to Remus and rests his head on his chest.

“Hey,” Remus says, stroking Sirius’s hair at the place where he’d pulled it.

“Hey.” Sirius answers, rubbing his cheek against Remus’s skin.