Good Night's Sleep

A strangled groan rose from behind the curtains of Sirius's bed. Remus gritted his teeth and pulled his pillow tighter around his ears, but it did little muffle the noise.

This had been happening every night since they had returned to Hogwarts for their seventh year. Two months into the term, and Remus was lucky to get a good night's sleep. He hadn't known Sirius was such an avid masturbator--perhaps he had normally done it in the shower?

Silencing Charms are your friend, Sirius, Remus thought, irked. We learned them in our second year, let's put them to use...

There was a grunt from Sirius, followed by heavy breathing. Remus could hear the other boy's hand moving over his flesh, and he squeezed his eyes shut.

"Oh..." Sirius's voice was a hiss. "Oh...yes...Sweet Merlin..." His breathing grew faster, coming out in short pants. "Yes..."

Remus wiped the sweat off his forehead. It had grown very warm in the dormitory. He pushed the blankets off his body, kicking them to the foot of his bed.

Sirius continued to grunt. James and Peter slept on, snoring lightly. How on earth are they sleeping through this? The thought of Sirius masturbating was tormenting Remus's mind, and he couldn't get it out of his head.

He shifted in his bed, making the sheets glide against his sweaty back. He stared stubbornly at the ceiling, willing Sirius to just come already so Remus could get some sleep.

Another loud moan. Remus threw his arms over his eyes and suppressed the urge to tell Sirius to be quiet.

Sirius was murmuring things to himself now. Remus found himself straining his ears to hear the words, but he couldn't make out anything. It all sounded like gibberish.

The room was unbearably hot now. Remus's hands inched down to the hem of his shirt, pulling it up a couple inches. He held back a hiss as air brushed over his bare skin. Eagerly, he pulled his pyjama top as silently as he could. Much better, he thought as he tossed it aside.

"Oh..." Sirius moaned. "Oh, yes..."

Stop it! Remus told himself sternly. You're getting aroused by the sounds and thought-up images of Sirius wanking! No! No!

But another load groan emitted from Sirius, and Remus had to bite down sharply on his tongue to keep from giving an answering moan.

Remus glanced down at his groin, where an obvious erection was present. Sod it. He plunged his hand into his pyjamas, drawing in a ragged breath.

He knew he wouldn't last long. It had been too long since he had last touched himself, and--and--

Remus came with a shuddering moan, his hips jerked involuntarily. In the other bed, Sirius cried out--he must be coming, Remus realised, his head spinning with the effect of his orgasm.

He considered reaching over to the bedside table, as he needed his wand to clean himself up. But that would require showing Sirius that he had been awake...

Sighing, Remus turned over onto his side, closing his eyes.

It turned out to be the best night sleep he'd ever had.

* * *

"Sleep well last night, Moony?" said Sirius cheerfully the next morning. Remus choked as he buttoned up his robes, and hastily turned his back to Sirius. His face was burning.

"Uh...yeah," he answered vaguely, his fingers clumsy on the buttons. "Yeah, I slept well."

"Have we got that Transfiguration test today, Sirius?" Peter asked, smoothing down his blonde hair. Remus let out a sigh of relief. The discussion of last night had ended.

"Yeah, but you'll do fine, Wormtail," Sirius assured him, shaking his fringe out of his eyes just as Remus looked up. The arousal immediately began to pool in his belly, and he looked away hurriedly. "You're an Animagus! I think you can change a few pebbles into pineapples."

The four of them strode off to breakfast. James and Sirius continued arguing about Quidditch teams, while Peter skimmed over his Transfiguration notes. Remus remained quiet, still thinking about the events of the previous night.

He had heard Sirius wanking. A common occurrence. He was a seventeen-year-old boy, after all. Sex was a main topic in any teenager's mind. But Remus hadn't realised that listening to him would produce such a strong reaction--or that he would be masturbating to the sounds and images of Sirius wanking.

Did that mean he was gay?

Surely not, Remus scoffed.

It's possible! argued the logical part of his brain.

But I don't want to be!

You can never choose what you are, the voice reminded him. Remus pushed the voice out of his head as they stepped into the Great Hall, taking their respective seats at the Gryffindor table.

"Hogsmeade weekend in a few days," James announced as he smeared grape jam over his toast. Peter looked up from his notes, a bemused expression on his face.

"What d'you mean? There haven't been any notices in the common room."

"Ah, I know, Peter," James replied, pointing the jam-covered knife at Peter as he spoke. "The Head Girl and myself are going to announce it later today. As my faithful Marauders, you have first priority."

Sirius grinned. "Excellent, mate. Perhaps you'll be able to convince the lovely Miss Evans to go with you."

"And maybe pigs will fly out of my arse," Peter put in, causing Sirius to snort with laughter and James to flush with embarrassment.

"Hey," Sirius whispered, nudging Remus in the ribs after about fifteen minutes of conversation. Remus jolted in surprise, his fork clattering onto his plate. He picked it up, acting as though nothing had happened. "You all right, Remus? You haven't been speaking a lot this morning."

"I'm fine," Remus answered shortly, scooping up his scrambled eggs with a spoon. "Fine. Just fine."

Sirius was surveying him with an I-Don't-Believe-You stare, complete with a tilted eyebrow. A fifth-year girl across the table was practically ogling him, her elbows place on the table so that her breasts were shoved together under her blouse. He didn't pay her any attention.

"Sirius, I'm fine!" Remus snapped. The eyebrow rose higher.

"If you're sure, Remus."

* * *

"We're going to die under all this work," Peter groaned as they crawled through the portrait hole at the end of the day. "I swear, if Marshall gives us any more essays to do in Potions, I'll suffocate under all the parchment."

"You should have taken Arithmancy with me, Peter," Remus said, carrying his much lighter bag. "You're nearly as bad at Potions as I am. Why did you take the class?"

"My cousin told me that Marshall has us make Veritaserum," Peter answered, tossing his books onto an empty table and plopping into a seat. "I thought it would be fun."

"Veritaserum is a Ministry controlled substance," Remus reminded him. "Why on earth would you make it at school?"

"Guess your family's just lying to get you into all the harder classes, Wormtail," James said with a heavy sigh. He raked his hands through his already dishevelled hair, gripping the locks. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm going to collapse under the pressure. Some of the teachers are already handing out study schedules for the N.E.W.Ts!"

"Which is why I'm going to take advantage of the empty dormitory and sleep," Remus announced, adjusting the strap on his bag. "Night, all."

"So early!" Sirius mocked, but his eyes were dancing with delight. "Does Moony need his beauty sleep?"

Remus shook his head in a very flamboyant manner, making his hair fly around his face. He blew it out of his eyes, saying in a high-pitched voice, "Oh, yes. Merlin knows I need to pretty myself up for that Hogsmeade weekend."

He then proceeded to strut up the stairs to the boy's dormitory with emphasis on his swinging hips, unable to suppress a grin as James and Peter whistled.

Once inside the deserted dormitory, Remus stripped off his robes and stretched out on his bed. He curled his fingers together behind his head, staring up at the ceiling with his ankles crossed.

The thought that he could be gay had plagued Remus's mind for most of the day. Being a half-blood, he knew that the Muggle world was not very happy with homosexuals at the moment--hell, he'd read somewhere that it was illegal. He shivered at the thought of being sent to prison simply because of your sexual preference.

However, the wizarding world was slightly different. While most of the population was bisexual, many people were strongly against it--especially the Malfoys, who had just sent in a request to the Ministry to have the same laws as Muggles on homosexuality. Remus's body continued to shudder. The Malfoys were a prominent figure in the wizarding world, and most of Iago Malfoy's ideas to the Ministry were written into laws.

But thinking of sex with Sirius was far more pleasurable than, say, thinking about sex with Lily...

Angry with himself, Remus turned over onto his side, gripping the pillow tightly. He was a werewolf, already an outcast from society. Being gay would double his outsider status.

The door creaked open. A hesitant voice said, "Remus?"

He froze. Sirius.

The door closed. "Remus, are you awake?"

He immediately pretended to be asleep, closing his eyes.

"Stop faking it, Moony," said Sirius with amusement. The mattress sunk down as he sat on the edge. Remus didn't move. "Moony..."

A hand slipped up to touch his belly. Remus willed himself not to flinch, and was exceedingly proud when he didn't. Sirius sighed, and Remus felt him lie down in the bed beside him.

"Ah, oh well...I was rather hoping you'd be awake, but I can still do this when you're asleep..."

Huh?

But Remus didn't have time to mull that over, for Sirius's lips were pressed against his throat, biting down roughly before sucking the injured skin. Remus was aware that his breathing had sped up, but Sirius didn't seem to notice.

Instead, he dipped his head lower, licking the sweat off the top of Remus's chest. Fingers slid up to unbutton his shirt, exposing the bare skin. The scar from the werewolf bite was on his chest, and Remus was overcome with shyness.

"Gods, you're beautiful," Sirius whispered. He traced a trail over the scar with his tongue, and Remus had to bite down on his own to stop from crying out. "And absolutely delicious..." He moved up, kissing the curve of Remus's jaw. "And very bad at pretending to be asleep..."

Remus's eyes flew open at this. Sirius's grinning face was incredibly close to his, and he leaned in to kiss Remus lightly on the lips.

"S-Sorry?" Remus sputtered when Sirius began to work on his neck. Unconsciously, he arched into the other boy's mouth. "What are you--what are you doing?"

"Doing something I've wanted to do for a long time," Sirius whispered in Remus's ear, his tongue flicking out to outline the shell. "Forgive me if I seem forward, but I was watching your hips swaying as you walked up the stairs and I couldn't help myself."

Remus snorted, which quickly turned into a gasp as Sirius nibbled on his collarbone. "But--what about--about James and--and Peter?"

"Told them to sod off for the evening," Sirius replied, his fingers sketching circles on Remus's chest. "I hope you don't mind. I assumed you'd be all right with shagging me, considering you've been listening to me wanking since we got back."

Remus's response came out as a strangled grunt.

"I've seen how you look in the mornings, Remus," Sirius continued. "You have looked completely exhausted until this morning--you seemed content. As though you'd let off a small amount of steam." He glanced down at Remus's trousers, then smirked. "Though perhaps not so small." Remus swallowed. "May I?"

"Of--Of course," Remus stammered. "Help yourself."

Sirius flashed him a grin. "Gladly." His hand drifted from Remus's chest to his groin. Remus watched the fingers slowly unbutton his trousers, then pull down the zipper even slower, his breathing coming out raggedly.

"I always wanted to know what you wore under your robes, Moony..." Sirius commented, his fingertips grazing over the front of Remus's boxers.

"You could have asked," Remus gasped. These just-barely touches were killing him... "Christ on a bike, Sirius! Just touch me, already!"

"Don't you want to take it slow, so we can savour the moment?"

"Sorry, Sirius, I needed to get my Charms textbook--MERLIN'S BALLS!"

Remus's eyes snapped open to see James in the doorway, his cheeks a flushed red and his eyes wide in disbelief. Sirius snatched his hand away from Remus's groin, slowly turning to face James.

There was dead silence for two minutes. Remus could practically hear the clock ticking. But he couldn't blame James--how often do you see your two best mates on a bed, one half-naked?

It was Sirius who broke the silence. "James, I--"

"No," James interrupted, shaking his head in disbelief. "No way. You told me and Peter that you were going to be having a girl up here, so we should go off to the library until dinner!"

"Sirius, why did you--" Remus started to say, but James interrupted him.

"And for Circe's sake, Remus, put your shirt back on," James ordered, averting his eyes.

Remus flushed. He buttoned up his shirt the best he could with shaky fingers.

"Now, I want some answers," James began. He was still at the doorway, and hadn't made a move to step closer to the pair on the bed. "How long as this been going on?"

"Just now," said Sirius softly. He was looking at Remus's duvet, pulling on loose threads. "Honestly, James."

"How long have you known you're a poof?"

"When I left Grimmauld Place," Sirius answered.

"This morning," Remus replied. He, too, cast his eyes away from James.

James was shaking his head. "I can't believe you two. It's illegal in the Muggle world, and practically banned in the wizarding one. You like other blokes, Sirius?"

"Well, what if I do?" Sirius demanded, pushing himself up so he was kneeling on the bed, his back to Remus. "What if I do, James? Can you deal with that?"

"No, I bloody well can't! It's immorally wrong, not to mention, well, disgusting to see two blokes together!"

Sirius plunged his hand into his pocket, yanking out his wand and pointing it at James as he slowly stood.

"Don't. You. Ever. Say. Something. Like. That. To. Me. Again," Sirius forced out through gritted teeth. "I swear, Potter, I'll do it if you say something like that to me again, you hypocritical bastard--"

"Hypocritical?" James repeated, laughing. It was a weak laugh, probably due to the fact that Sirius's wand was being aimed directly at his heart. "Hypocritical? I think I prefer breasts, thank you very much, Black."

"I mean about Remus," Sirius snapped. "You've accepted that he's a werewolf, an outsider to most wizards. But you can't accept that he may not like girls?"

"No, I can't!"

Sirius let out a snarl and leaped; he landed on James's chest, the wand in his hand forgotten as his fist collided with James's jaw. Remus, who had been sitting from the sidelines in frozen silence, jumped off the bed at the sudden violence. He grabbed Sirius's shoulders, trying to yank him off the other boy. Sirius howled as James bit savagely into his earlobe, tearing the skin. Remus took the time to heave Sirius away, his hands under the other boy's arms.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON IN HERE?" someone that sounded remarkably like Peter roared from the doorway. Remus whirled around to see that it was Peter, watching with his hands on his hips.

"This miserable prat is insulting us!" Sirius shouted, trying unsuccessfully to get out of Remus's grip. Peter tilted an eyebrow.

"Padfoot, we insult each other all the time."

"It was different, Wormtail, he--"

"They're gay!" James cried out from the floor, nursing his jaw in one hand.

There was another stony silence as Peter surveyed the scene. Remus could imagine it--himself, holding an armful of Sirius Black, who's earlobe was bleeding heavily; James, lying on the floor in agony; and Peter, who was watching in wonder.

"You two are best mates," Peter began, pointing to James and Sirius. "You've known each other since you were five. And while James thought Sirius was a stuck-up prick--though perhaps not those exact words--you still remained civil with one another, especially when Sirius got Sorted into Gryffindor with us and became our friends. You two figured out that Moony was a werewolf when you were twelve. You're two of the smartest students at this school. You're Animagi. You've stuck by each other for years. Why are you getting angry at something like this?"

"Because it's wrong!" James answered from the floor. Remus noticed that his eyes were closed tightly. "I've taken showers with you lot. Have you been staring at my arse the entire time?"

"You haven't got a great arse, Potter," Sirius muttered.

"That isn't the point! I don't feel comfortable, knowing you two are going to be snogging in the bed over! I don't like it, not at all! My parents have always told me--"

"And when have you listened to your parents, James?" Peter cut in. "Especially about things like these! Did you listen to them when your father said that he was voting for that new werewolf registration? Did you listen to them when your mother said she was going to a party with the Malfoys? Did you listen when they said that Sirius couldn't stay for the summer, and you hid him in your closet? I could go on and on here, but I won't!"

"Good," James muttered.

"Shut up," Peter snapped. Surprisingly, James did. "You're being a daft prick, James. Immediately jumping to conclusions from what your parents have told you--you're turning into some pureblooded fool, like Snape or Malfoy! Do you want to be like them when you're older?"

Remus watched in admiration as Peter ranted at James, who remained in a stony silence on the floor. The chubby, short boy never gave the impression that there was an ordering, harsh person underneath--Peter never unsheathed it, unless there was a special occasion.

"...and you should be ashamed of yourself! I don't consider your boots worthy for my piss," Peter finished, his voice reaching unheard volumes. "Now, once I bring you to Madam Pomfrey and she fixes you up, you're going to come back here and shake Sirius and Remus's hands. You're going to tell him that you're sorry, and then you're going to sleep in the common room tonight."

"Okay," said James weakly. He stood up, avoiding Sirius and Remus's eyes, choosing to watch the carpet instead. "Lead me to it, Wormtail."

Peter did so, throwing an apologetic look over his shoulder as he led James down the stairs. Once the footsteps stopped echoing, Remus released his tight grip on Sirius.

"Do you want me to bring you to the hospital wing for your ear?" Remus asked Sirius, who was fingering the bloodied skin with a wince.

"I think I'll just put some pressure on it and go after Potter gets back," said Sirius shortly. He still refused to call James by his first name, Remus noticed as he Conjured a hand towel for Sirius's ear. "Thanks."

"No problem," said Remus, watching Sirius fold the towel around his wounded ear. He cleared his throat. "So...er, Peter's got quite the tirade going, hasn't he?"

Sirius chuckled. "I've never seen him like that before. It's a beautiful thing. He should do it more often."

"I hope there aren't any situations where he does," said Remus softly. Sirius sighed.

"I do, too. I...I hope James gets over..." Sirius made a hand gesture that could have meant anything from, "Pass the salt," to "Let me show to your seat, sir." "...us quickly."

"Is there an us?"

"Do you want there to be?"

"God, yes."

"Good."

* * *

James, sporting a heavily bruised jaw, did come back to the dormitory that night. He grudgingly shook Sirius and Remus's hands, then went down to the common room with a blanket and a pillow.

"He'll come around," said Peter confidently, arranging his own pillow.

"I wish I had your optimism," Remus replied glumly, putting on his pyjamas. Sirius swatted him on the bottom with an open palm. "Hey!"

"Couldn't help it," said Sirius, grinning. Remus chanced a look at Peter, who was in the middle of an eye roll. He relaxed, then returned the favour to Sirius. "Oi!"

"Couldn't help it," Remus mocked, climbing into his own bed.

"Who's bed are you sleeping in tonight?" Peter asked. Remus frowned.

"What do you mean, Peter?"

"Well, according to James, Sirius was about ready to open up Remus's pants. I assume you're going to be all right sleeping in the same bed," said Peter matter-of-factly.

"He is right, Remus," said Sirius before pouncing onto Remus's bed, slipping under the duvet and pressing a warm body against Remus, nibbling on his neck.

"Silencing Charms are nice!" Peter sang out. "And close the hangings!"

"Thank you, mother," Sirius and Remus chorused. One yanked the hangings shut, the other whispered, "Silencio!"

Once in the confinement of a bed, Sirius shifted so that his half of his weight was on top of Remus, his elbows bumping into the pillow.

"Night, Remus," Sirius whispered, pressing a light kiss to the werewolf's forehead. The act was unbearably sweet, and was soon followed by Sirius burrowing his head into the crook of Remus's shoulder, a hand on his chest.

"Night, Sirius," Remus murmured. It was nice to have Sirius in the bed beside him, to feel the other boy's heartbeat against his abdomen, to hear his heavy breathing as he slowly fell asleep.

Perhaps being a gay werewolf wasn't so bad after all.