Little Lambs Eat Ivy

It started because Remus Lupin was getting a headache.

The source of this headache was (relatively) tall, slender and handsome, with longish dark hair and beseeching grey eyes. On a good day he could merely give Remus a puppy-dog expression and the slightly shorter man would cave. This was not, however, a good day--it was less than a week since the last full moon and Remus was still tired and testy--and when the puppy-dog eyes, the soulful sighs, the gentle cajoling, and the appeals to his better nature all failed, Sirius Black had settled in for some serious whining.

"Will you please be quiet?" Remus snapped, rubbing his temples. "We'll be home in half an hour."

"But I'm hungry now," Sirius argued, drawing out the vowel in a childish, nasally tone that felt to Remus like someone driving a sharp spike through his skull. "Please, Rem? Let's go somewhere tasty and fun!"

Remus sighed. "Will it get you to shut up?"

"Yes, yes, yes! I promise, I promise!" Sirius bounced on the balls of his feet, a hopeful look on his face. Sometimes Remus couldn't decide if the dog side of Sirius took over his brain sometimes, or if Sirius was actually a three-year-old child trapped in a twenty-two-year-old man's body.

"All right," he grumbled, defeated. "Where do you want to eat?"

Of course they were on the one street in this part of town that wasn't lined with cafes and bistros and restaurants. Sirius spun around slowly (drawing a few stares as he did so) and pointed suddenly at a storefront on the next corner. "There, look! It says 'bread'! Bread is tasty."

Remus groaned. Sirius was in a goofy mood. Date nights--days, whatever--were particularly annoying when Sirius was in a goofy mood. Before he had time even to say "All right", Sirius was propelling him across the street and into the small store.

Pastries confronted Remus as they moved towards the counter. He counted at least six different types of scones, Danishes, any number of cakes and cookies, pies of all kinds (including what looked like pumpkin pie, doubtless out because Halloween was only a couple of weeks away), and a delectable-looking cinnamon bun oozing with icing. Beyond them, shelves in the back were loaded with innumerable rolls and baguettes bigger than his head. Wiping his mouth with the back of his sleeve, Remus dragged his eyes away and glanced up at the menu board hanging over the counter. Soups, salads, sandwiches, and any number of combinations of the three...how would he ever decide?

Sirius, for once, actually made a decision quickly. "Come on, Remus, let's order!"

Remus would have liked more time to peruse the menu, but Sirius dragged him to the counter. A bright-faced young woman smiled at them. "Hi! Welcome to Panera Bread, how can I help you today?"

Sirius coughed once. "Er, yes, I'd like a bowl of hearty beef stew in a sourdough bread bowl and a turkey, er, pan-in-I."

"Panini," the girl corrected him. "Apple, crisps, or a baguette?"

"Oh...a baguette, please."

"Very good." The girl turned to Remus. "And for you, sir?"

Remus recovered his wits. "Erm...I'd like a bowl of the broccoli and cheddar soup in a sourdough bread bowl and a chicken salad sandwich on pumpernickel. Please."

"Apple, crisps, or a baguette?"

"Baguette, please. And can we get two cups of tea?" It suddenly occurred to Remus that they hadn't ordered drinks.

"Certainly." The girl punched some buttons on the register. Sirius was fascinated by the numbers flashing across the display. "Anything else?"

"No, I think we're all right for now," Remus said firmly. They could come back for dessert if they decided on it.

"Twenty-seven ninety-two."

As Sirius pushed a fistful of Muggle banknotes at Remus, who peeled off thirty pounds, the girl reached into a basket and picked out a small black square with a recessed black disc in the centre. She handed this to Sirius while Remus paid her. "Your food will be ready when the buzzer goes off. Thank you, have a nice day."

Remus nudged Sirius down the counter. "Let's go pick a seat, shall we?"

Sirius selected a small booth in a back corner and sat down. Remus sat opposite him. His headache was subsiding with the promise of food and he was kind of hoping Sirius would say or do something kind of romantic. Instead, though, he was fiddling with the buzzer. "This is amazing! It's...what is it?"

"It's a buzzer," Remus answered shortly.

"What does it do?"

"It tells you when the food is ready."

"How?"

"Well--" Remus began.

Suddenly lights around the edge of the black disc started flashing red, and a loud buzzing noise emitted from the device. Sirius yelped and dropped it, where it continued to vibrate loudly against the table. Sirius stared at the thing as though it was possessed, wide-eyed, and reached for his wand.

"--It buzzes," Remus completed. He swiped the device off the table before Sirius could do something stupid--well, stupider than usual for Sirius, which was saying something. "I'll get the food. Be right back."

Sirius leaped up and snatched the buzzer from Remus's hand. "No! You're still...you know, you're still sick," he said in a low voice. The look in his eyes sent shivers down Remus's spine. "You sit down. I'll take care of you--er, of it."

Remus sat down, feeling a little confused, as Sirius walked up to the counter. He returned a moment later balancing two plastic trays with sandwiches and bowls of soup and mugs of tea. One contained a greenish-looking soup and a dark sandwich, which he set in front of Remus. Sirius sat down with his own meal and smiled. Remus smiled back and picked up his spoon.

A moment later he had forgotten his headache, Sirius's whining, the approaching full moon--everything. His eyes closed, and every muscle in his body froze as he swallowed the soup.

"Rem? You okay?" Sirius sounded worried.

Remus took a slow, deep breath and opened his eyes, staring into the bowl. "Oh, my God, that's delicious," he breathed.

"I gotta try this." Sirius took a spoonful of his own soup and swallowed. His eyes popped open wide. "Mmmm! Wow, this is good." He shovelled soup into his mouth at an alarming rate. Remus savoured his soup, taking his time with each liquid mouthful, sopping some of it up with the plug of sourdough bread that had evidently come out of his bread bowl and with the baguette, finishing by scraping the inside of his bowl clean so as not to waste a drop.

For the first time since they were eleven years old and eating at the Welcoming Feast at Hogwarts as first years, when Sirius had looked into Remus's eyes and winked and Remus had blushed and dropped his fork, they ate their meal in a silence that spoke volumes.

That night as they curled up in bed together, Remus said, "Sirius?"

"Mmm?" Sirius murmured sleepily.

Remus opened his mouth, then changed his mind at the last minute and simply said, "Thanks for taking me to lunch today. I think I really needed that."

Sirius smiled into Remus's neck. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. I think I needed it too. 'Night, Rem."

"'Night."

Sirius was asleep within seconds, but Remus lay awake a little longer, staring silently at the wall and wondering.

Wondering why, even though they had known each other for eleven years, even though they lived together, even though Sirius took such good care of him...

Remus wondered why he couldn't make himself tell Sirius he loved him.