Rating:
R
House:
Astronomy Tower
Ships:
Remus Lupin/Sirius Black
Characters:
Remus Lupin Sirius Black
Genres:
Romance Slash
Era:
1970-1981 (Including Marauders at Hogwarts)
Spoilers:
Prizoner of Azkaban Order of the Phoenix
Stats:
Published: 02/11/2005
Updated: 02/11/2005
Words: 5,604
Chapters: 1
Hits: 2,949

The Snowy Day

MidniteMarauder

Story Summary:
There's something special about a first kiss that makes the journey almost as memorable as the kiss itself. A fifth-year Remus/Sirius story inspired by the lovely artwork of Marta.

Posted:
02/11/2005
Hits:
2,949
Author's Note:
*Title shamelessly stolen from Ezra Jack Keats, and if you never read any of his beautifully illustrated books as a child, you were sorely deprived.


The Snowy Day

Remus licked the butterbeer foam from his lips, glancing surreptitiously towards the door. It was a Hogsmeade weekend, and he, James and Peter were sitting at a table near the large hearth in the Three Broomsticks. Outside, large white snowflakes were drifting lazily down, adding to the significant accumulation already on the ground, but inside, the fire crackled merrily and the crush of students and townsfolk kept the cold at bay. James was babbling excitedly about some new mischief he had thought up, destined to land them all in heaps of trouble, which, Remus supposed, was better than when he'd been nattering endlessly about Lily Evans, and how he couldn't understand why she still refused to go out with him.

"You okay, Moony?" Peter asked, downing the last of his mug. "You seem kind of distracted."

"Sorry," he replied, offering a small smile. "I guess I'm still a bit tired and all, you know."

Peter nodded. The full moon had been six days earlier, and he had planned to spend the day catching up on some schoolwork and resting, but James and Peter had dragged him out into the town, claiming he could study and rest tomorrow.

"But it's better now, isn't it?" James asked, lowering his voice. "I mean, now that we're there with you. You hardly had any injuries this time, only I wish you'd let us come and wait with you beforehand or stay with you after while - you know. If we'd have been with you, you might not have had any."

Remus shook his head. "It's okay, really. I'm used to it, after all. And these past two months have been the best ones I've ever had," he paused, taking a sip from his mug. "You know how much it means to me - what you did. But," he glanced around quickly to make sure no one was listening, and leaned forward a bit in his chair. "Look, I can't have you skiving off classes in the middle of the afternoon for the times when the moon rises midday, not to mention it's just something you shouldn't have to see, alright? It's... it's hard enough for me knowing you were there in the shack when I changed back." He put up a hand to still James' protest. "I know you said you didn't watch, like I asked, but it's still..."

Peter laid a hand on Remus' shoulder. "It's okay, Moony. I understand. We all do. We just want to help, is all."

Remus smiled gratefully at his friends. "I know. And I've told you - you do help. It's... Well, it's a bit embarrassing as well. I'm just not used to..." He shrugged, unable to finish his sentence.

"We know," James said, offering him a reassuring grin. "I guess Sirius and Sarah aren't coming," he added, glancing around the taproom. "Probably doing some couple thing. Maybe she finally gave in to his irresistible charm and they're off somewhere shagging," he grinned, waggling his eyebrows. "We should go peek in that Madam Puddifoot's place. See if he's in there so we can take the piss out of him later. Call him 'Madam Paddifoot'." He laughed uproariously at his own joke.

Peter chuckled, but Remus pushed his chair back, his attempt at a smile looking more like a grimace. "I think I'm going to go back up to school. I really am tired." He wrapped his scarf around his neck and stood up, pulling his cloak on.

"You sure, Moony?" James asked, concerned. "Actually, you do look a little pale."

"Really, I'll be fine. Go on. If he does show up, tell him I'm sorry I missed him. I'll see you both at supper."

Remus retreated to the door, nodding in response to waves and greetings from a few of his classmates, and ventured out into the snow. He took out his wand and cast a quick spell before replacing it and stuffing his hands in his pockets. Sighing, he hunched his shoulders, staring down at the snowy ground as he trudged back up the high street towards the castle gates.

He wasn't exactly lying to his friends. He was a bit tired, but the fatigue he felt had nothing to do with the moon. His recovery from the transformation this month had been miraculously swift. He'd had the usual aches and pains associated with the mechanics of the transformation - those were inevitable. However, he hadn't been plagued with the usual plethora of gashes, bites and occasional broken bones that tended to hamper his recovery. Whatever it was that his friends had done to calm and distract the wolf during the night had worked.

It truly was a miracle for him. He even thought that he faintly remembered parts of it - a vague sense of romping with a large, playful, black dog - but it might have been dreams and wishful thinking on his part. He marveled at the change in his perspective. He still dreaded and even feared the transformations, but the thought that he might be able to obtain even an ounce of awareness while in wolf form was something he'd never even dreamed possible. The fact that a part of him had almost looked forward to this past month's full moon had seemed practically indecent.

It wasn't until last month that he'd even had an inkling of what the wolf looked like. Sirius had come to visit him in the infirmary the morning following their first night together. Considering he hadn't gotten any sleep the night before, he was fairly exuberant. His grin nearly split his face as he recounted to Remus what had happened the night before. How the wolf had seemed surprised by the intrusion at first, then had growled, likely at the territorial threat he perceived, and eventually, had allowed Sirius to approach, followed by the others, though Peter had been rather intimidated, understandable considering his small size. It was only after Sirius had proclaimed, "Moony, it was brilliant! You were huge!" that Remus had gotten the courage to ask Sirius to describe his appearance to him.

Sirius...

A rather large part of him was glad that Sirius hadn't shown up at the pub. Sarah would have been with him, and though he genuinely liked her, he didn't like SiriusandSarah. The thought of them together twisted his insides into a knot, but seeing them was even worse. Sirius tended to be somewhat nervous, even reserved when he was with her - something Remus had not thought possible - and worse, he often avoided or even ignored Remus in favor of paying rapt attention to her instead.

However, when it was just the four of them, Sirius was his usual, recognizable self: Impulsive, funny, even goofy at times, throwing his arm around Remus' shoulder, wrestling with James, knuckling Peter on the top of his head, inventing half-brained schemes bound to land them all in weeks of detention, and hexing Slytherins on the side. His eyes would sparkle with mischief as they plotted and schemed and joked with each other, and he served his many detentions with pride.

It wasn't as if Remus had never pulled before. He'd gone to Hogsmeade with Helen Turner last year and had even kissed her a couple of times. And he'd snogged Anna Stewart in various broom cupboards several times last term. Snogging was nice. He liked snogging, but the unyielding realization that it wasn't Anna or even Helen that he wanted to snog had left him confused and a bit apprehensive.

Sirius haunted his dreams. It had really started over the past summer. He'd been quietly wanking before bed, as it helped him to fall asleep on nights when sleep wouldn't come easy, notwithstanding that it just plain felt good. He'd been thinking about kissing Helen, and maybe snogging her when all of sudden her long dark hair had grown shorter, her dimpled smile had transformed into a grey-eyed, mischievous grin, and he'd come hard, gasping, eyes wide in shock.

He'd stopped wanking for nearly two weeks after that, horrified that he'd had such an intense orgasm while thinking about Sirius. Then the day after the full moon, he'd received another long letter from Sirius. Beginning with the summer after second year, Sirius had taken to sending him letters that he could read while he was recovering from the moons, since Sirius couldn't be there in person to visit with him and cheer him up with his usual flair. He'd go on and on for pages about the silliest things, telling him stories, making crude remarks about his family, and always end his missives with, "Miss you, Moony. Wish I could be there with you." He had fallen asleep with the pages of the letter spread out on top of his blanket, and awoken several hours later, sticky, sweaty, and trembling. He'd had his second ever wet dream and nearly cried, panic stricken, as he gathered the crumpled pages and stuffed them into his desk drawer.

When they'd returned to school this year, Remus tried to act as if nothing had happened, and really nothing had happened. But he'd catch himself frequently staring at Sirius during class, or during meals. Thinking about him when he should be revising or sleeping. And when they'd wrestle in the dormitory, as they were wont to do, he'd started to purposely lose, and lose quickly, so that Sirius wouldn't linger on top of him and notice the traitorous erection beneath his robes. He tried not to flinch when Sirius touched him, but he knew he wasn't always successful.

As a last resort, he'd willingly snogged Anna, repeatedly, hoping it would 'cure' him - to no avail. Each time he'd sneak from the broom closet, disheveled and breathing a bit heavier than usual, it wasn't the memory of Anna's lips, soft, small breasts, or appealing curves he'd be thinking of. The closet was dark, which only helped to fuel his fantasies, and somewhere in transit between his extremities and his brain, the signals skewed radically. Soft breasts became hard and flat, curves transformed into angles, and even his sense of smell betrayed him. Right before Christmas holidays, he'd finally given up and tactfully told her he was sorry, but she should probably find someone else to snog.

For the past four months, Sirius had been dating Sarah, and Remus was utterly miserable. He kicked at a clump of snow, and kept walking, his pace slow, not really paying attention to where he was going. When he reached the school, he steered away from the castle and walked towards the lake, avoiding a group of first and second years engaged in a snowball fight. Passing by their usual spot under the beech tree, he continued his plodding, heading just inside the edge of the forest until the sights and sounds of the epic snow battle faded. Hidden from the view of any random passersby, he sat under a nearby pine tree and drew his knees to his chest.

He stared off unseeing into the forest, back resting against the trunk of the tree, vaguely aware of the snow while he brooded. He was completely taken by surprise when he heard a familiar voice above him.

"Thought you were tired."

Remus started, hitting the back of his head against the trunk and causing a small shower of snow to fall from the branches.

"Because I wasn't wet enough," Sirius said, smiling as he brushed the snow from his hair and shoulders.

"Sorry," Remus said, rubbing the back of his head. "You startled me is all."

"You're lucky it was me. Could have been a bunch of Slytherins sneaking up on you."

Remus shrugged, shaking the snow from his cloak. "What are you doing here anyway? I thought you were on a date."

Sirius shuffled uncomfortably before squatting down. He gestured to the space next to Remus, and sat down without waiting for a reply. "I guess I just missed you. Showed up at the Broomsticks and James said you'd just left. He was worried about you. Said you were pretty quiet today. Didn't even pretend to laugh at his jokes either."

"I told him. I was tired."

"Yes. He mentioned that."

"So, what are you doing here?"

"Came after you. Saw you walking across the grounds, so I followed you."

"Oh."

Silence settled over the two of them, blending seamlessly with the blanketing effect the snow had on their surroundings. Sirius was used to Remus' pensive silences. When they had first met, Remus had been quiet, a little shy, tentative, but obviously very bright. As they'd gotten to know each other better, Remus had gradually emerged from his self-imposed shell. Though he would never be a brash, crude, attention-seeking git like he and James admittedly were, he was a true prankster at heart, and as loyal a friend as you could hope for. Very few knew that Remus was just as mischievous and adventurous as he, James, and even Peter were, and it was a secret they kept between them for several reasons. Remus wasn't very fond of being the center of attention, and it also kept unwelcome interest away from his monthly disappearances.

James was his de facto best friend. He was his 'almost-twin', and it was often joked that they shared a brain. Partners in crime, always there to watch each other's backs, James was his brother in ways that Regulus would never and could never be. He told James everything. Well, he amended, maybe not everything. Some things just weren't spoken about, even between best mates.

But when he needed someone to actually listen to him, and not interrupt with stupid questions or half-arsed solutions he could easily come up with himself, it was Remus' bed he'd invade at odd hours of the night, looking for reassurance or comfort. It was Remus, with his quiet inner strength, wry sense of humor and reliable common sense, who seemed to know what Sirius truly needed, even when he didn't know it himself. He'd definitely noticed that Remus' behavior had changed this year. He should know, seeing as he'd always paid very close attention to Remus.

He'd realized early on in the year that Remus seemed to be avoiding him. Not blatantly, but enough for him to notice. When they'd catch each other's eye in class or anywhere, really, instead of seeing the telltale raised eyebrow that Sirius would return with a wink, Remus would look away, sometimes biting his lip or pretending to look at something else. And lately, Remus would sink into these quiet, almost gloomy moods more and more often. At first he thought it was because of Anna, but when he had confronted her, she'd sworn that Remus had been the one to break things off with her.

And ever since they'd succeeded with the animagus spell, everything had gone all to cock for him.

He'd been shocked to see the wolf for the first time. Moony didn't look anything like the woodcut pictures in the books he'd read. Not only had the wolf had been much larger than he had anticipated, since Remus was on the thin side, but he was somehow noble, not monstrous at all. His thick fur had been every imaginable shade of brown, soft, rather than the expected course texture, and his eyes were more copper colored than yellow, with their vertically shaped pupils of inky black. Everything about him - his appearance, his movements - had conveyed strength and grace. To Padfoot's canine eyes, he was beautiful.

The first month, he'd done as Remus promised and herded the others to another room when the moon had set and the reverse transformation had begun. He'd been reluctant, despite hearing the dreadful growling and shrieking, the unnatural cracking of bones and pitiful whimpering, but he'd kept his promise. Returning to check on his friend when the noises had subsided, he'd been horrified by the sight. Remus lay unconscious; naked, scratched and bleeding on the hard, cold, wooden floor, limbs splayed and hair matted down with sweat. He'd unabashedly gathered him up and carried him past the two gaping boys, also returned to their human forms, to the dusty bed on the second floor, where he'd covered him with the moth-eaten linens.

This past moon they'd been better prepared, and had arrived just after supper. The moon had already risen a couple of hours earlier, but it would have looked suspicious if they'd all skipped out on the meal. Right before moonset, Padfoot had chased Moony upstairs and into the bedroom; He knew that Prongs would have difficulty navigating the narrow stairs and that Wormtail wouldn't bother following. He had told James that he'd waited outside in the hall, but he'd lied. He had stayed there in the room and watched, even pouncing on the wolf when it had tried to claw at the human emerging from within, and receiving a scratch or two for his efforts. Afterward, with trembling hands he'd wrapped Remus in the thick cloak that he'd worn specifically for that purpose, before laying him gently on the bed and returning to the first floor. James hadn't said anything, but he'd given him a look that clearly said he knew about the lie and had forgiven him anyway. Shaken, he'd skipped breakfast and skived off class that morning, claiming he had a headache. Instead, he'd returned to the dormitory, closed his bedcurtains tight, cast a silencing charm and wept in the muted darkness.

When they had first revealed their two-and-a-half year old secret to him, Remus had been shocked, overwhelmed, and elated, despite being a bit anxious about their safety, but his odd behavior didn't abate. At times, it seemed even worse. He had no idea why Remus was acting this way with him, but he knew he didn't like it and wasn't going to accept it much longer.

"Moony?" Sirius asked, when the silence started to grow uncomfortable for him. "Why'd you break things off with Anna?"

"I... It wasn't as if she was my girlfriend or anything. We just snogged a few times. Why?"

"I thought you liked her."

"She's nice."

"Good kisser?" Sirius asked.

"I suppose. Not like I have much experience." Remus replied, staring down at his lap. "Where's Sarah?" he asked quietly after a moment.

"Off with her friends I suppose. Dunno really."

"Did you just leave her in Hogsmeade then?"

"I, err, I didn't go with her to Hogsmeade." Sirius said, voice quiet.

"Oh."

They were quiet again for a few minutes before Sirius huffed in annoyance. "Well, aren't you going to ask me why?"

"Was I supposed to?"

Sirius sat up from where he'd been leaning against the tree and looked at Remus in annoyance. "Damn it, Moony, what the hell is wrong with you? And I'm not buying that 'I'm knackered' shite! You've been acting funny with me since the school year started and I want to know what I did to piss you off."

Remus raised his eyes to Sirius and bit his lip. "Look Padfoot, I'm not angry with you. Honest. You haven't done anything wrong. I've just got a few things I need to sort out."

"And you can't talk to me? Can't tell me what's bothering you? I tell you things. Don't you trust me?"

"It doesn't have anything to do with trust!" Remus retorted, sitting up. He paused and exhaled loudly, sinking back against the trunk. He really wasn't in the mood to hear any details about Sirius' sexual exploits. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you. Right. Why didn't you go to Hogsmeade with Sarah then?"

Sirius raised his eyebrow. "Changing the subject?"

Remus glanced up at him without answering.

"Fine. We didn't go to Hogsmeade because I broke things off with her."

"Oh," Remus said, idly playing with the clasp on his cloak. When he realized what Sirius had said, he looked up, startled. "What? But I thought you liked her."

"Oh, she's a nice enough bird, fit and all, but, well, I don't really fancy her. Actually, I think I sort of fancy someone else." Sirius murmured the last bit, removing his hands from the pocket of his cloak and pretending to study them intently.

"That's not what James was saying."

"What did Prongs say?"

"Nothing. S'not important." He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, suddenly aware of the way Sirius' shoulder was brushing up against his own. He resisted the urge to flinch. "I broke things off with Anna because I didn't fancy her either."

"Oh," Sirius said, wishing he'd remembered to wear his gloves when he'd ventured out earlier. He tugged on the ends of his scarf and tucked them into his cloak, cupping his hands around his mouth and blowing to warm them. "It's cold out here," he muttered, giving up and putting his hands back into the pockets of his cloak.

Remus looked at him, suddenly amused. He shook his head and took his wand from his pocket, aiming it at Sirius' cloak and uttering a heating charm. "Daft sod. You've been sitting here all this time freezing?"

Sirius looked abashed, though his cheeks were already red from the cold. "Forgot. See? That's what I need you for. You always remember these things."

Remus laughed and replaced his wand. "You can remember all the spells you needed to become an animagus but you can't remember a simple heating charm. You're a poor excuse for a wizard, Padfoot."

"Ah, but that's why you love me, Moony, admit it," Sirius teased.

Remus promptly choked and muttered something Sirius almost didn't catch.

"What?" Sirius asked, eyes wide. "What did you just say?"

"Nothing."

"Don't make me tickle you," Sirius threatened, rising up and turning so he was on his knees facing Remus.

"It was nothing. Don't"

"If it was nothing, then you can tell me what it was," he said, taking a deep breath and leaning over.

"Sirius, please. Please don't. I..."

Sirius was leaning in close now, hands on Remus' shoulders. Their foreheads and noses were almost touching, his breath misting over Remus' face. Remus froze, eyes wide. "Did you mean it?" Sirius whispered in a tremulous voice, sending chills up Remus' spine that had nothing to do with the weather conditions.

"Mean what?" Remus asked, barely a whisper.

"That you wished you could admit it." Sirius leaned back, dropping his hands to his lap, but keeping his eyes locked on Remus.

Remus stared back at him, jaw slack, face paling as all of the color washed from his cheeks. "I... You..." He swallowed and looked down at his lap. He could feel his heart pounding in his ears, drowning out even his own feeble voice.

"Remus."

"You weren't supposed to hear that. I'm so sorry."

"Remus"

" I'll just go. I won't both-"

"Remus!" Sirius nearly shouted, finally reaching out to grab the other boy's chin.

"I..." He pushed against the firm hand on his chin and tried to look anywhere but Sirius' eyes. The color had returned to his face, a deep scarlet blush. "Oh, bollocks, I have no idea what I'm supposed to say to you now. I mean, it can't be love, can it, seeing as I'm not even certain that I know what love actually is, and I've tried to make it stop, but I can't, and I'm sure you probably hate me, and I'm sorry- "

Sirius rolled his eyes as he covered Remus' mouth his hand. "Would you shut up already?" And then he smiled, an awkward, lopsided smile, before lowering his hand to rest on Remus' arm. "I never thought I'd hear myself saying that to you. Look at me."

Remus had closed his eyes and was shaking his head. "Can't"

Sirius raised his hand again, this time to gently cup it around the side of Remus' cheek, fingers just touching the ends of his windblown hair. "Moony," he said, voice low and throaty. "Please."

Remus opened his eyes, feeling Sirius's hand, surprisingly warm against his cold skin. Their eyes locked, grey boring into light brown. Unbidden, he reached out his hand and placed it on Sirius' shoulder, nervously licking his lips. "I..."

"Shhh," Sirius said, his stomach suddenly feeling like a nest of writhing snakes. But there was no going back now, and he silently berated the sardonic voice in his head, telling it to bugger off. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes, inclined his head, and kissed him.

Sirius' lips were slightly chapped and cool, and the tip of his nose was icy cold as it brushed against his own. Remus stared wide-eyed and unblinking, feeling the touch of lips against his own, the tickle of Sirius hair against his cheek. His heart was pounding and all he could think was I'm dreaming. Don't wake up. Please don't wake up.

Sirius pulled back, opening his eyes, his hand moving slowly back and forth along Remus' smooth jaw, fingertips brushing his ear and tangling in his hair. "Kiss me, Moony," he whispered, trying desperately to keep the tremor from his suddenly raspy voice.

Remus closed his eyes. When he opened them to find that he wasn't dreaming - Sirius was still there looking anxiously back at him - he took a shallow breath before he moved his hand to the back of Sirius' neck, pulling him in for a kiss. He closed his eyes again as their lips met, and he pressed up against the contact. Slowly, he parted his lips, darting his tongue out briefly - just a taste - just a Oh! Sirius had opened his own mouth and swept his tongue gently across Remus' lower lip, licking the tip of Remus' tongue and following it back inside before Remus withdrew, startled.

He mentally cursed himself for being so tentative, but this wasn't just a passing fancy or mindless snogging in a broom closet. This was Sirius. He wanted this so badly. Sirius had become inextricably twined into the very fabric of his life, and the thought of bollocksing things up weighed heavy on his mind, regardless of who kissed whom first. But Sirius had leaned in and was whispering, nuzzling against his ear.

"It's okay, Moony. I want this, too. I've... I've fancied you for ages... Well, it feels like ages. I only went out with Sarah because; well, because I thought you liked girls. Figured I might as well... I mean, girls are okay, but, I didn't think you'd..." Sirius' voice was low, raw, naked. "Remus, I need... Please."

He didn't think he'd ever heard Sirius sound so vulnerable before. Sirius never begged, but here, just now, in the space of minutes, he'd done just that, twice, and it was this that finally urged Remus to action. With a fleeting thought of carpe diem, he pulled Sirius to him, turning his head and crushing his lips against the other boy's. He felt Sirius smile and relaxed, parting his lips slightly in a gesture of welcome.

Sirius' tongue was soft and gentle as it explored his mouth, licking across his teeth, rubbing against and curling around his own tongue, flitting up to sweep against the roof of his mouth before returning to tangle with his tongue once again. Remus sighed inwardly, a feeling of languid warmth stealing over him.

A slight moan escaped from his throat, and he dug his fingers into the scarf at the back of Sirius' neck, reveling in the feeling of silky hair brushing against the back of his hand, soft wool under his fingers, soft lips against his own, the gently stroking tongue coaxing him, inviting him to come and play in the same manner that the dog had encouraged the wolf. He sucked lightly on Sirius' tongue, causing the other boy to moan in turn, before sliding his tongue across and into Sirius' mouth for his own explorations. He'd never imagined that Sirius would be so tender in his kisses. In his fantasies, it had always been the rough, wet, messy snogging of desperate, randy teenagers. This was quite unexpected, and rather nice.

He was barely aware that he had begun to slip sideways against the trunk of the tree. Sliding his other arm around Sirius' shoulder, he pulled him down on top of him. He shifted slightly to avoid a particularly prominent root beneath his shoulder blade, and, ignoring the icy dampness soaking the back of his head, spread his legs just wide enough so that Sirius' fit neatly between them.

The change in position caused them to lose contact and they broke apart, breathing heavily. Sirius glanced around briefly at the new view and raised his eyebrow. "So- "

But Remus cut him off, pulling him down and literally plunging his tongue into Sirius' mouth. Tender was nice, but this new feeling of Sirius' hard body pressing against his growing erection demanded a bit more, and he suddenly wanted nothing more than that desperate dream-snogging he'd imagined for so long. Sirius groaned in surprise and kissed him back, putting his hand down on the ground for leverage, and quickly withdrawing it.

"Damn, that's cold. Don't suppose you can put a heating charm on the snow."

"Sod the snow," Remus gasped, pulling him down to his waiting mouth again.

"Byuhphmcrshhpmm"

"What?" Remus asked, pushing him away slightly and freeing his right arm so he could wrap it lower around Sirius' back

"I'll crush you," Sirius panted.

"You won't. Don't care. No more talking. Come here," he said between gasps, and pulled him down for a third time.

Remus tasted faintly of butterbeer, and his mouth was warm, wet and inviting. His hands found purchase in Remus' hair, fingers gripping lightly, and elbows and forearms resting awkwardly across chest and shoulders. Their bodies were tight against each other, and Sirius could feel his cock, hard and beginning to throb as the blood rushed from his extremities to pool in his groin. He pressed down against Remus' hips and rocked. Even through two cloaks and two pairs of trousers and pants, Sirius could feel him and heard him gasp into the kiss. He bent his knees, trying to balance and take some of the weight off Remus' chest, still rubbing himself against the fabric between them, circling his hips and seeking more friction... there!

Remus bent his own knees, drawing them up and squeezing his thighs against Sirius'. His heels were flat against the ground as he pushed his hips upward. Before long, the two boys were thrusting almost frantically against each other while their tongues continued to duel, sucking and licking at each other, rubbing, tasting, devouring. Remus' left hand was still holding the back of Sirius' neck, fingers creeping under the loose red and gold scarf, searching for warm, sweaty skin, while keeping him pressed flush against his chest. His other hand trailed down Sirius' back over the cloak, and hiked it up.

Sirius gasped, feeling Remus' hand gripping his arse through his trousers, pulling him tighter against him. He broke the kiss, shifting his elbows so they rested in the snow, and gazed down at the flushed face below him in awe. His eyes were closed and the blissful expression on his face nearly took away what little breath he had left. He'd never anticipated that Remus would be so enthusiastic and so... ahh. Moaning, he continued to rock, his hips gyrating, cock rubbing back and forth against the hard bulge beneath him. "Moony," he breathed, bending to press open mouth kisses to his cheek and jaw, "so close, almost..."

"Yesss," Remus hissed. "Harder... yes... Sirius, kiss me," he demanded, lifting his head from the ground and stretching his neck upward. Sirius eagerly complied, hips bucking as he felt himself contract. He moaned and sucked hard on Remus' tongue as he came, his entire body shuddering. Remus thrust up again, arching his back, once, twice more before crying out his own release, his head falling back against the snow, eyes closed, panting heavily. Sirius buried his face in Remus' neck, his hands reaching once again to tangle in the ice-encrusted, sweaty hair.

They lay there a while, Remus holding Sirius' body on top of him, his hands lazily stroking wherever they could reach, while Sirius breathed against the side of Remus' neck, pulling at the collar of his cloak and reveling in the warm scents of clean sweat, faint woodsmoke and Moony.

"So, Padfoot, who is this new person that you fancy, then?" Remus asked after a while.

Sirius bit his neck.

"Ow! Prat," Remus chided.

"D'served it. Swot." He sucked gently on Remus' neck where he'd bitten him. "Any more stupid questions?"

Remus smiled. "Possibly, but I'll refrain for my neck's sake."

"Hmph. Should probably go inside. Could pinch some hot chocolate from the kitchen."

"Sounds like a good idea," Remus replied, not moving.

"Moony?"

"Yes?"

"You've got your hand on my arse."

"Yes, I know."

"Just checking."

***

Later that evening, James remarked to Remus that his afternoon kip appeared to have worked wonders: He looked much better than he had earlier, and his mood had significantly improved. Turning to Sirius, he expressed his condolences for the breakup, assuring him in the crude manner of teenage boys that he would be pulling and shagging again in no time. He was somewhat puzzled when Sirius let out his trademark bark of laughter and Remus snickered, covering his mouth with his hand. He didn't think he'd been that funny, but perhaps he just underestimated his own sense of humor.