Anywhere

ANYWHERE

You, who are on the road,
Must have a code
That you can live by...
-- Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young

"Where'd you get it?"

"Must be the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

"It is that. It's the best thing ever."

Sirius Black stood proudly, sheet clutched in his hands, hair pushed up out of his eyes. He'd hoped that the others would be impressed, but he hadn't even dreamed they would be this impressed.

Five or six Gryffindor seventh-years crowded around the motorbike. "It's Muggle, in't it?" Peter asked. James shot him an amused look.

"Course it's Muggle. What kind of wizard would invent something like this?" he asked. Frank Weasley and his brother Arthur -- who was in Hogsmeade on a visit -- were running their hands over the dials, fascinated. James and Peter stood back in order to get the full effect. Remus reached out to touch the seat, thin deft fingers stroking it reverently.

"What're you gonna do with it?" Frank asked, in a hushed voice. Lily was looking admiringly at the vehicle, but without the awe the others had -- she was Muggle-born, and had undoubtedly seen these wonderful machines before.

"Already done," Sirius said proudly, wrapping the sheet up. "Want to see?"

There was a chorus of "yes!" "Do show us!" "What's it do, Sirius?" from the group. Sirius put his finger to his chin, pretending.

"Arthur, you take second seat," he announced, tossing a helmet and a pair of goggles to the wide-eyed redhead. Arthur climbed on, carefully, and Sirius tossed a leg over in front of him, winking at James and Remus as he did so. He started it up, let out the clutch, stomped on the accelerator, and the roaring beast coughed exhaust and rose into the air. Arthur let out an enormous whoop as they soared out of the low garage and into the sky.

Sirius circled Hogsmeade a few times, finally returning to the little building he'd rented on the edge of town, when it became evident by the put-putting that the bike was running out of fuel.

"Got to keep it filled up with petrol. Something to do with Muggle magic," he said, climbing off. Arthur was breathless with excitement.

"I want one!" he announced. "It's brilliant! It's like a broomstick with pedals and gears and dials! How'd you get it, Sirius?"

"Bought it off a bloke. Did the enchantment myself," Sirius said proudly.

"Brilliant, Sirius," James said, touching the handlebars. "Can I borrow it?"

"If you help me with our Care of Magical Creatures NEWT, how's that?" Sirius said.

"I'm no good at Care of Magical Creatures, what if I get Remus to help you?"

"Then I'll take Remus for a ride," Sirius announced. "Maybe I'll take Remus for a ride anyhow," he added, pouring petrol into the tank, from a container in the corner. Remus flushed with pleasure at the thought. "Now we'd better get back before we're missed, and I want to pick up some butterbeer from the pub before we have to go up to Hogwarts again."

***

"Sirius! Wake up!"

Sirius rolled over and batted away whoever it was. He was having an awfully nice dream about playing Quidditch with Remus and Frank Weasley, and someone was trying to wake him up.

Dream-Remus tossed him the quaffle, and said "Come on, Sirius, don't muck about."

Sirius sighed, and opened his eyes. Luck's on my side, he thought. Remus Lupin was still there.

"Finally," Remus said. "I can't sleep."

"And you decided that I shouldn't, either?" Sirius asked.

"More or less."

"And so you're on my bed because...?" Sirius said, half-hopefully. Remus grinned.

"Let's go down to Hogsmeade and take the motorbike out. We can scandalise the Muggles in the next town over," he said, a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

"Are you absolutely mad?"

"I told you, I can't sleep. I want to have some fun," Remus said. "Don't forget who found that Mechanium Leviosa spell."

Sirius pushed himself up on his elbows, dislodging Remus from the bed. The smaller boy grinned as Sirius pulled a coat on over his pajama top, and some shoes on his feet. Remus, he saw, was also still in his pajamas, but he'd thrown his school robe over them.

"Couldn't sleep, or didn't want to?" he asked grumpily, as they made their way down the silent midnight corridors.

"Both," Remus said happily, hands in his pockets. "You did say you'd give me a ride. Can I steer?"

"I didn't mean at oh-gods-ayemme in the morning," Sirius grumbled.

It didn't take them long to reach the garage; it was on the Hogwarts side of Hogsmeade, and Sirius had his own key to the place. He pulled the sheet off of the motorbike and Remus was on it instantly, beaming and making ridiculous vrooming noises.

"How do I work it?" he asked. Sirius lifted his hands off the handlebars and placed one of his own on Remus' chest, gently pushing him back before thumping a helmet onto his head.

"You don't. I do," he answered, swinging onto the bike and quietly lifting the kickstand. Remus' arms wrapped around his chest, and he felt the other boy's chin on his shoulder.

"Let's fly," Remus said, in a thrilled whisper. Sirius carefully raised them a few feet off the ground. Behind him, he felt Remus twitching with excitement. He maneuvered them carefully out through the rolldoor, and was rewarded with a blast of fresh, cool air that blew his hair back.

"Brilliant," Remus murmured, tightening his grip. Sirius shifted gears, and they were off, skimming the treetrops as they flew over Hogsmeade. "Really great, Sirius."

"Yeah, it is, in't it?" Sirius asked, into the wind. They banked left, and he felt Remus lower his arms until they were clutching his waist. "Where to, navigator?"

"Anywhere," Remus breathed. "Anywhere at all."

Sirius took them left until they were over the lake, and could look down at the shadow of the giant squid in the moonlight. Not the best of views, but he could tell by Remus' intake of breath that it was good enough for his friend. Then they were out over the forest, following the tracks of the Hogwarts Express line.

Just as they circled low to skim the grass, Sirius felt one of Remus' hands clutch his thigh.

"All right back there?" he asked.

"All right," Remus replied. The wheels were barely a foot above the ground as they sped along, Sirius glorying in the quick, able maneuvering of the motorbike.

At first he thought it was just engine vibrations. The man he'd bought it from had warned him that it had a tendency to shake a little in the upper gears. Then he realised no...that wasn't vibration at all.

That was Remus' hand, leaving his thigh and moving somewhere quite different...well, yes, as handholds went it was pretty convenient, but he didn't think that a need for a new place to grip was what Remus had in mind.

"Erm..." he said, over his shoulder. Remus looked up at him, brown eyes bright.

"Yeah?" he asked. His hand moved, and Sirius nearly lost control of the bike.

"Nothing," he muttered, turning to pay attention to the field in front of him, the rails running along to his right. Remus chuckled against his shoulder.

"Faster," the other boy whispered. "Faster, Sirius."

Sirius, mostly to take his mind off of the fact that Remus' hand had not ceased to move, shifted into third gear. They were laying a clean swath of grass behind them now, and at this rate they'd be out in the wildlands beyond the school's property in no time.

Finally, he couldn't help it; he closed his eyes, just for a second, and moaned, and cut the motor. The bike slowed, then stopped, and dropped to the ground with a mild thud. He threw the kickstand down, and heard Remus' helmet tumble to the dirt.

Remus' fingers drifted upwards, sliding under his pajama top.

"Remus," he managed. "Much as I enjoy a good motorbike ride..."

"Mmm?" Remus asked.

"Remus, I don't know that -- oh," Sirius said suddenly. Remus had pressed his hips a little closer. "Did the...motorbike...it does vibrate a bit..."

Remus gave a laugh that was, in Sirius' opinion, entirely too confident. "Sure," he said. "It was the motorbike."

"And...er..." Sirius managed, catching hold of Remus' hand and twining his fingers with the other boy's, "what do you say to a bit of a...stretch break?"

"I like that idea," Remus replied.

Somehow, he toppled off of the bike seat; Remus' slim, wiry arm caught him, held him as he stumbled away from it. This wasn't the shy, smart Remus he was used to, who was easing him to the grassy ground and pushing the coat off his shoulders, and incidentally the pajama top with it. This wasn't bookish, earnest Remus who was lying on top of him, arms crossed on his chest, looking mischievously down at him.

"Want a frog?" Remus asked suddenly. Sirius blinked. He could quite clearly feel a certain amount of sexual tension in the air -- and in their pajama bottoms, for that matter. And what was Remus saying about frogs?

Remus had taken one of the delicate gold cardpaper boxes out of his pajama pocket, and was opening it. He grinned and took out a chocolate frog, holding it above Sirius' mouth.

"Say please," he said, in a gentle voice. Sirius put his hands on Remus' hips.

"Please, Remus," he growled. Remus placed it in his mouth, letting his fingers linger on Sirius' lips.

"Did you like it?" he asked. Sirius swallowed.

"Yes...I did..." he said haltingly.

"I love the smell of fresh grass," Remus continued, burying his face in Sirius' chest. "Reminds me of good things...Quidditch and the train to Hogwarts...and you..."

Sirius, moaning, rolled until he'd pinned Remus underneath him. "What do you want from me, Moony?" he asked. Remus grinned innocently up at him.

"If you don't know that by now," he said, "you are much more dense than you're given credit for."

It seemed to Sirius that it lasted, at once, hours and hours, and at the same time, barely minutes. They struggled out of their clothing, not caring that they were in a wide open field -- after all, nothing could come for them here that they couldn't protect each other from. And Remus' hips under his, and Remus crying out oh please Sirius...and the smell of grass and the taste of chocolate and the feeling of the motorbike's speed still coursing through them...

Later, James would ask how on earth they'd gotten grass stains on their pajamas, and Peter would wonder how Remus could pilot the motorbike so naturally, as if he'd had practice, but Remus would just drop a wink at Sirius, and ask him if he felt like a chocolate frog. Full moon nights were for the four friends, roaming together...but the other nights, flying low over the villages and forests and fields...those were for Remus and Sirius, always fast and faster -- bound for anywhere.

END