Leash

There were several ways Remus had imagined he might wake up his first morning in Sirius Black's house. Downstairs in the parlor, laid out on the floor, surrounded by the drunk hangers-on who seemed to follow Sirius to every party they'd attended during school. Perhaps in bed with Sirius himself, feeling slightly guilty for slipping his friend several potions and then having his way with him. In spite of the impossibility of that last thought, it was still fun to imagine. What Remus hadn't expected to greet him bright and early on a Tuesday morning was the booming voice of Sirius Black, singing a tuneless rendition of "Coconut," alternating the verses in a low bass and falsetto.

"Doctor, ain't there nothin' I can take? I say, DOCTOR, to relieve this belly ache?"

Remus groaned. He didn't know what time it was, but if Sirius was up, it was most likely early afternoon. Which meant he was already behind in searching for a job. He'd have enough of a problem finding an employer who wasn't scared of him because of his Lycanthropy, but Remus knew he stood an even smaller chance of employment if he strolled in mid-afternoon, expecting to show a shop owner how dedicated he would be to his job twenty-eight days of the month.

"I say, Doctor, doctor, ain't there nothin' I can take? I say, Doctor, dooooctor, to relieve this belly ache?" Remus pictured Sirius miming playing the drums as he sang "doctor" that last time. "Put the lime in the coconut, drink 'em both together. Put the lime in the coconut, then you feel better!"

Remus cringed as the voice rang throughout his room in a shrill crescendo. He sat up, swung his legs over the side of the bed and was on his feet and across the room in seconds. As he wrenched the door open, the singing grew louder. Remus peeked into the hall. Sirius had just opened his door at the end of the hall and was coming through the doorway, still screeching at the top of his lungs and swaying his hips in an accompanying dance.

Remus cleared his throat. "Padfoot!"

Sirius stopped abruptly and turned to his friend, a wide grin splitting his face. "Wow. Hello."

Wow, indeed, Remus thought.

Sirius let his eyes drift over Remus from his uncombed hair down to his bare feet. Remus felt a chill as the narrowed eyes traced over him. "You're uh...shirtless." He said this as if the idea of someone without an item of clothing was a foreign concept. Funny, coming from him. Sirius licked his lips and smiled again; a dimple winked deep in his left cheek. "You're actually quite fit," he said with some surprise. "I didn't realize you looked like..."

"Like someone normal when I'm not all furry and growling?" The staring was unnerving, and the way Sirius was smiling was confusing at best. The last bloke to look at Remus like that had ended up in bed with him two hours later, calling out for Merlin, Circe and a host of gods he could scarcely distinguish. It was close, but Sirius wasn't looking at him quite the same way. More as if he'd discovered a new dessert under his roof and hadn't quite decided if it was his flavor. Promising? Perhaps. But it was thoughts like this Remus knew would get him in trouble if he ever gave them real consideration.

"Something along those lines," Sirius said. His eyes dropped again and his smile relaxed into his usual smirk. "You've been working out."

"Glad you noticed. And you're..." Remus looked down briefly, returned the smile and forced his eyes back to Sirius's face. He tried his best to think of something besides the obvious, but with Sirius, one usually had to state things plainly. "You're naked."

And, thankfully, no longer dancing, Remus thought.

"Well, it is my house."

"Yes, but I might've thought you'd be a little more reserved with a roommate. You..." He gave in to temptation and looked down again. He had to distract himself. His mind raced. Remus wondered what was in the kitchen. He felt a sudden craving for meat. Sausage. His face grew warm. The word craving was a bit of an understatement. This growing feeling was more of a sudden ravenous hunger. Sirius cleared his throat and Remus raised his eyes to his friend's face again. Sirius's smile had widened. "You seem quite happy to be naked."

Sirius winked. "Yes, well, I'm always up early. Creature of habit. Can't seem to start the day without a nice, relaxing--"

"I get the picture," Remus said. So clearly, in fact, he now realized why Sirius used to sing that same annoying "Coconut" song in the shower in the mornings. And why he'd had to sing it at least three times every morning, cutting the time his roommates had to get ready for class if they didn't manage to shower before him.

"Only if you're lucky," Sirius responded. "What are you up to today?"

Does he really expect to have an entire conversation like this? Him naked and mighty "happy" and me trying not to split the seam in the front of my pajama bottoms? Remus ignored Sirius's smirk at his silence and attempted to clear his thoughts.

"Thought I'd visit Diagon Alley and see if anyone's hiring."

"I'm sure you'll find something," Sirius said. "Wormtail said there's tons of places looking for summer help. You might even find something permanent."

"Mm. Once they get past my background, we'll see." Before Sirius could remind him--again--that he didn't have to tell people about the Lycanthropy, Remus continued. "I also thought I'd do some grocery shopping since I'm going to do the cooking tonight. And get a cookbook since I don't want to make our friends sick."

"You might also want to get some flatware, silverware, glasses, pots and whatever else you'll need," Sirius responded. He turned towards his bedroom and looked over the debris on the floor. Remus took a few moments to savor the view before deciding he'd have to get Sirius pajamas while he was in Diagon Alley. "I'm going to find my wand so I can Summon my gold bag. Got to give you some money before you leave."

"I'm not even sure I should look for a job today," Remus stated. "What employer do you know who's going to take me seriously dropping in this late in the day?"

"Late? It's not even nine."

"Really? And you're up? Uh...awake?"

Sirius smiled. "Yeah, I'm surprised too. Not sure if it's force of habit because we just got out of school but I was up with the sun. Strange because I couldn't sleep." He paused. "Had a lot on my mind last night."

"I see." Remus cleared his throat and looked down, this time at his own feet. If that wasn't designed to make him realize how foolish his statement had been the night before, it was certainly making him think twice about being so bold with Sirius again.

"I was just going to check the mail before I jump in the shower," Sirius said. "I'll get the money to you before you leave." Without waiting for a response, Sirius walked briskly down the hall and descended the stairs.

"Madam Pince is going to descend on the house, isn't she?"

Remus jumped and turned as Sirius entered his bedroom. He immediately thanked whatever god granted such mercies that Sirius was fully dressed. He'd even shaved and combed through his damp hair. "What are you on about?"

Sirius gestured to the tall bookshelves on either side of the large windows. "It looks like you've stolen half the Hogwarts library. I expect our former librarian to come in here throwing hexes left and right. I know she liked you, but I think she assumed you'd leave a few for the remaining students."

"I wouldn't expect you to know this since you were hardly in the library, but the school collection needed a bit of thinning out," Remus said. "Dumbledore actually offered me more books than I took."

"You really got these at school?" Sirius asked. "I was just kidding."

Remus shrugged. "He thought the Order could use an off-site research facility. A lot of these are too advanced for most students, anyway." He pointed to the set of shelves to the left of the windows. "These are mostly jinxes and curses and a few Dark Arts books from the Restricted Section. The ones over here--" he pointed to the right "--are defensive spell books. There's a fair number on healing spells. There's also one on home protections I think you should take a look at."

"Does Dumbledore really think we're going to need to know all of this? I find it hard to believe Voldemort is prepared to take it to all out warfare."

"Dumbledore thinks he is or will be one day," Remus responded. "We may be able to stop him beforehand, but he's recruiting people into that group of his for a purpose. Possibly trying to take over the Ministry. We need to know everything we can in case this gets dangerous quickly."

"Speaking of recruiting, I want you to be careful while you're out there today," Sirius said. "James told me someone tried to talk to him Saturday when he was by himself. Attempted to drag him into some bar on Knockturn Alley for a drink. That's why he insists on escorting Lily everywhere."

"I'll be fine," Remus said. "If I learned anything from being around you and James, it's how to throw a good hex and get away if I need to. Did you bring the gold?"

Sirius shook his head. "There's a chance someone who came to the party walked away with a pretty good prize. Or it could be lost somewhere in my school trunk. I haven't bothered unpacking." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a rolled and sealed parchment. "Show this at Gringotts. As long as you're staying here, you'll have access to my vault for whatever we need at the house."

"What if I decide we need enough gold to buy a sports car?"

"Have you been flipping through Muggle lad's mags again? If you get anything irresponsible with my money, at least get a motorcycle. Then we can ride together."

Remus shook his head, laughing. "I don't know what you see in that thing you bought. It's loud, it smells--"

"People have said worse about me," Sirius countered. "I like it because it's fast and doesn't require me to trim and shape its twigs. Plainly, it's not something every wizard would have. Muggle girls and witches love it."

"But you're stuck on the road with it. And visiting the petrol station."

"For now. I'm working on getting it to fly and converting the engine."

"And then you'll get it to self-cast Obliviation Charms so no one will remember seeing you fly it?"

Sirius shook his head. "The danger is part of the experience, Moony. I've got to get McGonagall's influence off of you soon. We're going out tomorrow night so I can fully corrupt you."

"Assuming I don't have to get up for work in the morning," Remus said.

"Right. Barring that." Sirius smiled. "By the way, I know your tastes. When you're at the store, get us something for dinner besides steak. Not everyone is as in to big chunks of meat as you are." With another smile in his direction, Sirius turned and walked out of the bedroom.

"Tease," Remus said into the space. He sighed. The room felt suddenly drained of energy without his presence, but Remus was glad Sirius had left all the same. He'd been picturing the other man naked for most of their conversation, thanks to their meeting earlier that morning. It was bad enough that image was permanently burned into his brain, but having Sirius stand next to his bed and tease him was almost more than he could handle. Remus was starting to think he'd have to wake up and relax himself the same way Sirius did every morning to release the tension. That, and put a Silencing Charm on his friend while he was sleeping. He would never hear that stupid "Coconut" song the same way again.

"You're amazing, you know that?"

Sirius chuckled as he walked into the kitchen behind Remus. "I know that." He stopped next to his friend. "How'd you know I was here?"

Remus turned to regard him. "That cologne you bathe in." He gestured to the kitchen appliances lined against the wall. "You're the only wizard I know who'd buy a Muggle house in a Muggle neighborhood and actually have appliances that run on electricity. Weren't you raised to respect the Pureblood traditions of shunning Muggle toys and trappings?"

"Yes, but someone who constantly leaves his wand lying around might like to grab a cool drink out of the box without benefit of a Cooling Charm." To demonstrate, Sirius leaned forward and pulled a bottle of firewhiskey out of the refrigerator. "I don't see what the big deal is anyway," he said.

"The big deal," Remus began, "is that I have no idea how to use any of this stuff." He gestured to the stove and oven. "I never spent time with my Mum in the kitchen, and it's been so long since I've lived at home, I wouldn't remember even if I had. And," he said, his voice rising, "this bloody cookbook doesn't have instructions for cooking on a Muggle stove. Just some basics about a lasting flame for stews and such."

"Using the thing can't be too complicated," Sirius said. "Muggle children set their houses on fire all the time, from what I hear. And you're decent enough with potions. I'm sure you can boil something and make it edible."

"And if I burn the house down?"

"You won't," Sirius assured him. "I have faith in you. That, and I put Flame Repelling Charms all around the room while you were gone. You couldn't set anything on fire in here if you tried." He opened the bottle of firewhiskey and took a drink.

"Your confidence in me is overwhelming," Remus said.

"I knew I could help." Sirius grabbed Remus's wrist and turned it until his watch faced up. "You should get started. I owled everyone to be here at seven. That gives you two hours."

"I don't suppose you're going to help?"

"I think two people without a clue is worse than one, don't you?" Sirius chuckled and began backing out of the kitchen. "Besides, when this goes well, you'll be able to take all the credit. I'd hate to deprive you of that honor. I'll check on you in an hour."

An hour later, Remus wanted to kill his best friend. The git had returned long enough to switch his firewhiskey for the much lighter butterbeer and offer another uninspiring pep talk before leaving to fiddle around in the basement. An hour and a half after that, Lily had come into the kitchen to rescue what was left of their dinner, leaving Remus to do what he knew best in the kitchen--pour drinks.

"I can't thank you enough," Remus said as he watched Lily turned the flame beneath a pot on low. "I have no idea what he was thinking buying this kind of stuff for the kitchen."

Lily smiled as she turned away from the stove. "He was thinking that if he ever had a Muggle girl sleep over, she could fix him breakfast before he kicked her out. I heard him tell James he also got a phone."

"For the girls as well?"

Lily nodded. "He wants someone to teach him to use it."

"That leaves you or me."

"You," Lily corrected. "I'm not going to help expose some poor Muggle girl to whatever passes for romantic conversation with him. I'm surprised he intends to call them at all, seeing as he's never seemed the second date type."

"More like leave the party with one girl, but keep in touch with her friend for the next night," Remus said. "That's how he ended up with half of Hufflepuff before fifth year."

"Maybe you should think about charms around your bedroom," Lily suggested.

He lifted the tray containing the glasses of firewhiskey and bottles of butterbeer. "Already done. I'm going to do sound muffling charms around his bedroom after he's asleep," Remus said as he began walking out of the kitchen. "Otherwise, I may never get any sleep around here."

"The plan is to be up with the sun for your new job," Sirius said as Remus walked into the parlor. "Sleep will be optional when you join the rest of the working stiffs."

"Oh, did you find something already?" Peter asked. He grabbed a butterbeer from the tray as Remus placed it on the table. "I thought it might take you a bit longer, what with--"

"With his monthly madness," James put in. "I'd thought the same."

"You're both right," Remus said. "I went to seven shops today before I finally gave up. I'm thinking I could just hire myself out as night guard to all of Diagon Alley a few nights of the month. That way, I could spend my days reading and--what was it Professor McGonagall said?--use my strengths to get ahead in life."

"I think she meant for you to work the shy angle so you could get a date," Sirius said. "She didn't understand why a cute boy like you never had a girlfriend."

"He had plenty of them," Lily said. She sipped her firewhiskey. "I lost track of how many girls were lining up to give him a goodbye kiss Friday."

"And none of them had the first clue why he wasn't interested?" Peter asked.

"I'm sure a few of them have guessed," Remus said. "It didn't take Lily long. They're just comfortable being around me."

"Because they think you're harmless," Sirius said. "That's the problem. If you told them you like blokes and girls, they'd respect you more. That'd put a stop to you being another one of their girlfriends."

"Yes, but isn't playing both sides more a form of greed than anything else?" James asked. "I don't think it's possible for anyone to like a little bit of everything."

"Why not keep one's options open? I do." Sirius leaned back in his chair and grinned. "Blondes, brunettes..." He glanced at the couple cuddling on his sofa. "Okay, I haven't developed a liking for redheads, but if I ever come across a nice one--"

"An idiot or a slag?" Lily asked. "I could introduce you to either."

"Again, I'd have to say all of the above," Sirius stated. "After all, why would I want to deprive any willing woman of my company?"

Lily sighed. "Why indeed?" She turned back to Remus and offered him a small smile. "You poor thing, having to be exposed to this constantly. I hope you'll be able to stay above his influence." She sipped her firewhiskey. "You never mentioned it yesterday, how long are you staying?"

"Forever," Sirius said.

"Until I can find a job and save a few coins," Remus said, ignoring his friend. "To tell the truth, it might be a while. I can't imagine anyone wanting to hire me once they know the truth."

"The truth is that you're smart and capable and any business owner would be a fool not to want you to come work for them," Lily said. "I'll put in a word for you with Mr. Davis. I'd love if we could work together."

"You got a job at the Apothecary?" Remus asked.

She nodded. "Just this morning."

"I'll see if Mr. Goode is hiring anyone else when I go in tomorrow," Peter added.

"And I'll try to convince dear Moony that he doesn't always have to be so honest," Sirius said. "I don't see what harm it would do to not tell prospective employers. You could just tell them you're sick once a month. A different excuse every time. They never have to know why. Aren't medical conditions private?"

Remus rolled his eyes. They'd had this argument more times than he cared to recall, and the last thing he wanted to do was rehash it after the morning he'd had. "Technically, the Ministry doesn't classify my kind as human, let alone something as innocuous as a 'condition.' I'm lucky they haven't tried sterilizing me and putting me in some sort of camp to be controlled. Or so my father says." Remus reached for Sirius's bottle of butterbeer and downed most of it in one gulp.

"That's what he said to you before you wrote to me?" Sirius asked. Remus nodded.

"So your folks did kick you out?" James asked. "I swear, John Lupin doesn't have the sense or heart he was born with."

"Neither does your mother if she allowed this to happen," Lily said. "Have you spoken to her?"

Remus nodded again. "She was there when I was packing, shamming tears and making excuses. I think she wanted me to go too, but was too scared to say so herself. I'm not going to expect an owl from her any time soon." He sighed. "That's really been the hardest part of all this. I kept telling myself that they'd made peace with it while I was at school. They knew I'd found a way to control it every month and never stopped thanking Dumbledore for giving me a place to go. I had no idea my father felt so strongly about it until now. It's not as if I'm a danger to them anymore."

"Even if you were, you're still their son," Lily said quietly.

No one spoke for a few moments. Remus wished suddenly that the floor would open up and swallow him; he looked down to avoid the pitying looks from his friends, especially Lily. In the short time they'd become friends, he found that Lily always had a way of speaking what was in his heart bluntly, even if meant embarrassing him in front of everyone else. While he admired her honesty, sometimes he wished she would leave the obvious unspoken.

"Come on, Remus," Lily said. "Let's check on dinner. James's stomach is louder than that shirt Sirius is wearing."

"I heard that." Sirius pointed at Lily as she crossed the room to take Remus by the hand.

Lily smiled. "Good. Your hearing hasn't gone the way of your taste. Dinner'll be ready in a few."

"Wow," James said as Remus and Lily levitated the food to the table. Lily set bowls of soup in front of each chair as Remus floated baked potatoes, steaks and a large bowl of salad to the dining room table. "This looks amazing," he added. "Good job, both of you."

"Glad you like it," Sirius said. "Remus is a bit tall for a house-elf, but he hasn't let that stop him from producing quality work."

"Git. I'm not your house-elf." He turned to levitate the drinks from the parlor into the dining room.

Sirius smirked. "Keep up with that attitude and I won't get you that new leash I promised."

"So," Peter started. "Whose job is it to test Sirius's food for poison tonight?"

"I wouldn't touch his plate if I were you," Remus said as he brought in the drinks. "His might have a few special ingredients."

"Don't care, as long as you clean up the mess afterwards," Sirius said.

Remus lowered everyone's drinks to the table. Then he upended Sirius's drink over his lap and sat next to Lily, joining her laughter as Sirius scowled at him across the table.

"Oops," he said. "I guess I'm not as adept at being a house-elf as you thought."

Sirius frowned as he pulled out his wand to siphon the butterbeer from his clothes. "I think that was just your way of trying to get me out of my trousers again," he said. "I heard you loud and clear last night and you weren't too subtle this morning either. If you want to see me naked again, just ask. Otherwise, you're only wasting perfectly good drinks."

James began choking on his food while Lily erupted into laughter again. "You saw him naked?" she asked, turning to Remus.

"It's not my fault he was parading around the house like that this morning."

Lily handed James his glass and patted his back gently. She smiled at Sirius. "So, you go around naked often?" she asked.

"Don't go getting any ideas, Evans," Sirius said. "I already promised James I wouldn't attempt to lure you away with a display of my goods."

"For which he and I both thank you," Lily said.

"Remus, what were you up to last night and this morning that made Sirius think you'd want to see him naked?" Peter asked.

"He was joking," Remus said. "Try the soup. And the steak." He pointed at the plates. "I think they turned out well."

"Joking, was I? I suppose that's why you're still blushing." Sirius smiled. "And why you had a craving for big meat tonight."

"Please, someone change the subject," James said.

From that point on, dinner was far more tame than it had begun. Remus was surprised they'd all managed to avoid questioning him about what had happened, but supposed it was out of respect for the faint shade of green James had begun to turn from the subject. He was even more surprised Sirius had brought up their encounters in such a casual manner. Maybe he hadn't been offended by the comment. Or the staring and consequent drooling.

After everyone had left, Remus was thankful he'd been left alone in the kitchen to straighten the mess he'd created. Sirius would've just been in the way. Luckily, Lily had helped with most of the cleanup and the plates and glasses were easy to take care of. He was levitating the last of them into the cabinet when he heard the door open behind him. Remus swerved and one of the plates hit the edge of the cabinet and fell to the floor; it shattered and pieces slid in several directions.

"Reparo," Sirius said. The plate mended itself and Sirius levitated it into the cabinet. He smiled as he walked further into the kitchen. "You're not nervous, are you?"

"N-no. Why would I be nervous?" Remus asked.

"Because I was teasing you about this morning and last night. I am used to you, you know. You don't have to worry about being a bad houseguest because you look."

That's what you think this is about? It's not my looking so much as you wanting me to look that's so damn confusing. Remus pressed his lips together. It would be too easy for that thought to slip out and make the situation complicated. Especially since he wasn't sure if Sirius had wanted him to look or if he'd merely spent the day letting himself believe that.

"I'm not worried about being a bad houseguest at all," Remus said. "In spite of your insults, I'm actually having a good influence on you. For instance, there's something in the refrigerator besides drinks."

"And I even have pajamas," Sirius said. "Silk, no less. How'd you know I'd like them?"

Because I'd imagined putting them on you, and then taking them off. I pictured the look on your face as I slid the fabric against your skin. I knew that rich blood red would look magnificent on you. The texture reminds me of your hair.

Remus knew he was blushing again when Sirius began to laugh.

"Living with you will be an adventure, won't it?" He laughed again and clapped a hand to his friend's shoulder. "Since you like the idea so much, I might model them for you. I can't make any promises, though. I do like being free in the morning."

And I'm going to develop a permanent cramp in my right hand, Remus thought as Sirius walked away. So much for learning to ignore his desires. Sirius had just whet the werewolf's appetite.