"James," a loud cry erupted from the doorway, as said man jolted awake. Groping for his glasses, his sleep-addled brain managed to identify the voice as that of his flat-mate, one Sirius Black. Failing to locate his glasses, James settled for squinting at his childhood friend, trying to get a grasp of the situation. Sirius approached the bed on unsteady feet, flopping onto the other side and throwing a hand over his eyes, groaning. Judging by the alcohol emanating from his friend, James surmised that it was both very, very late, and very, very early. Neither conclusion putting him in a very pleasant mood.
"What," James managed flatly, still half-asleep. After deciding to attend the same university, the boys had arranged to get their own apartment, within walking distance of the campus. A feat they both primarily attributed to luck. Of course, while they were both attending school for the purpose of learning, Sirius also took the opportunity to attend way too many parties, particularly those that had drinks. Of course, after Sirius and Remus had gotten together, the partying had lessened, but not enough that Sirius wouldn't do his best to get smashed on the weekends. And, with some time and effort, it had become a not uncommon occurrence for the normally rather proper Remus to follow suit.
"James," Sirius tried again, in a more serious tone. "My boyfriend's a werewolf," he confessed, leaning into James as if revealing a particularly scandalous secret.
"You're kidding," James slurred, already drifting back to sleep. It had become common knowledge that a sleepy James was incredibly agreeable towards any news whilst half-asleep. This discovery had, of course, been hugely taken advantage of. The others, namely Sirius, would use that tactic to ease James into the idea that something of his had been broken, damaged, or misplaced- on multiple occasions. So it wasn't unusual for James to disregard something strange in that state.
"Nope, he told me his'self," Sirius slurred back, the mixture of alcohol and sleepiness disturbing his ability to function. James only managed to grunt in acknowledgment before both boys were fast asleep.
James woke to bright sunlight and something wet on his face. Opening his eyes, he found Sirius draped over his person, openly drooling on his face. Groaning in a fond sort of disgust, he pushed his friend away, wiping his face and crawling out of bed to take care of his hygienic needs. As he brushed his teeth, he thought back to the night before.
It wasn't unusual for Sirius to end up in his bed after partying, the man was a very clingy drunk. However, James always made it a point to try and remember the circumstances. After a couple of incidents in which he had forgotten that they had had a late-night heart-to-heart, which resulted in a very cranky Sirius, James found it in his best interest to remember.
When he thought about it, James could remember Sirius barging into his room, insisting on something, and falling asleep. Nothing too major, though. He hoped. He couldn't quite put his finger on what had been discussed whilst he was half-asleep.
Returning to the bedroom to dress, he found Sirius awake and staring at the ceiling. "James?" His friend asked, not bothering to glance over when James entered the room. He offered a hum in return, pulling a clean shirt over his head. "What am I going to do?"
"About what?" James finally spoke, glancing over his shoulder after he finished dressing, waiting for Sirius to finish his thought.
"About Remus," Sirius whined, and James finally recalled what the man had said, drunk off his arse, in the middle of the night.
"Wait, you were serious?" James was caught off-guard and starting to question his life-choices, particularly when Sirius mumbled an 'I'm always Sirius', just to spite him. "That's not possible," James stated, foolishly assuming that ended the conversation.
"But he told me himself!"
"He looked you in the eye and said 'Sirius, I am a werewolf'?"
"Well, no, but he pretty much said the same thing!"
"And what, exactly, did he say?"
"Well I don't exactly remember, but-" James cut him off with an exasperated sigh.
"You do realize how ridiculous you sound, don't you?"
"But I really don't know what to do, my Moony has been hurting all this time, and-"
"You don't hear yourself," James mumbled under his breath, before cutting Sirius off once more. "Wait, 'Moony'?" He asked, incredulous. Sirius blushed.
"Well, I was thinkin' 'bout the whole werewolf thing, and that stuff revolves around the moon, and then I just..." Sirius drifted off, finally realizing that the more he talked, the deeper the hole he was digging. "But honest, James, it makes sense!"
"And how do you figure that?" James deadpanned.
"Well, he gets awfully moody around the full moon," Sirius counted.
"Pretty sure that's just an occasional thing, completely unrelated to lunar phases." James countered
"And he also gets really tired and feverish around that time," Sirius continued, undeterred.
"Again, unrelated."
"And he's super sensitive to sunlight!"
"Alright, one, that would be a vampire characteristic and not a werewolf one," James pointed out. "And two, I'm pretty sure that's just because Remus loathes the outdoors. Which is another point- aren't werewolves supposed to like, live in the woods and be outdoorsy and stuff?"
"Don't stereotype my boyfriend!" Sirius whined, in an almost protective manner. James could only pinch the bridge of his nose in annoyance.
"This is ridiculous. I'm done with this conversation." James muttered, primarily to himself as Sirius had continued to ramble.