Disclaimer: Nothing you recognise belongs to me.
A/N: This was written for the Lyric Challenge 3 (created by MidnightEmberMisery) over at the HPFC forum.
Details: A random song was provided. The song was supposed to be used when writing your fic.
Challenge Rules: (1) Over 500 words, (2) At least two lines of the provided song was to be used in any way the author chose, (3) Lyrics must be italicised.
Provided Song: Take a Bow by Rihanna or Glee Cast
Warnings: Contains slash (though nothing graphic) and a bit of heavy language.
Remus tried to inhale a breath of air through his nose to calm himself down. That was before he realised he could no longer breathe. His heart pounded out in a frantic, staccato beat, blood swelling in and through his ears in anger.
Why? he thought heatedly. Just why?
His hands clenched involuntarily and he heard a crinkling sound. He glanced down in mild shock and hurriedly attempted to smooth the wrinkles out of the parchment, though he honestly didn't know why. They would hardly matter much when the letter was read again by a different set of eyes. He set it down upon the table and moved his hands to the back of a kitchen chair instead.
Remus' ears heard the faint 'pop' of Apparition from outside, followed shortly by the sound of the flat's front door clicking shut. Sirius came strolling into the kitchen a moment later, whistling an off tune version of what sounded suspiciously like Jingle Bells, though it was only the middle of autumn. His breath caught audibly in his throat when he saw Remus, effectively ending his joyful song.
He gazed warily at the werewolf for a long moment before a forced smile emerged on his face and he greeted, "'Lo, Moony. Did that chair insult your Mum?"
Remus looked down and saw gouge marks in the chair's once smooth wooden back. His hands clenched tighter. Well, better that than Sirius' perfect bloody aristocratic nose, he thought dangerously. Or maybe not…
"An owl arrived for you a bit ago," he redirected, motioning to the parchment in the middle of the table. He saw Sirius' eyes flick in its direction and narrow slightly. Remus continued on unapologetically, "I didn't intend on opening it, but it wasn't secured closed very well when I untied it from the bird's leg. It fell open."
Remus watched Sirius as he cautiously moved to the other side of the table with shuttered eyes. Saw the muscles in his legs tense and relax as they moved swiftly, but tentatively. Heard the swish of course fabric rubbing against more course fabric. Saw the lean arms reach out to the crinkled parchment with wary, Quidditch callused fingers. Heard the sharp inhalation of breath as his eyes rested on the looping feminine script. It was all his. Or it had been.
"So you read it then," Sirius said flatly.
Remus jerked his head up and felt fire build in his abdomen and around his heart. "Why did you do it?" he growled.
Sirius' eyes hardened into silver ice as he threw his head back and barked out a laugh thick with malice.
"Why?" he all but snarled, lips twitching in faint amusement at the hurt Remus could feel etched across his face. "Isn't it obvious, Moony?" He spat the name out as though it wasn't fit to pass his perfect white teeth. "Apparently, though, it isn't. So I think I'll just play innocent for a bit, simply for the enjoyment of the pastime. Why what, Remus?" His eyes sparkled with malicious glee.
But you put on quite a show, really had me going
But now it's time to go, curtain's finally closing
That was quite a show, very entertaining
But it's over now
Go on and take a bow
The blood was back in his ears and his vision sparked red. "Why you were with the Hufflepuff bitch from fifth year?" he shouted across the table. Sirius barely blinked.
"Why, Moony," he said in mock exasperation, sauntering casually around the table and leaning against the countertop, "I thought that's what you expected me to do. You're always telling me I'm a dog, so I thought I was supposed to go after the bitches." His mouth pulled back into a bloodless smile.
Remus felt defeat wash over him. Sirius wasn't repentant, and he never would be. As the heat around his heart frosted over and solidified, Remus asked the only question left to ask.
"How long?" he whispered coldly.
That gave Sirius pause for the first time since the conversation had begun. He blinked at his lover as though he didn't quite understand what Remus was asking him. The smile suddenly slid from his face and a look of almost complete indifference masked itself across his features, save for the slight flicker of shame Remus could barely discern in his grey eyes.
"How long what?" he responded back. His voice had gone flat again, Remus noted with faint abhorrence.
"How long," Remus answered through gritted teeth, "have you been going to her?" Sirius scoffed and looked upon the werewolf as though he had gone mad. Remus felt like howling in frustration. "I read the letter, Sirius. It's perfectly obvious that this wasn't just a onetime thing."
Sirius shifted his eyes away, staring out the far window. "I'm not –"
"Don't lie to me, Sirius!" Remus snapped.
Sirius turned a glare on the other man. "What do you want me to say, Remus?" he snarled. "Do you want me to tell that I've been running to her for the past two months? Do you want me to tell you that I've been bloody fucking her every time that I couldn't bear to even look at you?"
He bared his teeth menacingly as he moved closer to Remus and whispered, "Did you expect me to say I was sorry and that I despised every minute of it? Tell you that you were the only person I could ever have any sort of happiness with?"
Don't tell me you're sorry 'cause you're not
Baby when I know you're only sorry you got caught
Sirius grabbed the front of Remus' shirt tightly in his hands and shoved him back against the wall. He exhaled a great gust of air as the impact knocked the breath out of him. Sirius still stood before him, one hand wrapped tightly in the fabric of Remus' shirt while the other ran gentle, roughened fingers along the bone of his jaw.
He leaned in temptingly and nipped the shell of Remus' ear with his teeth before he murmured, "Well, I'm not going to, pet." He pulled back and his eyes blazed. "I don't need you as much as you think I do. I don't need you as much as I know you need me. I wanted to hurt you, Moony. I wanted to make you beg; make you cry." He gazed at Remus with such a look of disdain that it made the werewolf's insides squirm. "I suppose I'm not going to get what I wanted, though, am I? You're too proud for that; too tough. Bloody werewolf."
Sirius stepped back and started to turn away; started to release Remus' shirt from his grasp, but paused. He leaned back in slowly and pressed his lips against the other man's ear one last time. "It's you," he whispered ominously. "I know it is. I won't let you hurt them."
Sirius turned around, walked through the kitchen door and out of the flat, slamming the door behind him. The next day, when Remus came home from work, he found all of his lover's possessions missing.
Remus didn't see Sirius' face again until three weeks later when the Daily Prophet published his photograph in their morning edition.
Oh, and the award for the best liar goes to you
For making me believe that you could be faithful to me
Let's hear your speech out