Teehee. I'm back. It's short, but the end screams STOP HERE so this will probably have three chapters. It's a little angsty around the middle, but that happens.
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"I like to fly."
Sirius hit James again. "That has to do with magic, stupid!"
James growled. "Stop hitting me, you poof bastard!" And he hit Sirius back.
"Don't call me a poof!" Sirius socked James in the jaw.
James spat blood. "Oh, I'm sorry, bi-sexual. You're still poofish." He tackled Sirius to the floor with a snarl. Peter leaned down below the table to watch the scuffle.
Remus rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "I know you're bored, but can we not fight in the library? Tomorrow's full moon; if I have to split you up, I'd probably break someone."
Both boys' heads popped up to look at him over the table. James' glasses were askew and his lip was bleeding; Sirius looked like he had a broken nose. Remus muttered a spell under his breath; the look on Sirius' face and his sharp intake of breath as it healed told him he had been right.
"Sorry, Moony," James said guiltily. "You've just gotten so good at hiding it."
James was right. After so many years of pretending, it wasn't nearly as hard to hide the strength, the heightening of senses, the all around ferality that came over him near the full moon. It was bad today; it would be even harder tonight. There would only be a sliver missing from the moon; he would be little more than an animal. His instincts would be out of control.
If he got into a fight, someone would die.
He also had a harder time around Sirius close to the full moon. His instincts wanted him to take a mate, but that wasn't exactly something he could do. When Sirius was Padfoot it was a lot easier; the wolf wasn't interested in crossing species. When they were human, however…
He pretended that everyone's presence bothered him as much as Sirius', so the Marauders made sure to keep themselves and everyone else distant. Remus was seated at the far end of the table; the other three were clustered at the opposite.
Remus gave a small cough. "Let's just try and get finished, ok? I'm getting cabin fever as well." Sunday was the boys designated study day, but they were usually out of the library by now.
James and Sirius sat back down at the table, argument forgotten. James didn't really care about Sirius' sexual preferences; he just liked to make him angry. They began discussing what James could put in his essay. Sirius still wouldn't tell them anything about his.
"Wormtail, your list is all food!"
"Well, food has nothing to do with magic."
"Fatass."
"Hey…"
"Watch your language, Sirius."
"Sorry."
"Do you think it'd be ok to put 'girl's with red hair'?"
"Go for it. She hates you anyway."
They finished quickly after that. James' list was mostly about Lily, and Peter's was mostly about food. Remus didn't try to help them; he was getting restless. He couldn't keep himself from watching Sirius talk and laugh across the table, his black hair falling rakishly into his sparkling eyes. He's got to have an extra gland just for sex pheromones, Remus thought.
He jumped up as soon as they were finished. "I'm going for a swim." Sirius made to go with him, but Remus shot him a look that put him back in his seat. He needed to be alone.
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"I wish Moony wasn't so touchy around the full moon," Sirius said, throwing himself down under the courtyard tree they had claimed for themselves in second year.
Peter drew a design in the dirt. "He can't really help it, though. I mean, he doesn't have a lot of control right now around humans. And we can't be animals all the time."
Sirius crossed his arms and gave a snort of disapproval.
"Padfoot," James said tentatively, pushing his glasses up his nose, "Did you ever think maybe it's just you?"
Sirius sat up, eyes burning. "What do you mean, just me?"
Peter put a hand on Sirius' shoulder. "He's just being honest. Remus never seems to have a real problem with anyone else."
Sirius lost all his anger, sinking into himself. "Do you…do you think it's because the wolf doesn't trust me anymore…because of the Trick?"
The Trick. The stupidest, dumbest, worst mistake of his life. He still felt horrible about it, even though Remus had forgiven him and then some. Sirius had never meant for it to be anything other than a meaningless prank- now it was infamous.
Peter shot James a glance. "No, we don't think it's a Trick thing…we think it's a sex thing."
Sirius blinked. "Wait, what?"
James rolled his eyes. "Don't be dense. Moony's been dying to fuck you for years."