Disclaimer: Still not mine.

Warning: Still slash

Dedication: To Magenta and Kitten, who dragged me kicking and screaming into the world of Sirius/Harry.

Author's Note: Sorry about the wait, I sort of forgot about this series. ::flushes:: Sorry! But here's another chapter, even if it's just a plot development one. This is a set up chapter. Nothing very interesting happens, but it's setting things in motion. :-)

Compromising Circumstances

Chapter Six

Harry didn't know what to do. Sirius hadn't taken the bait. He had looked sort of interested, but then he had left. And he had left a mess in the living room. Harry had put the beer and chicken away, and then took his magazines back to his own room. So much for that idea, he decided, as he sat at the breakfast table waiting for Sirius to wake up. He sighed, chewing at his bottom lip as he tried to figure out how else to figure out if Sirius like other guys.

"Morning." Sirius mumbled, staggering into the kitchen.

"Morning." Harry said brightly. He smiled, brain working in overtime. "Sleep good?"

"Yeah, actually." Sirius said, sitting down across from Harry and grabbing the pitcher of orange juice.

"Oh good." Harry nodded, a light going off in his head. "You were up pretty late last night."

"Was I?" Sirius looked confused.

"Yeah. I had to go to the bathroom around midnight, and you were in your room. But this morning you'd left your late night snack in the living room."

"Huh?" Sirius' face scrunched up as he obviously tried to think.

"Beer and chicken." Harry said, reminding him.

"Oh yeah!" Sirius nodded. "I left that out? Ah, shit...I mean...crap."

"Oh, don't worry about it. I put it away this morning."

"Oh, good." Sirius nodded. "Did you clean up after yourself, too?"

"Oh...uh..yeah." Harry had the decency to flush. "Sorry about that..."

"Went to the bathroom my arse. Uh...bum." Sirius said, shaking his head. "Pardon my French."

"Sirius, you can swear in front of me. It's no big deal." Harry said. "Uh...I didn't...I mean, you didn't get offended, or anything, did you?" Harry asked, trying to seem guilty and ashamed and apologetic.

"Oh, no." Sirius shook his head. "Like I've never seen a dirty magazine before...and it was at least tasteful. Just don't leave them out, okay? What if we had company?"

"Then there'd be some funny questions." Harry said, grinning. "And besides, who would visit?"

"I don't know." Sirius shrugged. At that moment, as if on cue, an owl tapped at the window. Sirius rose, to let it in.

"Whose is that?" Harry asked. It was a small black owl, that he had never seen before.

"I dunno." Sirius frowned, untying the parchment from the owl's leg. He opened it, and Harry offered the owl some breadcrumbs and orange juice. He watched Sirius' eyes as he read the letter, relieved that there was no concern or panic.

"It's from Remus." Sirius said. "He wants to know if it would be okay for him to stop by in a few days. See! We do get company."

"Pr. Lupin might be coming by?" Harry's face lit up. He had always felt very close to Lupin, and missed him terribly.

"Yeah, I don't see any reason why not." But Sirius' face took on an odd expression. He sighed, and folded the letter.

"Everything okay?" Harry asked.

"Oh, yeah." Sirius sighed. "You can write back, if you want."

"Okay..." Harry frowned, stroking the strange owl. He didn't think Remus owned one. It was a nice owl, but it didn't seem to suit the quiet, shabby professor. "Are you sure everything's okay?"

"Yeah." Sirius nodded. "It's...it's nothing you need to hear about, that's all."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, tilting his head. "I mean... you two are friends, aren't you?"

"Of course we are." Sirius said. "We're good friends. That's not what it is. It's...it's something...I'm probably just jumping to conclusions is all."

"Oh. Okay." Harry nodded, and scribbled a quick note to Lupin. He wanted to know what Sirius was getting all worked up over. He tied the note to the leg of the owl, giving it one final pet before sending it out.

"So..." Sirius said, sighing again, He really looked worried over something.

"Sirius, what's wrong? And don't say nothing, because you look like you're really upset over something."

"I'm just putting a couple of things together, is all." Sirius said. "Do me a favor...don't as Remus too many questions about his personal life, okay?"

"Why not?" Now Harry was really confused, and intrigued. What was going on in Lupin's life, that Sirius didn't want him to know?

"Because we may end up hearing things we don't want to know, that's why." Sirius said. "I...I think I may know whose owl that is, is all."

"Oh?" So...was Lupin with someone that Sirius didn't approve of?

"Yeah." Sirius nodded. "But like I said, I may just be jumping to conclusions. I'll...I'll talk to Remmie about it."

"It's his life, Sirius." Harry said, feeling he had to stick up for his old professor.

"I know. But...that doesn't give him the right to waste it on people who don't deserve him."

Harry was taken aback by the vehemence in Sirius' voice. Maybe...maybe Lupin was with Sirius' ex girlfriend. That would explain things a little bit. Not much, but a little. Unless....

"Who does deserve him?" Harry asked quietly. Suspicions were forming in his mind, suspicions he didn't really like.

"Can we talk about something else?" Sirius asked, and Harry swallowed hard.

"Sirius do you...?" Harry couldn't even finish. He wanted to know, he had to know.

"Yeah." SIrius nodded. "Look, I probably shouldn't be telling you this, so you've got to pretend like you never heard it." Sirius said, gravelly. Harry nodded, just glad he'd get the whole story. "Remmie and me went together a bit in school." He explained, and Harry nodded. So...Sirius did like other guys. "I...uh...I wanted to give it another try, now that everything's calmed down. He said no, cause he was interested in someone else, and too much time had passed and all of that. I still like him though, a lot." Sirius sighed.

"It's okay." Harry found himself saying. //So he likes Lupin.// He was surprised at how sad that made him feel. It looked like there was no chance for him, even if Sirius did share his tastes.

"I haven't seen him since we talked, and...thing's haven't gotten any easier." Sirius scrubbed his hands through his hair, and Harry patted his arm comfortingly. "I probably shouldn't be talking to you about all of this stuff."

"It's okay." Harry said. 'I mean, I'll help how I can..."

"Do you have any idea how long it's been since I...was with anyone? Over fifteen years. Over fifteen years with nothing. I'm going nuts, Harry."

"Wow. You must be *really* sexually frustrated." Harry said, eyes going wide. "I mean...I've gone over fifteen years, but that's just cause I'm a virgin."

"Yeah, so you have no idea. It's hell, Harry, it's pure hell. And seeing Remmie, and knowing he's not with me, and pretty damn sure who he's with..." Sirius shuddered. "It just sort of pisses me off."

"But as long as he's happy..." Harry urged. //Okay. So there's no chance there. And if Sirius is *that* starved for sex, maybe anything will look good...I could seduce him, I bet.//

"Yeah." Sirius nodded. "It'll be good to see him, at any rate. So, what did you want to do today?"

"Whatever." Harry shrugged.

"We could go to the zoo." Sirius offered. "Haven't been in ages. Always liked it."

"Okay." Harry didn't care what they did, as long as they were together, and Sirius wore tight jeans.

"Great. Come on, we'll have breakfast and head out." Sirius grinned, and Harry returned it. Things were suddenly looking up...

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