December 29 ½: Un, Deux, Trois, Quatre

"Well, well. I certainly didn't expect this."

"Hey...Marc..." Remus turned a deep crimson while pushing Sirius off of him and standing up. "Um, what are you doing here?"

"Your sister told me to come over." He replied casually running a hand through his brown hair.

Sirius saw the little twitch in the corner of Remus' mouth. Not good. Remus asked, "Why did she tell you to come over? She's not even here."

"No, she said to check on you." Marc grinned. "But I guess there really was no need."

"I never did need checking up on." Remus growled. "Did she give you any specific reason?"

Marc frowned. "Actually she said you were sick. But I can tell you're not."

Remus mumbled something that the other two couldn't decipher, but from the way he was grinding his teeth Sirius guessed it was along the lines of: 'That bitch, she'll die.'

"Well sorry if I was interrupting..."

"It's 2'clock in the morning, Marc." Remus pointed out.

"Right."

"So...my sister tells you I'm sick in the middle of the night...and you come right over?"

"Uh...yes?"

"Why are you really here?"

"I already told you."

"And I think you're lying, because I know you don't particularly care for my sister and why would you come twenty miles out of your way to tend to me when I've been sick so many times before? Not to mention in the middle of the night."

"I'm...lonely?"

"Really..."

"Really."

"Liar."

"You know me too well." Marc displayed a toothy smile. "You're the only one that can intimidate me, you know that?"

"It's a gift." Remus' lips curled into a small smile. He turned to look at Sirius and burst out laughing. He walked over to the couch and pulled off the wool blanket and tossed it to his boyfriend, who quickly wrapped it around himself.

"So," Marc said looking at the boys, "are you two...a couple?"

Remus and Sirius stared at each other for a second. Sirius responded, "...Yes?" Remus nodded in agreement.

"Ah, well, that's great!" Marc replied happily patting Remus on the back.

"Really?" Remus bit his lower lip.

"Yes, really." The older man leaned down and went eye level with his cousin. "You don't know do you?"

"Know what?" Remus asked.

"Ah, hahahahahaha. Nothing, nothing." Marc waved him off with his hand. Remus and Sirius exchanged doubtful glances. Marc just smiled and threw a piece of crumpled up paper from his pocket to the fire.

"What was that?" Sirius asked, watching the paper turn to ashes.

"College admission. Well, actually college refusal."

"You're a muggle?!" Sirius blurted. Remus covered his face in his hands, clearly embarrassed that Sirius missed such a detail.

Marc looked at Sirius as if he were an alien. "Yes."

"But—"Sirius mouth hung wide open.

Marc laughed. "I come from the Fournier family."

"Uh huh...and this would be?"

"Remus' mother's family."

"OH! I guess I just assumed that you were a Lupin."

"Nope, Williams."

"You just said...uh, Forner or something."

"Mother's maiden name. My mother married and so her name changed."

"I'm so confused." Sirius scrunched his face up in puzzlement. Not wanting Sirius to come off stupid since he really isn't, Remus intervened.

"Oh, Sirius," Remus whispered walking over to the black-haired boy. "You must be getting sick." Remus dramatically put a hand to his lover's forehead and sighed. "Off to bed with you." He tugged at the two ends of the blanket around Sirius' neck and pulled him away from Marc. "If you want, Marc, stay the night. There's fifty-million empty rooms upstairs."

Before Marc even responded Remus dragged Sirius out into the hall and all the way to his room. Remus pushed Sirius onto the bed and then disappeared out the door, leaving Sirius completely baffled. Remus then reappeared and then walked right back out the door.

"Uh, hello?!" Sirius called. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Nothing." Came a muffled response.

"Wierdo."

"I heard that."

"Sometimes I wish you didn't have canine senses." Sirius was quickly getting colder and had to wrap the blanket tighter around his body.

"You have them too. HOLY SHIT!" Remus' voice rumbled through the room and seemed to be farther away then before. Sirius' own canine senses heard whispering and muffled voices.

"Remus?" Sirius got up and walked to the doorway. It was very dark and even the moonlight didn't shine through the windows. "Where are you?" No response. "This isn't funny."

"I think it is."

Sirius looked around in the darkness. That wasn't Remus' voice.

"Very funny."

That wasn't him either.

"Come here, Padfoot."

That was him though.

"Who's with you?" Sirius asked still trying to see in the darkness.

"Are you insane, Sirius?" Remus' voice sounded like it was in another room. So, trusting his dog-like hearing capabilities, he followed the voice to its owner. "You're taking forever. Hurry up."

Sirius approached a door that was slightly ajar and heard shuffling feet from inside. He quickly flung open the door and was immediately pounced on and thrown to the floor.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Sirius yelled. He had no idea who it was but whoever it was, was a lot heavier than Remus. "Get off me!"

"Oh, no, no! I don't think so!" The person on top of Sirius was most definitely male, but he talked in a girly voice—most likely to trick the dog animagus.

"Get off of him," Remus ordered and the person automatically did as he was told as well as helping Sirius to his feet.

"Can you turn on a light?" Sirius asked, feeling the wall over for a light switch.

"Why should we do that?" The second unknown person spoke.

"So I know who the fuck you are!"

"You already know us." The male that talked like a girl said.

"You should've figured it out already." Number two noted.

"Well, I haven't! EEK!" Sirius yelped when a hand slid up his chest.

"Shit, Sirius! Don't you wear clothes?!" Number one lost the girly tone and Sirius instantly recognized the owner.

"Wait a minute..." Sirius flailed his arms and hit someone's head. He let his hands travel down until they collided with a thin strip of metal. He abruptly grabbed hold of the eyeglasses and tore them off their owner.

"Oi, Padfoot! Give those back!" Sirius was hit several times in the head by the other's striking hands that were searching for their eye wear.

"I don't think so...James."

"Damn, you figured it out."

"Nice impression of a girl..."

"We were just trying to throw you off. Now give me my glasses!"

"Why? It's pitch black. You don't need to have 20/20 vision in darkness. If you turn on the lights I'll give them back to you."

"Can't. You have to figure out the other person."

"Besides Remus?"

"Besides him."

"I need to hear his voice—his real voice."

"Alrighty then. Speak ol' mysterious one."

"Speak what?" His voice was higher than any normal 15/16 year-old.

Sirius grinned. "Peter."

As soon as he said that, lights illuminated the room. Sirius saw all three of his friends standing before him. Peter was squinting from the new light, Remus was smiling brightly, and James was still trying to pry his glasses from Sirius' hands.

"What are you guys doing here!?" Sirius exclaimed with joy. "And in the middle of the night as well!" He threw James' glasses on the empty bed and watched the other boy retrieve them.

"That's why Marc was here." Remus explained. "Apparently my parents invited them back over for New Years and they spent all day on trains and didn't get in until a couple of hours ago and then Marc picked them up."

Sirius' face fell. "Wait, when did they actually /walk/ into the house."

Remus saw Sirius' troubled expression and immediately knew that Sirius was afraid that they saw what Marc saw. "Don't worry," Remus whispered. "Marc brought them up here, and when he realized we weren't sleeping he went looking for us, and then found us in the living room."

Sirius sighed audibly. "Well," he looked at the two new guests. "This is going to be one hell of a New Years."

"That it will be, Padfoot." James' grin split his face in two. "So..." He threw his arms around Remus' and Sirius' shoulders. "How was Christmas without me? Boring, I bet. You probably missed me soooo much you didn't want to have any fun without me."

Sirius snorted. "Hardly."

"That hurts. That really hurts, right here." James' put his hand over his heart. He yawned widely and over exaggerated.

"Sleep?" Remus suggested and everyone nodded. "Okay then...mmm...You can have this room James and Peter...you can have the one across the hall."

"We get our own rooms?" Peter asked astounded.

"You could have two rooms for all I cared." Remus replied.

"Peter almost peed his pants when we walked up to your house." James informed. "I do believe he actually cussed. He said 'holy shit, that's one big house.' I'm I correct, Wormtail?"

"Yes..." Peter mumbled.

Remus laughed. "So, should we get some sleep?" They nodded. He turned to Sirius and whispered so only he could hear. "Go to my room."

Sirius winked and left. James saw this and asked, "You planning on doing something in our sleep?"

Remus shook his head. "Oh, I dunno. Dump a bucket of cold water...shaving cream...mmm, you never know."

"Gah, I'm locking the door."

"Okay then. Sleep well." Remus gave him a twisted smile and left with Peter at his heels. When they were both out the door, it slammed and locked. "He's such an idiot."

Remus opened the door in front of them and ushered the blond in. "Everything's here, bathroom is that door over there." Remus explained motioning to the wooden door on the right. "Where's all of your stuff?"

"No idea, Marc said he'd take care of it." Peter responded sitting down on the bed.

"Knowing him, he probably hid them in a closet or something..." Remus sighed. "I'll get them tomorrow. Good night." Peter muttered 'night' in return then Remus exited and pulled the door shut behind him.

"Never in a million years..." Remus said to himself while entering his own room. He made sure the door was locked before crawling into bed and curling up next to the raven-haired boy.

"So warm..."

"Sirius," Remus whispered. Sirius eyes flickered open and fell upon his favorite pair of hazel eyes. "Why do you think James and Peter are here?"

"Huh? I dunno, maybe because they weren't here for Christmas."

"Do you really think that?"

"Yes...You obviously have a different theory."

"I just think that maybe my parents didn't want us alone anymore."

"It could be a possibility..." An awkward silence crept through the room.

"Are we going to tell James and Peter?" Remus asked, his voice breaking the odd stillness.

"'Bout what?"

Remus rolled his eyes and kissed Sirius roughly. "About that."

"Oh...Um...Do you want to?"

"I asked you first."

"I dunno what to say...we can if you want, and we won't if you don't want to."

"Well, what I want may not be what you want."

"You're always one for equality, aren't you?"

"Yes." Remus laid his head on Sirius' bare chest and closed his eyes.

"I think..." Sirius paused and started playing with locks of auburn hair. "Maybe we should just let them figure it out by themselves. They're pretty smart, sometimes a little dense, but they'd figure it out eventually."

"Okay...We'll let them figure it out all by themselves."

"HellooooooooOOOooooo!? Anyone in there!?"

"Go away!"

"Come on! We're hungry!"

"Then go downstairs and get something to eat!"

"It's eleven o'clock! You need to get up! What happened to you? You're always the first one up!"

"Not today...uh...HAHA..."

James turned to Peter and gave him a quizzical look. "Should we break down the door?"

"I don't think Remus would appreciate that very much." Peter countered.

"What about magic?"

"Underage."

"Suppose your right. Let's find Sirius." They pounded on the door that was supposed to be where Sirius was sleeping...but Sirius found someplace much more comfortable for the night.

In the other room Sirius burst out laughing. "Haha! They'll never find me!" Sirius lifted the covers over his head and pulled Remus along with him.

"I know we said that we'd let them figure it out, but don't you think that finding us together in bed will be a bit of a shocker?"

"Shush. Don't worry about anything. You'll get up and leave and then go get the whining babies something to eat while I sneak into my room."

"Alright." Remus made to get up but Sirius dragged him back down. "I thought you said—"

"I know what I said, but until they start pounding on the door again I think we can use the time to do something...more useful."

"I'm getting dressed." Remus struggled free and ran to his closet and pulled out an outfit. He quickly pulled off his shirt...wait, no—Sirius' shirt, that somehow he came to wearing last night... "Odd, I don't remember putting this on..."

"Oh, yeah. You put it on after our mad love-making." Sirius snorted.

"We did no such thing."

"I know. But that's what was /supposed/ to happen..." Sirius let his eyes wander over Remus' toned chest appreciatively. He growled low in his throat.

"Don't even think about it." Remus remarked pulling on a tight white undershirt followed by a red sweatshirt

Sirius wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "I can take those off as fast as you put them on."

"Wanna bet?"

Sirius walked over to the other boy and slid his hands underneath the two fabrics. "How much do you want to bet?"

"Nothing." Remus swatted Sirius' hands away. "If you forgot, Pete and Jamie are here. And another thing, I'm not ready for...that..." Sirius saw a rosy flush forming on his werewolf's face.

"Oh I know that." Sirius smiled sweetly. "I just like to get you all flustered."

"Well, you always succeed...And it's not like I've done anything like this before..."

"What!?" Sirius' eyes widened. "Hold the ...what do you call it?"

Remus shook his head. "Phone."

"Right. Anyways, I thought you said you had...you know..."

"What gave you that idea?"

"Last summer." Sirius looked at Remus incredulously. Did he hear wrong last summer? "You said that you weren't a virgin."

"I was joking!" Remus laughed but then recognized Sirius' face of oh-shit-I- so-screwed-up. "Did you...tell someone?"

"Oh, no of course not." 'Except maybe your cousin and sort of your sister.'

Remus saw right through his lie. "Oh no...nononononononono. I mean...I guess I'm not technically a...virgin because of you...but we haven't done...any of the 'joining bodies' thing." He went a deeper shade of red. "Who did you tell?"

"Uh...Marc?"

"Je ne peux pas vous croire ! Ah, non. Ce n'est pas bon. Le Marc ne garde jamais des secrets... que je suis ainsi condamné!" (I can not believe you! Oh, no. This is not good. Marc never keeps secrets...I am so doomed.)

"Il sera bien." (It will be alright.)

Remus looked at Sirius with bewilderment. "Did you just understand what I said?"

"Um, not really." He grinned sheepishly.

"Oh..." There were several bangs and yells at the door. "They call."

"I'm surprised they've held out this long." Sirius' eyes were magnetically drawn to his lover's hands, which were sliding down his flannel pants.

"I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't drool, Sérieux."

Sirius eyebrows knotted together but his eyes never left the tantalizing hands and their ministrations. "Was that comment for me? Cuz the name at the end definitely wasn't 'Sirius.'"

"Well, it was 'serious' but in French."

"Ah..." /I hate my name.../

"SIRIUS!? ARE YOU IN THERE?!"

"Darn...they found me." Sirius slumped down on the bed and concealed himself in the soft comforter. He heard the door unlock, open, and then close again. He pushed the comforter down and peeked around the room—no one's there. Sleepy time.

"So why exactly was Sirius in your room, and why is he still there?" James asked between mouthfuls of breakfast/lunch.

"Hiding from you, to answer both questions." Remus answered, taking a sip of his drink.

"Ah, well I can see why." Peter said, pushing his empty plate away.

"And why is that, Wormtail?" James asked pointing his fork threateningly at the blond boy. "Sirius is lucky he has me, and he worships our friendship."

Remus sniggered. "I'm sure he thinks that."

"Okay, so that was a bit...exaggerated."

"I would actually say," Peter added, "that it was the other way around. /You/ are lucky to have /Sirius/ and /you/ worship your friendship."

"Pfft." James stuck his tongue out at Peter. "Anyways, what is it like here on New Years? I missed Christmas...boo...but New Years better have a big party or something."

"Not really..." Remus moved his leftover food around on his dish. "I mean, no one is coming over like they do on Christmas. So it'll just be us four, my parents, and....uck, my sister and co." His face suddenly turned bright. "But, on the other hand, we could ditch them and do something more our age."

"Alcohol?" James asked hopefully.

"That's not exactly our age but I suppose I could get some."

"It'll be a perfect New Years Eve...."