Disclaimer: The characters belong to JKR. Well, except Hobbes, I guess.
Eggs crackled on the stove, emitting the enticing aromas that lured Sirius out of bed and down the stairs. Remus stood with his wand out like a conductor holding a baton, directing various kitchen equipment. Bacon fizzled and a knife buttered toast of its own accord. Meanwhile a broom and a feather duster cleaned the house of a year's accumulation of dust.
Sirius watched the scene before him with a smile pulling at his lips. He hadn't felt this happy in thirteen years. True, he was on the run from the Ministry and nearly all of the wizarding world believed him a traitor. But he couldn't help but smile when he thought of his little morning adventure. He felt guilty to have subjected his desires on his friend, but after all, Remus hadn't pushed him away in repulsion. Rather, Remus had almost responded, and that filled Sirius with a hope he hadn't felt in a long time.
"Morning, Remus," he said, trying to suppress a yawn and failing miserably.
Remus glanced at him nonchalantly, smiling. "Good morning, Padfoot." He returned his attention to the eggs, directing them to flip over with a flick of his wand.
So you want to pretend it never happened? No problem.
Sirius yawned again, scratching his head and stretching extravagantly. Walking to stand beside his friend, he casually weaved his hands around his friend's waist and felt Remus gasp and tense at the touch. Taking that as a go-ahead, Sirius placed his chin on Remus's shoulder, breathing in his friend's scent deeply.
"Have a good sleep, mate?" He fought the smirk off his face as Remus twitched involuntarily.
"It was…fine." Remus was obviously trying to hide his agitation. Sirius, on the other hand, was trying to hide his giddy laughter. "You?"
"Amazing! I haven't slept that well in years."
"Nice to hear."
"Isn't it?" Sirius beamed widely. He had forgotten just how fun bantering with Remus was.
Shaking his head good naturedly, Remus broke away from their awkward embrace and slammed two plates of eggs, bacon, and toast down on the table. He flopped down on a chair. Sirius joined him.
"So, Remus, mate. Anything fun planned for today?"
Remus looked at him incredulously. "Fun? I thought you'd want to rest. And don't forget, you are in hiding."
"Fine…I'm just trying to put a happy face on it."
Laughing, Remus shook his head. "You never change, do you?"
Sirius started eagerly on his brunch, but after several bites he found himself staring open-mouthed at Remus, all hunger forgotten. Remus's chestnut hair fell softly into his eyes. His Adam's apple rose and fell with each swallow. The pajama shirt he still wore was unbuttoned down to the middle of his chest. Sirius could see the scars, old and new, that patterned the man's body. The sight was rather enticing. He gulped, hands trembling.
"Something wrong, Padfoot?" Remus asked, snapping Sirius out of his trance.
"No…nothing. Nothing at all. I was just—nothing."
"Right," said Remus, raising an eyebrow in obvious disbelief.
"I was just admiring your physique." Sirius gave himself a good mental kick for the slip-up but it wasn't enough to regain control of his mouth, which seemed to have run away with his emotions. "You're a bloody sexy beast, Moony."
Remus blanched and choked on his toast. But before Sirius could regret saying anything, Remus's face broke out in a hesitant smile.
"Er, thanks, Padfoot. And although your intentions are well placed, I must advise you to consider getting your eyes checked."
It was amazing how oblivious Remus could be of his own good looks.
Sirius returned to his lunch, throwing fleeting glances at his friend whenever he thought it was safe. He wanted nothing more than to gather his Moony up in his arms and continue the escapade he had started this morning. But the knot of doubt in his stomach held him back. He didn't want to hurt his friend. He would have rather gone back to Azkaban than cause Remus to suffer any more than he had.
If there was even a glimmer of a chance of getting Remus back, he couldn't gamble it for a few cheap kicks. Not that any "kicks" from Remus would be cheap by any means…
x-x-x-x-x
After brunch, Remus pressed a cup of tea into Sirius's hands.
"Drink," he commanded simply.
Sirius sniffed the liquid suspiciously, an expression of disgust contorting his face. "This smells foul, Rem. Are you trying to poison me just because you're no longer the prettiest Marauder around?"
"Yes, Sirius. That's exactly what I'm trying to do. Now drink up." He winked as Sirius downed the liquid in one gulp and pretended to gag on it. "Can't have you stealing my thunder, you know."
"But seriously, Remus. What is this stuff?"
"Herbal tea. It'll help you get your strength back." He smirked at the look of indignation on Sirius's face. "Not that you need it or anything."
"Thanks," said Sirius, albeit a bit grudgingly.
"'Welcome, mate."
"So, are we going anywhere today?"
"We? No. We're not going anywhere. I'm going to buy groceries at the village—No, Sirius. I don't care how pitiful your puppy eyes are. It's too dangerous. You're not going, and that's final!"
x-x-x-x-x
"I can't believe I let you talk me into bringing you down here," Remus hissed out of the side of his mouth. "I feel like we're pushing our luck."
Padfoot—in dog form—simply barked happily, his tongue lolling out of his mouth.
Remus smiled reluctantly as he walked briskly down the empty street. Sirius bounded happily beside him. They were the only ones on the Muggle street in the village near Remus's house. It was nearly noon and everyone seemed to be seeking shelter from the stifling sun.
"Of course, we do need groceries." Remus turned abruptly and walked into a store near the corner. The old, quaint building was cool inside, and Remus breathed in the pleasant air. It was a relatively small store, with racks of fresh vegetables, fruits, meat, and processed Muggle foods.
Remus hesitated at the door, not knowing whether Sirius would be allowed to come in.
"Remus!" The voice made him jump.
He turned to find a balding man hurrying toward him and beaming in a way that crinkled the many wrinkles on his old face.
Remus grinned back. "Hobbes! It is certainly nice to see you."
"I should say the same, Remus. It's been too long. How did that job work out?"
"Not too well, I'm afraid."
"Bloody teenagers give you a hard time?"
"No, it's not that. I…resigned."
Hobbes clucked in sympathy. "I'm sure something will come around. I can try talking to my brother at the Ministry. See if he can line you up with a good job."
"Thanks, Hobbes. But I don't think a Ministry job is right for me." They'll never hire a werewolf, Remus thought to himself.
"I didn't know you had a dog, Remus," Hobbes said suddenly, catching sight of Sirius.
Remus couldn't fight down the idiotic smile that stretched his lips. My dog. No…my bitch, he thought gleefully. Almost immediately he felt sick—not only for daring to think such a thought, but also because of the painfully blissful memories that it conjured. He swallowed to keep the bile from rising at the back of his throat.
"The little fellow have a name?"
"This is Padfoot. He just…sort of showed up on my doorstep yesterday. I couldn't bear to turn him out."
"You're too kind for your own good, my boy." Hobbes's eyes sparkled with joy. "So, what do you need today?"
"Groceries. I bought some on the journey from Hogwarts, but I…" He gestured toward Sirius. "The mangy mut ate more than his share."
Sirius growled and threw Remus a look of pure resentment.
"If you need dog food, Remus, it's in aisle three."
"Thanks." Remus tried his best to control his laughter at Sirius's piteously affronted look.
"Okay, then. If you need anything else, come on back." The old man gave Remus a meaningful look before disappearing through a curtain at the very back of the room.
Hobbes was a wizard with a Muggle wife. As such, his grocery store also sold food from the magical world in a secret back room to the several wizarding families that lived in this small village near York.
Remus chose food for Sirius and himself, stopping every now and then to reprimand his "dog."
"Sirius, we don't need—" Remus grabbed an oddly lumpy packet out of Padfoot's mouth. "Strawberry-filled truffles? No, Sirius—Don't give me those puppy eyes. It's not going to work this time—Padfoot! Stop humping my leg. Okay, fine! You can have your bloody truffles."
Sirius barked happily and licked Remus's hand.
"Git," Remus chuckled.
But truffles weren't the only things Sirius bought. When the two of them strolled back home, the bags Remus carried also contained a bottle of firewhiskey that Padfoot had puppy-eyed and humped Remus into buying from the back room.
Remus heaved a great sigh. Sirius was bad enough when sleeping. I shudder to think what he'll be like when he's drunk.
TBC…
Just a little fun chapter. The main purpose is to set things up for what's coming. I decided to update a little earlier than normal, too.
IMPORTANT: I drew a little fanart inspired by the scene from Chapter 3/4 when Sirius corners Remus against the wall and almost kisses him. It's a bit different. They look half the age they're supposed to be, Sirius is wearing pants (instead of a towel) and Remus's shirt is…well…falling off. Type this URL into the address window without spaces to see it: www . deviantart . com / deviation / 16242415 /
kiki1290: Yay, you're back! Thanks for the compliments. It's much appreciated.
x blue belle x: Thanks!
sleeper6: Sirius isn't one to give up without a fight. He's definitely going to keep trying…and pushing Remus to the limit without really meaning to.
aya0915: Thanks. I'm glad you like the theory that they broke up before Azkaban. I tried to stay as true to canon as possible, and this theory seemed to work a lot better than the others I've come up with. And don't worry. There will be plenty of regret/guilt/uncertainty moments, because I am a very cruel writer who loves to torture her characters. ;)
cofcgirl: I'm glad you like it.
S.c.ou.s.er.4.li.f.e: Heh. Thanks. Glad to be of service.
Snuffles is Loony for Moony: I love your user name! It's brilliant and it makes me laugh. XD Thanks for the review.
crescomellonnin: Sirius has been through a lot of pain. But I see him as someone who will always look on the bright side of things, at least for others' sake. Glad you like it.
Smorefan: Yep, Sirius was definitely awake. Well, he has a few doubts since Remus didn't push him away like he expected. But yeah. Thanks for the review.
MinervaEvenstar: Tingly? Yay! Tingly is good, yes? Thanks so much. And now that I read your review (for the hundredth time), there's something in there that oddly foreshadowing of the next chapter…strange.
Montgomery: Thanks! I'm absolutely ecstatic when I get a new reviewer, so I hope you stick around to read the rest.
Dollface786: I'm really happy you like my story. Thanks for the review.
I'm really very very happy right now. I got a lot of reviews for this chapter. And I'm a review druggie, so please keep at it. You have no idea how much it means to me to get a review (especially a long one). Let's just say that I get a lot of strange looks when I brake into dance upon seeing the reviews.
'Till next time…