A/N: I've been feeling kind of crappy the last couple of days. You know, school being what it is, life being itself.. etc. etc. Anyway. Yesterday in class I started dribbling, and here's what came out. It's slash (more like pre-slash, if you want to get technical), and it's Sirius/Remus. If you don't like it, don't read it.
And it belongs to Jo Rowling. No copyright infringement intended.

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Sirius is in a bad mood. It's been like this for a couple of days, and people are starting to notice.

Normally when Sirius is upset a few hours go by, and then someone (most likely Snape or some other Slytherin) ends up with unusually large limbs (except for Snape, who's nose really can't get any bigger), or as in the case of Sirius' Bad Mood of September '76, both hands in unnatural places, places where no hands are supposed to be. Unless you're a consenting adult.

This time, on the other hand, no one is seen walking about with even a hint of an enlarged foot, and there isn't even the remotest glimpse of unconsented groping.

Yet there is no denying that Sirius is upset, and the entire population of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, students and faculty alike, waits for the inevitable explosion.

But nothing happens.

Instead Sirius walks around feeilng utterly miserable, and he doesn't even feel like punching someone. Which means it has to be bad. As a matter of fact, instead of sending curses left and right he wants to talk; wants to sit down and work things out in a sensible fashion.

"This," Sirius reflects one morning over breakfast, "is what it must feel like to be Moony." Heaven knowns Moony is often enough upset over something. Usually the source of his upsettion (a new word Sirius invents on the spot) is Sirius himself, and yet you don't see Moony running giving people extra limbs like another raging lunatic. No, Sirius thinks, when Moony is upset he broods and sighs, and then he wants to talk.

Normally Sirius finds this to be a ridiculous solution. If hexing Snape into the next century isn't going to help, then talking certainly won't.

But that was before. Before Sirius' bad mood that overshadows every other bad mood he has ever had. And now he wants to talk.

The list of people he can talk to is surprisingly short. First there is Wormtail, who pretty much excludes himself just by being himself. Last time Sirius tried to have a serious conversation with Wormtail it all dissolved into the two of them discussing toast, which was a good enough topic at the time. But right now Sirius would rather not talk about toast, and that means that Wormtail is off the list.

Prongs is second. He isn't exactly known for his great conversational skills, either, but at least he doesn't go on and on about bread and cereals when there are important things at stake. Yet Prongs is more known to follow the 'hex Snape six ways to Sunday' treatment of bad moods. Plus, he is hardly ever around, anyway. Bloody bugger Evans, and bloody bugger Head Boy duties.

And that leaves Moony. Now this might have been Sirius' first choice had the topic at hand not been such a dire one. Moony is known to be good at listening, and he gives excellent advice. As a matter of fact, just the other day Sirius was contemplating wearing his green sweater with his red cloak, and Moony told Sirius that if he did that the girl he was going out with would probably take one look at him and then run away. Well, as always Moony was right, although Sirius isn't exactly sure if that was because of his colour combination (or lack thereof), or if he was half an hour late and his date had already walked off by the time he arrived.

Either way, that is highly unimportant right now, as there is no way Sirius is going to talk to Moony about his bad mood, as that can only lead to further his grumpiness, which again might lead to more talks, and Sirius really thinks one talk is enough for a year. At least the kind of talk he wants to have right now.

And that makes Sirius settle on Prongs. For although the boy may have a lack of dressing skill, and a hair that makes the hairdresser weep from sheer distress (true story), he does have some experience in the relationship department. Plus, he is a real mate, and that has got to count for something. And if things doesn't work out like Sirius wants them to, at least Prongs will go with him and hex Snape. Yes, Prongs really is the safest card in this matter.

The problem is, though, that Prongs is nowhere to be found. Sirius spends all his time before dinner searching for him (that may or may not involve a detour by the kitchens, because he might be very hungry), yet to no avail. Instead he runs into the one person he wants to see least of all. Or most of all, depending on how you look at it.

"Sirius," Remus says when they cross in the hallway outside Madam Pomfrey's office. Remus had probably been up there to check on the gashes on his thigh (but Sirius is trying very hard not to think of Remus' thigh, or anything considering his anatomy, to be quite honest), and later Sirius thinks maybe it was his subconcious that brought him to this exact spot, at this very moment. Right now, though, Sirius can only feel slightly panicked. This is not how these things are supposed to work out. He is supposed to meet James, they talk things over, and then maybe, if everything go as planned, he can approach Remus. But meeting him now, completely out of the blue is simply not on. Which is why his head tells him it's a good idea to act as Remus is a complete stranger, or not there at all. This, of course, proves to be harder than expected, as Remus can be a stubborn bugger when he puts something in that head of his.

"Sirius," Remus repeats, and Sirius is forced to stop.

"Remus!" he exclaims with feigned surprise. The arch on Remus' eyebrows tells him that he's not bying it. Sirius is cursing silently, which only causes Remus' eyebrows to climb even higher if that is possible.

"Where are you headed?" Remus asks, and Sirius looks at his feet and mumbles something incoherently.

"What?"

"I need to see Pomfrey," he lies, although probably not very convincingly. Stupid Remus being able to read him as well as he does.

"Why? Are you ill?"

Sirius grunts something that may or may not be interpreted to be an affirmative.

"Sirius," Remus says for the third time. "Are you allright? You've been looking a little peevish all day, and now you are acting positively strange. Is anything the matter?"

Sirius shrugs. "Dunno," he says and stares at the floor.

Remus walks closer, worry is etched into his brow now. He tries to make Sirius look into his eyes, but Sirius refuses. He knows how Remus works. First he walks very close, then he looks into your eyes, and before you know it you have let it all out. Every crazy plan, every bad memory. And then Remus will nod and tell you it will all be allright, and although it may sound very shallow and unfeeling it does make you feel better. But Sirius can't tell him this. It simply won't do.

"Sirius, do you want to talk?" Remus asks in that Remus-y voice of his. The one that's quiet and caring, and just begs Sirius to spill his guts.

Sirius shakes his head vehemently.

"Are you sure?"

"Actually," Sirius says, still staring at his feet, "I was going to find James. Have you seen him?"

"James, huh?" Remus says, and Sirius suddenly realises his big mistake. He hasn't called James by his true name for months, not since they invented the infamous nicknames, and now, by saying 'James' and not 'Prongs' he has blown his cover completely.

"Well, yes. Prongs. I was looking for Prongs," Sirius stammers, but he is starting to lift his head, and he can feel his cheeks burning, and he can't believe he is blushing, because Blacks don't blush, yet he is, and now Remus is looking at him with that look of his, and Sirius is raising his head further, and before he knows it their gazes are locked, and it's all Sirius can do not to tell Remus everything.

"I think I saw him walking somewhere with Lily a couple of hours ago," Remus says carefully. "Head Boy duty I assume."

Sirius snorts. Head Boy his ass. The two of them have been using their duties as a cover up for weeks. Stupid, sodding so-called best friend.

"Sirius," Remus says again, but this time his voice is hushed, and there is something strange in his eyes. At first Sirius doesn't understand why the look seems so familiar, and then he realises that it's the exact same way his own eyes have been looking lately. They have a kind of strange fire in them, and the way they seem to glow with an eerie kind of light makes Sirius' heart flutter in a totally unmanly way, and all of a sudden it doesn't seem too scary to tell Remus everything anyway.

"I think I'm in love with you," Sirius rushes, and once the words are out of his mouth he almost loses his balance and staggers towards the wall. And at once the bad feelings that have pulled him down are gone, and left is a kind of airy lightheadedness that might stem from the fact that Remus hasn't run away screaming, but is standing there looking flabbergasted, and also a little happy.

"Are you now?" Remus says, and walks even closer, trapping Sirius between himself and the wall he is leaning up against.

Sirius nods and keeps his eyes locked on Remus'.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Remus asks, and Sirius shakes his head and puts his right hand tentatively on Remus' waist. He pulls him even closer, so close that he can feel their breaths intermingling.

"Not anymore," he replies quietly, then he closes his eyes as Remus' face comes even closer, and the moment their lips meet Sirius' bad mood is completely gone.