Solitaire

A/N: My first proper SBRL! Warning for the slashiness.

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Remus sat cross-legged on the floor of the Gryffindor common room, hunched over a tidy group of playing cards, laid out in a game of solitaire; its one player was clearly at an impasse.

He frowned at the cards, his eyes flicking back and forth across the arrangement. Then, at last, he sighed. "Padfoot, I'm stuck."

The boy he had addressed looked up from the magazine he was reading, slouched in an armchair a few yards away, and raised one eyebrow. "Of course you're stuck, Moony. I thought we'd already established that you're crap at solitaire." He smirked as he spoke, his expression making it clear that he was joking.

Remus rolled his eyes. "I mean it. It's impossible."

"Nothing is impossible," Sirius replied smartly, moving to join his friend on the floor. He bent forward to look more closely at the cards, brushing stray hairs out of his eyes.

Remus gazed at the back of his head, and contemplated what he had just said. Nothing is impossible… He didn't believe it, personally. If nothing was impossible, it would be easy to tell someone you loved how you felt about them. And it wasn't. He knew from experience.

Sirius was still staring at the cards, and turned his head slightly to look at his remaining options. Remus took the chance to have a subtle look at the taller boy's profile; he wanted so badly to reach out and touch the hand that Sirius had extended towards the cards, but he knew he couldn't. He mustn't.

Sirius exhaled through his teeth, running a hand through his untidy hair. "I think you might be right, Rem."

See? Some things are impossible. Remus felt disappointed, as if the single game of solitaire was an analogy for his life. He had reached stalemate. "You reckon?" So that's it. I won't finish the game, and I won't ever tell you how I feel.

"Yeah, I think… hang on." Sirius bit his lip and reached down to move a single card, flipping it onto another pile. "See, it worked after all."

Remus's face shifted into a reluctant smile. "Yeah, I guess it did." He glanced at the clock. "Aren't you meant to be meeting Emily about now?"

Sirius shook his head. "Nup. We, ah… finished."

"Oh." Remus wasn't sure what to say. "Sorry."

Sirius shrugged. "It was going to happen some time. We had some… issues that we couldn't really get rid of. I had some issues we couldn't get rid of."

Remus looked at his friend curiously. What issues? He blinked heavily and turned his attention back to the game, making his next move quickly; it was easy now. He couldn't think about that now. Just concentrate on the solitaire, finish the solitaire.

He finished the game about fifteen minutes later; he was a slow player, but he didn't really care. He hadn't really got much else to do, and it was a welcome distraction.

He shuffled the cards into a single pile, and wrapped an elastic band around them, before standing up.

It was about ten o'clock in the evening, and he and Sirius had been alone in the common room when he had hit the impasse. He had assumed that Sirius had gone up to the dormitory at some point since then, and he was surprised to find him asleep in the armchair behind him.

He stopped to watch the dark-haired boy. He looked so different when he was sleeping, so innocent and sweet. Unable to tear his eyes away, he sat carefully on the arm of the chair, then remaining perfectly still, barely breathing. He wanted so badly to touch him, to kiss him… But he mustn't. He had loved him since third year, three long years of torture.

Painfully, he fought back a tear. He should wake Sirius up and then go upstairs and sleep. At last, against his better judgement, he reached out one tentative hand and brushed a single strand of blue-black hair off Sirius's face. His heart stopped shortly after, as the sleeping boy grabbed his hand and held onto it. Was he still asleep?

Try as he did, he couldn't free his hand. Oh god, this was going to be embarrassing…

At last, Sirius's eyes fluttered open and he looked at Remus in surprise. "Rem! Um…" He blushed at the realisation that he was holding the other boy's hand, but didn't release it. "Did you finish that game?"

Remus knew an attempt at small talk when he saw it. "Yeah, I did, thanks for helping me." His voice trailed off as he started to notice the look in Sirius's eyes, a warm, slightly predatory expression that made him ever so slightly nervous.

There was complete silence for a moment or two. Then, slowly, Sirius began to inch closer, raising Remus's heart rate to several times its usual speed. He was on the verge of trembling as he felt the dark-haired boy's breath against his skin, and then lips brushed his own. It was the lightest of touches, just enough to inflame his senses as Sirius stayed there, unmoving, for several seconds, making sure it felt right. And it felt so right he could barely breathe.

After an endless, heart-stopping moment, Sirius moved back and squeezed the hand that he still held. "Wow." He blushed slightly. "I… I wasn't expecting that to happen." He let out a long, slow breath. "I never for a minute thought you'd let me do that."

Remus smiled. "If you hadn't done it, sooner or later I would have."

Sirius's eyes widened slightly. "Gods, Moony, you mean…"

"I love you," Remus said steadily. "I've loved you for years."

Sirius closed his eyes. "You don't know how long I've wished for you to say that. I love you too." He tugged on Remus's hand, drawing the smaller boy off the arm of the chair and onto his lap. Remus blushed furiously, and Sirius gave a wicked smile. "Are you scared, Rem?"

Remus ignored the teasing question and just waited. Sure enough, it was only a few seconds before a slender arm wrapped around his waist, and Sirius kissed him again. There was more to it this time, both boys drawn in by each other's tentative enthusiasm. Loath as he was to admit it, even to himself, Remus knew Sirius had been spot on; he was a little afraid. His own experience was virtually nonexistent, while he knew full well that Sirius had been with most girls in their year (and then some) and had an almost legendary reputation.

Experience began to make itself known shortly after, as Remus felt a sensation like a breath of silk on his closed lips, and shivered. Fear kept him from any stronger reaction, until wandering fingertips slipped briefly below the waistband of his jeans, making him gasp in surprise. Immediately a slim hand tilted his head back, and suddenly he was blown away by the feeling of a warm tongue in his mouth. Sirius had brought his other hand up and was now holding his head with both hands, kissing him with a power and strength that was positively incredible. The taller boy was dominating him completely, so he could do nothing but sit back and feel.

When oxygen became short, Sirius pulled back, still holding Remus's face in his hands. "God," he breathed.

Remus could barely breathe. Eventually, his silence and still expression began to worry Sirius. "What's wrong? Was it bad?"

"Not for me," Remus said at length. "I just… wow." He blushed. "I'm terrible at this, aren't I?"

"No!" Sirius answered swiftly. "You're perfect…" He gazed at the boy in his lap for a moment, before running one finger over Remus's lips. Remus flinched slightly, and Sirius went pale. "Did I hurt you?"

Remus didn't reply, just lowering his eyes, feeling so weak. Sirius sighed. "I'm sorry." He leaned in and pressed tiny kisses on Remus's swollen lips. "I'll be gentle, I promise." Slipping his arms around Remus's slim frame, he drew him close and just held him. "You said you've wanted me for years… I must have put you through so much pain in that time. I'm so sorry. It's you I want, it's always been you. I just never thought you'd feel the same. All this time I've been trying to forget about it; I thought maybe I could find the right girl, and I wouldn't love you any more. But I was wrong. There's never been anyone else."

To Remus's embarrassment, he found tears starting to wet his cheeks. He sniffed quietly, and Sirius let go to look at him. "Oh, Rem…" He placed a small kiss on his cheek, a sign of affection that made Remus's heart melt. This time, it was he who made the first move, finding Sirius's mouth and kissing him. True to his word, Sirius was perfectly gentle, surrendering control to the smaller boy.

It was a hesitant kiss, until at last Sirius was coaxed away from complete passivity, though he still gave ultimate control to Remus. At length, Remus gained the courage to slip one hand up under Sirius's shirt, feeling smooth, flawless skin under his palm. He felt a shiver go through Sirius, and slender fingers wove into his tawny hair. His nerve quickly ran out, and he kept his hand perfectly still.

Reassured by the response he had been getting, Sirius moved away from Remus's mouth and began to kiss along his jaw line and his neck. Feeling the small shivers of the warm skin under his lips, he whispered in Remus's ear: "There's something I don't get."

"Mm… and what's that, then?" Remus murmured back, fighting back a whimper as he felt sharp teeth nip his ear.

Sirius's voice was hesitant for the first part of his sentence. "You've got wolf blood in you… but you're so sweet and so gentle. I guess I just don't get how there's nothing wild in you." He paused. "Not that I'm criticising you; your sweetness was one of the things that made me fall for you."

Remus was silent for a moment, thinking. "Would you like me to be more 'wild'?" he asked, with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Maybe…" Sirius answered, nipping at his ear again. "You might have to be. The dog often makes himself heard; it could be your best defence."

The brown-haired boy felt a shiver ripple through his whole body at the possible implications of this comment. He was inexperienced, but he wasn't stupid – especially when he felt Sirius bite gently at his neck and suck lightly at the skin. He knew it would leave a mark, and he knew that he was being claimed. This time he let out a quiet whimper. "Stop playing with me…"

Sirius drew back and looked at him earnestly. "I'm not playing with you, Rem. I'm deadly serious." His next words clinched it. "I want you."

Smiling slightly, Remus tangled his fingers into Sirius's mess of dark hair and kissed him hard, swivelling in the chair so that they were closer together. Sirius's nimble fingers undid his tie and shirt, throwing them aside and twisting round so that he had the smaller boy somewhat pinned. That didn't stop Remus divesting him of his own shirt.

That done, Remus's sense of disbelief escalated once again. Sirius had the body of a young god, and he was offering it to him? Then fingernails ghosted across his back, and he was distracted from these thoughts, looking up into Sirius's dark eyes, which were filled with heat and desire, making him go hot and cold all over.

Then Sirius spoke. "Do you know how beautiful you are?" he asked huskily, trailing a hand down Remus's bare arm. "I can't believe this is happening." A look of worry suddenly cloaked his eyes. "Am I going too fast?"

In the face of Sirius's doubt, Remus took control at last. "Will you stop worrying?" he said softly. "I'm all yours."

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A/N: This could go on, though if it does the rating may well change. As always, review and I shall love you!