Sirius couldn't stop bouncing as he flew around the shared bathroom in their dorm, getting ready for James' birthday party. He was trying to pay attention to what he was doing - he'd been planning his outfit for months, after all - but it was proving harder and harder to concentrate. Across the room, humming tunelessly and grinning knowingly at him every so often in a show of shared excitement, was a very naked James Potter.
Sirius wasn't at all bothered by James' current state of undress. The twin flames that they were, they had never been very good with boundaries, from the very first day of their first year. They constantly hung off one another, stood or sat together as close as possible, crawled into each other's beds at night to whisper secrets. Sirius sometimes felt that he had full conversations with James without them speaking once, just through expressions alone. Sirius had wondered at one point in his fourth year if he fancied James, but then he'd fallen in love with Remus that same year, and he'd known his love for James, though deep, was purely platonic.
Remus. Sirius was instantly distracted the moment he thought of his boyfriend. His heart swelled with love as he considered how understanding Remus was of his and James' connection. Sirius' relationship with James had changed slightly when they'd finally gotten together, but only in that Sirius now divided his physical attentions equally. Whenever he was alone with James or with Remus, he devoted his whole focus to them. When they were together, he always made sure he was between them somehow. And it worked well for all of them.
James' birthday was one of Sirius' favourite days of the year, and it was the day that usually, no matter what else was happening, his full attention was locked onto James. The day was always a big event for all of the Marauders, really. Of course, they made a massive, extravagant fuss for all of their birthdays, and this sometimes extended to the girls' birthdays, too. But there was some unspoken rule amongst Sirius, Remus and Peter that James deserved to be absolutely spoiled on his birthdays. They knew without ever saying it that he was the one who held them together, who solved all of their conflicts and had held the threads for their frienship in his hands through the hardest of times. His notorious birthday parties were their way of repaying him.
This year however, for the first time in the six years of celebrating James' birthday, Sirius had something else in mind. He knew that he would be spending most of his night running around after James' every whim, as he always did, but he also wanted to use the opportunity to drive Remus mad while he did so. Remus had been struggling with a lot of different things this year - for one, he'd had to sign the Ministry's Werewolf Registry only 17 days before, on his own 17th birthday. Since then, he'd been somewhat sullen, withdrawn, but refusing to talk about it. Sirius was desperate to draw Remus out, and had tried everything he could think of, so this was his last resort. He knew that Remus struggled when he felt like he wasn't in control of a situation, and he hoped that his carefully compiled plan would give him back that sense of control.
'Pads?' Sirius looked up to find James, now dressed, smirking at him. He realised that he'd come to a complete halt in the middle of the bathroom, stilled by his own thoughts. James was obviously swallowing laughter as he said, 'C'mon, you'll make us late. As usual.' Sirius good-naturedly flipped him off, but scrambled around to kick his belongings into a pile in the corner of the room, so that Remus wouldn't yell at him later for leaving the place a mess. He returned James' grin as he turned back to the mirror for one final look at himself.
Sirius looked good. He always looked good. But he had really made an effort tonight. He'd dug out Moony's favourite Bowie shirt - the one that he'd worn so often that the white material was starting to grey, the neckline going slack, the whole thing so baggy that Sirius had had to tuck it into his jeans. His very tight black jeans, mind you, the ones with the rips and tears in the legs. His big black Doc Martin's were on, as always, laced up tight around his ankles.
It was the accessories that Sirius was most proud of, though. He'd had Andromeda send him some of the studded leather wrist cuffs he'd been so fascinated by during his last trip to Muggle London, and they now sat snug around his pale wrists. A silver moon hung from a chain attached to the earring through his pierced left ear, and Sirius had carefully styled his long black hair so that the ear was exposed to show it off. Finally, around Sirius' slender neck, he'd fastened a narrow black collar.
'Beautiful, as always,' James chuckled as he swooped in beside Sirius to press a kiss to his pale cheek. 'Moony won't know what's hit him.' James knew of Sirius' plan, because of course he did. They'd talked it through last night when no-one could seem to get through to Remus, not even Lily, and James had gallantly given Sirius his blessing to enact his plan during the party, for which Sirius would always be grateful. Sirius waved him off as he fussed with his hair one final time, and James gave him a pointed look of don't be too long before he left the room. Sirius' stomach lurched when James' voice floated back from the dorm room seconds later. 'Oh, hey, Moony! He's nearly ready, I swear.'
'Good bloody job, we're already late,' came Remus' exasperated reply, and Sirius had to fight the bodily urge to run towards the sound. Instead, he made himself walk across the bathroom, and pulled the door open wide to get a good look at Remus, standing alone in the middle of the bedroom. As always, his whole body tingled when he caught sight of him: the bronzed brown curls that were long enough now to flop into his amber eyes; the scarred, freckled nose; the soft pink lips; the standard comfortable jumper and tight blue jeans. Sirius had to drag his eyes away from how the demin clung to Remus' long legs to look at his face again.
Remus was staring back at him, mouth open, his eyes rivetted on Sirius with something close to hunger. Sirius ignored the thrill this sent through him, letting a lazy smile pull at his mouth as he slowly stalked towards where Remus was rooted on the spot, his eyes traversing Sirius' body like he was trying to memorise every detail. Sirius watched his Adam's apple bob in his tanned throat as he swallowed harshly, but it was only when he was less than five feet away that Remus finally met his eyes. Sirius' smile widened at the heat behind that look. Perfect, just as he'd planned. He made his voice low, a little rough, as he said, 'How do I look, Re?'
Remus' knees appeared to give out. He staggered, just managing to catch himself before he crashed into Sirius. Remus' hands rose, seemingly reflexively, and he cupped Sirius' face between his palms. Remus leaned in to rest their foreheads together as he took a slow, steadying breath before he pulled back to survey Sirius from head to toe once more. The intensity of the gaze made Sirius' pulse thunder in his ears. His breath hitched slightly as Remus slid one of his hands down, his long, nimble fingers slipping over Sirius' jaw to his neck, the pads of them curling almost delicately between the leather of the collar and Sirius' neck.
'A collar, Pads? Really?' Remus' voice came out in a rasp, and the sound of it immediately sent all of Sirius' blood rushing South. But he schooled his face into his trademark smirk, gaze locked on Remus' as he leaned closer, his head tipping back to maintain eye contact. The movement made him elongate his neck, the soft skin of his throat gliding against Remus' knuckles, and Remus' eyes flashed.
'You like it then, Moony?' Sirius breathed, unable to look away from Remus' rapt expression. Remus huffed out a humourless laugh, then hooked two of his fingers through the collar and used it to tug Sirius forward, pulling him flush against Remus' chest. Sirius couldn't stop his eyes rolling back at the sensation, at the sudden feeling of helplessness he got when Remus moved him around using nothing but the collar. When he opened his eyes again, Remus' gaze had darkened significantly and was trained on Sirius' throat.
'You're fucking killing me,' Remus whispered, and dipped his head to kiss Sirius. But Sirius ducked, deftly twisting away from him and out of his grasp, standing just far enough away that Remus couldn't easily catch him again. It was very, very hard not to give Remus what he wanted, but he reminded himself that it was all part of the plan. Remus snarled instinctively at the loss of him, then made himself straighten, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides as he clearly tried to retain control over himself.
'C'mon, Moony,' Sirius trilled, his voice purposefully light, grinning to try and hide how his own need thrummed through his slim body incessantly. 'James awaits. Wouldn't want to be late now, would we?'
The answering smile that Remus gave him had enough wolf behind it that Sirius had to repress a shiver. Remus' voice was almost a purr as he murmured, 'No, I suppose we wouldn't.
As soon as they hit the common room, Sirius was essentially a little shit all night. He carried out his duties of waiting on James, following him around and making sure he had food, drinks, anything he asked for. Nothing about this was unusual. On James' birthday, Sirius was essentially his to command, and over the years everyone had just come to accept this fact. What was unusual, however, was that although Sirius outwardly appeared to be entirely fixated on James, he was also making a conscious effort to ensure that Remus' focus never left him.
When James sat down to talk to someone, Sirius would sit too, but not without dragging Remus over to sit with them. He would then plop himself down on the floor between Remus' feet, his head resting against his inner thigh as he kept his gaze trained on James. At times Remus would make small, subtle requests for attention, like winding a strand of Sirius' hair between his fingers or brushing his knuckles along Sirius' jaw, but Sirius would just accept these motions without response.
When James stopped in his rounds of the common room to talk to someone, Sirius would stop and chat with him. If Remus followed them, Sirius would gently lean back against him, and out of habit Remus would wind his arm over Sirius' shoulder. But he would ignore how Remus' hand hung empty against his chest, squashing the urge to reach up and lace his own fingers through the scarred digits or to turn and nip playfully at the prominent wrist bone resting near his cheek. If Remus didn't follow them, Sirius would make sure that he had a plain view of him as he leaned against a wall or chair instead, letting his barking laughter ring out over the gathered heads to keep Remus' mind on him.
When James requested a refreshment, Sirius would scamper off without asking if anyone wanted anything else, and would often return to find that Remus had slipped away for a few minutes. When he came back, his jumper always smelled smokey, and the slight slackening in his shoulders and drooping of his eyelids told him that Remus was definitely sneaking off to smoke a spliff on those occasions. This tested Sirius the most - he loved to be high with Moony, loved how it softened all of their edges and heightened sensations until even a misplaced breath against bare skin could have them clawing at each other in desperation. But he contented himself with the pleasant buzz of the alcohol he was consuming, running the mantra of it'll be worth it, it'll be worth it, it'll be worth it through his mind the whole time.
About half-way through the evening, Lily and Mary proudly took to a make-shift stage area, where they announced that they'd managed to magically rig up Karaoke. The Muggle-borns in the room let out a raucus cheer, but the magic-born students just looked confused, until Mary explained the concept, and the whole room cheered this time. The girls, had managed to somehow charm Sirius' record player, along with the records that he and others had provided for the evening, to allow the lyrics of any chosen song to hover in the air before the singer.
It was a brilliant piece of magic, one they'd been working on for weeks now, and Sirius couldn't help but grin fondly when he looked over at James and found him subtly swiping at his eyes with the back of his hand. The Karaoke had been Sirius' idea, having heard Mary talk about it once, and he'd known instantly that James would love it. Sirius slung his arm around James' shoulders and squeezed him tight, making James let out a raucus laugh as he dug his elbow into Sirius' ribs.
Bravely, Mary elected herself to go first, and Sirius felt so proud as he watched her belt out a fantastic Aretha Franklin number. She left the stage to wild applause, and was quickly followed by Marlene, who grinned her way through a provocative Slits song. Then there were calls for the birthday boy to get up and James, obliging as always to his adoring fans, talk-sang along to a Thin Lizzy track, which received the most riotous reception. He swept a deep bow to his audience before vacating the stage, and Lily, her arm around Mary's waist, turned to call out, 'Alright, who's next?'
'Me.' Sirius felt his jaw drop. He turned to stare at Remus, who was slowly lowering his hand again. Remus, who hadn't wanted them to do the Karaoke. Remus, whose exact words when Sirius and Peter had announced their plan were, 'Absolutely fucking not'. Remus, who had never sung in front of anyone other than the Marauders, as far as Sirius knew. Yet he could only watch as Remus stepped forward, and the atmosphere in the crowd shifted instantly. It was almost like everyone was leaning forwards and holding their breath, keen to see just what Remus would do.
Marlene slipped into the space Remus had vacated next to Sirius, and they shared a slightly incredulous look before they both turned to face the stage again. Remus could obviously feel the attention mounting, as he nervously cleared his throat and wiped his palm against his jeans, and Sirius itched to jump up beside him, to do something stupid and draw everyone's focus away from Remus. But he genuinely couldn't move, and his eyes widened as he watched Remus suddenly reach down and tug the bottom of his jumper up, off and over his head.
Sirius' hand flew out and clamped down on Marlene's shoulder when he saw what Remus had on underneath. Sirius' T-Rex shirt, the one he'd cut the arms of to show off his shoulders, the one he'd trimmed the hem of to allow a flash of his hips to show whenever he moved just right. On Remus' tall frame, though, the material sat just below his navel, and Sirius was in real danger of drooling at the sight. He watched the shirt shift as Remus leaned down to whisper his song choice to Peter, who had volunteered to man the record player, and Sirius' mind went blank when he saw the edge of the scar, the one that stretched down the ribs of Remus' left side, peak out from under the shirt.
'Sirius, love, close your mouth,' Marlene chuckled in his ear, and Sirius sucked in a harsh breath as his jaw clicked shut. But his gaze never left Remus, even as Remus turned back to face the crowd and their eyes locked. Sirius nearly fainted on the spot when the first chords of the song, choppy and distorted, poured from the speakers. The assembled group, so familiar with the song from the countless times they must have heard it pouring from the Marauders' dorm, let out a rousing cheer. Remus' mouth twitched slightly at whatever expression was on Sirius' face, and he slowly raised the microphone to his mouth.
'Small Jean Genie, snuck off to the city/Strung out on lasers and slash back blazers/And ate all your razors while pulling the waiters,' Remus sang, his tone low, a little gruff, lending itself perfectly to Bowie's lovely dark lyrics. Sirius couldn't breathe, he felt pinned by Remus' stare, by the way his voice rolled through him, shaking his very bones. He watched as Remus seemed to warm with the enthusiastic reaction he received, watched as Remus turned the microphone to the crowd at the chorus, inviting them to sing with him.
'Jean Genie!' The crowd eagerly sang out.
'Lives on his back,' Remus crooned, and Sirius felt himself flush when Remus pointedly raised an eyebrow right at him before turning the microphone outwards again.
'Jean Genie!'
'Loves chimney slacks,' Remus responded as he broke eye contact momentarily to grin at everyone. His gaze was back instantly as he continued, 'He's outrageous/He screams and he bawls/The Jean Genie, let yourself go ...'
Sirius couldn't think. He couldn't see anyone past Remus, and it was as though the whole world had ceased to exist. At some point, Marlene complained at him for digging his fingers into her shoulder so deeply, and he'd let her go instantly, annoyed at the distraction. Remus mostly held his gaze throughout the song, occasionally looking away to smile encouragingly at the people now clustered around him for the parts they could join in on. But he always made sure he had Sirius' full attention when he came to certain lines, such as 'Loves to be loved/Loves to be loved' and all of the repeats of 'Lives on his back' and 'He's outrageous/He screams and he bawls'.
But soon, too soon, Remus came to the end of the song. Through the last chorus, his hips swung from side to side, and he caught his lower lip between his teeth every time the crowd sang their part. Sirius was convinced that there must be a hole burned into his face from the intensity of Remus' stare. Then the record faded out, and the crowd erupted. Remus smiled a little bashfully as people began to chant his name, and he jumped from the stage into the pressing crush of people rushing to applaud his performance.
Sirius didn't even register that his feet were moving until he was right in front of Remus. He didn't wait for him to speak, just reached out and wrapped his fingers around Remus' wrist, turning away and tugging so that Remus would follow him. He felt a second's resistance, then Remus moved and fell in behind as Sirius wove his way through the common room, gritting his teeth slightly as he pulled Remus away from people trying to stop him and express their amazement at his talent. Then they reach the portrait hole, and Sirius shoved his way through it, practically dragging Remus behind him.
They still didn't speak as they marched through the abandoned halls. Sirius led them straight to the nearest, thankfully empty, classroom he could think of, and finally released Remus' wrist as he turned to shut the door, locking and silencing it with a wave of his wand. He didn't have the chance to even think about turning around again before Remus' torso slammed against his back, causing him to stagger. Remus used the momentum to turn them both, pushing Sirius further into the room, his lips attached the Sirius' neck momentarily before he broke away.
'You little fucking tease,' Remus hissed in his ear, and Sirius was a little shocked at the anger he could hear laced through Remus' tone. But he held his nerve, and turned his head as much as he could to look over his shoulder.
'Oh, yeah? And what was that all about, Remus? Singing Bowie at me like that, in front of a crowded fucking room?' From what Sirius could see of Remus' face, the taller boy had his jaw set, and his lips were pulled back slightly, exposing sharp, clenched teeth. Oh, he was mad.
'I only did that to give you a taste of your own medicine,' Remus told him, his voice deep and dark as he crowded against Sirius' back, pushing him forward. Sirius' thighs hit the desk in front of him just as Remus' left hand wound into the long black locks at the back of his head, and Sirius' legs instantly turned to jelly. Remus nipped at the shell of his ear as he rumbled, 'You've been purposefully pushing every one of my buttons all night, Padfoot. First the bloody collar, then you refused to kiss me, then you kept yourself just within reach but practically without acknowledging me the whole time. I don't know why you were doing it, but I thought it was only fair to show you what it felt like.'
'Moony -'
'Don't you fucking 'Moony' me,' Remus growled as his right hand slid from Sirius' hip to the front of his jeans. His large palm cupped Sirius' straining erection through the denim, applying just the right amount of pressure to make Sirius keen and arch his back, pushing his hips forward to meet Remus' fingers. The slight tug at the roots of his hair told him that Remus was holding the strands in a tight fist, and he felt himself throb at the thought. Remus must have felt it too, as he let out a dark chuckle. 'Do you like this, Sirius? Do you like it when I'm rough with you?'
Sirius couldn't find the words to answer that question. He knew that yes, he really fucking loved it when Remus was rough with him, when he manhandled him and pushed and pulled Sirius into the positions he wanted him in. But his brain was riddled with lust, and it was hard to think past Remus' subconscious admission. First the collar ... Sirius' plan seemed to be working, then. He swallowed hard, struggling to focus on the task at hand while Remus' hands worked him expertly. He had to concentrate, needed to push Remus, to get him riled enough that he'd let out all of his frustration on Sirius. Sirius bit down into his own lip to ground himself, and forced himself to move backwards, rubbing back into the evidence of Remus' arousal. Remus hummed in approval.
'Is that why you've been prancing around all night, trying to wind me up?' Remus went on, his voice a little softer now, but the dark edge to it made Sirius' eyelids flutter. Remus pressed his hips into Sirius' arse as he went on, 'Trying to see if I'd snap, were you?'
'Gods, Remus,' Sirius choked out as Remus rocked his hand against his stiff shaft, his hips canting back and forth in a desperate attempt to maintain the pressure but also to push back against Remus. Remus laughed again, low in his throat, and Sirius' skin crawled with goosebumps at the sound.
'If you wanted me to be rough with you, all you had to do was ask. But now, because you've done it this way, I think I'm going to have to teach you a lesson. Wouldn't you agree?' Sirius felt a small thrill of victory, but it was quickly drowned in need when Remus' mouth found his neck, his tongue snaking under the collar and licking at the hot skin under the leather.
'Fuck, whatever you want, Re, just please -'
'Please what, Pads?' Remus' hand left Sirius' hair and slid down the back of his skull, dancing across his collarbones before slipping up against his neck. The span of his thumb and forefinger glided up Sirius' throat, coming to rest just under the collar, and suddenly he applied pressure just there, against Sirius' windpipe. The noise Sirius let out was slightly strangled, but the effect it had on Remus was unexpected. He stepped away, removing his hands from Sirius' body entirely, and when Sirius looked back over his shoulder he could see that Remus was standing quite far away now, his back completely straight as he eyed Sirius. Remus' lips curled up slightly at the corners as he said, 'Strip.'
