The Marauders: Year Four

Another Christmas

So Charlus had set to work the moment they'd arrived, making Christmas.

James smiled about. "Wow, dad, this is knocker!"

Charlus smiled, "Good enough, for short notice."

"Warm butterbeer and toast!" called Mrs. Potter, carrying a try into the living room. "James, honey, lay down on the couch, we don't need you pulling anything." He nodded and settled down on the couch, shoving throw pillows his mum had set up behind his back so he still felt a part of the celebrations.

Remus woke up first, and smiled when he felt how close Sirius was to him. Impossibly close. Sirius was pressed right to Remus - the only thing between them the thin layer of pyjama cloth. Remus was the little spoon, despite being the taller of the two, and Sirius curled tightly to him, his face buried into the back of Remus's hair at the name of his neck, nuzzled right in there. Sirius's arm bent 'round Remus, his palm splayed across his narrow little bicep (or that part of the arm where a bicep ought to be, rather). He lay there, staring at the window, relishing the feeling, thinking that this was the greatest Christmas gift he could possibly receive - being held in the arms of Sirius Black, a willing captive. He could feel the warmth of Sirius's breath through the strands of hair his nose was nestled amongst, breathing down his neck - but in a good way...

After a short time, Sirius started stirring, and he groaned as he moved.

"Happy Christmas, Padfoot," Remus said quietly.

"Blimey, my whole body's stiff as bloody hell," murmured Sirius, shifting away from Remus a bit.

Remus turned around. "You alright, then?"

"How are you not stiff?" Sirius demanded, "You fell down a hundred times - I only fell the once when you knocked me down..."

"I'm always stiff - full moon's two days out," Remus reminded him. "I've learned to ignore it."

"I can't imagine feeling like this every month," Sirius murmured.

Sirius, who had slept with only his pyjama bottoms on, was curling and and bending himself in various ways, trying to stretch out his spine. Remus leaned over and pressed a kiss to the space directly in the center of Sirius's back, right on his spine. Sirius froze, surprised by Remus's boldness. He looked over his shoulder, but was too stiff to look far enough to see. Remus slowly kissed his way up the vertebrae that lined Sirius's back, all the way up to his shoulders and Sirius's body naturally curled along with the affectionate touch of Remus's kisses until he'd reached Sirius's neck and he gently swept aside the thick black hair to one side and kissed his way along to Sirius's face, ending the trail at his jaw.

Sirius shivered. "Bloody hell," he whispered.

It was still so weird and new and raw, Sirius thought, Remus's affection like that. He felt dizzy with it. Remus's touch was so bloody gentle - Sirius had never been touched as softly as Remus did it, and he'd never felt a thing like the way Remus's fingertips felt, the way each brush of them set fire to his senses was so intense... He felt no need to flinch away, like he'd done with Marlene or even when Lily Evans had tried hugging him before. Quite the opposite. He couldn't get enough of Remus's touch - he craved it, like he'd been starving for it, like a man in a desert without water suddenly finding himself in an oasis of clear, cold water. Remus's touch seemed to erase every horrible touch that Sirius had received in all of his life. All the effects of his mum's cruciatus curses seemed to lift away. Remus Lupin had magic hands and Sirius wanted them all over him.

He rolled onto his side and grabbed a thick handful of Remus's flannel pyjama top and pulled him closer, pressing their mouths together a moment, then he released him and whispered, "Happy Christmas, Moony."