Rainy Day

"It's raining."

"I know."

Rain was pouring quite heavily outside the window of the Lupin family's Scottish home, a dramatic change from the thunder and lightning that had been echoing through the sky only moments before. This slight improvement, however, did not alter the irritable mood of a certain young Gryffindor as he sat with his forehead leaning against the glass window of the uppermost room of the house, the attic.

Sirius Black was not accustomed to the amount of rain that he had been seeing for the last week, always being the first to suggest a romp outside. Scotland, apparently, was not his first choice for a vacation, but it was only for a temporary visit, one that he had been anticipating even before the last term at Hogwarts was over; it was all due to the boy now curled up on the moth-eaten sofa with a large volume entitled "The Complete Sherlock Holmes," honey-glazed eyes moving steadily over the words in front of him.

"Tell me Remus, does it always rain here?"

Remus Lupin did not raise his eyes from the book. "Of course not. It came especially for you."

Sirius attempted to make a face at Remus but considering Remus was still absorbed in his book, he realised it was a futile attempt and returned to staring out the window. "Rain, rain, go away, come again another day," he muttered resentfully as he watched the bullet-sized droplets make contact with the glass with splattering noises.

"Dear me Sirius, you must learn how to entertain yourself indoors," came the amused reply from Remus who had now raised his eyes to peer at Sirius from over the rim of his book.

"You're the host, that's your job," Sirius shot back, tracing the glass with his finger. "Amuse me."

Remus set his book down. "Alright then." He stood up and walked over to where Sirius was sitting and took a seat beside him. "Sirius."

"What?" Sirius mumbled sullenly not removing his eyes from the window.

"No, it's a game," Remus replied, drawing his knees up to his chest. "We make up a story between us, each saying one word at a time alternately. It can be fun," he said, noticing his friend's dubious expression. "Go on, I started."

"Fine," Sirius replied, turning to look at Remus. "Is."

"Staring."

"Out."

"Of."

"The."

"Window."

"And."

"Contemplating."

"The."

"Many."

"Methods."

"Of."

"Suicide."

Remus grinned wryly at Sirius's last word. "Surely suicide can't be more entertaining than this."

"You're right," Sirius answered, a shadow of a smirk flickering around his mouth. "Watching paint dry is much better."

Remus scowled but was nonetheless pleased to see that Sirius had retained his sense of humour. "You start this time then."

"Remus."

"Spends."

"All."

"Of."

"His."

"Time."

"Studying."

"Reading."

"As."

"Well."

"As."

"Many."

"Other."

"Such."

"Humdrums."

"I'm glad to see you find such amusement in mocking my pastimes," was Remus's curt reply to Sirius's now mirth-filled laugh at his own witty repartee. "At least I know you're enjoying this."

Sirius grinned broadly, showing off his dazzling white teeth. "Muchly. I get to start again. Sirius."

"How humble. Loves."

"Remus."

Remus couldn't stop his cheeks from flushing, nor the smile tugging at his lips. "That was a short sentence," he mumbled, unable to look Sirius in the eye.

Sirius grinned again. "Why not? Short, sweet, and to the point. And very true, of course."

This time Remus couldn't help but smile, and as he looked into those deep blue eyes, he crawled over to where Sirius was settled and nestled himself into his arms. Sirius draped one arm across Remus' chest while the other hand took to stroking his cheek gently, and he sighed contentedly. With Sirius's mouth buried in Remus's hair, and Remus's back against his chest, the two continued to gaze out of the window at the silent tempest that raged before their eyes, perfectly at peace with the way they were.

"I hate being away from you." Sirius's words were muffled against Remus's hair, but Remus didn't miss the sense of despondency in his tone. "One week out of eight isn't nearly enough."

Remus sighed and took the hand that was caressing his cheek in his own and squeezed it reassuringly. "I know," he said consolingly, "but we'll see each other again at the end of August, remember? For Peter's birthday."

Sirius shook his head. "No, I mean...just us."

Remus found he had nothing to say to this, and turned around to look at Sirius directly. The boy's eyes were cast downwards but Remus placed a finger under his chin and made Sirius look at him; the look in his eyes was almost enough to break Remus's heart.

Sirius's eyes were usually bright and sparkling, even more so when he had just pulled off a successful prank, but now they lacked the lustre that they usually did; they instead were somewhat murky and cloudier.

This was not the first time Remus had noticed it however. All week Sirius had been somewhat quieter and moodier than usual, not at all the bright and mischievous prankster who haunted the corridors of Hogwarts. He had been vainly tried to conceal this from Remus, but Remus, who knew him better than anyone, could see through this instantly. He didn't press the matter however, figuring that Sirius would come to him if there was a significant problem. There was, of course, the ongoing feud with his parents that had been even more elevated this year, but Remus knew it was because of them.

Their relationship hadn't been easy to hide from others, especially from James and Peter. They hadn't touched as often as they would have liked, nor kissed nearly enough. There was the occasional hand-brushing when they could manage it, but kissing was considerably more difficult. During horseplay, they might have managed a quick peck on the cheek, and if they were lucky, one boy might turned his head slightly to the side and the other would kiss a bit of their mouth. If they wanted to be together, it would have to be in the late hours of the night when James and Peter were fast asleep. They would curl up on a bed (usually Sirius's) and hold each other until the wee hours of the morning, often capturing the other's mouth in theirs in a slow, sweet and tender kiss, much reminiscent of the one they had first shared.

Still, it was becoming more difficult to hide now. Between irregular classes and the constant wariness of the Dark Lord Voldemort rising to power, there hadn't been much time for the two to spend together, save the holidays, and with Remus's parents out of the house, there would be no danger of them getting caught. But the frequent separation between them had taken a considerable toll on both of them, Sirius even more so. Remus could see through the brave face that Sirius so often sported at the deep blue eyes that looked at him with a sense of longing and want. And Remus looked right back at him with those same eyes. Perhaps Sirius was unable to see this reflected look though, because he usually turned away with an expression of joylessness and dejection.

Remus was not used to seeing this sort of dejected look in Sirius's eyes, as it was always Sirius who was the one comforting Remus, usually after the nights of the full moon. Now the roles were reversed, and Sirius needed him.

Gently he traced a finger over Sirius's face, over his finely chiseled cheekbones, his perfectly pointed nose, his smooth chin. Holding the sides of his face in his hands, Remus leaned forward and placed his lips upon Sirius's forehead, kissing it softly, and did the same for his cheeks, nose, and eyelids. His mouth hovered above Sirius's momentarily, noses almost touching, as he opened his eyes partway to look into his. There he saw the look he'd been wanting to see for the entire week, with a hint of vulnerability. They were not so clouded anymore, but shining with warmth, devotion, and love- love for him, Remus.

Unable to stand it any longer, Remus leaned in, but Sirius met him halfway, and their lips met in a surge of tender love and compassion. Sirius's hands found their way into Remus's hair, curling themselves in it, while Remus's crept up his back and clutched his shoulder blades as they melted in to each other in a mass of soft moans and touches.

Remus had already known that Sirius's lips were powerful yet soft, but they still managed to surprise him, encompassing him in a wave of bliss. Sirius's tongue had found its way to Remus's bottom lip and was now tracing it gently, causing Remus to let out a soft groan. Sirius's hands tightened in his hair and pulled his head slightly to the side so that now they were engaged in a full-fledged French kiss.

The kiss lasted almost a minute and was passionate, yet tender, and as they finally parted, Remus could see that Sirius had supposed the same thing. Breathing slightly heavier, the pair gazed at each for awhile, hardly daring to blink. Remus licked his lips but was caught completely unawares when Sirius started kissing his neck and jaw line. The sensation of Sirius's lips against his sensitive skin sent shivers down his spine and he tilted his head to the side to allow him easier access. He caught the scent of pine in Sirius's freshly washed hair and proceeded to lose himself in the aroma of it. They were both dimly aware of the fact that Remus's legs were around Sirius's waist, and there was no way they could be physically closer.

Finally, Sirius's head raised to meet Remus's eyes and upon seeing Remus's look of ecstasy, his face broke out into a gentle and sincere smile. Remus returned the smile and lay his head forward into Sirius's shoulder, and Sirius did the same.

"You're everything to me, Moony," Sirius whispered into Remus's ear.

"I love you, Padfoot," came Remus's husky reply.

They sat in silence for awhile, arms around each other and feeling each other's chest rise and fall with each breath. The only sound came from their breathing which was quickly returning to normal and the dull tick tock from the clock on the wall.

The only interruption came when Sirius finally raised his head and turned to look out to the window.

"What is it?" Remus asked looking up also to where Sirius was gazing.

A slow smile spread across Sirius's face. "It's stopped raining."

FIN