Title: As the Wolf Howls

Author: Winter Plot

Rating: M

Summary: James is convinced werewolves are real. Sirius isn't. Until he befriends a mysterious man named Remus who only appears during the full moon. Can love blossom between them, or will there always be skepticism on where Remus is during the rest of the month?

Warnings: There's not as much loving as you want. Please, don't think of Fenrir as the one from the movie – it's not the look I'm going for with this.

Disclaimer: I don't even own the pants I'm wearing. No joke. They're not mine.

Anyone who's coming back to read this is probably thinking "she's still alive?!" Yes, I am. I don't have any excuses for you besides 'life'. I made sure to make this chapter a little longer than normal. Not that I really remember what 'normal' is…

I can't even believe I have so many reviews – you're all so wonderful. I promise I will respond to all reviews from here on in.

Chapter 12: Fifteenth Moon

"What?" Sirius said. He could feel James's grip tighten around his waist.

"Do you know what kind of pain a man goes through changing into a wolf?" The man asked again, a grin growing on his face.

"Who-" James tried to talk, pulling away from Sirius and shying away from the man at the door.

"Bones snapping, flesh tearing-" The man said, leaning forward and resting his forearm on the doorframe.

Sirius did not shy away like James had. He stood his ground, although he did have a tight grip on the front door. "Who are you?" Sirius asked, tone very serious.

"Fenrir." The man said, leaning back a little and drinking in the two men's frames.

Sirius didn't want to admit it, but this man was actually fairly attractive. He had a strong jaw, short dark hair that was less messy than James's, a tall, lean and strong frame, and startling blue eyes. "And what do you want?" Sirius asked him, pushing his emotions aside.

"Many things." Fenrir smiled, showing more pearly white teeth than was necessary. "But mostly, I want Remus back."

"Sirius?" Remus called out as he entered through the front door into their home. He didn't hear a response, so with a frown on his face he searched the house. It didn't take him long to find the three men in the living room. The bag he was carrying dropped to the floor with a clatter when he saw who was sitting on the couch.

"Remus!" Fenrir said, standing up from his place on the couch and spreading his arms out to show his want of a hug.

"Sit back down." Sirius all but growled at him. Fenrir complied with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Who the fuck IS he?" James said what was on Sirius's mind.

Remus's mouth gapped like a fish. He couldn't seem to get any words out.

"We're old friends." Fenrir said, his eyes not leaving Remus. "I heard rumours that my beautiful little Remmie here managed to break the curse. So I came to visit and see for myself."

Sirius could hear Remus swallow thickly from across the room. He knew something was up. He didn't like the way Fenrir was looking at Remus, but there was no denying that Remus definitely knew who Fenrir was. "Can I talk to you for a moment in private, Remmie." Sirius said, tone biting.

"I'm fine with that." Fenrir said. "Leave me here with this emerald-eyed beauty." He said, winking at James.

James gave Sirius a quick, intense look.

"No one asked you." Sirius snapped at Fenrir as he took Remus's arm and led him towards the kitchen. Remus's eyes didn't leave Fenrir even as Sirius pulled him away.

"Who the fuck is that?" Sirius hissed at him when they were in the safety of their kitchen. "He comes barging in here asking for you. I know we've only been…" Sirius got caught up on his words. "for a month. But you still haven't said anything about your life before me. Tell me now, truthfully, Remus. Who is he? Who is he to call you Remmie?"

Remus opened and closed his mouth a couple times, still seemingly not able to produce words.

"Remus!" Sirius said, grabbing Remus's shoulders with both hands and giving him a quick shake.

"Ah – he's, ah –" Remus glanced over Sirius's shoulder towards the living room. "He's an old friend." He finally managed to get out.

"Bullshit." Sirius spit.

Remus looked up, almost fearfully, at him. "He's- he's…." He swore quickly, looking away from Sirius. "He's my old lover." He finally said.

"Let me get this straight." James said, having settled into one of Sirius's armchairs.

Sirius couldn't make himself sit and was leaning against one of the living room walls, fidgeting with a cup of coffee he had made. Remus was seated on the far end of the same couch as Fenrir – not meeting anyone's eyes. Fenrir was still grinning and hadn't stopped watching Remus since he had sat down.

"You and he-" James stopped and made a face. "-used to fuck?" He looked between the two men on the couch.

"Yes." Fenrir said contradicting Remus's "No."

"Don't be shy, pup." Fenrir said, reaching across the couch to touch Remus's leg.

Sirius literally growled at the action and Fenrir removed his hand, holding them both up in a defensive stance. "Whoa there sexy. Don't bite my head off." His grin betrayed the tone of his words.

Remus was refusing to meet anyone's eyes and was staring straight into the cup of coffee Sirius had given him.

"Well?" Sirius asked Remus. "Did you?"

Remus shrugged. "Maybe." He said, but everyone in the room knew he was admitting to it.

Sirius swore loudly and carded his fingers through his hair.

"It's all water under the bridge." Fenrir said, waving his hand in a dismissive motion. "Or whatever that human saying is."

"So you know about Remus's…. reverse werewolf thing?" James asked, directing the conversation back to the important conversation, worried about what Sirius might do if he was left to dwell on the idea of Fenrir with Remus.

"Wolfwere, I think, is what we're called." Fenrir said, scrunching his nose in contemplation. "And, yes, I know. I used to be one too."

"You were too?" James asked, eyes growing wide.

Remus sighed and finally spoke. "Yes. He used to be part of our community. Everyone wondered where you had run off too, Fenrir."

"No 'Fennie'?" James could hear Sirius mutter under his breath.

Fenrir ignored Sirius. "I managed to beat the curse." Fenrir shrugged, still watching Remus, even if Remus wasn't meeting his gaze. "Just didn't feel like going back to a pack of dogs." He seemed to explain. "I'm assuming you haven't been back to see anyone either since you ran away."

"I have." Remus said, finally looking at Fenrir. "Just last month."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Sirius asked, trying to capture Remus's attention back, he was not liking the way the two former lovers were looking at each other.

"But have you been back since you became human?" Fenrir asked, ignoring Sirius again.

"No." Remus said, seeming to deflate a little. He turned back to staring at his coffee. "I wouldn't know what to say."

"So now we're just men of wolf legend." Fenrir said laughing. His laugh was rich – not fitting of the personality he seemed to have. "Because I'm not telling them how to do it. They fucked me over. I owe them nothing."

"You know how this happened?" Remus's eyes snapped back to Fenrir.

Fenrir seemed a little surprised. "Of course."

"I thought you said being with a man was new to you." Sirius said, getting very angry. He was pacing the kitchen. He had pulled Remus away again before Fenrir could explain.

"I did say I was new at it." Remus said, frowning. "But I meant I was new at being with someone who wasn't like me."

"And how the fuck was I supposed to know that's what you meant?" Sirius tried to keep quiet, but he was almost pulling out his hair in frustration and anger. "Fuck, Remus… I lo-" Sirius let a string of curses leave his lips. "You didn't think to mention him to me?"

"He's not important." Remus said, catching Sirius's arm and looking him the eyes.

"Yeah? Well, I think he is. I think he still thinks he is." Sirius said, biting his bottom lip.

Remus pulled Sirius into him by the jaw, kissing him lightly on the lips. "He doesn't matter to me." Remus punctuated the statement with another kiss.

"You said that wolves mated for life." Sirius whispered to him, lips still inches apart. He had finally wrapped his arms around Remus. "Does that mean… with him?"

Remus pulled back shaking his head. "No. It doesn't work like that. We do mate for life, but there is such a thing as casual sex, Sirius." Remus tried to convey how much he still wanted Sirius through his eyes alone.

"You said that was the first time we fucked." Sirius pointed out.

"But it wasn't casual, was it?" Remus asked.

"No." Sirius agreed.

"Fenrir was…" Remus paused, thinking carefully about how to phrase his thoughts. "was a way to pass time during full moons when we were young." He tried to explain.

Sirius sighed and rested his forehead against Remus's, letting their noses touch. "How many other former lovers are going to come knocking at my door?" He asked.

"There's only you." Remus said.

"You two lovebirds ready to hear my story now?" Fenrir asked, patting the couch for Remus to come sit back down beside him. Sirius kept his spot on the wall. James was being a good friend and was keeping a watch over Fenrir for Sirius.

"Remus is mine." Sirius said, ignoring Fenrir.

Fenrir laughed. "Whatever you say, sweetheart."

"Just tell us." James said, his body still completely tense.

"It's all in the humans." Fenrir said, smiling again. He turned to Sirius. "Let me guess, you love this cute little pup, don't you?"

"Yes." Sirius ground out, unhappy about the nicknames Fenrir had for Remus.

"That's all it needs." Fenrir said, looking at Remus. "You need to have sex with someone who loves you, and essentially, you become fully human." Fenrir laid back on the couch seeming very at home in Sirius's house.

"That's it?" James asked. "That seems easy… and Remus, you didn't know about this?"

Remus shook his head. "No. It was just a legend – that you could… well, as Fenrir puts it, break the curse. No one's ever… no one that we know has ever done it."

"Well, I'm here." Fenrir said, pointing to himself and smiling mischievously. "I did a bit of digging. I managed to pry the information from the Elders." Fenrir paused on 'pry' and let it slip off his tongue as if there was a story behind it. "I tried the theory. It worked." He looked over at James. "And it's much harder than you expect." He glared at the messy-haired man. "You can only meet them once a month for a few hours. It's hard to get someone to love you."

"Remus managed it." Sirius said, looking over at Remus who wouldn't meet his eyes.

"And you're a little…" Fenrir paused, looking Sirius over. "You're the type that falls in love too easily."

Remus frowned. "That's not-" He stopped and cleared his throat, obviously not wanting to say something. "Why didn't you come back and tell us – me?" Remus asked Fenrir, letting on that he and Fenrir had a different relationship than what he had led Sirius to believe.

"Part of me wanted to go back and shove it in their faces, but I wanted this all to myself. I didn't want any of them to be able to achieve what I had. And, I'm sorry, Remmie, but that included you." He laughed suddenly. "But that's changed now that you're human too!"

Sirius growled. "Why are you here for Remus if you already have someone who loves you?"

Fenrir turned to Sirius, mischievous glint in his eye. "I never said we had to love them back to break the curse."

"What are you implying, exactly, Fenrir?" Remus asked him.

"I said I tested the theory. I made the stupid bint fall in love with me. I never loved her back. It worked. I left her." He laughed, happy with himself.

"What're you going to do about Fenrir?" James asked Sirius, sitting down in the office lunch room a few weeks later.

"Don't know. Do I have to do anything? He hasn't showed up since you were there." Sirius said picking at his sandwich. Remus hadn't given Fenrir much time to explain himself before kicking him out. Remus had told Sirius he really didn't want anything to do with Fenrir, but the way he was distancing himself from Sirius seemed to say otherwise.

"Mmnn." James shrugged. "Guess not."

After a few minutes of silence, Sirius spoke. "We haven't had sex since Fenrir showed up."

"I told you Sirius, I don't want to hear about your man-love sessions." James said, skimming a newspaper that had been left on the table.

"That's the point, James. There hasn't been any man-love sessions. It's been over two weeks."

"I wouldn't think too much of it. Remus really seems like he loves you, Sirius." James said, not taking his eyes off the paper.

"He hasn't said it." Sirius said, pouting, not feeling like eating the rest of his sandwich.

At that, James looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. "No?"

"No." Sirius sulked. "And I say it all the bloody fucking time."

James sighed an placed the paper down. "Just… I don't know. Talk to him. Whatever you nancy-boys do."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "I'm not gay, James. I just happened to fall for Remus. Who happens to be a boy."

"That's not what you're eyes said when you were checking out Fenrir!" James laughed, but catching the sour look on Sirius's face he realized it was the wrong thing to say. "I'll ask Lily about it tonight, okay? She'll know what to do." James told him.

"It's okay James. It's kind of a hard thing to explain to her when she doesn't know about the werewolf thing."

James shrugged. "But she always has good advice-"

"No, James. I'll figure it out."

Sirius was waiting for Remus when Remus finally came in the door at past midnight the Friday before full moon.

"Where've you been?" Sirius asked quietly from the couch, making Remus jump.

Remus flicked on the light. "Christ, Sirius, you scared me. What're you doing sitting in the dark this late?" He put his keys on the bench in the front hall and peeled his jacket off.

"What are you doing coming home so late?"

Remus frowned and ignored Sirius and walked down the hall into the kitchen. Sirius followed him slowly.

Remus stopped in the doorway to the kitchen, struck by the scene. Supper, carefully prepared, was sitting on two plates on Sirius's small kitchen table. There were roses and a burnt-out candle sitting on the table as well. "Sirius?" Remus turned around to look at the dark-haired man.

"I thought we could spend a nice night together-" Sirius said, sweeping up the plates. "-seeing as we haven't really had any intimate time in the past while."

"Sirius…" Remus made to stop him, but didn't.

Sirius left the plates on the kitchen counter and leaned back against the sink; eyes closed and fingers in his hair. He sighed. "I just want to know where you were." He said. "I know I don't own you or anything. You're not my dog anymore, but… I'd just like– fuck." Sirius opened his eyes to look at Remus and let his hand fall uselessly at his side. "I'm not good at this 'nancy-boy' stuff, Remus." He said, thinking of James.

"You don't have to be, Sirius." Remus said, not moving from his spot in the doorway. The distance between them seemed so far to Sirius.

"It was Fenrir." Sirius said, knowing why Remus had come home so late without letting Sirius know where he was.

"Yes." Remus said, shame creeping into his voice. They were silent for a minute. "But we didn't-"

"I don't need to know." Sirius told him. "Just. Just don't tell me. I don't want to know." Sirius sighed again. "You know I'm not keeping you here."

"I want to be here, Sirius." Remus told him. "I want to be with you."

Sirius looked up at Remus with a pained expression. "Do you? You realize what you just did, right?"

Remus didn't say anything, afraid of what Sirius would think of his answer.

"You snuck out to be with your ex-lover. You didn't tell me. You tried to hide it-"

"I didn't!" Remus yelled.

"Well, you're being damn secretive about it." Sirius hissed. "If you don't feel comfortable telling me, then you're obviously doing something wrong."

"I didn't mean to-"

"Fuck!" Sirius yelled, punching the kitchen countertop. He sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time that night. "How many times?" He asked with his head touching the edge of the counter and his eyes hidden by his hair.

"It's only beers and catching up on things." Remus told him, watching the way the muscles were moving in Sirius's back. "It's harmless-"

"How many times?"

"I just lost track of-"

"How many times?" Sirius kept asking, voice getting more and more strained.

"I don't know." Remus admitted.

Sirius could feel his heart clench. "Give me a ballpark." He said, trying to keep as much emotion out of his voice as he could.

"More than 10." Remus said truthfully. He could see Sirius's body tense.

"I'm trying my best to not get angry here, Remus." Sirius said, head and hand still resting on the counter. "I'm just sorry I assumed. I just thought since I went through this whole 'you're a fucking dog' thing, told you I loved you, let you move in with me, I don't know… I thought we were exclusive or something."

"We are." Remus said, afraid to reach out and touch Sirius.

"Don't lie." Sirius said, voice cracking.

"I'm not." Remus said. "I'm just having trouble coming to terms with being human and Fenrir-"

"And you can't talk to me?" Sirius said, standing again finally. There were tears welling in his eyes. "You don't think I'd listen? Don't think I'd care?"

"I do, I just-"

"Forget it." Sirius scrubbed the back of his hand across his face to rid his eyes of tears. He put on a stony face and swept past Remus into the hall.

"Where are you going?" Remus asked, following him.

"To see James." Sirius said, slipping on his coat. "I'll be back whenever." He said while grabbing his keys. He took a moment to pause at the door and look back at Remus, who didn't know what to say, then without another word, swept out the door.

Winter: I've been having a super hard time writing in this short format. I miss my descriptive words! Also, I think I need to stop listening to trance when writing – I end up with some strange things. I definitely miss the humour. I just don't think things are quite humorous right now.

Please don't hate me – just leave a review. It would be nice to know if anyone's still interested in me finishing this.

All my love to my patient readers!