Riding Lessons

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Harry Potter, or any of the characters mentioned in this story, unless stated otherwise. Rated for some sexual content, violence and language. Any similarities to real life are purely coincidence and I will not be held responsible! Thanks!

WARNING: WILL CONTAIN SLASH (male on male), slight kinkiness, and AU-ness!! Ye be warned

Author's Note: another one of those annoying one-shots I like to write in the middle of the night when I should be sleeping, but am up writing to prove I can stay up for 48 hours straight, never mind the fact that I can barely see straight even with my glasses on. Wow, run-on sentence. Anyhow, without further ado here is the story!

By the by, this is DEFINITELY AU. Like it or leave it…or die; those are the options. XD

PS. – This has been sitting on my computer for-EVER. Ever. And I just got round to finishing. XD

XXX

Sirius Black stood, bored, as the middle-aged, rather plump woman in front of him droned on and on and on about how to correctly saddle a horse so as not to discomfort the animal, and not go taking a tumble either. He wasn't really paying attention, but merely stood, absently stroking the dark mane of the tall chestnut mare before him.

She was gorgeous, he thought absently as he petted her. Absolutely gorgeous… The horse, of course; not the plump middle-aged woman who didn't seem to be capable of shutting up. The horse, for her part, seemed to sense he was different from most people who passed through Windermere stables for riding lessons. And it was true. Sirius was a wizard – a wand-carrying, magical, pureblood wizard.

At seventeen (just recently turned too no less) Sirius had been sent off by his parents for ten days of what they liked to call "equestrian training" and he liked to call, "fucking bullshit". But as his parents had already made up their minds, and as it was a ready-made excuse to not be in their company (he and his folks had never gotten on very well…or at all), he went along with it. Now he was here for ten entire fucking days at the mercy of this dumb woman and her staff. Great.

He suddenly wished that he had taken up the offer from his best mate, James Potter, to come and kip over at his house for the summer, but he had gone and resolutely refused, insisting he would be a bother. He did have plans to go up and spend a good few weeks there, however, and he would have done so even if he had liked his parents.

A sigh eased its way from between his lips, as his imagination wandered, and his gaze followed in its wake. He took in the woody, horse smells, the copious amounts of lumber the building had been constructed with, a rather sexy young man with a half-buttoned shirt that toned muscles peeked out from behind, loads of hay and, wait a second. Rewind.

Sirius' gaze flicked back to the young man, who was attempting to adjust the stuck part of a bridle. His hands looked rough and work-worn, and he had a cowboy hat dipping low over his face. Sirius could still see his lean hard body through the faded, worn out Wranglers he wore, and gulped. He wiped at his chin to make quite sure he wasn't drooling. Thank Merlin…nothing.

Then the young man (though he appeared to be a few years Sirius' senior) caught his eye, and Sirius found himself drowning in the tawniest, most startlingly amber eyes he had ever seen, just visible below the brim of the hat.

"Sirius Black?" The voice startled him, and he trained his eyes back on the plump, middle-aged woman who had been instructing them. She and everyone else had their eyes fixed upon him.

"Huh?"

"I asked if you'd like to try blanketing Pearl." She patted the chestnut mare's soft neck. Sirius glanced back up to where the young man had been standing, but he was gone. Damn.

"Yeah…yeah sure…"

XXX

Sirius stood outside the smaller barn, where the foals and yearlings were kept until sold off or moved into the main barn, staring up at the night sky with its smattering of stars, and smoking.

He was just thinking about how he would have to cut back as he only had two thirds of his pack to last the rest of the week, when a voice cut through the darkness.

"Those things will kill you y'know."

He looked across the little yard thingy at the lean figure approaching him in the dim evening light. He caught the silhouette of cowboy hat and his breath caught. Oh man…it was the stable boy from before.

He shrugged nonchalantly as the other boy stood in front of him, and pulled hard on the fag.

"I'm sure your parents would want you to quit," the young man continued, tipping back his hat to look at Sirius proper. He was a tad less than handsome, but certainly a far cry from unattractive. Sirius found the amber eyes the best feature on the face, and stared at them.

"They're the reason I started."

The boy stuck out his hand. "Remus Lupin."

Sirius eyed the hand, rough from farm work, with long tapered fingers and thin palms. They looked more suited to be wrapped around books or his co- no. Don't think about that. "Sirius-"

"Black. I know. So…you're a wizard." It wasn't a question, more a statement of fact.

"Don't know what you're on about mate," Sirius replied, tossing the butt of his fag to the ground and stepping on it. He lit another. Mostly just for something to do.

Remus was smirking. "I see a lot of people come through here, and you aren't like any of them. I know you're a wizard. But no worries, your secret is safe with me."

Sirius inclined his chin toward him vaguely. "So you're one too then?"

The boy nodded. Sirius grunted and smoked some more of his cigarette. There was a rather awkward, but oddly not uncomfortable, silence. "So why are you here anyway, pureblood like you?" Remus asked conversationally, but his tone was a little heavy with distaste. Sirius rolled his eyes. Great.

"'Cause my parents are fucking useless tools and would rather I 'learn a proper, respectable sport' than spend the summer with my best mate at the Quidditch World Cup." Remus lifted a brow. "And no," Sirius continued, "I'm not buying into that pureblood bull, so you don't have to act like I'm some pampered little sod. I'm just a regular guy, got it?"

"Whatever you say," said Remus equably. There was some more silence.

"So what exactly do you do around here?" Sirius asked after a bit.

Remus smiled and leaned back against the rough wood of the barn wall. "Feed and water horses, fix things, whatever needs doing. The usual."

A smirk had wended its way onto Sirius' lips. Those perfectly chiseled, pouty, aristocratic lips. "What if I had something that needed doing?"

Remus looked at this…this boy. Surely he wasn't…was he? "That would depend what it was." There was no way this boy was hitting on him. Did he come off as that gay? He didn't think so…

Sirius paused with his half smoked cigarette halfway to his mouth. Moving to stand facing the stable hand, he lowered the burning fag again to thigh level. He was too close, Remus thought suddenly. What if someone came out and saw him here with one of the visitors? He would be fired for sure. And then Sirius was leaning in, far too intimately to be innocent (what had he gotten himself into?) and said huskily against his ear, "What if it were my cock?" Then he pulled away laughing.

It was absurd how bold he was being. Even for him. And he defined boldness. He hadn't even told James he was gay yet, and here he was, hitting on and talking dirty to this guy he hardly knew! What the fuck?

He smiled at the boy as he blushed a dark red, and pulled on his fag, stepping away.

"You don't strike me as the pouf-y sort."

Sirius shrugged again. He should hope not. He did have a reputation to uphold. "Yeah well…"

Remus smirked. "Not told anyone then?"

Sirius glowered and pulled hard from his cigarette, blowing the smoke furiously out, snorting derisively. "Yeah, can you just imagine the look on my dear mum's face? Fuck…do I look like I have a death wish to you?"

The smirk only grew on Remus' lips. He could play ball with this boy. He reached out and tugged suggestively on a belt loop on Sirius' jeans. "Oh you look like you have a lot of things," his gaze flicked down to the front of Sirius' jeans, "to me."

Then, Sirius wasn't really sure how, or why, he felt the gentle flutter of lips over his own, and his eyelids drooped of their own accord. He surged forward, capturing Remus' mouth, licking the other boys' lip. Remus jerked away.

What the fuck was he thinking? This was stupid, he wasn't going to lose his job over some horny boy who wanted a roll in the hay with him (however much he wanted to roll in the hay with said boy).

Sirius looked up at him with confused eyes. "Why-?"

"I can't do this. You're…you're a kid, I'm…I won't lose my job."

"I'm not a child. I'm legally an adult in my world."

"Yeah well…not here."

Sirius stiffened. "Fine. Whatever." And tossing his fag to the ground, he strode away, back to his room and the hard, uncomfortable bed.

XXX

The next morning found Sirius with the others in his group, finally astride a horse, several of the younger girls (they must have been no more than twelve, good Merlin this was atrocious) looking alarmed, but Sirius slouched, bored, and toyed with the reins in his hands.

It was all atrociously boring here. And the only thing that could possibly liven things up would be to have crazy wild sex with that damnable stable boy. Huh. Loads of fun this was going to be…

"All right Sirius," said the plump woman from yesterday as she moved over. "Lets see you and Pearl give a nice walk around the ring, shall we?"

Sirius didn't reply, merely nudged the animal into motion and led her in a smooth circle around the paddock. The woman beamed happily when he came back. "Oh well it looks as though Pearl has most definitely taken a shine to you, dear. That was excellent!"

Sirius grimaced. Sure, whatever she said…

"I think you might even be able to move ahead to the intermediate group, dear," the woman continued, patting the horse.

"Lovely," Sirius said in a bored voice.

"Let me just have a word with the instructor. Five minute break everyone!" she called, and the several frightened looking ones slid down off their horses. "Be right back dear, just need to have a word with Mr. Lupin." She bustled off and Sirius stared after her. Lupin… Why was that familiar?

He shrugged it off, turning to rub his horse's neck affectionately. She looked at him with soft, tender eyes and he smiled. "Good work," he murmured silently.

"Just over here Remus!" said the middle-aged woman's voice and Sirius looked up. Remus. Fuck! That's why the name was so familiar! The tall stable hand was moving forward in the woman's wake, eyeing Sirius critically.

"Do you mind if I see for myself Gloria?" he asked politely and the woman nodded, gesturing to Sirius to do the lap again. Sirius did, and to the end, nudged Pearl forward into an easy trot. Remus' face was emotionless, giving nothing away, but Gloria looked fit to be bursting.

"And this is the first day we've been on the horses! He's had no training, and Pearl just…seems to do as he thinks. Was I not right, Remus? Can you squeeze him into your group?"

Remus nibbled his lower lip. The boy did have talent; it was pretty obvious. But did he want the boy in his group? Working with him for Merlin knew how long? Not particularly. The urge to train him though, harness that raw talent and possibly make something of it was tempting as sin though. Possibly more tempting than the boy himself… And damn, was he ever tempting.

Remus sighed as Gloria looked at him expectantly. "Yeah, I can. Some people had to cancel."

"Excellent! Let us start immediately!"

XXX

Sirius winced as he sunk onto the step outside his 'cabin' where he slept only because he was afraid snakes would bite him if he slept outside. His inner thighs were so sore he thought he might just die. Riding a horse all day was murder (why had no one told him?) on the legs, and even breathing seemed to hurt.

He pulled his packet of fags from his pocket, along with his Muggle lighter, lighting the smoke casually. "If you're going to be serious about this riding business, you'll have to quit those," said Remus softly, and Sirius looked up. He hadn't seen the boy approach.

Sirius snorted. "I'm Sirius about everything. And I'm only here for another eight days, then I'm getting the fuck out."

Remus smirked. "Too tough for you?"

"Too stupid actually." Remus shook his head and the silence rose up between them. Sirius pulled on his smoke. "So you say you're a wizard, eh? How come I never saw you at Hogwarts?"

Remus shrugged, and moved to sink beside Sirius on the stoop. "Didn't go."

"So…you're a Squib?"

"No, I just never went to Hogwarts, alright?" Remus growled, amber eyes flashing angrily, and Sirius pulled back.

"Sorry," he said after a moment.

"Don't worry," Remus sighed. He made to stand. "You'd better get some sleep, we'll be up early tomorrow."

Sirius caught his arm, holding him on the step. "I really am sorry. Don't leave because I'm a jerk. Please…"

Remus smiled lightly and remained seated. "Well I suppose I could hang 'round for a bit."

Sirius smiled back. "Tell me about yourself?"

Remus sighed. Where to start… "I'm, like you, a wizard. I don't like the big city, it's far too confining for me. I've lived out here for…ages. I grew up around here. I've worked at the ranch for several years now, first part-time, then full time a couple years ago." He laughed. "What else?"

Sirius shrugged, smiling. "It's your life!"

There was a comfortable lull in conversation. Sirius stretched his legs out and lounged rather uncomfortably. The step dug into his back. His gaze slanted across to Remus, who looked back at him, eyes the colour of honeyed amber in the dull light of the half-moon. He leaned in closer, their mouths gently gravitating together.

Remus knew it was wrong. Against policy and all that toss, but right then, feeling the soft warm breath of the other boy on his lips, practically tasting him without even kissing him, he didn't particularly care. He could barely breathe, and his heart skipped a beat as their lips closed in, and Sirius' tongue darted out, wetting his dry lips.

"Do you want to kiss me?" he breathed softly.

"…Yes." Remus pulled him closer by his chin, and caressed his lips. "Yes." He spoke without hesitation this time, and Sirius' hands threaded through his hair as their mouths opened hotly on one another. His cigarette lay forgotten, burning away in the dirt beside him, having dropped from his grip as their mouths closed in on one another.

Remus pulled the boy closer, trying to breathe in his scent as they snogged passionately, because he knew that by the time the sun painted the scenic country around them red and pink with the first light of dawn, he would regret it. But now, now all he really knew was he wanted this boy, and he would be hell damned if he wouldn't have him. His long fingered hands that Sirius had unconsciously fantasized about gripped the dark-haired youth's hips firmly, and Sirius followed their pressure, and moved to sit on Remus' lap, arms twining around the elder boy's neck.

Neither of them spoke, as words had become obsolete. They were firing on purely animal instinct, and when Sirius licked across Remus' jugular, feeling the pounding of his heart through the warm skin, he bit down, sucking ravenously. Remus bucked upwards, revealing his equally hard cock and Sirius ground his own trapped erection back, their pelvises rolling and thrusting with the ease that come with youth and experience.

Suddenly Remus pulled back. "We can't…not out here. Anyone could see…" Sirius nodded curtly, and made to drag the elder boy back into his little cabin thing, put Remus gripped his hand instead. "Follow me," he said, his voice deep and husky and Sirius followed obediently.

He felt the breath leave his lungs slightly as Remus pushed him hard up against the door to one of the horse's stalls, and barely caught it before the other boy attacked his mouth again. He reached around and gripped the elder boy's arse, pressing it hard into his crotch. Remus moaned and ground their pelvises together as his mouth opened hotly over Sirius' frantic pulse point.

"God…" the darker haired youth moaned hoarsely as Remus' hands slid greedily up under his t-shirt. He yelped as the sharp sting of pain radiated from his left nipple and then groaned a guttural sound of pleasure as blood rushed to the point and Remus let the nub go. He could feel the boy smiling into his collarbone.

"I'm going to guess this is your first time with another bloke."

Sirius tried to look offended, but Remus merely nipped at his lower lip, biting lightly, eyes almost glowing like molten fire in the almost non-existent light. He was confident in his assumption.

So as not to be outdone, Sirius pressed his back more firmly against the rough wood of the stall door, a sliver of moonlight separating their heated bodies now. He trailed a seemingly timid hand down Remus' front and the boy watched it in fascination as it dipped into the open collar of his shirt briefly, then continued downward. With all the finesse and arrogance his surname provided, Sirius cupped the other boy's balls lightly through his jeans, gently stroking, his thumb running electrifyingly up the length of Remus' now very hard cock.

The boy bucked instinctually into the touch and one of his elegant, long-fingered hands that Sirius wanted to have all over his body threaded though the soft black hair of his client-turned-lover. The other slid over his shoulder and around to the latch for the empty stall.

They stumbled backward before Sirius' Quidditch honed reflexes and balance kicked in, and he righted them. Remus merely smirked, and rubbed his crotch suggestively over Sirius' own trapped erection and their lips and tongue met again in a haze of hot wetness that left them panting.

Together they fell into the pile of soft, clean hay that stood waiting in the corner for the stall's next occupant and the cloying smell of it wafted up into their nostrils. A neighbouring horse peered over the side and eyed them disdainfully as Remus' shirt went across the small confined space and Sirius' soon followed.

Remus licked his lips lasciviously. Sirius looked good enough to fucking eat, all tanned perfectly and toned exquisitely as he was. He bent his head and took the boy's sensitive nipple into his mouth, suckling wantonly and making Sirius mewl and pant and groan all at the same time.

"Fucking Christ," he muttered as Remus released the now thoroughly abused nub and moved onto the other. "That feels so fucking good…"

"Just wait until you feel it on your cock," Remus murmured back, holding back his chuckle.

Sirius bucked his hips just thinking about it, his erection straining against the fabric of his pants to the point he thought he might just tear them.

Remus continued to kiss down his chest and torso, recklessly biting and sucking at whim, sure that there would be the telltale signs the next morning. He felt deliciously sinful as his mouth plundered Sirius' homosexual innocence (his other forms of innocence having been pillaged long ago). He knew it was wrong, but he kept doing it anyhow, reveling and delighting in the wrongness of it. Besides, he certainly wasn't forcing the boy, as Sirius pushed impatiently at his shoulders, urging him lower.

He unbuttoned Sirius' jeans with a teasing slowness that made Sirius ache and took an even longer amount of time easing the zipper down. The black-haired youth raised his hips obligingly as Remus kissed the tender skin over the left side of his pelvis and pulled his jeans and underpants down in one fluid motion. His own cock was aching, but he pushed the thought away. He wanted to watch Black squirm before he took him and fucked him into oblivion.

Sirius hissed as Remus blew gently on the weeping head of his cock, the agonizing pleasure almost too much to bear. "Fuck, just fucking suck it already you sadistic bastard," he muttered, mostly to himself.

"Mmm…but it's much more fun to tease you," Remus retorted, his lips brushing with the slightest amount of contact over Sirius' cock, causing the impressive organ to twitch with need.

One of those delicious, long fingers, the sort that should be floating over ivory piano keys or wrapped around a guitar neck, or even better, fisting Sirius' cock, disappeared momentarily into Remus' mouth, then slid deliberately along the ridge of Sirius' member, making his eyes roll backward in their sockets and the moving air through the lofty building caressed the trail of moisture that was left sweetly.

Remus finally took pity on the boy, and the tip of his tongue caressed the heavy sac of his balls, making him groan deeply, sliding upward to the tip of his hard-on, tasting the several drops of pre-come that beaded there. His hand slid around the circumference of his cock and he pumped it while suckling softly on the head of him.

Sirius gasped and stared at the other young man rapturously. He'd never met anyone like him before…and he liked it. He didn't swoon under Sirius' considerable charm and didn't try to be his friend. He didn't seem to care what other people thought and he gave a fucking excellent blowjob to boot. His heart pounded in his chest and his gaze locked with Remus' as an indecent number of inches of cock disappeared into his mouth.

His cheeks hollowed as he sucked hard on Sirius cock, letting the throbbing organ slide over the grooves in his teeth as Sirius hissed his pleasure and gripped fistfuls of his sandy hair. He'd given his fair share of blowjobs in his life, but something about this one was entirely different than any other he'd given. He was actually enjoying himself.

Normally he merely fellatioed whomever his partner happened to be to get them hard or because that's what they wanted him to do, but as he felt his cock straining against his Wranglers, he realized that he was enjoying this possibly as much as Sirius. He was actually getting off on sucking him.

He felt Sirius tensing, and realized he was on the verge of coming, and hurriedly pulled away, causing the boy to roar in frustration at having his euphoric relief snatched away so neatly. Remus watched as he opened his mouth to speak, but when he kissed him, rubbing his now very prominent pants-bulge against Sirius' cock, knew the words died on his rather tasty lips.

Their tongues explored the other's mouth languidly, unhurriedly, in the way young people have of knowing they have an entire night in which to kiss and make love. Sirius, however, was far from patient, and tugged fruitlessly at his lover's pants, which he was still unfortunately clad in.

Remus couldn't suppress his chuckle, and reached down with one hand, the other being busy supporting his weight over Sirius, and hurriedly undid the fastenings on his pants. Sirius was there to tug them and his underwear down to his knees, and Remus managed to kick the offending clothing the rest of the way off.

Sirius' eyes devoured him, from the mouth-watering length of his impressive cock that stood at full attention, up his cowboy-chiseled abdomen and pectoral muscles to the smooth expanse of his broad shoulders, up his neck and finally, to his eyes. He found his mouth could form only a single word. "Please," he rasped, voice heavy and deep with his need.

Remus covered him with himself and kissed his mouth passionately. "Are you sure?"

"Please," Sirius repeated, dizzy with desire. "Fuck…please."

Remus shifted his legs apart, careful not to brush the boy's oversensitive erection, and this time two of his fingers disappeared into his mouth and came out slick with his saliva. Sirius tensed as he felt the slightly cool fingers pressing to his entrance. "Relax," Remus commanded softly, and Sirius took a deep breath, willing every muscle in his body to relax. He wanted this. He wanted this rather badly, but he knew in some primal part of his brain, that it was going to hurt like a motherfucker. He shifted slightly as Remus' fingers stole the last of his innocence, and he grunted slightly in discomfort as the pair of digits twisted and flexed within him, searching, searching…

Pleasure clouded his vision as the fingers found their destination of that glorious little bundle of nerve endings. Remus smirked broadly at him, and gently curled his fingers as he slid the in and out, ensuring continued pressure on the boy's prostate. He felt a supreme sense of animal satisfaction as Sirius moaned and gasped beneath him from his touch and without breaking the gentle rhythm he had set, slid another finger into the boy's arse.

"I'm going to fuck you now," Remus warned, pulling his fingers away, and Sirius, who wasn't really paying attention. Merely whimpered at the loss of contact on his new favourite body part.

The elder boy shrugged, and pressed the head of his cock, almost purple from denying himself so bloody long, and resisted the urge to just pound in and out of the clinging heat he knew awaited him. He slid in slowly, watching as Sirius' eyes grew wide at the intrusion, and then softened as his prostate was massaged again, and his teeth sunk into his lower lip as the temptation to merely shove the rest brutally in grew.

Instead, inch by agonizingly blissful inch slid in at a snail's pace, making the ever-impatient Sirius finally reach around, grab Remus' exposed buttocks, and pull him fully into him, finally eliciting a groan from the sandy-haired boy.

"Jesus, if you say you're going to fuck me, at least do it quick so I can bloody well come."

Remus slid out of his passage, and Sirius was left for one panic-stricken heartbeat where he thought Remus might just get up and leave him there, halfway to coming. The sandy haired youth simply smirked, and slid his cock back in, fast and deep, and Sirius felt like he might just die from the exquisite ever so poignant pleasure of it.

His newfound lover's cock dragged over his prostate at the perfect angle and he arched terrifically. Remus set a dizzying pace, plunging in and out of the tight heat of Sirius' arse like a man possessed, and Sirius found himself completely and entirely aware of every nuance of his body. He could hear his heartbeat pounding its never-ending rhythm loudly in his ears, feel every last muscle in his body coiling and uncoiling as he arched again, could smell the pervading scent of hay and the sweat that slicked both of their bodies now, and taste his own desire in his mouth as it threatened to choke him.

Just when the sensations reached their terrifying crescendo, he felt an orgasm rip itself from the pit of his stomach, his sinuous muscles clenching as his come exploded forcefully between their sweating bodies. Remus watched as he rode out every last drop of ecstasy, eye clenched tightly shut, and it was the sight of this magnificent fallen god in the throes of passion combined with the squeezing sensation around his cock as he slammed in one last time that he lost his own sanity, and joined Sirius in the plush, luxuriant completion of a righteous fuck.

His muscles gave out as he emptied himself inside the still panting and heaving boy below him, and he pulled out just as he lost the strength to hold himself aloft. They lay there, both sweating, trying to bring their heart rates back into the realm of normalcy and catch their breath. Words weren't able to express anymore, but Sirius, an indistinguishable amount of time later, spoke the closest and perhaps best word. "Fuck," he said, feeling so completely spent he might just have to sleep here tonight.

"Mmm," Remus murmured in agreement. He wanted nothing more than to sleep, but he knew that if he got up now, some sort of spell would be broken, and he would finally start feeling all those horrible guilty feelings he should have felt the moment Sirius' lips touched his own.

They lay there some more, both wanting bed but neither willing to move to get it. Finally, Remus levered himself away from Sirius, and sat up, looking about for his discarded clothing. Their neighbour looked over the divide between stalls again and snorted lightly at them. Remus fixed him with a look, and the horse gave them one last amused look before returning to whatever it is that horses do when no one sees them.

Once they were both properly garbed again, Sirius made to stand, and winced at the tenderness in his backside. It had felt lovely at the time, but he could tell by the morning came rightfully, it was going to be a bitch to try to even sit on a horse, let alone ride one.

"You'll get used to it," Remus said softly, and let them both out of the stall. Sirius smiled, beamed really, and picked a stray piece of straw from his partner's hair.

"Excellent," he declared, and a most awkward silence followed promptly. "So…" he drawled, not sure what to say. Most of his other sexual relationships had been classified under the 'Wham' 'Bam' and/or 'Thank you Ma'am' categories, so he was most unused to this feeling of wanting to say the right thing so as the youth standing opposite him would want to see him again.

Remus tried to feel bad about just having his way with this young boy in a stall, but somehow, the feelings didn't come. "So."

"Can I…that is, would you mind if…if I saw you again?" Sirius stuttered, feeling quite out of his depth. Remus couldn't help the small smile that quirked his lips upward.

"I'd like that."

Sirius smiled, and pulled a smoke from the package in his pants and lit it just for something to do. "Tomorrow?"

Remus nodded. "Meet me here at ten o'clock." Sirius nodded, and with a small, rather chaste kiss on the lips, moved back to his cabin. Remus watched the little orange glow of his cigarette until it disappeared completely from sight, and headed back to his own bed.

XXX

It was the morning of the last day of Sirius' stay, and while he was tempted to stay on just to be with Remus longer, he didn't want to attract unwanted attention and certainly didn't want the handsome cowboy youth to be fired on his account. So as he stood waiting for Remus to finish with a new group of students who wished to learn to ride, he thought back to every memorable night they had stolen together.

The first of those nights would be burned permanently into his memory, as it was by far the best time he had ever had with another human being. And in the nights that followed, amid the length of rope Remus tied him in once, and the ardent hungry kisses; amid the fierce summer heat and the ever present smell of sweet hay, bittered by hints of horse manure; he had realized he was desperately in love with this poor, exiled young wizard. At least he thought it might be love. It was hard to tell, which only added to his belief it was, in fact, love.

And now here he was, about to be on his way back to the hellhole he called home, and there came Remus, ready to see him off.

They wandered out of eyesight of everyone else, into the significantly cooler barn where they had first made love. The horse that had eyed them was still in his stall, and snorted his greetings to these now familiar humans who seemed to make a habit of visiting the stall next door and making an ungodly amount of noise at night.

"So this is goodbye then," said Sirius glumly.

Remus smiled softly at him, and tilted his head up so his lover would look him in the blindingly pure amber of his eyes. "We'll meet again some day." Sirius looked politely doubtful. Remus gripped his face with both hands. "We will. And I can guarantee it will be when we least expect it, just like it was this time around."

Sirius smiled a bit. "Well then…I'll see you around."

Remus leaned in and their lips met for one achingly blissful moment that Sirius tried to hold onto, but that slipped like smoke between his fingers. "Yes," Remus replied.

He made to turn and go back to work, but Sirius caught his hand. "Remus, wait." The sandy-haired boy smiled patiently and didn't pull his hand from Sirius' grip. "I…I…fuck. I…love you."

Remus' smile turned slightly rueful. "Sirius, I-"

"I know that it sounds stupid and juvenile, but I do. I know I do, and it's not ever going to change."

Remus tried not to smile, as he realized Sirius was attempting to be serious (the pun in itself forcing a smile onto his lips). "I believe you. And I think I feel the same, but…"

Sirius sighed miserably. "I know."

"Even if we can't be together Sirius, know that I never once regretted anything that happened between us. And I wish you only the best."

They hugged briefly, until Remus heard someone calling his name, and he grimaced slightly. "See you later then," he murmured, and pecked the boy quickly, one last time, on the lips, and departed.

Sirius watched him leave, a feeling of profound sadness washing over him.

XXX

"So how was the 'riding lessons'?" James asked as Sirius flopped casually onto the camp bed his parents had set up for his guest in his bedroom.

Sirius tossed his bag down and stretched out as a grin that would put to shame any sort of Cheshire Cat spread over his lips. "Not what I expected, honestly."

"So, are you a big horse fan now then, or what?" James asked, laughing slightly.

Sirius smirked. "No. But I do support the riding of cowboys to save horses now."

THE END

XXX

Author's Note: and on that I shall leave it. Damn, this was long. Eh heh…don't blame me if you all got a headache from reading a computer screen too long…blame Decimare, it was her idea to keep it a one-shot. So please review my lovelies, and now I have but one word. Cheers!!