Remus Lupin's List

Rating: M (for language)
Pairing: RL/SB
Word count: ~2,725
Disclaimer: Nothing you recognise belongs to me!
Summary: Remus has lost his list of things to do before he dies, and he knows who's stolen it.
A/N: Thank you to everyone who read, reviewed and favourite-d my last story, I honestly didn't expect that much of a positive response as I hadn't ever written smut before. This is unbeta-d so all mistakes are mine. Enjoy!

My list of things to do before I die:
1 - See the cure or a least a suitable remedy to lycanthropy.
2 - Attend James and Lily's wedding, because they will get there eventually.
3 - Buy my parents a big house with more than one bathroom!
4 - Pass all my NEWTS with at least Es.
5 - Read every novel my Grandad left for me, only ten to go!
6 - Get a job, a paid job.
7 - See the end of this 'wizarding war'
8 - Have three birthdays in a row without a Full Moon near.
9 - Persuade Sirius not to buy that motorbike/machine of certain doom..
10 - Persuade James to persuade him not to buy that motorbike/machine of certain doom.
11 - Persuade Lily to persuade James to persuade him not to buy that motorbike/machine of certain doom.
12 - Mysteriously loose the machine of certain doom when he ignores all your helpful attempts to keep him out of St. Mungos.
13 - (and for the impossible achievement at the end of the this) Get him.

{-}

"Oh for fuck's sake!" Remus Lupin cursed loudly into the deserted dormitory, overturning his 'overflow' sock draw, examining its spilled contents then throwing it to the side with a crash. It was his birthday and he couldn't find it, he'd wanted to cross something out today too.
His list. His list of things he wanted to do before he died. It was missing and Remus was going spare looking for it.

If anyone happened to walk in at that moment they'd first be greeted by a sight quite similar to how they might imagine a house's contents to look after the Blitz in 1940, and they'd probably be able to smell a faint stink of sweaty feet, due to the mountain of socks that were making Remus' insides flip when he though about how long it was going to take him to put them back in thickness and colour order. They'd hear a mixture of curses as clattering as the werewolf dove under his bed, shoving boxes and books and empty chocolate wrappings out of his way to try and find his list.

"Shitshitshitshit on a thestral fucking STICK!" Remus re-emerged from under his bed and ran a hand through his hair, leaving one golden tuft sticking up at the top so he resembled a baby owl. If his list, which he hadn't even discussed with the others wasn't in any of his hiding places (he deliberately had lots just in case) then it had been stolen and that meant a lot of bother.

For instance, if James found it he'd probably turn a dark magenta at the mention of his and Lily's marriage, they weren't even dating yet and Lily had sworn Remus to secrecy when he discovered that Lily actually liked James. A lot. He'd have a joke about the motorcycle thing, not quite grasping that Sirius was going to seriously ("No pun intended- No shut up Sirius, it's been six years now and it wasn't funny the first time!" "It was.") injure himself if he went tinkering with that Hell vehicle. But worst of all, Remus would get the look.

The look would come when James read Remus' third wish, to buy his parents the house they deserved for looking after him so well for so long. Remus would get the look because James was rich, dirt rich - and Remus, Remus wasn't dirt poor, but he was wearing the same sweater that his mother could only just afford for him three years ago although it was beginning to fray and was several sizes too small and his cloak had hand sown elbow patches made from his father's brown coat pockets. James would never have to worry about his parents, Remus worried everyday.

The last point on his list would definitely stick in James' mind, but James didn't involve himself in Remus' love life - he still had the faint pucker of a scar from the time he tried to set Remus up and after that he kept his distance. James would feel obliged to talk to Remus about his list, make sure he was alright, that nothing was bothering him and "You know you can always come to me if you need to talk Moony." That conversation would have lead to the returning of his list - but it hadn't happened and James would have had all night to talk, Remus didn't have his list so neither did James.

Peter would have found the list and shaken his head with a small smile at all the mentions of Padfoot's death machine. He was the only other Marauder who could appreciate the fact that Sirius was probably going to dieif he bought this blasted bike because he lost an uncle in a motor biking accident a few years back. Unfortunately Wormtail was also shit scared of Sirius so wouldn't dare say anything to change his mind. Peter may wonder about who 'him' was, but at the same time he might skim over it completely. Whatever he thought, Peter would return his list immediately with profuse apologies or even sneak it back to where he found it - but it wasn't here!

"Ughhh!" Remus growled in frustration, kicking his abandoned draw and then clutching his throbbing foot. He was in deep trouble.

IF Sirius found the list – and Remus had a terrible squirmy urge that he had – then there was no way he was getting it back with a simple conversation, definitely not with an apology. Sirius, Sirius was different.

Sirius would find this whole list hilarious, call him a nerd for wanting to read all the musty books that Remus' Grandfather had left him and for striving to achieve realistic grades rather than just flunking everything and getting 100% anyway. Sirius would make a completely naïve comment about his motorbike and avoid listening to him with a sarcastic comment like, 'Oh Moony, I didn't know you cared!', then he'd say something ridiculously sweet regarding Remus' parent's house and if they hadn't already, just from the sight of him, or the sound of his laugh, Remus' insides would completely turn to jelly.

It was in fourth year, three years ago, that Remus first started noticing little things about Sirius. He'd never had a girlfriend before, he'd been attracted to girls, sure, but he'd never dated someone. His Dad said that he hadn't had a girlfriend until sixth year so there was nothing to worry about, even though Remus wouldn't dare be in a relationship. No teenage girl wants to date a werewolf. Then one frosty November morning Sirius hit planet Remus' Hormones and he'd been harbouring his growing affection for the boy ever since.

Little things, like the way Sirius quirked up one eyebrow when he was interested in something, how he'd bite the inside of his lip or tap the end of his quill against his nose when seeking inspiration. Slowly, as the months went on, Remus would notice things that were of a greater significance, like the way Sirius smelt after a long day out under the beech tree by the lake, how he'd come in from quidditch practice, his long, dark fringe stuck to his forehead with sweat, and emerge from the bathroom ten minutes or so later, usually with a towel wrapped around his privates, once, completely naked because he forgot and thought the dorm room was empty.

From his place crouched on the floor Remus flushed a dark pink colour.

Yes. If Sirius had stolen his list he was completely screwed because, not only did the boy evoke alien feelings in Remus every day (half of which he had to avoid thinking about for fear of being a pervert), he was the nosiest bastard to grace the House of Gryffindor. That last point on Remus' list would drive him crazy, Sirius was always poking his bloody aristocratic pure-blood nose into Remus' love life, always trying to get him to talk to girls and, ironically, trying to guess who he fancied – but Sirius hadn't even guessed Remus was gay.

"Moony?" A curious voice called from the doorway. Remus jumped out of his skin before peering over the top of his bed and seeing the bird's nest of black hair that could only belong to James poking round the door. "Rem?"

"Yeah, I'm here!" With an inward panic, Remus tried to replace the socks and his drawers before James caught that something suspicious was going on.

"What are you doing? It's your birthday and you haven't even said good morning to Sirius yet! We've got presents for you and he is most disgruntled!" Inhaling deeply to remove all traces of a blush, Remus stood up to return his friend's warm smile but James burst into laughter. "Remus! Your hair! C'mere you fool."

{-}

Remus was prickly at breakfast.

The others noticed, Remus was sure. Of course, he usually went about with a moral stick up his bum but today it must have seemed even worse – and it was his birthday. He'd endeavoured to be as normal as he could but it was just sohard joking with Sirius about how long it would take him to read the books he'd been given, or eat the mountain of 'Honeyduke's Best' courtesy of Mr and Mrs Potter when he knew that the bloody beautiful twathad his list.

And the knowledge played on his mind and made him edgy.

"How long do you think it'll take you then?" James asked in reference to their earlier conversation about how long until the ever-growing stack of novels and textbooks by Remus' bed was completed. They'd finished their breakfast and were heading out to the lakeside, hoping to enjoy some of the rare March sun. "Sirius can't understand why you'd even want to read those things." James always spoke as if he knew what Sirius was thinking, which, Remus supposed bitterly, he did. A small smile quirked Remus' lips but it faded as he caught Sirius staring right at him.

"Well, I wouldn't expect him to understand."

The reaction to Remus' statement was instantaneous, inside his head alarm bells started ringing. He always referred to Sirius as himwhen he and James were talking about him as if he wasn't there but . . . Shit!James and Peter let out a bark of laughter, it was an endless source of amusement to them both to watch Remus try to belittle Sirius as Peter didn't have the guts to do it and if James tried he'd only be mocking himself too.

If it wasn't obvious that Sirius was the current possessor of the list before, it was now. His eyes widened to the size of dinner plates and flushing a mottled pink colour that Remus had never seen before (and secretly thought that he might like to see again), he began to cough loudly as if choking on his own spit.

Remus felt like running, birthday and friends be damned, he wasn't ready to have this 'I don't like you in that way' talk with his straight best friend!

"Alright there Padfoot?" James asked in a humoured tone that suggested he was building up to a joke. Sirius ignored him and the alarm bells in Remus' head doubled as Sirius stepped forward and grabbed his wrist in a vice, half dragging the werewolf into the conveniently placed broom cupboard.

"Me. You. Talk. Now." James stood there gaping and tried to protest but Sirius was apparently too overcome with whatever unrecognisable emotion was stirring in his eyes to listen. "Go James-"

"-Buh-"

"-No, don't you dare listen in."

And with a hefty thud Sirius slammed the cupboard door closed, Remus scuttled into a corner, eyeing Sirius up warily as the boy listened to James' murmured "What the fuck?" and the sound of his and Peter's retreating footsteps. Within a few seconds he must have decided the others were a safe distance away because his horribly hard to read (-horribly attractive) eyes latched onto Remus' and, Remus felt a slow shiver dance up the hairs on the back of his neck, he smirked.

"All this time," He seemed to be talking to himself more than Remus, the latter gulped as stormy eyes raked up his chest, and he tried not to look like he was about to combust with all confusion he wasn't used to. Did Sirius plan to tell him to get fucked or not? "You wear sweater vests, I should have known." Suddenly Sirius had breached the gap between them and had raised his hands as if daring himself to touch the brown-y woollen vest Remus always wore on weekends. Remus felt a stab of indignation somewhere amidst the lust at having Sirius so close.

"That's a little bit, er, stereotypical don't you think, er, Padfoot?" The breath from Sirius' chuckle ghosted across him face – surely Sirius wouldn't be doing this if he didn't want him too, even a little bit?

"Your list." Remus almost jumped as Sirius pulled out the familiar folded piece of parchment from his breast pocket and he smirked again as Remus plucked it straight from his hands. "I know I shouldn't have been snooping, but you're so secretive and . . ."

"What?" Sirius scrunched his face up as if he couldn't believe what his was about to do, before leaning forward and pressing his lips to Remus', then jumping back a little as if he had been burned.

Remus paused for a second, thoughts hazy among the fireworks that were lighting up in his head. So Sirius had seen his list . . . and he knew that he was gay . . . and he knew that he fancied him, maybe not to the extent of his fancying, but he knew . . . and he kissed him. So surely the proper course of action now would be to kiss him back?

Or maybe not?
Remus let out a groan, fuck logic! It was his birthday and he wanted to kiss Sirius Orion Black so he would.

Feeling oh-so-stupid and uncharacteristically brash, Remus took a firm hold on Sirius' face and began to kiss him like it was going out of fashion. With a surprised 'mmph!', Sirius kissed back with zeal, his hands, which had dropped back down to his sides, beginning to wander.

They smoothed up Remus' back, tangled in his hair and slid down his chest before coming to rest on his hips and gripping them tight. Sirius was easily the more experienced of the two but what Remus lacked in technique he made up for with his enthusiasm and when Sirius took the kiss a step further, licking Remus' pink bottom lip and proceeding to thrust his tongue into the opening mouth, Remus was happy to copy the action, both boys relishing the feel of the other's tongue in their the tension between them, all the unsaid words and looks that neither dare examine, all the fights that nobody really understood yet held more weight than mattered, all the feelings that kept Remus up in the night and drove him crazy at every waking second – he was pouring everything into the kiss but he didn't need to worry, Sirius was doing exactly the same.

And he'd seen the list.

When they finally broke apart to breathe, Remus feeling rather pleased with the fact that Sirius wasn't removing his hands anytime soon, and enjoying the feel of Sirius' ebony strands of hair between his fingers, he started laughing at how ridiculous his whole morning's stress had been.

"What?" Sirius grinned and pressed a sloppy kiss to Remus' cheek, his hands shifted slightly and Remus was acutely aware of how close they were to being classed as 'on his arse'. Remus raised a hand to smooth down that errant tuft of hair that Sirius had managed to get sticking up again and buried himself into Sirius' jumper.

"I was so worried about you finding that list." He admitted and pulled back as Sirius' grin evolved into a fully fledged monster smirk, one that held promises of a lot more kissing . . . and worse.

"Oh but Remus, you should see what's on my list."

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