(no subject)

[grimsirius.livejournal.com]

Time: October 13, 2000
Place: Bedroom, Hot Tub ;)
Status: Private (Remus and Sirius), Complete
Summary: The location says it all, really



Sirius had been exploring the manor for the past few weeks-- it had seemed like a more productive way of spending his time, and lately he'd gotten bored of hiding in the dark stuffy room he and Remus shared. Despite having to avoid the kitchens, for obvious and infuriating reasons, he had made a few interesting discoveries. He'd been pleased to see that there was a pool, for while he far preferred to swim in natural bodies of water (the chlorine made his eyes itch and dried out Padfoot's coat), he did think he'd enjoy the exercise from time to time. He was also interested to note that there was one of those muggle things called a Hot Tub. He had fond memories of one that had belonged to some muggle girl he'd been seeing at some time or another, although he was planning to put this hot tub to a rather different use.

Sirius had run down to the basement to check that no one else was down there, since Remus tended to like his privacy on the days after. Once he'd ensured the coast was clear, he ran back upstairs to his bedroom, and peeked in through the doorway where a sleepy Moony was curled up on the bed. From the way he was hunched into a tight ball despite the stretching space available made it obvious that Remus was hurting. The Wolfsbane made the transformation easier, but it didn't abate the pain of the change nor the ache afterward. He approached the bed carefully and put his hand on Remus' shoulders, carefully massaging the neck muscles.

"Hey," he said softly. "Wake up. I've got something to show you. Might help."

Comments

[-moonylupin-.livejournal.com]

He'd been very deeply asleep, rushed images of dark foliage outlined with blue-white moonlight and the stubborn presence of Padfoot - Sirius - when cool hands pressed into his shoulders and he jerked away with a snort, making certain muscles that oughtn't to have woken be woken.

"Hmm?" he muttered, very Remus-like, and blinked rapidly, and then glanced at the window with all the streaming sunlight (although it could even be late afternoon, the fact remained that he just Wasn't Up before evening). "Sirius, it's too early for this, isn't it?" he asked, rubbing sleep from his eyes and ignoring the twinging pains for a moment.

[grimsirius.livejournal.com]

"Maybe I usually let your lazy arse sleep in past 3 in the afternoon," Sirius teased, well aware of the irony, thank you, "but today is special. Besides, you'll sleep a lot better once I'm through with you," he said, grinning. He ran his hands up and down Remus' tight shoulders. "I know the perfect way to get rid of all that tension," he said quietly into Remus' ear, "but you'll have to sit up now so I can help you out of those horrible pajamas."

[-moonylupin-.livejournal.com]

The intimacy - the ability of Sirius Black to completely ignore the usual realm of personal space - had always existed, but it caught Remus off-guard, sleep-ridden as he still was.

He hunched in, the touch on his skin making him conscious of the long scars that stretched along his shoulders in partially raised parallel and criss-crossing lines - the hands pressed his threadbare pyjama shirt against them, making the nerve endings from the unscarred skin twitch. "That sounds more than mildly perverted, Sirius," he said reproachfully. "Is this one of those surprises that has me streaking in the halls again and horrifying all the guests? Because, as I said after the last time, it must be a good bottle of rum as the reward..."

[grimsirius.livejournal.com]

Sirius chuckles, a slightly mad tone to it, but it's the madness he always seemed to possess rather than the gloom brought on by Azkaban. "We shall see, we shall, my fine Moony friend. I am of the opinion that there really aren't any bad bottles of rum, you know. Just rum that makes you want to claw your esophagus out as it goes down. Now, get up!" With that he yanked, pulling the covers and sheets off the bed and dumping them on the floor. He pushed Remus' pillow onto the floor as well.

[-moonylupin-.livejournal.com]

"What did I do to deserve this? Not darned my socks with colour-matching thread?" Remus asked the ceiling, flat on his back now with his hands resting on his stomach, fingers threaded together. He thought, briefly, about moving, but hastily decided against it once a particularly brutal muscle spasm started in his back.

"Ow," he said, and carefully brought up an arm to check the bandage on his neck, pads of his fingertips pressing gently against it. And then, "Sirius, what did you want me up for?"

He wasn't going to move without reason. He particularly wasn't going to get naked without reason either.

[grimsirius.livejournal.com]

"Ooh," said Sirius, wincing in sympathy with Remus. "Sorry, mate." He smiled, and held up a pair of swim trunks he'd transfigured from Remus' trousers. He'd been generous, giving Remus fairly good coverage and a respectable navy blue colouring. Once Remus saw what Sirius had transfigured for himself, the man ought to be impressed.

"There's a hot tub down in the basement. Have you ever seen one? Very nice when you're sore. You can even nap a little while you soak as long as you only do it when I'm there to make sure you don't drown. What do you say?"

[-moonylupin-.livejournal.com]

"Er..."

Remus could think of very good reasons why not to go, of course - scars, an inclination to be more modest than any swim trunks could be, an interruption by other guests - but the deep ache of sore bones and muscles overruled any measly excuse.

"All right. You'll have to, er, give me a hand up, though. I appear to have been lying down and can't get up."

[grimsirius.livejournal.com]

"Gee, I'd be happy to help you up, grandma," said Sirius brightly. "Get your arse over here." He climbed onto the bed and wrapped his arms around Remus' torso, under the armpits, careful to avoid any of the obviously sore or bandaged places. He gently pulled Remus to sitting, and then loosened his grip.

"Okay?" he asked, as he began to undo the buttons of Remus' pajama top. He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, or if his hands were shaking slightly as the top two buttons gave way to the pale flesh of Remus' throat and collarbone. He liked that skin, scarred as it was, and he liked the way Remus' (slightly labored) breaths made his chest rise and fall, and he liked the way his hands looked against Remus' chest, loosening his buttons.

Sirius pulled back, letting his hands rest on the blankets of the bed because he knew they were trembling now. "Right. You can probably still dress yourself, can't you?"

[-moonylupin-.livejournal.com]

"Yes," he agreed, somewhat wary, and, oddly enough, a touch plaintively too. He shivered when the warm hands - how did they always stay so warm? - disappeared, but the removal allowed him to exhale a breath he'd been holding since Sirius first helped him up. He still- he still wasn't used to (friendly) touch, although Sirius seemed to think it was his mission to make him forget this.

He felt like a child, almost; wholly taken care of, and the feeling was very disconcerting. "Yes, mum," Remus added, taking the trunks from Sirius, but made no move yet to undress further. Instead, he simply gazed at Sirius, and finally, finally said: "Are you going to stand there and stare at me while I dress myself?"

[grimsirius.livejournal.com]

"Well, I was planning on it," smirked Sirius, "but it looks like you caught me. I'll just be in my half of the bedroom for the next five minutes." He winked, and then walked around the edge of the bed behind Remus, and began removing his own clothing, getting out the black swim trunks.

[-moonylupin-.livejournal.com]

"Right," Remus said, and stood stiffly, gathering his things to him. He left for the bathroom, looking at Sirius' smooth naked skin.

"Do we have towels?"

[grimsirius.livejournal.com]

"Eh, just bath towels, but we can transfigure them," replied Sirius, pulling the swimtrunks up his legs. He examined his appearance in the mirror-- they were the sort of trunks he would have worn when he was younger so as to be able to pick up every attractive woman and man he met. The effect was less dramatic now; he'd lost weight and a lot of muscle tone, but he was getting it back, and he didn't think he looked half bad. If only he could fill out his chest a bit more. He really ought to start swimming again. He couldn't spend all of his time with Remus forever, that much was obvious. This thing he was feeling for Remus had to go away soon, and he doubted it would until he had another outlet for those kind of thoughts. If Remus found out...well, whether he was interested or disgusted, it would end badly. He wasn't going to hurt his friend just because he was a selfish bastard.

"Are you ready, mate?" he asked at the bathroom door.

[-moonylupin-.livejournal.com]

"What?" he asked, startled out of his - straying - thoughts. "Yes, I am."

He opened the door, taking care that he had at least two bath towels covering him in a similar shape to a toga. It wasn't the best of ideas but at least his scars weren't glaringly obvious.

"Are you ready?"

[grimsirius.livejournal.com]

"Would I have asked if I wasn't?" asked Sirius, grinning. He eyed Remus' towel toga. "I was planning on apparating, emperor, but it's nice of you to grab a towel for me." He takes Remus by the wrists and pulls him close, although he is more gentle about it than he would normally be. "Let me apparate for you, all right? So you don't waste any more energy?"

[-moonylupin-.livejournal.com]

"Right," Remus agreed, somewhat dazedly, thinking that he'd probably topple over if he Apparated himself, and toppling in the vicinity of any large body of water could not be good.

He'd been in a hot tub before - but not recently, and never with Sirius.

[grimsirius.livejournal.com]

Sirius placed his hands firmly around Remus' back, and apparated them both so that they were standing right next to the hot tub. He closed his eyes for a second-- side along was always tiring, but he knew Remus would be far more exhausted.

"Still all right?" he said softly, letting go of his friend and taking the towels and putting them on the ground. "Doubt anyone is planning to come down at this hour, okay?" He took Remus' hand to guide him to the tub once he noticed the exhaustion that was apparent in his friend's body for having stood so long. Once he was in the water, he'd be able to sit and relax a bit more.

[-moonylupin-.livejournal.com]

"'M fine," Remus told him firmly, swaying on his feet, until Sirius took his hand and led him like a little child to the hot water.

He stepped in, setting the towels fastidiously down around the edges of the tub, keeping his own near him, and felt the burn of the water heat and ease away the ache in his muscles and ribs. He adjusted the towel so his head could rest back - he could, theoretically, sleep.

"Are you coming?" he asked, after a moment of sighing at the touch of the water.

[grimsirius.livejournal.com]

"No, I was just leaving, actually," said Sirius, grinning. He walked around the edge of the hot tub lightly, and then, once he was opposite Remus, stepped down and let himself slide completely underwater before coming up and sitting on the underwater bench that ran around the ring of the tub.

He probably should have let himself get used to the temperature, as the water was hot, but he'd be damned if he'd sit on the rim dangling his feet like a girl.

He glanced at Remus and sighed in a way that was most unacceptable. Remus looked relaxed and peaceful in a way that Sirius rarely saw, even when he slept, and also uncharacteristically open. Remus was one of the most modest people Sirius had ever known, and Sirius had always assumed this had something to do with the scars that criss-crossed his body. Sirius had seen them before, briefly, when Remus had let his guard down or if he'd happened to walk in on his friend changing. He'd also seen Remus naked on full moons, but that clinical sort of nudity was greatly divorced from this, and even then Remus kept covered up if he could help it.

He looked away, not wanting Remus to catch him at it and change his mind about coming in the hot tub without full robes on. Although Sirius couldn't see what was so bad about the scars. Lots of women liked scars, and it might be the case for gay men, too.

Sirius has never been one to keep an interesting train of thought to himself. He's generous that way. "Hey, Remus?" he says softly. "Can I ask you something?"

[-moonylupin-.livejournal.com]

"Mmmmmm."

It's nearly a moan - a sigh, really, of contentment, if anyone were to ask Remus what the noise he just produced actually was. It sounded, still, like a moan.

Near-gold eyes open, and look up at Sirius, heavy-lidded as the heat of the water worked its magic on aches and swells and injuries. "Yes," he said, voice gone all deep and not nearly as hoarse as it usually was. "Ask me what?"

[grimsirius.livejournal.com]

Seeing how completely relaxed Remus was, Sirius hestitated for a moment, but only a moment. "Well, just, if you don't like to take your clothes off ever, what do you do when you shag?" He paused. "You do shag, right? I mean, I met that one bloke, you shagged him, right?"

Sirius propped his arms against the rim of the tub and waited for a response.

[-moonylupin-.livejournal.com]

Remus blinked, and splashed a bit as he startled. His balance was thrown off entirely, as 'shagging' came up not once but twice, and he nearly face-planted into water he was already mostly in, flailing.

"I-what?" he asked, blinking and most decidedly waking up (although still damnably comfortable. Too comfortable, in fact, to leave).

[grimsirius.livejournal.com]

Sirius laughed somewhat wickedly at how thrown Remus was by this question. "Come on, it's just a question. We're mates, we can talk about this sort of thing."

Well, James had never been a good one to talk to. He'd happily listened to all of Sirius' (half invented on the spot) tales of conquest throughout Hogwarts, and then proceeded to be infuriatingly silent on the matter once he'd started shagging Lily. But it was true in theory.

"Tell you what," said Sirius, smirking. "Answer this one, and you can ask me anything you want in return. No matter how embarrassing. And that is a good deal, because I can think of far more embarrassing things than this I could be asking you."

[-moonylupin-.livejournal.com]

Remus opened his mouth to tell Sirius to bugger off, but the promise of him being able to ask something else stopped him short. What came out was a temperate "I'm not asexual, if that's what you mean."

Steam in his face, he began to relax again, boneless beneath the water. "It depends on whether the 'shag' is worth it. I have red, reversible long underwear (flap in the front) that I keep especially forshagging, you know... Kidding, Sirius, don't look so horrified. It's actually a nice beige colour."

He thought about the question, and then shook his head. "I haven't shagged anyone lately*, either, so don't bother to quiz me about that."

*"Lately" was qualitative, right?

[grimsirius.livejournal.com]

Sirius let his head fall back and laughed at the long underwear comment. "Flap in front, you say? Wouldn't have been my first guess for you, Moony," he said, smirking.

He waved his hand vaguely. "I know, it's your turn now. Although you didn't really answer the question, mate."

[-moonylupin-.livejournal.com]

Well, he thought, swallowing against a sudden and irrational fear, he did know that Sirius knew.

"Sod off. And I thought I had," he said mildly. "If it's worth the, er, lack of clothes. I don't get naked for every john- Tom," Remus added quickly, "Dick, and Harry to come through, you know."

He sighed, then. "Didn't mean to bring up Harry. I certainly, er, don't get naked for him, either. Frighten the lad to death."

Remus grinned. "I suppose you didn't really want to picture that either. So, Sirius Orion Black, when you last shagged, what did they look like? What, precisely, is the famous Hogwarts stud - I believe the actual phrase is 'stud-muffin' - prefer in his Cupid-struck victims?"