"Oh, come on now," Sirius' voice implored, rich with laughter. "We're nearly there."

"I don't see why I can't just--" Remus began, breaking off abruptly as he stumbled again. A warm hand caught him by the shoulder, steadying him, even as another pressed over his eyes to suppress the instinct to look for the obstacle.

"Bit of a step-up, there," the other boy informed him cheerily.

"Thanks." Had the werewolf been allowed to open his eyes, he'd have gifted his lover with a peculiarly amused sidelong glance. As that option was currently unavailable, he settled for crooking one eyebrow.

Using Sirius' arm as a guide, he began to pick his way forward again. "Like I was saying-- wouldn't it just be easier for me to look where I'm going for myself? I mean-- it's not like I don't know where we're headed. The Willow sort of gave it away."

"But where's the fun in that?" the other boy chided. "And you did-- oops, head down, ceiling's low-- you did agree, after all."

Brow crinkling slightly in confusion as he struggled to sort out his lover's definition of "fun", Remus clutched more tightly to his sleeve as the ground became uneven again.

"And besides-- we're here." A hand on either side of his waist was the first indication that he had of Sirius circling round behind him. The touch of warm lips on his earlobe was the second, as the black-haired wizard pressed in close. "Just a minute more, now," came the whispered promise. "A minute more."

Suppressing the full-body shiver that raced through him at the contact, Remus let whatever protests he'd had die away. Nodding consent, the werewolf allowed himself to be guided forward.

The floor was fairly even here, though riddled with gouges from the nights of the full moon. He didn't truly need his lover for support-- but neither did he protest when the boy refused to put more space between them for the last few shuffling steps. They drifted to a stop a moment later, and Sirius' hand sought out his own, pulling him round so that they were face to face.

It reminded him of their first kiss. Slow and probing, a gentle exploration that left Remus feeling thoroughly exposed-- and wanting more.

But Sirius was pulling away much too quickly-- chuckling softly at the quiet noise of protest he'd drawn from the other boy. "I thought you were supposed to be the patient one," he teased, tone laughing.

Coaxing hands found the werewolf's shoulders, breaking the contact as gentle pressure urged Remus downward. He hesitated a moment before giving in to his lover's guidance, allowing himself to be pushed awkwardly backward. It was a strange sensation, relying only on the other boy's hands to hold him upright-- trusting him enough to give up the control he so prized. And in the heartbeat before his back came into contact with the soft surface of the mattress, he was struck one more time by the realization of how lucky he truly was.

"Padfoot," he began. "I think I ought to tell you--"

"Later." The tone was impassioned, promising, and a moment later, the boy's lanky body was covering his own. Even through the fabric of their robes, he could feel Sirius' heat, and he leaned gladly into the touch.

Far from the response he'd been expecting, however, his lover trailed clever fingers up first one arm and then the other, brushing against his wrists with teasing strokes. He couldn't remember Sirius having ever paid them attention before-- nor could he recall the area being so sensitive.

Taking in a quick gasp of pleasure, Remus reached blindly for the other boy, seeking to pull him down for a kiss-- and was alarmed to discover that his arms wouldn't cooperate.

Startled golden eyes flew wide, despite frequent reminders not to open them. "Wha-- Sirius?"

The tattered furniture of the Shrieking Shack greeted his gaze, haphazard and partially shredded. And though it seemed at first glance in its usual state of disrepair, the changes became noticeable after a moment's regard. A dozen candles had been lit to stave off the advancing dusk; clean sheets and blankets had been folded and set beside the shabby old mattress; Sirius had clearly tried to make some semblance of neatness out of its usual chaotic state.

What caught his attention, however, was not the Shack or its furnishings-- but rather, the mischievous grin of the black-haired boy leaning over him, and the silk cloth that said boy was currently knotting into place around his wrists.

"Sirius!" Feeling a flush begin to spread across his cheeks, the werewolf attempted to look indignant as he battled his embarrassment. "What d'you think you're doing?" Tugging experimentally at the newly fastened bonds, Remus attempted to push himself into a sitting position-- and ended up flat on his back, winded, as Sirius straddled his chest.

A moment later, dark blue eyes were staring into his own, the impish gleam that they contained not comforting in the least. "I rather thought we could do this without tying up your legs," the boy admitted casually, running a light caress along Remus' jaw line. "But we could try that too, if you like."

For the space of several heartbeats, the werewolf was stunned into silence, aware only of Sirius' proximity and the involuntary shudder that his touch evoked. Words had fled, and Remus struggled momentarily to regain them, mouth working soundlessly.

And then abruptly, speech wasn't a problem any longer-- for Sirius had decided that his mouth had better things to be doing. Leaning forward, the black-haired boy graced it with a kiss that might have made Remus' knees give way, had he been standing.

The kiss was not slow, as the one previous had been. In a moment, the animagus seemed to have abandoned all restraint; his lips pressed hard against his lover's, demanding and unbearably warm. Graceful hands moved with a purpose, one threading into dusky gold hair even as the other reached to trail a line down the werewolf's still-clothed stomach.

Sirius waited until he felt, more than heard, the whimper of desire-- until the slender hips bucked up in an involuntary quest for contact-- and then he pulled away.

From his perch straddled across the boy's chest, he had a lovely view-- Remus spread out before him, already rumpled, flushed, and panting. It was sinful, Sirius thought with an unabashedly wicked grin, that his lover was so sensitive.

"Sirius?" The werewolf's voice was a little shaky, breath coming in quick gasps through his teeth. "Why… why don't you…" He gave a little tug at the cloth binding his arms, but the knots were well-made; the effort only served to pull them tighter.

"Aw, Moony," the black-haired boy pouted, lifting himself from his lover's chest to kneel beside him. "That would spoil the game."

There was mild suspicion in those golden eyes now, an expression that Remus usually reserved for communicating his opinion on exceptionally badly planned pranks. "What sort of game?"

"The fun sort," Sirius drawled, long fingers reaching to undo the clasp of his lover's robe. "The sort where I get to have a go at you while you're all tied up and laid out." Remus' face reached an interesting shade of crimson, but the hands didn't stop moving; they pulled the robe open as far as it would go before picking nimbly at the buttons of the shirt. "Besides," the animagus continued slyly, "It's for a good cause."

He reached the bottom of the accessible buttons and frowned, apparently not having foreseen the clothes removal dilemma caused by tied hands. A moment later, however, Sirius' wand was in hand-- "Exuviae recedentia!"-- and the cloth of both robe and shirt fell away, easily pulled out from under the werewolf's back.

With an impish grin, the black-haired wizard put the newly bared skin to his advantage. He began trailing his fingers erratically over Remus' chest, touches light and teasing as he watched his lover struggle to gather himself enough for speech.

"Cause?" the werewolf ventured, squirming slightly under the not-quite-adequate stimulation.

"Right," Sirius beamed encouragingly. "Y'see, I thought that, all tied up like that, there wouldn't be any way for you to get what you want-- unless you ask for it." The animagus' grin was suspiciously pleased.

A distrustful look was growing again in the golden depths of Remus' eyes, and his brow was slightly furrowed as he regarded his lover. "What d'you mean?"

"Well, it's just that you're always so shy, Moony. You turn this fetching shade of pink-- just like that, actually-- every time I try and ask specifics." Sirius grinned agreeably, stopping his caresses long enough to ruffle the other boy's hair. "So-- well, this way, you sort of have to tell me."

Remus' expression was incredulous. "And… tying me up helps somehow?"

"Oh, definitely." The pleasant grin became devious, sharp eyes intensely interested in the half-naked body before them. "Otherwise, I couldn't do this."

And without another word of warning, Sirius lowered his mouth to take up exploring where his fingers had left off.

The kisses began chastely enough-- the barest brushes of contact along the werewolf's collarbone, slowly working their way down the center of his chest. By the time Sirius had reached the boy's stomach, they'd become open-mouthed, eager, and the body below him had started to squirm in response.

"Padfoot," Remus began, tone edging toward pleading. "You're driving me mad."

His lover didn't even grace him with a reply; a triumphant smirk was all the answer Remus received before a warm, clever mouth discovered one nipple. The werewolf gasped in response, hands clenching and unclenching helplessly on air as he arched into the touch.

Sirius' tongue circled the little nub twice, carefully, before pulling away. "Now, remember," the boy pronounced before breaking off to pay similar attention to the other side. "We've got a cause. So you've got to play along, if this is going to work." And suddenly, the contact was gone, and the black-haired wizard was sitting back, expectant.

Remus' eyes, which had squeezed shut against the influx of sensation, snapped open now to regard his lover's laughing eyes. "Bloody tease." The boy whimpered, tugging ineffectually at the cloth binding his wrists. "Don't stop."

"Stop what?" A long, slow lick. "This?"

The werewolf nodded, head falling back with a breathless little sound of approval.

"Oh, right." Sirius couldn't quite keep the pleased smile from his lips. "Good then." And he bent back to his task.

The animagus was painstakingly thorough; experienced lips fluttered over every centimeter of skin, mapping out both smooth flesh and old scars. The assault came in long, slow, wet kisses and soft, closed-lipped pecks-- in the ghosting touch of teasing fingers and clever caresses exactly where they felt best. The restless shifting of Remus' hips was calmly ignored, and so too were the quiet moans drawn from his throat.

By the time Sirius' hand reached below the waistline to cup the boy's arousal through his trousers, the werewolf was a mass of frayed nerves. A startled yelp greeted the touch, Remus' hips jerking up instinctively to encourage the delicious pressure of his lover's palm.

"Sirius!" the boy gasped. "Would you please just-- just do something?"

"All you have to do is ask," his lover prompted, grinning madly. One graceful finger traced the werewolf's erection through the cloth. "What is it I'm supposed to be doing?"

"Just-- just-- ahhh." Coherent thought abandoned Remus halfway through the sentence as the black-haired wizard picked up a teasing rhythm, keeping the touches light, the friction not quite enough. "Just like that," the boy finally gasped. "D-don't stop."

The sharp blue eyes gleamed with a wicked light, watching every flicker of emotion as it crossed his lover's face. "'Course not."

One hand kept the pace, agonizingly slow, trailing long fingers over the area he'd been denying attention for too long already. The contact wasn't enough; he could see the frustration in the crease of Remus' brow, feel it in the little shudders racking the boy's body. And so, of course, when the werewolf began to arch into the touch, Sirius lay an arm over his hips to still the movement.

For a long moment, there was no sound but Remus' panting breaths and the strangled moans that were forcing their way from the boy's throat. He struggled again with the cloth binding his wrists, mindless in his need for more contact, desperate to speed the torturous pace.

And then, suddenly, he realized that this, too, was a part of the game. "Padfoot," the boy whimpered at last. "We need… less clothes. We're both--" He cut off mid-sentence, hissing sharply as a particularly intense sensation overwhelmed him. "We're both wearing too much."

"There we go." Rising to his knees above the boy, Sirius beamed proudly. "Half thought you'd never catch on." Clever fingers were at work on the robes of the black-haired wizard now, and Remus found himself unable to tear his eyes away from the sight. "See?" The buttons were undone; the animagus shrugged out of first one shoulder, then the other, revealing very bare skin underneath. He'd planned for this. "S'easy, as long as you know what you want."

And without wasting further time, the boy surged forward to seal their lips in a kiss, bare skin rubbing enticingly against hips that were still frustratingly clothed. But that, too, was soon to be fixed. Even as their mouths were occupied, searching, tasting, exploring, Sirius' fingers were busy with the buttons of his lover's trousers. He was tugging them downward by the waistline moments later, and Remus was only too happy to lift his hips and allow the confining fabric to be rid of.

There was a moment of aching ecstasy as skin met skin, almost overpowering in addition to the searing heat of an enthusiastic mouth. It was heaven, it was bliss, and Remus was sure that he was dying-- sure that nothing he'd done in his entire life could be deserving of such rapture.

And then Sirius was pulling away.

"Don't you dare!" the werewolf demanded, voice breaking. "Don't-- don't stop, you bloody bastard!"

Sirius stared down at him, panting, intense eyes betraying the difficulty he had in showing so much restraint. "And what was it… exactly… that you wanted?"

"You!" Jerking roughly at the cloth binding his wrists, Remus fixed his lover with a pleading stare, golden eyes fierce with desperation. "I want you!"

Had the black-haired wizard been a patient person, he could have drawn it out. Could have made the boy describe every touch, every need in excruciating detail. Could have made him beg for it, kept him on the edge until he was mad with desire. Sirius Black was known for many things, after all-- but patience was not one of them. And, truth be told, he could never deny his lover very much of anything.

Face flushed and grin full of pure, wild joy, the animagus crawled forward to settle himself against the slender curve of Remus' body.

One warm mouth discovered another, responding to the want thrumming through the bound wizard, even as a pale leg hooked around the back of Sirius' knee in an endeavor to bring their groins into closer contact. With a surge of blinding pleasure, the attempt was a success; Remus groaned into the kiss, back arching up off the mattress as he finally got the friction he'd been craving.

After the first few erratic thrusts, the werewolf's hips picked up a shallow rhythm; short and desperate, it lifted him again and again to press against the smooth heat of his lover's skin. He was too distracted by sensation to notice the hand that had threaded into his hair or hear Sirius' low moans-- too overwhelmed by the sheer relief of it to hear that when the entire world whited out around him, the harsh cry forced from his throat was echoed by the boy atop him.

It was only after the roaring in his ears had faded and his heart rate was beginning to approach normal that he realized Sirius had resettled his weight to one side, looking content and more than a little smug.

"See?" the animagus pressed, a lopsided little grin creeping over his lips. Graceful fingers had found one of the neatly folded sheets nearby, and was using it to clean the both of them. "We, Mr. Moony, can do great things when we put our minds to it."

And since he couldn't very well deny the statement, Remus smiled, a warm smile that crinkled the corners of his eyes and glowed in his cheeks. "Right you are."

"And you do have to admit," Sirius drawled, tossing the sheet aside and settling himself up alongside his lover. "That it was sort of fun. The game, and all."

"Well… I suppose it was, at that." Golden eyes were thoughtful, considering. "Sort of a pity to give it up so soon, though. We wouldn't happen to still be playing, would we? Whatever I want?"

"Mm. Always." Half-lidded blue eyes watched him with something close to adoration; the emotion behind the gaze sent a shiver through Remus' entire body. "Anything for you."

There was a moment's hesitation before the werewolf spoke. "Untie me," he whispered softly-- and after a startled second, long fingers reached to comply.

And then he was free, as simply as that. To do whatever he wanted, without needing to ask.

It wasn't even a matter for consideration.

Snuggling closer, he let one hand drift to play in the strands of long black hair even as the other circled the boy's waist. "Better," he mumbled sleepily.

Beside him, Sirius smiled into the warm skin of his lover's shoulder. "Glad."

~owari~