Ephitymia

In second year, Sirius finally managed to steal Remus' keychain. He doesn't know how; he remembers it being three days after the full moon, a nasty one, when he had finally gone to his bedroom just to find a letter in his bed.

 If you want it back, meet me at the storeroom in the east towers.

third door to the left.

He went, obviously, but there wasn't a date. Remus didn't know how many days this letter had been there for him, but he wouldn't wait. After all, if the one who put it there was expecting him three days ago, he was already late. Unfortunately, Sirius didn't mean to return his keychain at all. The storeroom was, in fact, a house for devil's snare. Thank Merlin, he had already studied about it and knew that Lumos would help him get out of there, but being suddenly locked didn't calm his nerves. Between needing to cast Lumos and Incendio, he didn't have an opening for an Alohomora. Thankfully, James goes after him a few hours later.

Sirius words in the next day haunted him for a year. "Oh, another scar? I wonder where that one come from." It took a while for Remus to accept that he was shoving his accomplishments in Remus face, not his lycanthropy. And he shouldn’t be surprised that Sirius was the one behind it, but he never thought that Sirius would go as low as almost killing him. Later, he found out that it was some kind of slytherin’s modus operandi, not at all creative.

Even though losing the gift from his uncle was a dreadful memory, getting it back was a fond one. After planning it for weeks, he and James finally came to a solution. They would cause a distraction, a good and big one, and that they did.

Angry that he got almost killed, Remus wanted two things. His keychain and revenge. And what would be better than a life-threatening situation? Sirius got him in one, it would be fair that he put the other in one too. Unfortunately, James didn't agree to it. Remus wasn't fond of killing someone either, nor hurting them, but Sirius made it in a survival game, and Remus had plenty experience in surviving.

First, they entered the Slytherin common room, invisible, they followed two slytherins into it. With a timed charm, they created an illusion that the windows were leaking. When the clock ticked 6 a.m., the flooding would be alarming, and the windows would begin to crack. Water filling the space and creating an opening, where aquatics snakes would enter the common room and make themselves at home. More magical creatures would appear and the merpeople would make an appearance, as if concerned with the breach. In reality, the room would be covered in fog and the residents... Well, hallucinating, if you like to call a magic illusion effect as hallucination. With the commotion, and the prefects waking up all the students to help saving the common room, they sneaked up and found his keychain. The illusion being dissolved the moment they got back to their dorm room.

For two twelve years old, Peter too afraid to play a prank of this magnitude, this was a great fit. The hallucination got scripted with his help though, who remembered them that the pressure of the hole would suck things in and cause a disturbance in all the environment. In the end, James was so thrilled for what they had accomplished that he didn't want to stop there, planning their next prank.

From this day on, they started getting called marauders from teachers, and from this time on, they auto proclaimed themselves, The Marauders.

His war with Sirius didn't subside after the Slytherin’s common room disaster, on the contrary, the other going as ruthless as ever in every move he made. Soon it became something more like a chess game between them. Which one made a move in their own time, respecting their unspoken boundaries. And since Remus made their last move, it was Sirius time, and yes, Remus was a little bit afraid.

The full moon would be tomorrow and today, at late afternoon, he had detention with the other. Being close to transform in a heartless beast always put him in a bad mood, and a horny one. So, being alone with his nemesis, who knows the best ways to get the worst out of him, was bad enough without his dick claiming his attention at every minute. In every other month, at this time, he would siren someone to be his cock warmer for the day. Or the other way around, truly, he wasn't in a place to be picky with who fucked who. Today, with his cock as hard as a rock, demanding some action, Remus would be in a closed space with Sirius Attractive Black. His grey eyes and bone structure being the things that angered him most. If the guy wasn't such a son of bitch, Remus probably would be asking HIM every full moon to warm his bed.

But he couldn't. So, focus, Remus. You can do it. With that in mind, Remus opened the man's common bathroom, where Filch and Sirius waited for him. He knew he was late, but with the full tomorrow, walking was more of a struggle than ever, and don't liberating his pent-up energy by having an orgasm made everything worse.

"Give me your wand" demanded Filch and he obliged, familiar with detention. "Unfortunately, Dumbledore didn't let me chain you buy your ankles, but Merlin knows that's what you, little devils, deserve. So, today you are going to clean this bathroom without your wands. If I so much as scent pee smell mixed with the cleaning products, I will make you regret."

After both students nodded, don't wanting to engage with Filch, he left with a threat to come back after two hours. Murmuring something about this Headmaster's punishments going to soft, nothing like in his other career. Both Remus and Sirius to disturbed thinking about what type of punishment Filch were allowed to do in his previous job, and what job was it. That man was insane.

Without meddling too much, Sirius and Remus get to work. Each of them covering one side of the bathroom, Remus being silently glad that Sirius took the stalls for himself, but surprised that such a posh boy would head straight to cleaning toilets. Hm, he probably thinks that he only needs to flush it.

After a few minutes scrubbing his first sink, Remus felt his arms ache like fire and prayed to whoever that this ended soon. Sensing the next full would be a rough one.

"It's your fault, that we are here" Sirius said leaving his second stall. Remus peeked on the first stall, that was closer to him, and got surprised that the bathroom walls had a different colour after being deep cleaned. And more surprised that Sirius did that.

"Hm, if you didn't start all this back to first year, we wouldn't be here either" Sirius scoffed, going to his third stall and beginning to clean it.

"First year" he said with a disbelieving voice. "Well, if you didn't apologize for it, we wouldn't be here. So, yeah, your fault."

"Oh, I am sorry for trying to be a decent person after almost killing you. Next time, I won't be." he scoffed and scrubbed the sink with more strength, angry that one stain didn't want to come out. Daydreaming that Sirius would trip and hit his head on the toilet bowl, the man’s bathroom filling with the other crimson red blood. Or maybe it was green, all that inbreed must have done something. That thing it’s not fucking normal.

"Make sure you don't miss it next time."

After that, none of them said anything for a long time. Remus was exhausted, and after Sirius remembering him that he was there as well, he became painfully aware of it. His dick twitching for each grunt that came from Sirius' from cleaning the toilets. He wanted to bang his head on the sink. For a moment he wondered how the other one was so proficient in cleaning toilets, but found it fitting, with his shitty personality, he was practically at home.

Groaning as he noticed he was in his fourth sink and there was four left, he wanted to kill Sirius. He normally wasn't this slow, but if the full tomorrow and all his body acting as if he was eighty, he couldn't push himself to do it faster than that. If Black wasn’t such an asshole he would neve indulge in his aggressiveness, that he fought so hard to push as far back as possible in his brain, and they wouldn’t be here.

"You should probably rest" Sirius said, leaving the last stall. Remus looked at him surprised for what he said, but remembered that they had a time limit, and he didn't want to spend there more five minutes than necessary. He wouldn’t dwell much on it, not now at least.

"No, thank you." he said, ignoring him and going to the next sink. How this people could be so dirty?

"Well, at least do something that demands less of you, like watering the floor" Remus looked at the other confused for his change of character, and Sirius blushed, which made Remus more confused. Sirius Black showing concern for him? That’s new "In this pace you will only slow us down."

Oh, there he is.

Agreeing with him, Remus picked another bucket and started filling it with water, waiting to make a mixture with cleaning products later.

"Hm, they should've known that he would be too weak to be here today, being so close" Sirius whispered. Scared by this comment, Remus looked at him, thinking that Sirius was provoking him, but he wasn't. He was cleaning the sink Remus left unfinished, not even a single look at him or nothing indicating that he was supposed to hear.

"What did you say?" surprised, Sirius looked at him with wide aways, noticing that he slipped something that he shouldn't. In two seconds though, he regained his confidence posture and grinned at Remus.

"I said that they should've known that you are useless" he grinned at Remus. With his filling bucket forgotten, Remus got closer to Sirius, who, without flinching, left his things on the sink and took a step back. Each step Remus takes forward, Sirius takes back, meeting the wall at his back.

Fury clouded his senses, and Remus' face was so close to Sirius' that the other breath hitched. Grey eyes so close that if he wasn't so angry and scared, he would be lost and melted by them. If he understood what he did, his raging boner should be the last of his concerns right now – well, to be honest it was a constant remainder that tomorrow is the full, so in the end everything was connected.

"We both know that's not what you said" he snarled. Without his wand to threaten him, he put his hand in Sirius neck, getting angrier when the other didn't seem fazed by it. So, he got closer, their bodies touching almost everywhere. This close, he could see his fingers turning Sirius' neck red by the pressure of his hand.

"Oh, it seems like you had your wand in your pants all this time, uh" the other joked as if Remus wasn't a moment of strangling him. Getting a little embarrassed by his boner, damn it, werewolf libido and pretty grey eyes, he loosened his grip. Regaining composure, no longer after, he couldn't afford being embarrassed about it, no when Sirius might know about him being a werewolf.

"You said I am too weak to be here today, being so close. Being so close to what?" he spat. Sirius eyes roamed everywhere, but his face, now that his tentative of distraction didn't work. Remus breathing getting heavier with each second passing, he was on the verge of a panic attack. His brain getting too fuzzy to think rationally, and the wolf’s whispering getting louder by the second. Noticing it, Sirius looked at him, concern briefly showing in his face before he put his stupid grin back.

"Being so close to the full moon" he whispered, putting his face even closer to Remus as the words left his mouth, and leaning back against the wall as he finished. Remus lost his strength completely this time, almost falling to the floor, if not for Sirius supporting him. Sirius knew. Sirius knew Merlin knows how long and Remus life was ruined. He should pack his things and wait for the auror that will probably take him to the ministry tomorrow.

"Too dirty for you to fall into" Remus stared at his eyes again, confused, one more time by Sirius Black, in less than twenty minutes. Why was he touching Remus? He knew what he was, he should be disgusted. "What if you touch me again? Can't let you touch me all dirty, and I believe I wouldn't have the power to stop you, uh."

It was a lie and they both knew. Nothing could be dirtier than Remus being a werewolf, not even this pissed floor. Remus let go of him, finally confident to be on his own, but retorting to support himself in the sink a few steps back him. Sirius took a step forward but didn't get close.

"You knew."

"I did"

"Since when?" Remus asked, his shoulders falling in defeat and his anger leaving his body. He should've been more careful, more friendly, avoided all this nonsense. James was right, too bad it was already too late.

"First year" Sirius expression was serious know, his provocative grin being substituted by a fine line.

"First year?" Remus asked incredulous and Sirius nodded. He knew about Remus condition for almost five years and a half, considering they were in the middle of their sixth year. All this time, he thought he was being cautious. All this time, he thought Sirius hate was without another reason than jealousy of his uncle, which he always thought was a little childish. But now? Sirius does have a good reason; Sirius had a good reason all this time and he was firing back. So many times, they hurt each other, and Remus thought this fight was for petty reasons only. Thinking back, Sirius only gave a hint one time, in second year, after that he didn't speak a word about it. How was he supposed to know? If he knew, all this time, how many people he talked about? Why he wasn’t expelled yet, throw in cage in the ministry? He was naïve enough to believe his secret was safe kept, but he wouldn’t be enough to believe that Sirius Black knew and did regarding it.

"You are the one who told Snape" Remus stated. The obvious conclusion. The war between them wasn’t a civil one, he knew that. No normal kid or teenager would attempt what they do to each other all the time, but his condition escalated the whole thing to a whole new level, and if Sirius were aware of it, their whole fight seemed out of proportion. They should’ve taken this more seriously. Although, Sirius never looked so offended in his entire life, and it was a tough competition, considering Remus offended him a lot of times.

"Of course, not" he scoffed. "Who do you think obliviated him in the first place? Dumbledore?"

He rolled his eyes and Remus looked at him incredulous. He obliviated Snape to protect Remus? What?

"What?"

"What what? Do you think I would let some greasy rat do anything to you?" he asked challenging him. Remus never have been more confused in his entire life. With light steps, Sirius got closer to Remus, cornering him this time, and getting closer to Remus’ ear to whisper. "I am the only one allowed."

"What are you doing?" Remus’ cock was never so hard as it was right now. This time, he couldn't blame the wolf. He should’ve known he was a masochist.

"Stating facts" Sirius said, moving his head way. "Isn't that what you wanted? The truth?"

"Doesn't seem like the truth to me" he whispered.

"So, let me put it this way. Even though I don't like you, Alphard does. So, as much as I want your life to be a living hell, I won't let anyone, but me, of course, hurt you" Sirius shrugged and took a step back. "Seems true enough for you?"

"No" Remus answered without blinking. "I mean, I am- I am a werewolf" he whispered the word. "Shouldn't you, I don't know, get me expelled and in Azkaban, so I can be far away from him?"

"He doesn't care that you are a werewolf, so neither do I" he shook his shoulders, showing indifference. "Well, assuming that he knows, but I am pretty sure he does."

"You" Remus seemed to lose his words for a moment. He sensed as if he was floating, completely out of his body. Everything seemed too unbelievable to be real, even though he had a good reason. Alphard being too important for both of them, was a good reasoning. He just could never have imagined that, of all people, Sirius Black would be the one he had this conversation, ever. Or that someone could be so important to Sirius that he would put his hatred for Remus and werewolves behind. "You didn't talk to him about it?"

"I didn't talk to anyone about it" Sirius seemed to be getting impatient with this conversation.

"Anyone? Not even Regulus?"

"Sometimes Regulus remembers me too much of our parents, so no. Not even him."

"I-I don't know what to say." he was completely dumbfounded. "How- how did you know?"

"Our family name which one of us with star names, how do you think I know?" noticing Remus didn't gave a hint of recognition, Sirius rolled his eyes as if he was talking to a child and thought this conversation was completely unnecessary. "They are obsessed with astronomy, of course I know the lunar cycles. And it didn't take much time to notice you were always weirder and gone around the full moon. Oh, what a pleasure for an eleven-year-old to discover that the boy his uncle gave so much attention wasn't so different after wall, since he too had an affinity with the sky. Don't you agree, Moony?"

Remus could sense the poison leaving Sirius lips as he finished his sentence. He didn't give too much thought to it, being their normal. Actually, he sensed some comfort in it, as if he was finally back to familiar waters. However, the new nickname was unexpected.

"Moony?"

"Fitting don't you think?" and he winked at him, as if nothing had changed at all. As if he hadn't just confessed that one of Remus’ greatest fears could happen at any moment.

The door opening interrupted them, and without thinking two times, Sirius took another step back, but it was too late to act as if both were working.

"You filth devils didn't even clean the floor" Filch ranted with an angry scowl. "I should tell McGonagall that I caught you doing nothing."

"He is not feeling well" Sirius said pointing at him. Remus agreed nodding his read. Too stunned to speak.

"As if I care" Filch scoffed. "I will be back in one hour, make sure even the ceiling is clean this time or..."

With a threatening glance, Filch left. Sirius nodded to no one and went back to work. Not giving a mind to Remus completely flabbergasted for what looked like five minutes. When he finally regained his senses, he made a move to went back to work too.

"Stop there" Sirius said "I wasn't lying when I said you are too weak for this, you will only hold me back”.

"I can clean the floor, thank you very much" he scoffed and went back to his bucket, which was now overflowing, wetting the whole floor. "Uh"

"I told you" Sirius rolled his eyes and goes to his side, closing the tap, when Remus couldn't do it. Weaker than before due to stress.

"Is not as if I wasn't going to wet it before" he said trying to improve his situation, but Sirius only rolled his eyes, again, and ignored him as he went to wash the next sink.

"Do as you please."

They finished everything this time without saying a word. Remus too scared to say anything in case he irritates Sirius, and suddenly changing his mind about being quiet regarding Remus’ furry little problem. Even though the atmosphere was tense, both couldn't hide their relief when they finished. Sirius doing much more than Remus, for his own orders. And who was Remus to deny anything to him now. It didn't take long to Filch come back after that and be the sweetheart that he always makes sure to be. Sending them to their respective common rooms with a scowl.

Praying to whoever to thanks that this day ended, Remus took his wand back and didn't waste any second to go back to his common room, being followed by Sirius. Without understanding what the other boy was doing, Remus ignored him. Maybe he just had to do something in the west towers and what he did was not his problem. Nothing to do with the fact that Remus was terrified that one wrong move and Sirius would end his life for real this time.

Happier than ever for seeing the Fat Lady, Remus whispered the password as fast as he could. Wishing for the comfort of his bed and friends. Stopping only when Sirius, who was indeed following him, called him.

"This doesn't change anything. It's your turn now" and he left, going back from where they came. Leaving Remus gaping as some relief washed over him.