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Sirius is fully submerged in the book resting on his lap. It is the third in the series that Marlene said he just had to read. She had said it with a hysterical laugh as she flung the first book of the series in his lap a week ago. Howling love . It wasn’t the most subtle title and Sirius had looked at her with a sceptic expression.
“You will devour this, I guarantee it.” She laughed again before picking up the new book she had bought, pointedly starting to read so Sirius was left with no choice but to crack open the book. They read instead of going through gossip like they usually would and Sirius was shocked. How muggles can come up with this stuff is beyond him but it was very entertaining and it sucked him into the pages. Marlene had laughed at him again when he didn’t want to leave that evening because there was no way in hell he could read this with Remus next to him in bed. No, that would be a very bad idea.
He had gone through the first two books in the series quicker than he had anticipated. Every second Remus was far away enough that he couldn’t read the cover of his book Sirius opened it and devoured the content. He eventually found that these moments weren’t enough to get through the books at the pace he wanted to so he transformed the cover into something much more normal .
Remus hadn’t questioned his new habit of being glued to a book as it allowed him to do the same. Sirius had periods of hyperfixation all the time and that it was a book this time wasn’t that out of the ordinary. Sirius is, however, always watching where Remus is while he reads so he doesn’t see a single word of the rancid stuff he is letting into his brain.
But Remus is at the Potters' house, hanging out with Regulus as they always do on Wednesday night and Sirius could let his guard down fully and emerge into the world of alphas fighting for the attention of their omegas. Sirius eyes fly over the words and he isn’t even aware of the expressions he makes while consuming the words like the ever-hungry caterpillar.
He is living in his story and with every new thing he learns about this reality of second genders he questions his own reality more and more. He would be an omega, without a doubt. Sirius can’t think of a better feeling than Remus being buried deep inside him, their bodies close and Sirius is almost sure he would be in constant heat around the real werewolf in his life. He should find out if Remus would indeed be the alpha he thinks he would be.
The idea just makes sense to Sirius. Remus is literally a wolf and his moods, depending on the cycle of the moon, correspond so much with that of a true alpha. That realisation makes Sirius wonder if other alpha things would also be possible with Remus. The thought makes him shift on the couch and he imagines the feeling of a knot filling him. That would be something. With wide eyes, Sirius cuts off his train of thought and focuses his attention on the book again, being transported to another world again.
It isn’t until he hears a voice in his ear that he gets transported back to his own universe with a jolt. “What is slick and why does it taste sweet?” Remus asks confused.
“Moony! You’re home early,” Sirius exclaims and he shuts the book as quickly as he can. Blood rushes to his cheeks and he turns quickly so he can face his alph- uh, boyfriend.
“Darling, it is almost eleven,” Remus chuckles and juts his chin to the clock hanging on the wall. He is right, Sirius had been reading for hours and he hadn’t even noticed. A stunned expression forms on Sirius' face and Remus laughs at him. He kisses Sirius' head before walking around the sofa to let himself fall onto it. “Did you read all evening?”
“What?” Sirius sputters. “No, of course not.” The blush spreads from his cheeks to his ears and he feels himself burn fiercely. Is this what heat would feel like? Sirius can’t stop his mind from wandering and he moves to stand from the sofa to hide his red cheeks. But Remus’ hand wraps around his wrist and he is pulled back down softly.
“Sirius,” the tone of his voice is scolding and Sirius pears at him through his lashes. “Did you eat or drink at all?” The concern is clearly there but Remus knows his boyfriend. When he is fixated on something he forgets all his basic needs. Sirius can see that Remus is also on the verge of laughing. He shakes his head sheepishly, giving Remus a small grin.
Remus rolls his eyes and gets up from the sofa. Sirius wants to follow but Remus points at him sternly. “Sit, stay.”
“Woof,” Sirius deadpans back and contemplates for a second transforming into Padfood.
“Good boy.” Remus gives him a look that makes Sirius’ mouth go dry in an instant and he smirks when he walks into the kitchen to get some sustenance for his boyfriend.
Caring, demanding, dominant, large, Remus does have all the trademarks of an alpha and as he walks back to the sofa, tea in one hand and a bowl of fruit in the other, Sirius can’t help his eyes going to the place where his perfect cock is concealed by his jeans. His mind is turning on full speed and it isn’t helping that Remus looks so good at that precise moment.
“There,” Remus says as he hands Sirius the cup and sets the bowl in between his crossed legs. “And are you going to finally tell me what this book is that has stolen my boyfriend from me, it looked like some type of pron. Am I not enough for you anymore?”
Sirius almost chokes on his tea when Remus says those words. He coughs harshly and puts the cup on the small table next to them. Remus pulls an eyebrow and leans into the sofa cushions to wait for Sirius to start speaking.
It’s not that Sirius doesn’t want him to know or that he wants to keep secrets from Remus but it is just a little too close for comfort. Sirius clears his throat and takes a deep breath before speaking. “Okay, but you have to promise to not be disgusted or weirded out.”
“Now you are really putting worst-case scenarios in my mind, pads,” Remus says sceptically, his eyebrow still raised. Sirius just cocks his head to the side giving his boyfriend a look. Remus’ face relaxes and he shakes his head. “Fine, fine, I promise. Now explain to me what slick is, ‘cause that little sentence I read made zero sense to me.”
Sirius grins brightly, stuffing down his embarrassment and takes the book from under the throw pillow he had hidden it under in his haste. He takes his wand from his hair and removes the glamour spell before handing it to Remus.
His eyes flick to Sirius, who is looking at him in anticipation, and then looks at the book in his hands. On the cover, there is a man who has his hand wrapped around the shoulders of a man standing in front of him. The man in front looks back at the larger man behind him who is looking straight ahead. Remus turns the book to look at the back of it that contains the blurp.
Sirius starts fidgeting with his nails as he watches Remus inspect the book. Why is he feeling nervous? It is completely normal to read these books. Marlene told him it was a bestseller in the muggleworld so thousands of people read it. Still, Sirius doesn’t know what to expect from Remus so he waits and cleans his nails.
“So…” Remus lays the book slowly between them, eyeing Sirius with a mix of disturbance and curiosity. “It’s wolf porn in human bodies?”
Sirius pushes forward on his knees not able to contain his enthusiasm. “Oh, Moony no,” he sighs dramatically and takes the book to wave it around. “It’s so much more! Like it’s real connections, mentally and physically and it’s true love, protection, possession.” He says the last word with a particular voice that suggests exactly what it needs to suggest.
Remus furrows his brows deeply as he watches Sirius go all out about the plot of the series about an alpha that is in search of his true omega and knows it’s his childhood friend but she is in this relationship with another alpha. With every word, Sirius says Remus looks more confused and he waves his hand halfway through Sirius’ ramble. “Wait, hold on. So there are people who are either alpha or omega? What does that mean?”
Sirius laughs and rolls his eyes at his ignorance. “Okay, keep up yeah?” Remus nods slowly and looks like he isn’t sure he should have asked the question in the first place. Sirius ignores that and he shuffles a little closer to Remus as he starts explaining. “There are three second genders, alpha, beta and omega. Beta’s are just people without anything specific, they are boring.”
Remus huffs and Sirius shrugs. “Okay, no, they’re not but they are not the main focus. These are the alphas and omegas. Alphas are the leaders, mostly large and muscled. They almost always have this grumpy exterior but are very caring and protective underneath, just like you,” Sirius looks at Remus intently and he is met with an expression of thoughtfulness like Remus is contemplating that assessment of his character.
“And omegas are most of the time the ‘weaker’ ones,” he makes air quotes with his fingers. “but they are sweet, loving and very loyal. They are also quite needy and when they are in heat they are insatiable.”
“Like you,” Remus hums with a small smirk.
Sirius wants to go on with his ramble but Remus’ words stop him. “I’m not needy!”
Remus laughs and stretches his hand to let it rest on Sirius' knee. “Sure, love. What is ‘heat’?”
Sirius is immediately distracted and starts explaining the principles of heat and rut and that the cycles are different for everyone but that the main thing is that they are in need of a lot of sex when it happens.
Remus laughs at that. “Wait, so, they just get horny on the clock?”
Sirius shrugs. “Pretty much, but it’s more than horny. When an omega is in heat he needs to get knotted.” This is dangerous territory. Sirius feels the anticipation stir in his body but he can’t just ask Remus blankly.
The werewolf looks very confused at that word and Sirius laughs. “Okay, like,” Sirius laughs before he sticks his finger out in front of him to use it to explain what a knot is. “This is your cock.”
Remus looks horrified and a little offended at Sirius’ finger. Sirius laughs at the expression and slaps Remus’ leg. “No, not yours. Way too small, love, just any cock. Pretend this is a cock.” Remus nods slowly, still looking horrified. Sirius chuckles as he goes on explaining how the knot works and what happens when it pops.
“Wow,” Remus lets out softly, his expression a little more relaxed as Sirius went along with his explanations. Sirius laughs at the amazement shown on Remus’ face but it shifts to something Sirius can’t place fully and nerves bubble up in his stomach. Is Remus questioning the same things that went through Sirius’ head while reading? “But they just want sex and that,” he gestured to Sirius’ hands as if they still represent body parts.
“No, it’s more than that. There is this constant feeling that they need to mate and breed. So like, bond for life.”
“I know what a mate is pads, some of the packs use the term for their partners,” Remus remarks, casually leaning back against the sofa.
This makes Sirius swallow. Now or never. He just needs to know. “So, there are things in this book that are also in the real world?” He sounds almost hopeful and, god as if that isn’t pathetic.
Remus seems to think about that for a second before he nods. “Yeah, I think so. Like we have alphas but those are just pack leaders. They don’t have ruts like real mammals, we’re too partly human for that I think.”
“And like the rest?” Sirius asks slowly. His cheeks flush again and he wiggles a little in his seat. Curiosity killed the cat but satisfaction brought him back. Sirius eyes wander, looking at everything but Remus. His embarrassment is on full display with his cheeks being deep red.
“Sirius,” Remus' voice sounds lower than it had a moment ago. Sirius knows that tone very well and his head snaps up to meet the intense eyes of the man in front of him. A cocky smirk comes on his face and Sirius doesn’t know where his spine has gone but he feels like dissolving in a puddle. “Have you been wondering about my ability to knot while you were reading?”
Sirius is a weak man. He can’t lie. He is too hopeful. He nods and waits for the answer that will burst his bubble of sexual fantasies. Remus’ smirk gets wider and he laughs at his boyfriend. Sirius slaps his chest harshly and whines at him, “You promised not to be weird about it!”
Remus takes Sirius’ hand and pulls it so he falls into his lap. Remus leans in and kisses Sirius softly, with love and care, like he always does. Sirius forgets about the laughing immediately and sinks into Remus’ touch. When they break apart Remus kisses his nose and leans his forehead against Sirius’. “I love you, but you are an idiot.”
Sirius leans back and looks offended. “I don’t know all the weird werewolf shit your body can do.”
He expects another laugh but Remus seems to think about that. “Well, now I think about it,” he starts and Sirius looks at him curiously. Remus looks back and bites his lip before shaking his head. “No, nothing.”
“Moony, you can’t do that. Spill it,” Sirius says with a pouting face.
“I was just thinking, I have never had sex in wolf form so maybe I can and don’t know.” Sirius is silent for a full minute. They just stare at each other, all sorts of thoughts floating between them. Sirius goes to speak but Remus stops him with a hand on his mouth. “Don’t even go there.”
Sirius snorts but keeps his words to himself. A grin spreads on his face and he shrugs as he tangles his fingers into Remus’ curls. “Well, I know one thing for certain.”
Remus pulls his signature brow in question. “And what would that be?”
“You are my alpha in every universe.”
Remus laughs darkly and scoops Sirius up from the sofa as he stands upright. “Is that so? Well, let me take you apart then like the good omega you are.” Sirius laughs as he is carried to the bedroom and he is still laughing while he is thrown on the bed to be devoured by his not-alpha werewolf boyfriend.