A/N: hey fellas, sorry it's been so long. Your reviews were incredibly inspiring, but our characters were not happy with the last chapter so we got stuck. Like really stuck. Hah. This is an attempt to unstick this story. We hope you enjoy! Please let us know!

Fear

Remus rested his head back against the base of the tree he was hiding in the branches of. His feet were dangling off the thick branch, and he remained still as a single drop of sweat trailed its way across his forehead and around his skull until it reached the nape of his neck.

He exhaled.

There was a part of him that was not surprised at all by the discovery. The rest of him, though, was frustrated, disappointed... hurt.

He had trusted the human. Protected him. Fought for him. In some ways, he had thought with how obvious all this was, that the loyalty would be returned in some small way; surely honesty was a small gesture in return, right? Common decency even. Did that exist where Sirius was from?

"Remus?" The loud human could be heard trampling and stumbling through the undergrowth before he yelled, startling the peaceful parasaurolophus herd Remus had been stalking for an hour.

He hissed under his breath as one of the large dinosaurs raised its head, cried a warning to its herdmates a few yards further away and took off.

Sirius seemed startled by the sudden thunder of dinosaur feet only twenty feet away from him.

Without thinking, Remus reflexively dropped from the tree to land behind Sirius. Wrapping an arm around the raven-haired guy all the while ignoring whatever inane complaints he was uttering, he spun him around and tossed him over one shoulder and, with a little difficulty, carried him up the tree to the branch he had been on and then settled onto the one directly beside it that wasn't quite as sturdy.

"You scared away our ride home," Remus accused him in a near monotone, pointing to the parasaur herd that was taking off over a visible hilly plain a distance away. "And all your struggling almost made me drop you. Were you trying to call all of the raptors on this side of the island to you?"

"Ride?" Sirius gaped at the insane thought... and then he realized something else possibly more alarming. "Wait, what? Why are we going back to camp already?"

The sandy blond didn't look at him as he said, "Because there is no reason to stay away anymore."

Sirius blinked rapidly as he processed the meaning behind the words. His dark brows furrowed slightly as he fought a frown. "So just like that, huh?"

Remus said nothing, only stared at where the herd had once been, his jaw clenching the only sign he'd heard Sirius.

Sirius let out a breathy laugh. "Well, fuck, Remus, I'd have told you sooner if I'd known how much of a turn off it was for you."

Remus turned his head slowly. "Do you mock me?" he asked tersely.

Sirius laughed sharply at that, and somewhere in his mind he knew it was a terrible idea. But fuck it. He tilted his chin back with raised brows, his gaze aloof. "I'd never dream of it."

He watched as hazel green eyes sharpened and then narrowed angrily, and the raven-haired guy felt a jolt of excitement speed up his breaths. He was starting to get used to Remus's temper, and he wasn't going to lie—he kind of liked it. He seemed very aware of his and Sirius's difference in strength and didn't seem to want to hurt him at all. Not to mention, Sirius had always been a bit of an adrenaline junkie. Though, since he wasn't absolutely sure if those benevolent feelings would remain, he'd be smart to play it careful.

"Listen, Remus..." he started up, his low voice more hesitant than usual, and he noticed the sandy blond's shoulders soften somewhat at the tone, so he continued slowly, "I'm sorry... okay? I didn't plan to lie, it just happened. I panicked." Which was completely true. He cocked his head then, letting his long black bangs fall into his eyes, and he parted his lips ever so slightly. Green eyes trailed down to study them, and he worked hard to not let them curl up. "To be fair, you were covered in someone's blood at the time..." he hedged.

Remus's eyes flashed without warning. He leaned towards Sirius, who kept his position, but then his eyes widened somewhat, giving him away. "For you," he growled lowly, gritting his back teeth together and resting a hand on the raven-haired guy's branch as he leaned in closer to him, "I did that for you, Sirius, do not be mistaken. I was protecting you." He paused, his anger only growing. "And then you lied to me."

Sirius nodded gingerly, his excitement bordering all out panic as the unreasonably strong blond glared darkly at him up close, but he held it back, responding breathily, his voice rough. "You're right, and that's why I'm apologizing now. I was wrong." He waited.

Remus stared at him for a long moment, and Sirius was sure the guy was considering breaking his branch in two just to see if he'd survive the fall—which Sirius was 100% sure he wouldn't—but then something in his expression shifted, and he sighed and sat back on his own branch. "All right."

Sirius blinked, feeling a little lightheaded with relief. He cleared his throat, a lump in it fighting back valiantly. "All right... what?" he asked, a grimace punctuating the last word.

Remus tilted his chin back, resting the crown of his head against the trunk of the tree. He looked tired. Or maybe tired was an understatement. He looked prematurely aged, in a way that made the few grey sprinkling his hair lighter and the many scars peeking from underneath his clothes darker. "I accept your apology."

Despite the weight in the air, Sirius found himself wanting to grin, and he wet his lips discreetly. "So we'll stay here a couple days still...?"

Green eyes flicked over at that, studying him with obvious skepticism. "You do not like it at the camp?"

Sirius turned his gaze down and gave a slight shrug. Hated was more accurate. He hated it there; he didn't trust most of the men there, and he loathed how Remus treated him there, how he acted around his men. Because, if there was one thing Sirius was growing more and more certain of it was that Remus Lupin was not the man he wanted everyone to believe he was. "Or maybe I just like it here with you more..."

Remus huffed a sharp breath. "Only because you don't fear me."

Sirius looked up in surprise. "Is that what you think?" The sandy blond leader raised one brow as answer, and Sirius smiled in disbelief, a breath of shock escaping his lips. "Remus, did you forget what I just told you? I said I was a virgin you terrified me so much. You're definitely the baddest motherfucker out there."

And Remus grinned wryly, surprising Sirius even more. "You have a way with words, Sirius Black," he said, his smooth, rich voice not unfriendly.

Sirius grinned back at him impishly as his heart thumped harder inside his chest. And for a moment he forgot he was in a prehistoric, paleolithic world where everything and anything wanted to have him for a snack. As he stared into vibrant green eyes under a soft blond fringe that beckoned him ever closer, he just felt like a guy who'd found something he'd been looking for for quite some time.

He leaned over carefully, stopping just shy of tempting lips, and whispered roughly, "Can I kiss you?"

Remus didn't hesitate. He just met Sirius's mouth with his own to answer.