Hey, new chapter. This is, I know, going incredibly slowly. And considering the fact that I am doing my AS levels, it's probably not going to get much better over to next 10 weeks or so. This is definitely taking a route I wasn't expecting. Not that it's a problem, of course!

The Deal.

Chapter 8, Love Finds Us In The Strangest Places.

Remus blinked his eyes open the next morning and groaned softly. The sun just had to be at that impossible height where it shone straight into his eyes and burned through his brain. He rubbed his forehead, wincing at the bright glare, and rolled over, his mind supplying happy moans as he was enveloped in inky black. It stopped, and went into full alert mode, however, when he realised the inky black stuff was actually hair, and was attached to another human being.

"What! Wait, Sirius?" He groaned, finally remembering the previous night's drama.

"Mmm… Rem… g'to sleep." He mumbled, rolling over and pressing into Remus in ways that his traitorous teenage body really liked.

"Sirius, if you don't roll over now, certain parts of your anatomy will become very familiar with my knee." He sniped sternly, desperately fighting to stay in control.

"Rather they became intimately familiar with other parts of your anatomy." He purred, latching onto Remus' neck like it was Honeydukes' best. Remus moaned before he could stop it, and tilted his chin wantonly away from Sirius, giving him complete access.

Sirius was quick to take the opportunity, and Remus melted under the sensual touch, trying to push his doubts aside. He welcomed Sirius' hands on his body like they belonged there, and didn't even think about it when he arched his hips to help Sirius take off his bottoms. He came to awareness sharply, however, when he realised Sirius was staring at him, and he looked up. Sirius was staring at him, seemingly drinking in the sight of Remus lying wantonly in the bed, and Remus felt a dark flush steal over his cheeks. He'd never – never –been this vulnerable in front of someone else before, and he felt nervous. He relished the feeling, however, recognising that even partially dressed and very much in control, Sirius wouldn't hurt him. He brushed his lingering fears aside and reached out a hand, welcoming Sirius into his embrace. He moaned against heated skin as Sirius settled over him, and brushed his hands across the warm skin of Sirius' back.

Sirius pulled away slightly and his hand fumbled around their waistline. Remus wondered what he was doing for the whole of a second before he succumbed to the pleasure Sirius' hand was –probably accidentally – causing. He moaned sadly as Sirius' hand finally came away –clutching his trousers, Remus noted dimly – but arched as Sirius, obviously heartened by Remus' positive reactions, rocked against him. Oh yes, he could gladly wake up every morning like this.

The thought made him still – only barely registering that for him to stop moving, he had to have been moving in the first place. Sirius stilled as well, looking down at him with a worried frown.

"Remus, what -."

"Did you take no notice of what I said yesterday? I... I stopped this for a reason Sirius!"

"A bad reason! Did it not occur to you, Remus, that maybe I was doing this," He illustrated "this" with a grind of his hips that left Remus gasping, "because I want to? Because I like you and the idea of spending another day not doing this had me more depressed than I'd care to admit. I... I really like you, Remus. As a person, as a friend and especially as a lover, if you'll let me. This is more than just pretending, and it has been for a while. I've done the deed and I've felt the emotion behind it and I will be damned to hell if I'm going to let you walk away from this because it started as a way to protect your reputation. If it really bothers you then we'll start here, like this.

Will you be mine, Remus? Will you go on dates with me, will you care for me, will you try to love me? Will you be at my side today, tomorrow and forever?" Remus swallowed, touched, and nodded.

"Yes." He whispered, feeling oddly like he'd just been proposed to. He smirked wickedly at his lover and rocked his hips upward. "I may, however, change my mind if you don't move in the next few seconds."

Sirius hurriedly complied and Remus was soon coming; laughing and crying into Sirius' shoulder and feeling oddly like the entire world had just righted itself around Sirius.

Remus was glowing when they walked into the Great Hall for breakfast and Sirius, being dragged along by his hand, felt more than smug at the knowledge that he was the cause of the ethereal glow. After they'd both come (and he could have sworn Remus had been laughing although the younger man had protested vehemently that he hadn't) they'd completed their nearly ritualistic mutual shower. Remus had been laughing and smiling and more happy than Sirius could ever remember seeing him. If he made Remus happy just be doing that - whatever it was exactly that he'd done that put such a grin on Remus' face – he wondered what Remus would be like when Sirius proposed.

"Hey Remus!" Amos Diggory shouted. Remus grinned and tried to raise his hand to wave back before he realised it was attached to Sirius' in a grip he wasn't about to release any time soon. Sirius had to bite back laughter than bubbled up when he noticed the little blush on Remus' cheeks as he waved instead with the other hand, grinning madly.

"Well, look who finally got laid." Sirius stiffened at the sneering voice behind him and turned around, expecting the worst. What he got was worse. Lucius Malfoy was standing there, sneering at then in a way that made Sirius' mother look like she was grinning… well, like Remus had been a moment ago.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" He groaned, trying not to rub his head. His little brother was standing to the side of Malfoy and Sirius had no doubt the little snitch would be reporting their every word to his mother. Snape was in there as well, and Sirius flinched at the reminder of his stupid actions the previous year. HE squeezed Remus' hand tighter, and tried ot ignore the speculative, smug look in Snape's eyes. He didn't know anything except what his tiny pea brain had surmised from Lucius' words, and he wouldn't risk expulsion to say anything.

"We were just wondering when you were going to introduce your new boyfriend to the family, Sirius." Lucius – his damned cousin now – smiled sweetly at him. Narcissa was hanging off his arm, and Bellatrix was behind them, next to Snape, with her husband. Rudolf, or something equally as ridiculous. What they were even doing in Hogwarts, he didn't want to know, as only Snape, Narcissa and Regulus were even members of the school now.

"Really, Lucius, I thought we discussed your habit of talking about yourself and your nose like it's a separate entity. Just because it's big enough to own property…" He trailed off with a smug smirk when Lucius' fist clenched and he stepped forward threateningly.

"You will live to regret everything you've ever said of done to us, Sirius." He growled lowly. Sirius' eyes ran over the group, settling on Snape.

"To the... family, right? Only I don't recall Snape being a part of this family by blood or marriage, unless he intends to marry Regulus in which case I may feel actual pity for him for the first time. Imagine, being the first Black after dear Andy to marry a Mudblood." He grasped Remus' elbow and pulled him away, leaving Snape to the incredulous and angry glares of his housemates and "family".

"Why did you do that?" Remus asked, his voice wavering slightly. Sirius looked at him and sighed sadly.

"They were going to rip you to shreds Rem, and I couldn't let that happen, not today."

"But Snape -."

"What about Snape? Believe me, I did him a favour!"

"How?"

"He's a half-blood. Chances are, my family would have found out. Before or after he married Reg, the result is the same; he would have been cast out, hated. At least this way he can walk away; after the marriage he would have been stuck with them whether he liked it or not until he or Reg died."

"But... What if he really loved Regulus?" Remus' voice was soft, and Sirius saw the agonies behind his gaze. He himself was a half-blood involved with a member of the Black family after all.

"Then he'll get to find out if Reg loves him enough to turn his back on his family for him. To walk away for everything he has ever know and into a world of uncertainty; for the man he loves."

"You already knew..."

"My mother took great delight in informing me that Regulus had "fallen in love with a wondrous young man and they were to be married in the Autumn after Regulus turned seventeen." She took further delight, I'm sure, in informing me that the "wonderful young man" was, in fact, Snape."

"They are in love?"

"There's no doubt about that, Regulus has liked Snape for years. The question is, does he love him enough?"

Regulus Black, the Great progeny of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black, curled up on his bed with tears streaming down his face. His mother's response to Sirius' revelation had been swift; the engagement was off and if he was ever found having contact with that filth again he would face severe punishment. He buried his head into his arms, trying to push the tears at bay. This was always the way with them; he was always the one who faced the severe punishments. There was Sirius, going around fucking any mud-blood or muggle-born in the school without any retribution but Regulus was banned from seeing the man he loved for fear of swift and cruel punishment.

There was only one thing to do, he knew. It was something he had been putting off for a while, even though eh knew it would come eventually. He'd known ever since Sirius had worked up the courage to walk out, throwing angry insults and barbs at all three members of the family as he did so. He had to talk to Sirius; he knew the way out.

He crept out of the dormitories, careful to slink in the shadows as Severus had taught him as he made his way up to the Gryffindor Tower. He used the password before the suspicious Portrait could alert anyone and climbed up to where he knew Sirius' Dorm was. The first year he'd bribed into telling him the new passwords was very good and accurate, and Regulus would be sure to thank her later.

He had reached the Dorm and pushed the door open a little way. He was nearly inside when he heard Sirius speaking to his little lover.

"As far as I'm concerned, Regulus had his chance when I asked him to come with me. He's one of them, he can deal with it like they would."

"I don't think he can bribe your parents into forgetting that their new son in law is a "Mudblood".

"Regulus could probably do a lot of things. But no, their way of dealing with things like this is pretending they don't exist – as in Severus doesn't exist. Believe me, if my mother could do it to her son, Regulus can do it to his lover."

Regulus' breath caught in his throat – was Sirius really abandoning him? He couldn't stay and listen to his brother say these things about him any more, so he fled down the stairs, nearly tripping on one of them and sailing headfirst down the lat two flights. He managed to regain his footing and his composure long enough to get out of the Common Room relatively unscathed and down to the Slytherin Common Room. He wasn't like that – he wasn't!

Regulus paced backwards and forwards several times, battling with himself over what to do. He wanted to prove Sirius wrong – he was good and he loved Severus. He was afraid though, he had no idea what to do about it.

He absentmindedly picked up a shirt that was lying on the floor and went to hang it up. when he opened the closet, however, he stopped. All of these clothes - his mother bought them all.

He gathered up all of the clothes and piled them in the empty fireplace. His mother would never control him again, and he was going to start here. No more of these stupid, stiff, "presentable" robes. He checked that he had one more outfit ready for tomorrow, so that no one would notice any changes and he could talk to Severus first. He shot a bolt of flame at the pile in the fireplace and sat back on his bed to watch the flames consume what had once been fine (not to mention expensive) robes. The fire was quite therapeutic, and he felt better with each piece of clothing that disappeared. He smiled, a genuine smile gracing his lips for once, as his finest robes - the ones he'd piled on the top - were attacked by burning flames and curled into crisp cinders. Flakes of charred fabric floated about the fireplace before flickering flames licked at them and they crumbled into dust particles.

The fire finally stopped and Regulus stood up, clearing away the ashes and scraps of material, before placing logs in the grate and lighting the fire so the room would be warm when the other boys came in. As for him, he had some shopping to do.

"Sirius, you don't mean that!" Remus cried, shocked and sad. His amber eyes were wide and his face was twisted in a way that only upset emotional people can manage.

"Regulus is -." Remus cut Sirius off impatiently.

"Regulus is your brother! He loves you, and I truly believe he loves Snape. Give him another chance, Sirius. He deserves it."

"Why? Because he suffered the same parentage as I did. Newsflash, I'm not part of that anymore! I walked away! He'd deserve another chance if I though he'd do the same."

"You had us. He didn't. All he had was you Sirius, and you're intending to abandon him as well. He deserves it because he's not another one of them. He's different, more innocent and I think, with your support, this could be the thing to finally turn him."

"Well... You're right, I did have you but... But..." Sirius trailed off, struggling to find a way to justify his arguments.

"But Regulus has no one and he needs you." Sirius sighed and nodded defeatedly.

"I'll talk to him in the morning." Remus smiled proudly at Sirius and Sirius felt a shiver race through him. Making Remus happy had always made him feel good; the younger man seemed so solemn and serious that making him truly happy was a rare treat.

He slinked towards Remus, affecting a predatory air that made Remus simultaneously laugh and groan. Sirius stifled a grin and instead smirked seductively at Remus. Remus snorted, but the flush rising on his cheeks and the gleam in his eye told Sirius that he wasn't completely unaffected. Sirius sidled closer, before relaxing a little, causing Remus to relax as well. Once the honey haired boy was relaxed, Sirius pounced pushing Remus back onto the bed and kissing him. Remus moaned, mumbled in shock and laughed at the same time - a feat that made Sirius wriggle happily, causing Remus to moan louder.

"Do you have any idea how much I owe you? How much I love you, and James and Peter, for being there for me? How much I love you?"

Remus' breath caught, and Sirius could see him struggle to find some reply. Finally, he smiled tremulously and pulled him gently down to kiss him, a whisper brushing across his lips.

"I know."