A/N: We realise that the London Eye Ferris wheel has large closed gondolas. We normally aim to have our facts straight, but for the sake of the story, let's just pretend it's the classical small gondolas where 2 or 4 people sit opposite each other, yeah? Artistic freedom, and that ;)

Chapter 5 – Have You no Shame?

Lily came over a few days later, around noon. She found Remus sitting in the sunroom, enjoying the warm spring day. "Hello, Remus," she smiled. "Where is Regulus?"

"His private lounge," Remus replied. "He stays away from me as much as he can. My company is doing his head in, I suppose."

"Really?" asked Lily, furrowing her eyebrows. "Don't you spend time together at all in private?"

"If you consider sleeping silently in the same bed as spending time together, then aye. But that's about it," Remus mumbled. "I'm really trying, but it seems he can't get past the fact that I'm an escort. It feels like that, anyway." Remus then shook his head. "I'm sorry. I'm here to do a job, not to make new friends. I'll be fine." He sent her a smile before picking up his cup of tea.

Lily marched directly to Regulus' lounge and entered without knocking. "Regulus - why are you not spending any time with Remus?"

"What? I am spending time with him! We don't have to be attached at the hips 24/7, do we?"

"He says that the two of you barely spend any time together at home."

"How much time do we have to spend?" said Regulus, getting defensive. "We go out together, are together when you're over, and you even have us sleeping together – what more do you want?"

Lily sighed and sat down. "Regulus, I just thought the two of you could at least be on friendly terms, but you seem to avoid him whenever I'm not around. Is he really that bad?"

"Why do we have to be friends? Isn't it enough that we get along? Sort of. What - is he complaining about me? Am I hurting his feelings?" Regulus said wryly.

"Why don't you ask him?"

Regulus turned his attention back to the book he had been reading. When Lily didn't make as if she was going to leave, he looked back up, seeing her stand with her arms crossed. "What? You don't actually mean it? Now?"

"Yes, I mean it!"

They made their way down the hall but found the sunroom empty. Lily sighed and called for Kreacher.

"The guest went to the library," the butler informed them.

"It's not that hard to treat employees with kindness, Regulus. You do it with Kreacher," Lily said as they walked towards the library.

"Well, Kreacher isn't rude and annoying," Regulus reasoned.

They suddenly stopped when hearing the piano playing. They looked at each other.

"Is that Remus?" asked Lily.

"Who else could it be? There's nobody else here."

Engrossed in his own little world, playing and humming along, Remus did not notice the two entering the room. After a few minutes, Lily cleared her throat, making their presence known. Remus turned around, looking a little startled.

"Sorry, Remus," Lily smiled. "We didn't mean to scare you. I didn't know you could play the piano. You're very gifted."

"Oh... well, I have to keep meself occupied, haven't I?" he said and got up. "Me mam started teaching me when I were little. It's one of the few things I do well other than wooing men."

Regulus sighed, feeling the jab aimed at him.

"Come have tea with us in the sunroom," offered Lily. "It's such a lovely day."

o0o0o

"I talked to Sirius earlier," Lily told Regulus when they sat with their tea. "He said he'll drop by one of these days."

"Great. Then Remus will have some company he likes," Regulus commented.

Remus looked at Regulus. "I do like your company. At least I do when we're out in public, because then you don't treat me like I'm summat you just scraped off your shoe."

"I don't treat you like something I scraped off my shoe!" snapped Regulus.

"No... just forget it. Where are me manners?" Remus sighed and leaned back in his seat. "Sorry to have offended you. I'm here to do me job, and that's that."

"That's right. And you're payed good money for it. You don't even have to put out."

"Regulus – be nice!" scolded Lily. "There is no reason for you two not to behave like friends while Remus is here. That shouldn't be so difficult. You're the same age and I'm sure you have some common interests. By the way, Remus – you're allowed to go out as you please, you do know that, right? You aren't a prisoner in this house."

"I know," Remus nodded. "I just don't feel like being overrun by the media."

"I agree," said Regulus. "If he's recognised, he could be drowned in questions and tricked into making a mistake."

"Oh, I'm sure Remus can handle himself. He certainly hasn't disappointed when it comes to dealing with the public," said Lily, sending Remus a smile.

"No, but journalists can make anyone mess up. Just look at me – and I've been used to them my whole life. I don't think it's safe that Remus is out on his own."

"Well, then you take him out. Do something nice together. It would only be natural for a couple to go out on private dates."

Regulus groaned. "I would like a bit of peace in my spare time."

"Well, I think you should reconsider it, Regulus," said Lily and got to her feet. "But I have to go now. I have a meeting in half an hour."

Lily had barely left once someone else entered the room. Regulus jumped to his feet. "Mother! What are you doing here?"

"Do I need an excuse to visit my son?" asked the woman, putting down her handbag on a chair. "Well, I also came to have a few words with you about our shoot tomorrow."

"Oh. Right," said Regulus, having actually forgotten about the mother-and-son shoot.

"You must be the prostitute," said Walburga, finally acknowledging Remus' presence in the room. Her eyes swept over him, looking unimpressed.

"He's not a prostitute. He's an –"

"He's an actor, yes, you've told me that lie. Your brother let the truth slip in a conversation yesterday."

"He wouldn't!" gasped Regulus.

"Oh, not on purpose, I'm sure, but he always did tend to speak faster than thinking."

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Black," Remus said, politely offering the woman his hand.

"Could we have some privacy?" Walburga asked coldly, not bothering to return Remus' greeting. "Honestly Regulus," she said with disgust. "A prostitute? Have you no shame? Allowing yourself to associated with such filth."

"I didn't make the arrangement!" protested Regulus, sending a nervous glance at Remus' retreating back. "I was very much against it. But... he does do a good job; you must admit that if you've seen the news. And he isn't an actual prostitute. He's an escort."

"He sleeps with people for money. That's a prostitute in my book. I'm sure if you gave him five extra pounds he would do all sorts of depraved things for you without asking questions." She sighed and rubbed her temples. "I do hope you got him tested before you started kissing him. Who knows what filth he could pass on to you?"

Regulus didn't say anything else. He knew that it would make no difference whatever he said.

"I would have expected something like this from your disgraceful brother, but not you. I'm sure he's enjoying this whole scandalous affair." She scoffed and crossed her arms. "How I ended up with such a respectless son is beyond me. And now you're also starting to lie to me?"

"I... I did it to spare you the embarrassment," said Regulus. "I didn't see any harm in it. We're only making use of his acting skills, anyway, so calling him an actor wasn't much of a stretch."

Mrs. Black looked around. "Why haven't I been offered tea? Where is Kreacher?"

Outside the door, Remus was eavesdropping. He felt a little guilty about it, but Regulus' very rude mother did not exactly deserve his politeness, he reasoned, and he was curious to know what she had to say and what Regulus would respond. It was no big surprise that Regulus had done nothing to defend him. If it was because he was afraid of his mother or if it was because he couldn't care less about Remus' feelings, Remus didn't know. Again, he had to tell himself that this was just a job and it was dangerous to let his emotions get the best of him. But he couldn't help it. There was something about the obnoxious model that was starting to stir feelings in him. Maybe it was the night Regulus had clung to him. Seeing him let his guard down for once made him seem human. And the way the model treated him when they were out in public - so lovingly and chivalrous - it was difficult for Remus' brain to convince his emotions that it was all just an act. And then there was the heated kiss the other day. It had been like throwing petrol on the little flame in his chest.

"I let Kreacher off early today. He had some private business to attend to," said Regulus and quickly poured his mother a cup of tea from the thermos on the table. "It will be alright, Mother. Another month or so and this will all be over."

"I do hope so," she muttered and took a sip from her cup. "And then perhaps it's time for you to find a classy girl to marry. One that will look good at you side and be a worthy addition to our family."

o0o0o

When she had left, Regulus went looking for Remus. To no surprise he found him in the library. He stopped just inside the doorway, sure that Remus knew he was there but chose not to let on. "Listen... I'm sorry about my mother. She's not the most diplomatic woman and I'm afraid she isn't very tolerant either."

"It's okay," Remus said in a quiet voice. "It's not like I've never heard those things before..." He put the book down he had been flipping through. "Is there something I can do for you?"

"What? I'm giving you an apology! I thought you'd be pleased. My mother, she... she's not as bad as she sounds. Next time just pretend not to hear her insults." When Remus didn't give a reply, Regulus said. "So... I was thinking in case you're bored here, that perhaps I could take you out one of these days? I could show you some of London. If you want."

Remus smiled, pleasantly surprised. This was the kindest Regulus had ever been when they were on their own. "That would be lovely. I always wanted to see London properly. I've only been here once before, but I was quite little and don't remember much of it."

"Well, good. We'll do that. Tuesday perhaps? Tomorrow I have that shoot with my mother," he sighed at the thought. "I'm ordering take-away tonight, since Kreacher left early and didn't have time to prepare anything for us. What would you like? Italian? Sushi? Indian?"

"Um... Italian sounds good, if that's alright with you," smiled Remus. He felt warm inside from the for once genuine kindness Regulus was showing him. "Come here for a minute," he said, an idea suddenly striking him. He moved across the room to sit down at the piano, Regulus following him over. "Mind if I play you a piece? You seem stressed and me mam always used to play for me when I were upset."

Regulus looked at him in surprise, then nodded. "Okay. Go ahead."

Remus smiled and started playing a quiet, beautiful piece while humming along, his fingers moving smoothly over the keys as the tune echoed through the room and into the hall.

"You're good," commented Regulus once Remus was finished. "I don't play nearly as much as I should. Did it more as a child. But you're better than I ever was."

"Me mam were a big Enya fan so she taught me a lot of her songs," Remus said and flipped the fallboard down over the keys. He was quiet for a while. "And thank you for the compliment," he smiled.

"You say were," said Regulus, a little tentatively. "Is she dead, your mum?"

Remus nodded, looking solemn. "She died of cancer a few years ago."

"Oh. I'm sorry," said Regulus, not sure what else he could say.

Remus struck up a smile. "Well, she were a good mother and taught me a lot of good things. I hope I can play for you some time again before I leave."

"You're welcome to play any time you want. The piano's there to be used."

o0o0o

Tuesday the boys went out sightseeing right after breakfast. Regulus was wearing the most casual outfit Remus had seen him in so far, but he still managed to make a pair of old jeans and a simple T-shirt look like a million pounds.

Walking down Carnaby Street hand-in-hand, passing all the charming little shops and cafés, Remus squeezed Regulus' hand and smiled fondly at him. Putting on the act as the madly in love boyfriend was becoming easier and easier. Although Regulus was wearing sunglasses throughout the day, they were recognised and stopped quite a few times. Luckily, no one from the media discovered them, and they got away with just a few autographs and pictures taken with fans.

After swinging by the mandatory sights such as Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge and Big Ben, they went to take a ride in the London Eye. However, once they stood in front of it, Remus hesitated. "Not sure I dare go up there," he said and gulped, looking up at the giant Ferris wheel. He had been looking very much forward to experiencing it, but now, seeing how tall it actually was, he was having second thoughts.

"There's nothing to fear," said Regulus. "It's perfectly safe. I'm quite sure there has never been a fatality."

In the end Remus agreed to go. It was evident that the girls in the gondola behind them had recognised them, because they could hear talking and giggles. As the wheel rose toward the top Regulus could feel how on edge Remus was. Without thinking about it, Regulus cupped his cheeks and kissed him. Not as aggressively as last week but not an innocent kiss either. He had thought kissing a man would be awkward and unpleasant but had learned that it wasn't at all. In fact, Regulus found it quite enjoyable. Perhaps it was because Remus was a professional and knew how to make anyone feel good, gay or not.

Remus melted into the kiss, feeling himself being swept away. He was quite surprised that Regulus kissed him now that they were over a hundred yards off the ground and no one could really see them. He didn't complain or ask questions, though, since it made him relax and forget how high up they were. That was until the Farris wheel stopped for a bit when their gondola reached the very top. He broke the kiss and looked down, his heart picking up speed.

Regulus pulled his face back around and started kissing him again and gave his hand a squeeze, hoping it would make him forget. When they started moving again, he broke away. "Bet they got a few good shots of that," he said, giving a tiny nod backwards. "Going on Instagram or Pinterest or whatever it's all called."

Remus turned his head a little while processing the moment, noticing the girls staring at them from the gondola behind. "Aye… they probably did," he smiled, although feeling his heart sink. He had actually allowed himself to think that Regulus kissed him because he wanted to and not for show.

They dined at a small bistro, sitting in a far corner in the courtyard, Regulus hoping not to be recognised, which was why he still didn't take off his sunglasses. He hated being disturbed by fans while eating.

Remus took his hand and studied him for a while, sensing that he was getting a bit restless and then suggested, "Want to cut it short and move on?"

"What? No. Let's have a cup of coffee before we leave, yeah?"

Regulus came to regret that decision, however, when a couple of girls came over a bit later, asking for selfies. Regulus was about to snap at them about giving them a little privacy to eat, but then remembered that he was still working on his tarnished reputation.

"Thank you so much!" they beamed afterwards. "You two are so adorable together. Every girl's wet dream."

Remus sent them a wide smile. "Thank you, ladies."

The girls giggled and went on their way while looking at the picture they had snapped on their phones.

"I know what you're thinking, but they aren't masturbating to our pictures!" a blushing Regulus said in a none too friendly tone, again reminded of their conversation the first night. "Nor to any of my other pictures!"

"You can tell yourself that all day long, luv," Remus sighed. "It's like that with all celebrities, sorry to say."

"It's still not the same as selling my body."

The sudden change in Regulus' demeanour felt like a slap in the face. "So we're back to that again, are we?" said Remus angrily. "Perhaps there's a reason I do what I do – did you ever think about that? We're not all as privileged as you."

"Most people of the working class have regular jobs in supermarkets and construction and whatnot. Don't tell me you didn't have any other options than going on the game. You're not a junkie who can't get his fixes any other way."

"Whatever, show boy," Remus spat. "You don't know my story, so just belt up!"

They left five minutes later, hardly speaking a word all the way home. Remus was both upset and bitter over the anticlimactic ending to such a magical day. Having gotten along for the past few days, he had actually started allowing himself to think that the fights and animosity between them were history, but that had clearly been too good to be true.