Chapter 10 – Am I interrupting Something?

A few weeks later when James and Remus were alone in the apartment, James confronted his friend. "Remus... you've been crazy miserable lately. How long have you been in love with him?"

"W-what?" said Remus, nearly dropping his cup of coffee. "What are you talking about? I'm not in love with no one." He tried to casually smile but it was hard to hide the hurt that stung deep in his heart whenever he thought about Regulus. The last few weeks he had ignored him pretty much completely, except for a couple of times when he had managed to seduce Remus yet again.

"Oh, drop it, Remus. I see the way you look at him and how miserable you are. Did you try making a move? Maybe he hasn't noticed you're interested."

"He knows I'm interested," said Remus and put his cup down. "But he doesn't want me."

James sighed and put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "You're probably better off. I can see he's pretty and all that, but he ain't the most charming person I've met, to say the least."

"I know... but I really like him and we got such good chemistry."

"Chemistry? How do you know that when you ain't never been with him?"

Remus gulped and looked down into his cup. He couldn't let James know they had had sex. He had promised Regulus. "It's just a feeling, I guess…"

"I never seen you in such a bad way before," said James, looking worried.

"I never have been," sighed Remus. "Not with any of my boyfriends or crushes. "I thought I'd been in love before, but…"

James gave his friend a hug. "There's nothing worse than unrequited love. But hey – not to get your hopes up or anything, but I spent two years winning Lily over. Might could show you a few tricks."

Remus actually laughed. "I very much doubt your moves would work on Regulus."

James laughed as well. "No, maybe not. Don't think he's a fan of my style. Never laughs at my jokes or nothing. But luckily I'm not the one trying to win his heart."

o0o0o

One day when Regulus came home from a 7-mile run he found Remus sitting in the living room with a young man Regulus had never seem. Papers and books were spread around them and they were talking avidly. Regulus walked closer and asked Remus who was cooking that evening (even though he was well aware that it was Peter's turn), hoping to get some info on the man without seeming interested.

"It's Peter's turn," said Remus and smiled at Regulus.

The young man sat pretty close to Remus. A little too close for Regulus' taste.

"This is Noel," said Remus when he noticed Regulus looking at him. "We're working on a project together. Noel, this is Regulus – one of my room mates."

"Hey," smiled Noel.

Regulus stood there for a moment, looking Noel up and down. He was quite good looking with his big smile and golden blond hair, but Regulus didn't feel himself attracted to him in the slightest. "Hi," he mumbled and continued to his room.

Noel looked slightly perplexedly at Remus when Regulus had left, and Remus looked back at him with a nervous smile. "He's just a bit reserved," he explained and picked up a book.

"Very handsome, though," said Noel.

"Yes. Very," sighed Remus.

o0o0o

Regulus was in a bad mood while showering. He didn't like Noel. He was sitting too close to Remus and smiling too much. And he was gay, Regulus was sure of that. He had seen the way he had checked him out when Remus introduced them.

On his way to his room Regulus stopped as he reached the living room and saw Noel leaning very close to Remus' face with the pretense of seeing something on his laptop screen. What? Was that bloke about to kiss Remus? Regulus coughed loudly. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Not at all," said Remus, looking up from his laptop.

Noel smiled at Regulus. "I was just showing Remus a fun video on YouTube. You wanna see it?"

"No!" snorted Regulus and marched off to his room.

o0o0o

At dinner that evening Regulus was clearly in a sour mood, not saying anything and stabbing every piece of food violently with his fork as if it needed to be killed before being eaten.

"What's with you?" asked Sirius with raised eyebrows.

"Can't a bloke be allowed to have a bad day?" snapped Regulus.

"You're moody almost on a daily basis," said Sirius. "But today is particularly bad."

Remus sat with his head bent. He hated when Regulus was in a bad mood and for some reason he felt it was his fault.

"Well, I'll spare you the nuisance of having to watch it!" said Regulus and got up. He tossed his half-empty plate on the counter and marched off to his room.

"I dunno what his problem is," sighed Sirius when Regulus slammed the door.

"Maybe it's PMS," grinned Peter.

The others laughed, except Remus.

o0o0o

The next day Noel was back. Regulus decided to sit down at the PC in the living room. Not to spy, of course. Just because he didn't own a laptop (he had sold it) and he really needed to do some net-surfing, which just couldn't wait until later.

Remus was scribbling on a piece of paper and Noel reading something in a book when he slowly scooted closer to Remus and discreetly put a hand on his knee. Remus just smiled nervously and moved a little away from Noel, clearing his throat.

Regulus saw it and said loudly: "Do you have to be so loud? I'm trying to work here!"

"We didn't say anything," said Noel, looking a little puzzled.

"Yes, you've been talking loudly all the time. But why am I surprised? You Americans don't know how to speak at a normal volume."

"Why don't you try to relax?" said Noel as he swung an arm around Remus' shoulder. "We're working on a project and need to talk to each other. If you can't deal with that then why don't you just go somewhere else?"

"Yeah? Does that project involve feeling each other up?" said Regulus, shooting daggers at Noel.

Noel returned Regulus' gaze and gave Remus' shoulder a squeeze.

Remus looked uncomfortable and carefully removed Noel's arm. "We're not feeling each other up," he said, but felt like telling Regulus off. What did he care, anyway? He wasn't interested in a relationship. "We can just go work in my room if we disturb you so much," he said and made to get up.

"Don't bother!" said Regulus and turned off the computer. "I'll go to my room. At least there I can have some peace!" He left, fuming. He hated to leave them out of sight but them going to Remus' room was worse.

"What a hothead," said Noel.

"Yeah..." sighed Remus.

o0o0o

When Noel left an hour later Regulus couldn't stop himself from going out to Remus to complain. "What's up with that bloke feeling you up in the living room? Why do you allow it?"

"He wasn't feeling me up, and even if he were then it wouldn't be your problem, would it?" said Remus and started emptying the dishwasher. "I'm not your boyfriend."

"Are you shagging him?" demanded Regulus, ignoring Remus' comment.

"What? No!"

"Yet!" said Regulus.

"I got no plans on sleeping with Noel!"

"Well... Good. Because I think it's cheap to sleep with two people at the same time."

"I don't see how it's any of your business! It's not like you're interested in me – you've made that pretty clear!" said Remus feeling his temper rise.

"I just think you're a tart if you do anything with him!"

"It's none of your business what I do with him! You wanna fuck me but you don't want a relationship!" said Remus angrily. "You can't have it both ways, Regulus! And don't you dare call me a tart!"

Regulus was taken aback by Remus' sudden anger. He had never even heard him raise his voice before. "Well... okay," he mumbled and disappeared into his room.

o0o0o

The next day when Noel came over to work on the project, Regulus kept himself in check, although he was itching to seize the idiot by the scruff of his neck and haul him out the door, punctuated by a good kick to the backside. But as soon as Remus closed the front door after Noel at the end of the afternoon, Regulus came up behind him, spun him around and grabbed a hold of his shirt, brutally attacking his lips with his mouth.

Remus' eyes widened as he collided with the door, the air sucked from him, the knob jabbing painfully into the small of his back. He wanted to push Regulus away but as usual the boy had him completely under his spell, so instead he wrapped his arms around him and kissed him back eagerly, opening his mouth to welcome Regulus' intrusive tongue.

Without breaking away from Remus, Regulus dragged him off to his room. Here he let go for a second to tear off first Remus' shirt and then his own, not caring if he stretched the neckline in the process.

Infected by Regulus' urgency, Remus fumbled desperately with the buttons on Regulus' denim shorts while their mouths crashed together again, teeth painfully colliding.

"Off," Regulus growled, pushing Remus' shorts and boxers down roughly. A moment later they were on the bed, Regulus on his back, pulling Remus down by the face. "Take me!" he demanded hotly, staring into wide amber eyes. "Skip the prep. I want you now!"

Remus did a double take, then scrambled to find condom and lube in the nightstand drawer, nearly toppling off the bed in his eagerness. He applied an excessive amount of lube, concerned about hurting Regulus, although the boy insisted that they get down to business immediately.

Regulus relaxed his lower body as much as he could in order to ease the intrusion, still egging Remus on while ignoring the pain. "Move!" he urged. "I'm not gonna break - I wanna feel you the rest of the week!"

Remus gave Regulus what he wanted, thrusting home and setting a brisk pace. "Fuck, Reg… you feel… so good… so tight and hot…"

"Yes!" moaned Regulus, throwing back his head and digging his heels into Remus' bottom. He moved his hips in Remus' rhythm, while making sexy noises and telling him to keep at it, to go ahead and be rough with him, to make him feel it properly.

Remus dipped his head to kiss Regulus' neck sloppily, panting against the hot, tautly stretched skin of the exposed jugular as he felt nails rake down his back. Responding to murmured orders of Harder and More, Remus and Faster, Remus, he raised his head and steadied himself on his elbows so he could do what the boy under him was demanding.

Holding on to Remus' shoulders, Regulus planted his lips on the Southerner's neck and sucked a dark mark onto it (something he had never done before) and punctuated it with a sharp bite.

Remus responded with a yelp and looked down at Regulus' face to ask what that was about, but the sight of blackened eyes staring back at him, disheveled hair, lovely flushed cheeks, and puffy, wet lips slightly parted – the very picture of eroticism – made all thoughts sail from his mind as he felt a rush of pleasure rapidly traveling down his spine and spreading throughout his lower body. "Fuck…" he gasped. "Fuck, Reg, I'm gonna come… Can't stop…"

"'s okay, I'm ready," moaned Regulus, quickly grabbing a hold of his own achingly hard member and started stroking it furiously. "Come, Remus, take everything you want from me!"

Remus let himself go, chasing his orgasm, hips pistoning away, and letting out a hoarse cry as he came, hot and hard and long. At some point during, he felt Regulus arching like a bow underneath him and hot wetness splattering onto his stomach. After lying boneless for a moment, Remus he rolled off and lay on his back next to Regulus, completely out of breath.

"How was that?" asked Regulus after a short breathing pause. He knew the answer, of course, but he wanted to hear Remus say it.

The Southerner raised his head tiredly from the pillow to look at Regulus. "That was amazing," he gasped, still out of breath and thoroughly sweat-soaked from the vigorous work-out.

Regulus knew that Remus loved when he would cuddle afterwards – perhaps even more than the sex. Regulus rarely did it, but today he really wanted to please Remus, so he rolled up next to him, nuzzling into his neck, and wrapping an arm around him. Fortunately, they had the place to themselves for another few hours, so they could cuddle for a while.

Remus looked at him in surprise but then smiled happily and held him, kissing the top of Regulus' head lovingly. He wanted so desperately to pour his heart out, to say how he felt about him, but he knew it would only push him further away.

Regulus was reluctant to admit to himself that he also enjoyed these rare cuddling sessions, but he had to be careful. This was the sort of behavior that nurtured feelings. Sex was easier. As long as it was just something physical, Regulus could keep his feelings under control. He could not allow himself to fall in love again.

When Remus fell asleep a little later, Regulus sat up quietly so as not to wake him. He meant to leave, but then his eyes fell on Remus' sleeping face and he couldn't stop looking. He had never studied him this closely and carefully before. A ray of sunlight seeping in through the curtains lit up part of his face, making his tawny bangs shine golden. Regulus reached out to very gently trace a finger along an eyebrow. There was a faint scar there from a once split eyebrow. Regulus wondered how he had gotten it. Had someone punched him? Had he fallen? Walked into something? How old had he been? He studied the freckles sparsely sprinkled under Remus' eyes and across the bridge of his nose. They weren't prominent, so it wasn't the first thing you noticed when looking at him. They suited his gentle face extremely well, Regulus thought. He leaned down to press his lips to them but stopped himself a few inches away. What exactly was he doing? You didn't kiss the freckles of people you didn't have feelings for! And Regulus certainly did not have feelings for Remus.