A/N: Sorry for the long wait. Here's a long chapter for you :) Remember to check out Zayhad's drawing on her deviantart

Chapter 13 – I Miss You Loads

Regulus logged into his e-mail account and froze when he spotted the sender on one of his new mails. How the hell...? He had never expected to hear from Barty again. Not with the way things had ended. With a pounding heart he opened the mail.

Dearest Regulus

How are you? I hope you are well. I miss you loads, and I was wondering if I could come see you? Or you could come home. I know you went to live with your brother in the States after your family disowned you, but I have my own place now, so you're welcome to come live with me or at least stay for a while, just to see how it goes?

Love you,

Barty

Regulus stared at the message for several minutes after reading it. So Barty thought that Regulus would take him back just like that, after what he had done? How he had closed the door on him when he was in deep need and had no one else? No way in hell. Regulus Black did not forgive easily. Besides, all feelings he had once had for Barty were gone. He had Remus now and his feelings for him were growing stronger every day.

He spent the rest of the day thinking about what to do about the e-mail. Finally, he decided to just give Barty the cold shoulder and ignore him. He would probably get the hint.

o0o0o

Remus knocked on Regulus' door in the evening and walked in to sit down on his bed when invited. "How are you?" he asked with a kind smile as he reached out his hand to touch Regulus.

"Fine. Why wouldn't I be?" Regulus said moodily.

"You'll find another job," said Remus and scooted closer to his boyfriend, encouraged by the fact that he had not pushed his hand away. "It's your first experience with a job; no one can blame you for making a mistake. Next time you'll do better." He slipped a hand under Regulus' long hair to rub the back of his neck comfortingly.

Regulus leaned his head into Remus' touch, closing his eyes and humming in content. "Blimey, I could use a good shag right now..."

Remus' eyebrows shot up in surprise. "I wish we could, but as you always say, they might hear us. But if you can wait until morning..." he said in a seductive voice and twirled a lock of Regulus' hair around his finger "… I'll make it worth your while..."

Regulus groaned. "Well, you better come in here the moment the last one has left, then. And you're going to have to live up to that promise." He looked at the American, licking his lips. "What are you going to do to me?"

Remus grinned and leaned in to touch his lips to Regulus' ear, "I'm gonna touch you all over until you're begging to be fucked, and then I'm gonna do exactly that -" he said in a husky voice, "until you can't remember your own name."

Regulus closed his eyes and gulped, feeling shivers spread from his ear down his neck. He almost regretted having asked, because they couldn't do it right now. "Oh..."

Remus had an urge to touch Regulus but knew that if he did that, he wouldn't be able to stop. "I'll come to your room in the morning," he said and gave Regulus' ear a nip before getting to his feet. "Sleep well."

o0o0o

Regulus woke around eight o'clock the next morning, feeling a hand skim over his stomach and hot lips pressed to his throat. "Mm?" he hummed and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

"They all left," said Remus and sucked on a spot just above Regulus' collarbone. "I've been lying awake the past two hours thinking about you. Imagining you lying in here, perhaps sleeping naked… The sheets caressing your soft skin…"

"Yeah?" said Regulus, tilting his head to give Remus better access to his neck. "Did you touch yourself?"

"No," said Remus and ran the tip of his tongue along Regulus' collarbone. "I wanted to save it all for you. But I'll tell you it was darn hard; lying there thinking about all the things I was gonna do to you."

Incredibly turned on, Regulus pushed Remus away and got out of bed. "I'll just have a shower and brush my teeth. Make myself nice and desirable for you."

Remus sighed and flopped down on the bed. "You always are. You could skip showering for a month and I would still desire you like crazy."

Regulus snorted. "If that's a fantasy of yours, you can forget it. I like taking good care of myself."

Remus rolled onto his stomach and looked up at his boyfriend who was just about to leave the room. "I'm just saying there's nothing you could do that would stop me lusting for you. Hurry up, will you?"

Regulus was gone for twenty long minutes. Remus sat waiting for him on the bed and smiled at the Brit when he got back, trying to look as if he hadn't been too impatient. "Better?"

"Loads," said Regulus and threw himself on his back on the bed, shaking his freshly washed and blow-dried hair out over the pillow. He knew how much Remus loved his hair.

And sure enough – the Southerner immediately dug his fingers into the thick tresses and dipped his head to press his nose to it and inhale deeply. "God, I think I'm getting addicted to that scent," he sighed.

"Are you going to breathe in my hair products all day or are we getting to that point where you start making it worth my while?" asked Regulus, a smile playing on his lips.

"Yeah," smiled Remus and crawled in over Regulus, parting his legs with a knee so he could settle between them. "I'm working on it," he said in a husky voice and kissed the boy's chest, licking a nipple before carefully nipping at it.

They were soon naked and very aroused, and when Remus reached over to get the lube in Regulus' nightstand drawer, Regulus grabbed his wrist. "Remus?"

"Yes?"

"Let's try something new."

"What do you have in mind?" asked Remus curiously.

"Well... for instance... tie me up?"

Remus' eyebrows shot upwards. "Tie you up?" When Regulus nodded, Remus thought about it for a second. He had never considered doing something like that before but if Regulus wanted to try, then Remus guessed he wasn't opposed to it. "Is this something you got experience with?"

Regulus shook his head. "But I've been fantasizing about it. I'd like to try. If you do as well, of course. Otherwise, it's fine."

"No, I'll try," smiled Remus. "Sounds kinda hot, actually."

"I have a necktie in my closet," said Regulus and got up to find it. He handed it to Remus - a classy Armani.

Remus eyed the fancy tie, hoping the knots wouldn't ruin it. He pushed Regulus down onto his back and raised his hands above his head, holding them together, looped the tie around the writs, and then fastened it to the bedpost. "There... doesn't look like you'll be going anywhere," he grinned, admiring his handywork.

Regulus gave an experimental tug at his restraints, biting his lip. "I guess not..."

"Fuck, you look good lying there…" groaned Remus, sitting back on his haunches to admire the boy laid out on the bed, hands skimming appreciatively over the soft skin of chest and stomach, "…all tied up and ready for me."

Regulus drew in a quick breath, feeling his semi-hard cock give a small jerk in excitement. "And what are you going to do about it?" he asked, biting his lower lip enticingly and looking up at Remus through thick lashes.

"Think I'll be taking my sweet time with you, since I pretty much have you at my disposal as long as I like," Remus drawled and dipped his head to trail kisses across Regulus' chest, his hands slowly roaming the entire torso.

"Mmm… feels good," hummed Regulus, lying with his eyes closed, enjoying the wet mouth and warm hands worshipping his body. He let out a gasp and raised his chest when Remus closed his lips around a perked nipple, sucking it into his mouth. The Southerner kept at it as Regulus' breathing quickened and he canted his hips as a hint to the older boy. "Remus… touch me."

"I am touching you," said Remus, lifting his head.

"I mean lower, you twat," said Regulus, raising his hips again for emphasis.

"I don't appreciate that tone, young man," scolded Remus, keeping his hands where they were on Regulus' waist.

"Please. Please go lower."

Remus sat up and let his hands move past Regulus' hips and down his legs, stopping to massage the calves.

"No," complained Regulus, looking down at Remus. "Not there!"

"Here, then?" asked Remus, picking up a foot questioningly.

"No," groaned Regulus – a groan that turned into a high-pitched squeal as Remus started tickling the foot.

The Brit shrieked, writhed, and kicked while Remus held on to the foot with both hands, tickling with his thumbs until he took mercy on the boy. "Sorry, darlin'," he said, dropping the foot and looking up at Regulus' flushed face and rapidly undulating ribcage. "I couldn't resist," he continued, moving up to softly cup a burning cheek. "You just blush so prettily."

"Well, get my face heated up in a different way!" barked Regulus. "Or is tickling me the best you can do? You're evil, you know th-"

Remus effectively silenced Regulus' complaints by dipping his head and swallowing his cock, quickly sucking it back to full hardness. He pulled off for a second (to loud protests) to quickly grab the bottle of lube from the nightstand, then got back to work on Regulus' cock while slipping two fingers inside. He soon had the boy panting and pushing rhythmically back against the digits. From the sounds and the throbbing length in Remus' mouth, he could tell that Regulus was getting close, so he stopped sucking.

"No! Keep going!" exclaimed Regulus, looking frustratedly down at Remus.

Remus pulled off with a wet pop and removed his fingers. "Sorry, darlin', but I'm feeling a bit selfish right now, and since you can't do nothing 'bout it in your position, I think I'll just do as I please." He moved up to lie on Regulus' body, his erection poking into his thigh.

"You going to shag me?" asked Regulus, looking up at Remus with lust-filled eyes.

"Mmm… I love that word. Sounds so filthy when it comes out of your pretty mouth."

"Shag me," repeated the Brit, pouting his lips enticingly.

Remus laughed. "You know over here it's a dance. The shag. The State dance of South Carolina, in fact."

If Regulus hadn't already known, he would have broken down laughing. "Explains why you do it so well."

Smirking, Remus leaned down, his nose inches from Regulus'. "You think so?"

"You know I do, but I think you best start refreshing my memory lest I forget why."

"Right. Open up for me, doll," said Remus, patting Regulus' thigh. When the boy complied, Remus moved in between his legs, slicked himself up and slowly pushed inside while watching Regulus' eyelids flutter shut and his mouth fall open, a drawn-out moan spilling from the lips. "Gorgeous," mumbled Remus and peppered light kisses on heated cheeks and along the softly sculpted jawline while waiting for a sign that Regulus was ready to move on. As Remus was moving from one cheek to another, Regulus reached up to catch his lips in a hot wet kiss. Remus responded, pushing his tongue greedily into Regulus' mouth, pressing his head back into the pillow with the force of it. Heat was building up in him at the intensity of the kiss, and he had to force himself not to plead with Regulus to give him the go-ahead. He couldn't say that out loud, of course, because he was not the one in the position to beg – that was Regulus' role.

As if mindreading, Regulus opened his eyes and breathed, "Please, Remus. Go on – give it to me." As Remus began to move in earnest, Regulus whished for a moment that he could dig his fingers into Remus' back but at the same time feeling the thrill of being completely at Remus' mercy. After a few minutes he looked up into Remus' lust-blown pupils and asked, "What would you do if I resisted?"

"If you resisted?" said Remus and leaned down over Regulus, picking up the pace just a bit. "I would tighten those knots to remind you who's in charge… And then I'd take you harder," he said and gave a deep hard thrust as he dug fingers into Regulus' thigh.

Regulus couldn't help letting out a wanton moan. He hadn't thought he would get this turned on by being tied up. "Yeah?" he said, wriggling and tugging at his restraints. He suddenly got the urge to test Remus, to see how he would respond to Regulus trying to take control. "What are you waiting for? Go faster!" he ordered, moving his hips roughly upwards to spur Remus on.

Remus licked his lips and took a firm hold on Regulus ' hips. "I decide how fast we're going. I'm the one in charge here."

"Oh?" said Regulus and sent Remus a challenging look. "Well, take charge then. Jerk me off! I want to come now."

"I have other plans," said Remus and pulled out. He then flipped Regulus over onto his knees and elbows. He re-entered him before settling with both hands on his hips, holding him in place. This time he sped up and thrust into him harder.

Regulus had to struggle a bit to gain balance and get into a comfortable position. Remus' sudden roughness had taken him by surprise. He couldn't stop himself from moaning out loud, although he wanted to keep playing the disobedience game. "I liked it better on my back," he complained.

Remus suddenly felt bad for being so rough with the younger boy, so he turned him back around. "Sorry, darlin'," he smiled. "I got a bit carried away." He pushed into him again, gently this time. God, it felt good without a condom - everything was more sensitive, more intense. He was glad they had made that trip to the doctor's to get an STD check. "Do you want me to go faster again?"

"I want you to make my wait worthwhile," said Regulus, a little disappointed that Remus had turned him over and dropped the act. They had to decide on a safe-word or something, so Remus could tell if Regulus was being serious.

"Alright," said Remus and set a rough pace, making sure to brush over Regulus' prostate with every thrust.

"Remus," moaned Regulus, automatic tugging at his restraints, wanting to jerk himself off, but he had to rely solely on Remus. "Fuck…please make me come!"

"I got you," gasped Remus and clenched his teeth to stave off his own orgasm, wanting to satisfy Regulus first. He closed a hand around Regulus' erection and jerked quickly in time with his quickening thrusts, Sweat was starting to drip from his forehead, his bangs sticking to his face. He wouldn't be able to hold off for much longer. A few jerks more and Regulus came violently, bucking up against Remus, shouting his name over and over. Relieved, Remus let himself go, reaching climax only seconds later, his mouth falling open and eyes screwed shut. "Ha... oh... oh, God..." he gasped and opened his eyes slowly to look down at Regulus. "That was amazing." He leaned down and gave Regulus a soft kiss on the lips before untying his hands.

Regulus rubbed his wrists, which had gone a bit sore. "Yeah. We should try that again."

"We should," smiled Remus. "I'd never thought about doing something like that – but I gotta admit it was exhilarating having you all at my mercy like that."

o0o0o

"Don't you have lessons today?" Regulus asked when they had showered.

"No, all classes are over. It's exam studying the next few weeks. But I'll have to wait till tonight, 'cause I got work in an hour," said Remus and brushed Regulus' hair out of his eyes to plant a kiss on his forehead.

"You mean at the bookshop?"

"Yes."

"Mind if I come along to see it?"

Remus nodded with a broad smile. "I'd love for you to see where I work."

o0o0o

An hour later Remus and Regulus arrived at the bookshop. An elderly man greeted the boys with a smile and a "Nice to see y'all" before continuing to browse the shelves.

"That's Mr. Smith," explained Remus to Regulus. "He comes in at least once a week to check for new books. A real book devotee."

"Right," said Regulus and started scanning the shop for books. It was a cozy shop filled to the brim with both new and second-hand books. He wondered why he hadn't gone here before, since he loved books and read a lot. Perhaps he had not wanted to be tempted to spend money he couldn't afford to.

"Ah, Remus," called a man from behind the counter, with hair like Beethoven, and waved Remus over. "You brought a friend to work?" he said in a heavy Southern accent.

"Yes," said Remus. "This is Regulus. Regulus - this is Mr. Ollivander, my boss."

"Hello," said Regulus and shook the old man's hand. "I'm just here to see the shop. Not to take up Remus' time."

The man gave a wave of his hand. "Oh, don't you worry 'bout that. I know Remus always does his job to the highest satisfaction, so that's just fine. You're welcome to stay as long as you let him tend to costumers. So, not from around here, I can tell?"

"No, I'm British. From London. Just moved here a few months ago. I'm Sirius' brother. If you know him."

Mr. Ollivander laughed. "Yes, yes, I could tell you're British. Absolutely no doubt about that. But I'm not an expert on all them dialects, so I couldn't tell what part of the country. And yes, I know Sirius. Nice fellah, like all Remus' friends."

"Do you get a discount?" Regulus asked Remus a bit later.

"Yes, I do," smiled Remus and stepped close to Regulus, putting some books back in place. "See anything you like?"

"Well... I suppose I don't have to buy books as long as I haven't read all yours yet," said Regulus. "And there's the library. It's just in case I see something I can't live without." It was still a strange feeling - almost unreal - to not be able to just buy whatever he liked. He had never thought he would come in a situation where he had to worry about money at all, so he had never stopped to consider what life was like for the poor or middle class.

Since Regulus had nowhere else to be, he ended up staying in the bookshop during Remus' entire shift, mostly reading in the back room. Mr. Ollivander had been so nice as to let him read whatever he liked, as long as he was careful not to bend the pages.

At one point Mr. Ollivander left to run some errands, leaving Remus to look after the store. As soon as there were no costumers Regulus pulled Remus behind a set of shelves where they were not visible from the street. He cradled Remus' face between his hands and started kissing him.

"Regulus," said Remus after a moment, pushing the boy a bit back. "We can't… Costumers…"

"The bell will ring, yeah? And no one can see us from the street," said Regulus and resumed his activity.

"Reg –" Remus broke the kiss again. "Are you crazy? We can't have sex here!"

Regulus looked a little offended. "That wasn't my plan! I just wanted a good snog. Can't I snog my own boyfriend without having a dirty agenda?"

"Yes, of course! Of course you can," smiled Remus. He had been used to Regulus only getting intimate when he wanted sex, but things had changed since they had become a couple. Regulus had changed. A lot, in fact. He had become very affectionate, eager to cuddle and kiss, also when sex was not involved. Something he had refused earlier. Remus wasn't sure why, but he wasn't complaining. He liked this new Regulus even better than the old one.

o0o0o

On the way back from Remus' shift they stopped at Food Lion. "Hey, let's go in. There's a few things missing in the fridge," said Regulus.

The store manager nodded at them as he looked up from his newspaper and Remus waved and smiled. They split up for a moment, Remus heading for the dairy products and Regulus for the canned goods. As Regulus reached for a can of pinto beans he heard a dreaded voice behind him.

"Hey, Regulus!" Nancy came rushing over to him, fluttering her eyelashes. "Long time no see!"

Regulus groaned. "Well... I'm not here every day, obviously." He looked up and down the aisle, hoping to see Remus, but no luck. And now Nancy was moving in on him.

"You should come here more often," she smiled. "Gives me something nice to look at." She rested her elbow on a shelf and smiled fondly, studying him.

"Well... I better get going. I'm in a hurry."

"What's your hurry?" she said and took his hand. "We could go out for coffee or something? I get off work in ten minutes."

"Excuse me," sounded a voice and they both looked around, seeing a rather annoyed-looking Remus walking towards them.

"No, I don't want to go out with you!" said Regulus, relieved to see Remus.

"Just give it up, Regulus. You know I ain't gonna stop till you go on at least one date with me."

"I'm gay," said Regulus.

She looked at him and then laughed. "Nice try. The oldest trick in the book."

"It's true," said Remus and took Regulus' hand to pull him away from her. "He's with me."

She blinked and then laughed again. "I don't believe you. Trying to get your friend to cover for you - that's an old trick too."

Regulus gritted his teeth and then made a decision. He would never have thought he would kiss someone in public, but drastic measures were obviously needed to convince this girl, so he grabbed Remus' face and kissed him aggressively.

Remus' eyes widened but then closed as he wrapped his arms around Regulus' waist and kissed him back possessively, wanting to show that this was indeed his boyfriend.

After a moment Regulus let go and looked at Nancy, who stood gawking at the two. "Believe me now?"

She looked at him, still with her mouth hanging open. "Oh… Well, that sucks."

Nancy was about to say something else, but Remus quickly dragged Regulus with him to the check-out where they paid for their things before quickly leaving the shop.

"Finally, she got the message," Regulus said. "I don't know why the hell she was so bent on going out with me. It's not as if I was ever nice to her."

"Same reason everyone else throw themselves at you: because you're so handsome," Remus said.

Regulus stopped and turned to look at Remus. "Is that why you fell for me?"

"What? No! I like you for you. S-sure I was also attracted to your looks but that wasn't the main reason. You're smart and fascinating, and you drive me crazy in the bedroom." Remus couldn't help feeling a little guilty, because he wasn't exactly telling the truth. He had fallen for him because of his looks. Had been obsessed with it, to be honest. But now it was more. Every day he discovered something new about Regulus that he loved.

"Really? I mean, I knew I was good in bed," Regulus grinned. "I'm not always so nice, though," he continued, the smile disappearing. "Not like you."

Remus stepped closer to him. "I know you aren't always nice, but when you are, then you're very sweet. And then it really means something. I've also learned that your bark is worse than your bite and that you have a dry sense of humor."

Regulus smiled a little, then licked his lips and looked into Remus' eyes. "What about when the others are off to bed, we have a little fun in the shower, yeah? See if I'm also amazing in the bathroom?"

Remus smiled. "I'd like to figure that out as well." He reached out a hand and brushed a strand of hair behind Regulus' ear. "If we walk any slower, they might have gone to bed already when we get home."

o0o0o

After the shower Regulus checked his e-mail account before slipping under the covers with Remus. He froze when he saw three new mails from Barty. He had actually forgotten about the mail the other day.

Regulus... I'm quite sad that you have not answered my e-mail. I know you got it. Are you really that upset with me? I couldn't help it. I panicked. I'm so, so sorry and I've been feeling so guilty ever since. But I've pulled myself together now – I've come out and everything. My family has been surprisingly supportive. I'm sorry that yours wasn't. Please give me a chance to show you how sorry I am. I will never let you down again, I promise. I can come and get you if you like and we can fly back to London together.

Think about it.

Love, Barty

Regulus groaned. In the other two mails Barty went on along the same lines. Was he going to get it if Regulus ignored these as well? Perhaps not, but right now Regulus wasn't going to do anything about it. He was tired and he just wanted get under the sheets and cuddle up to Remus.