Chapter 15 – "Give a Bloke a Chance to Get into It"

Two days before the Christmas holidays Remus returned to school. He ran into Lily at the main entrance.

"It's good to see you back on your feet," she smiled and gave him a hug. "Was it dreadfully boring?"

"It wasn't too bad. Regulus came by every day and read to me."

"That's brilliant. So you and he are getting close?"

"Yeah," smiled Remus. He really wanted to tell her about them but he had promised Regulus to keep it secret from those who didn't know already.

"Did you kiss him yet?" she asked with a glint in her eye, saying something along the lines of Did you really think you could keep that a secret from me?

Remus' eyes widened. "How... how did you know that… that it was more than a friendship?"

"You didn't answer my question," she grinned and winked at him.

Remus blushed a little. "Once. A small one."

"Oh, that's nice! Big deal for him, yes? You must have some magic touch, Lupin."

"That's what Sirius says," smiled Remus. "At first he didn't believe Regulus when he told him, and James thought both Sirius and I were lying."

"Well, you proved everybody wrong, didn't you? Anyway, are you coming to that Christmas party Sirius is throwing the first day of the holidays?"

"If my mum will let me," nodded Remus. "She's a little overprotective, as you know, and I just got over two weeks' illness so I think I have to beg. I'll probably ask my dad first. He gets that I want a normal teenage life."

"Well, I hope you're coming. Potter asked me so nicely that I agreed to go with him."

"You said yes to James? That's new," Remus grinned as they walked towards Biology. "You think you might fancy him a little?"

"I don't know," she sighed. "He certainly has charm, although he's such a show-off. But I don't think he's as cocky as he used to be. Maybe he's starting to mature a bit."

o0o0o

Remus met up with Regulus outside the school at four and they walked together to Grimmauld Place. Regulus had skived off French to be finished the same time as Remus.

"Nobody's home," said Regulus as he unlocked the door. "Not even Mrs. Harris. Wednesday is her day off."

"Oh? So we got the house to ourselves," smiled Remus and took off his coat. He knew Sirius wouldn't be home for another two hours since he liked to watch James practice. He gently took Regulus' hand, having wanted to touch him for two weeks.

"We... we should get some tea and go sit in my room," Regulus said and turned toward the kitchen, but not pulling his hand out of Remus' grasp.

They went up to Regulus' room about five minutes later and Regulus closed the door behind them.

Remus took the mugs to the bedside table and sat down on the edge of the bed, not wanting to disturb the sleeping Kreacher who was lying on his back with his paws drawn up to his chest. When Regulus sat down, Remus reached over and gently laced their fingers, sending him a caring smile. "I missed your touch."

Regulus gulped and watched their joined hands. He had missed it too, but he hadn't dared touch Remus when he was ill, even when the doctor had said he was long past contagious. "You look good. I mean, still a bit tired, but well. You're all well again, aren't you?"

"I am. It'll just takes a few days for me to regain my strength," smiled Remus, gently caressing the other boy's hand.

"Right," nodded Regulus. He suddenly didn't know what else to say or do. He had been quite relaxed around Remus the past two weeks, but that had been easy, because he had been reading to Remus and talked mostly about school and homework. Now Remus was on his feet again and things were different. Although Regulus had kept a safe distance during all his visits to Remus' sick bed it felt as though they had become closer. Got to know each other better. But now they were physically close again.

"Regulus?" Remus said after a few minutes of silence. "Would you mind terrible much if I kissed you? I have been wanting to for weeks." He looked serious and a little nervous.

"O-oh?" said Regulus, feeling his pulse pick up. "Well, yeah... I suppose..." In fact he had been thinking a lot about the kiss they had shared before Remus became ill. How exciting it had been. How it would feel trying again. How much more they could do and how that would feel.

Remus smiled and squeezed his hand gently, moving a little closer. He could feel Regulus' warm breath as they were only inches from each other and closed his eyes as he pressed their lips together.

Regulus supressed a strange sound in his throat and tried to relax. It was like the last time but not quite as scary, since he had tried it before. He closed his eyes and waited for Remus to take the next step, whatever that was.

Remus slowly took Regulus' hands and guided them up to rest on his shoulders, then moved his own hands down to Regulus' waist. When Regulus did not pull away, Remus tilted his head and opened his mouth slightly, letting his tongue run over Regulus' bottom lip.

Regulus' head did a slight jerk when he felt Remus' tongue on his lips but he quickly closed the distance again, hoping for Remus to continue. It had felt kind of good. When Remus licked his lip again, Regulus drew in a sharp breath through his nose, determined not to break the kiss again. It was just getting exciting. Perhaps a bit too much though - with their lips, Remus' hands on him, his own hands on Remus, all at the same time, so Regulus removed his hands from Remus' neck and gently pushed Remus' hands off his own waist, but angled his head a bit to encourage Remus to keep kissing him.

Remus eagerly responded, pushing his tongue between Regulus' lips. It was met by a wall of teeth. "Try to open your mouth a little," mumbled Remus, barely breaking the kiss. "If you're ok with it."

"Mm…" Regulus hummed and opened his mouth a little, although he could feel his body shivering with nerves. When Remus gently slipped his tongue inside, Regulus' mind nearly blanked out. There was nothing but an explosion of sensory. He had had no idea that his mouth could be so sensitive and that something could feel this good, and he tried to move his tongue along with Remus'. Without realising it, he slowly placed his hands on Remus' shoulders, resting them there, while he opened up his mouth even more to allow closer contact. After a while - Regulus had no idea how long - they broke apart, Regulus watching Remus with a dazed look on his face and a slack jaw. "Wow..." he whispered.

"Yeah," nodded Remus with a smile on his lips. He gently caressed Regulus' leg and looked into his eyes. "You're amazing."

"N-no. I wasn't doing anything. Just going along with it."

"Well you did good. I hope I didn't overstep your boundaries," said Remus a little nervously. "You know, with my hands…"

"It's alright. It felt good. I almost forgot to think about it."

"Good," beamed Remus and ran a hand over Regulus' thigh. "I really enjoyed it too and I hope we can share more of those kisses."

Regulus nodded eagerly. Then they heard the front door slam and a moment later feet thundering up the stairs. The door to Regulus' room sprang open and a grinning Sirius stood in the doorway.

Regulus jumped to his feet. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING? HAVEN'T YOU HEARD OF KNOCKING?"

"Sorry. Were you busy snogging?" grinned Sirius, leaning against the doorframe. Seeing Remus' expression, he knew he had hit the mark.

"No! But you couldn't know that! Is it really necessary for me to lock the door to my own room to ensure some privacy? Didn't you read the sign on the door? DO NOT ENTER WITHOUT THE EXPRESS PERMISSION OF REGULUS ARCTURUS BLACK!" Regulus spelled out, pointing to the sign.

Sirius flashed his brother a grin. "Oh, sorry. Must have missed that."

"You're so full of rubbish," muttered Regulus.

Sirius dumped into a seat and looked at the two. "So, what were you lads doing?"

"We were just talking," said Remus with a light blush on his face.

"Rubbish," grinned Sirius. "You were snogging! Good for you. Seems Reggie is finally getting out of his shell. You might even join the Christmas party? Your boyfriend will be there."

Regulus snorted. "I wouldn't dream of it. I get enough of those prats at school. By the way - who invited you to come in and sit down? Are you even clean? Have you washed your hands after you came home?" asked Regulus, knowing that it wasn't the case, since they had heard Sirius slam the door and run straight up the stairs.

"No, I haven't, but it's not as though I've stuck my hands into a load of dung. Do I honestly have to take a disinfecting shower before I enter your room?"

"It would be a nice change," said Regulus. "What were you so excited about, anyway?"

"I got myself a date for my party and I wanted to tell Remus."

Regulus raised an eyebrow. Sirius could get a date by snapping his fingers, so Regulus failed to see why his brother was so excited about this particular date.

"It's Emmeline Vance!" Sirius beamed. When the two others still looked puzzled, he explained, "You know - the bird I asked out last week and she said no? Well, she had a change of heart. Means I still got it."

"Did you ever lose it?" Remus asked.

"Well, no, but I didn't like being turned down. It's a scary experience I hope to never encounter again." Sirius shuttered at the memory.

"You only want her this badly because she turned you down at first," pointed out Regulus. "At least Potter wants Evans because he's fancied her forever."

"True, but who can blame me for wanting her?" said Sirius and flashed them toothy grin. "She's bloody hot! Big blue eyes and an arse like Shakira." He laughed and got up from his seat. "Well, I'll leave you two to it, then. Do drop by my room when you're done with my brother, Remus," he said with a wink and then left the room. They could hear him go downstairs, undoubtedly heading for the kitchen.

"Do... would you want to teach me some more piano or should we wait till another day? Or would you rather stay here and just hang out?" asked Remus. He was still feeling a bit dazed from the kiss.

"Oh. Yes, of course. You haven't played for weeks," said Regulus and got up. "I don't see what Sirius wants with that girl other than shag her," he commented when they sat down next to each other on the piano bench. "She's dumb as a door nail. Failed chemistry last year, and that's quite a feat. Old Sluggy is very generous with marks."

o0o0o

Regulus locked himself in his room the night of the party with food enough so that he didn't have to go out until the next day.

Sirius jumped in behind James and Lily and gave them a big hug at the same time. "Be good to him, Evans. He's fragile," he said and started laughing.

Remus had placed himself by the fireplace and just watched everyone, wishing that Regulus was there.

A girl with bubble-gum pink hair sat down by Remus about an hour into the party. She smiled at him and asked, "What are you drinking?" nodding to the drink in Remus' hand.

"Oh... just some punch" he smiled at her and took another sip. He wasn't much of a drinker and had only taken that one glass so far.

"You should try the margarita," she said, holding out her glass for him to take a sip.

Remus eyed the glass. With his illness, drinking from someone else's glass was a big no-no, but he didn't want to hurt her feelings. "Thanks, but I can't stand the taste of lime," he lied. "Weird, I know," he smiled apologetically. He took a quick look around the room, spotting Sirius already making out with Emmeline in one of the armchairs.

"You're Sirius and James' new friend, right? How do you like the school?"

"I like it very much," said Remus, turning his attention back to her. She was sitting rather close, he thought, so he scooted a little sideways. "I've been met with respect and kindness from the start. And I'm glad to call James, Peter and Sirius my friends."

"Yeah, they're cool. And funny. I'm Dora, by the way. A year below you."

"Remus," he smiled and shook her hand. "Nice to meet you."

They talked for a while until Dora asked, "So... Do you have a girlfriend?"

Remus looked at her, biting his lip nervously as he struggled with himself about whether or not to tell her. "No… but I have a boyfriend."

"Oh," she said, the smile faltering on her face. But then she smiled again, patting Remus on the knee. "Good for you you're out in the open. So your boyfriend, is he out of the closet too?"

Remus shook his head. "It'll probably take some time before he's ready, but that's okay. I'm not in a hurry. So what about you? You here alone?"

"Well, most of my classmates are here. But not with a boy, no. Your boyfriend is not here, then? Is it someone from school?" she asked curiously.

"No, he isn't at the party," said Remus and tried to think of something to say. Regulus would definitely not like if people found out about him. He noticed a couple of girls looking in their direction, giggling, so Remus could easily figure out that they were Dora's friends and were probably rooting for her to hook up with him. "I think your friends think we have something going on," he said and nodded in their direction.

"Oh," she laughed. "Yes, I told them I thought you were cute so they dared me to go talk to you."

"I see," smiled Remus with a blush on his face. He had never thought of himself as being cute or good looking. He thought of Regulus and wondered if he thought he was good looking. Regulus, who was so much handsomer than Remus.

At one o'clock the party was in full swing. The floor was full of dancing people and many were making out on one of the many sofas and armchairs. Peter had gotten lucky, it seemed, having a short-haired blonde sitting on his lap giggling.

Remus' mobile buzzed with a text: If you need a little break from the madness you're welcome to come up here.

Remus looked around. Since no one seemed to be paying attention to him at the moment, he snuck upstairs and knocked on Regulus' door. Regulus unlocked the door and opened it just enough for Remus to get in. Then he shut it again and locked it.

The room was quiet apart from some classical music playing softly and it felt good to Remus' ears after the loud music downstairs. He smiled at Regulus. "I thought maybe you were asleep, so I didn't want to bother you."

"Not possible with all the ruckus down there," said Regulus. "So, is it an orgy?"

"I wouldn't call it an orgy, but quite a few people have hooked up," said Remus and sat down on a chair, taking in a deep breath. His ears were still ringing from the noise downstairs. "Sirius got lucky, of course. He disappeared with his date to his room ten minutes ago. And I think Lily and James are hitting it off pretty well. Even Peter got someone."

"And poor you, sitting all alone..."

"I don't mind. I got you all to myself now," he smiled at him.

Five minutes later they were kissing, Regulus' hands on Remus' arms, tentatively moving them up and down to get a good feel of them. He kissed him deeply, his tongue gently running over Regulus'. He placed his hands on Regulus' waist, fingers playing with the hem of his shirt. He let his fingers push the shirt a bit up so he could caress him underneath.

Suddenly feeling Remus' fingers on his bare skin sent a rush of panic over Regulus and, breaking the kiss, he smacked the hand away hard.

Remus looked a little startled, touching his smarting hand. "S-sorry. I didn't mean to upset you," he apologised.

Regulus didn't know what to say. He felt embarrassed over himself but also a little angry with Remus for making him feel cornered. "Yes, well... give a bloke a chance to get into it, will you?"

Remus nodded quickly and gulped. "I'm really sorry, Regulus. I didn't mean to overstep your boundaries."

"I warned you I couldn't do the boyfriend stuff. This is actually more than I ever thought I could do."

"And you're doing good," Remus said. "I didn't mean to push you. I guess I just got a little carried away."

They started talking about music instead, Regulus playing snatches of different pieces for Remus. Not just classical, but also modern music, most of it including piano. Regulus talked about it with a passion. "Mathew Bellamy is a genius," he said, playing the song "Butterflies and Hurricanes" by Muse. "Listen to how he incorporates classical piano into rock music. And he plays beautifully. Don't you think so?"

Remus listed to the music and swayed a little to the tune as he nodded. "It sounds really good," he agreed. The music from downstairs could still be heard but not so loudly that they couldn't listen to Regulus' music. "I wish I had brought my art supplies. I feel inspired by this music."

"Yeah? What would you draw?"

"I'm not sure, but this music just makes me want to draw. Let the pencil have its way on the paper." He talked with passion as he tried to describe what kinds of ideas he had for a picture. "Something in the genre of fantasy maybe."

"Sounds nice. You will have to bring it the next time. Um... Are you planning on sleeping in Sirius' room?"

"I actually hadn't thought about it," said Remus. "But I have a feeling he wants the room to himself tonight." He gave a small chuckle. "I'll just find a couch I can sleep on or something. Unless Sirius sends Emmeline home for the night."

"I guarantee you he won't." Regulus didn't suggest that Remus sleep in one of the guest rooms - of which there were several in the large house. "If you want, you can sleep in here," he said, trying to sound casual. "I can find a mattress for you."

"Really?" Remus' face lit up. "I'd like that very much if you're okay with it."

There was just the small matter of finding a mattress good enough for Regulus to want to take into his room. Surely not one that any of Sirius' friend had ever slept on. He went to look for one after instructing Remus to lock the door behind him and not let anybody in, for no reason at all. To his relief he finally found a brand new mattress in the storage room, still wrapped in plastic.

Sirius spotted Regulus coming down the hall with the mattress. "Regulus? What are you doing? I didn't think you would want to leave your room all night?"

The party was coming to an end and only a few people were left. Some lay sleeping on couches and some were staggering around on the dance floor. Lily and James sat in a corner talking, and Peter seemed to have left along with the shorthaired girl.

"Well, I had to go get this mattress," said Regulus without stopping, hoping that Sirius wouldn't pester him for more information.

"What do you need a mattress for?" asked Sirius and took a few steps to regain his balance. He too was rather drunk. "Did Kreacher pee on your bed?"

"It's for Remus, okay? You can't expect him to lie in your room forced to listen to you shagging that bird you landed."

"Oooh," grinned Sirius and nudged his brother in the ribs. "So you two are going to sleep together again. Why bother to get a mattress?" He flashed him a grin and wiggled his eyebrows.

"We're not sleeping together'!" grumbled Regulus, feeling his cheeks burn. "He's just crashing in my room. And excuse me, I have to get going before some drunken bird sets her eye on me."

"Don't flatter yourself," grinned Sirius. "Everyone knows to keep their eyes and hands to themselves when it comes to you. Well, if Remus is not coming down again, tell him goodnight from me."

When Regulus came back he found linen in his closet and made a bed for Remus. "There. Did you bring a toothbrush? Otherwise I think I have an unopened one."

"I brought one," Remus smiled and opened his bag. "Is the party coming to an end or are they still at it?"

"Sort of coming to an end. But the hard-core ones are still at it. You want to turn in now? I'll get you a towel; then you can use my bathroom."

o0o0o

The next morning, Remus woke early and saw that Regulus was still sleeping, his hand hanging out over the side if the bed. He moved his hand up and caressed his fingers, careful not to wake him. Regulus didn't wake, but Kreacher opened his eyes and watched Remus suspiciously, giving a low growl.

"Hello, Kreacher," said Remus quietly but kept caressing Regulus' hand.

Kreacher did not take his eyes off him for a second and even took a swipe at his hand with a paw, but to Remus' surprise, the cat didn't use claws. He was still tired and took out his phone to see what time it was. It was only seven so he pulled the duvet up over his shoulders.

o0o0o

Regulus woke at ten, which was rather late for him, but of course it had been very late until they had gone to bed. He got up quietly and found clothes before going into the bathroom for a morning shower.

Remus was still asleep when Regulus left the room. It had taken him a good hour to fall asleep again after having awoken earlier. The sound of the shower woke him, however, and he sleepily rubbed his eyes. To his surprise he felt something heavy on his feet and he looked down to see Kreacher at the end of his bed. The cat had jumped down to lie there when Regulus had left for the bathroom. Kreacher watched him with narrowed eyes, seemingly unable to make up his mind what he thought about Remus sleeping in his and Regulus' room. Undoubtedly, he had never experienced anybody else sleeping here. His tail was twitching uneasily but he wasn't growling anymore.

"Hey," Remus said as if he expected the cat to say something back. He laid his head on the pillow and listened to the sound of running water coming from the bathroom and his mind started wandering. Regulus was in there. Taking a shower. Naked. Remus gulped and shook his head. He wasn't supposed to think like that. Regulus wouldn't even let Remus touch him under the shirt. What wouldn't he think if he knew what he was thinking now?

Ten minutes later Regulus emerged from the bathroom along with a cloud of steam, dressed in boxers and a T-shirt, drying his hair with a towel. "Oh, you're awake. Morning."

"Good morning," smiled Remus and yawned, raising himself up onto his elbows. "Kreacher has taken me prisoner," he said and nodded at the cat who had turned its head to look up at Regulus, letting out a hoarse meow.

"He probably didn't want you to have cold feet," smiled Regulus, sitting down on the edge of his bed.

"Maybe not," smiled Remus. "Thank you, Kreacher, for keeping my feet warm."

Kreacher got up and stretched his front paws, digging the claws into the duvet before jumping up onto Regulus' bed.

Remus sat up and stretched his arms. "How did you sleep?"

Before Regulus could answer, there was a knock on the door and Mrs. Harris' voice sounded, "Regulus, are you up?"

"Yes," shouted Regulus, a little startled. "I'll be down for breakfast soon." Then he said to Remus, "If we're quick we might make it before the booze heads wake up."

o0o0o

Mrs. Harris stood in the kitchen and was surprised to see Remus there as well. "Your brother is not up yet," she said. "Neither is James."

A few minutes later the door swung open and a very tired looking Sirius walked in. He dropped into a seat and rubbed his temples. "Bloody hell. I'm never drinking again."

Regulus scoffed. "Right. As if we haven't heard that one before."

Sirius groaned and rested his forehead on his hands.

Mrs. Harris placed a glass of water by his right elbow and a couple of aspirins next to it. "You better take these. You have a lot of cleaning to do today, young man."

Regulus snickered at the look on his brother's face. "What did you expect? Mrs. Harris isn't a house keeper and Miss Winky isn't coming until Monday. And Mother and Father will be home tomorrow, so…"

"But I can't manage all that on my own!" Sirius sent pleadingly eyes at Remus and Regulus.

"I'll help you," said Remus in a kind voice. "And I'm sure James and Peter will help too.'

"Well, it's only fair," said Regulus, looking at Sirius. "They're just as responsible for the mess as you are. Are they sleeping still?"

"James is. Peter left with some bird last night," said Sirius, looking miserable as he took the painkillers and emptied the glass of water in one go. Mrs. Harris put a plate of food in front of him, but he looked like she had just served him something disgusting and didn't touch it.

"You sure you shouldn't get a few more hours of sleep?" Remus asked.

"Yes, but I have to clean up, don't I?" he said wryly.

Just then, Padfoot came bounding into the room, wagging his tail happily, greeting first Sirius, then smacked his sloppy head onto Remus' lap for a few seconds and then set his eyes on Regulus.

Regulus jumped to his feet ready to stave off the dog. "SIRIUS! GET HIM BACK! He's drooling and filthy and I just put on clean clothes!"

"He really likes you, as you can see. You should be flattered." Sirius said and folded his hands under his chin.

Remus took a hold of Padfoot 's collar to stop him from jumping on Regulus. The dog was wagging its tail violently and started barking.

"Padfoooot," wined Sirius and covered his ears.

Mrs. Harris grinned as she watched the boys and shook her head. She took a plate with sausages and some eggs and put it on the floor. Padfoot immediately stopped barking and jumped over to the plate, nearly pulling Remus with him.

"You should put him to good use and set him on Potter," muttered Regulus, sitting back down. "That should get him out of bed."

"That's actually not a bad idea," said Sirius.

Padfoot gulped down his food and then jumped over beside Sirius, wagging his tail violently and placed his head on his knee, looking up at him with begging eyes, clearly having smelled his untouched food.

"You're spoiling him," said Regulus when Sirius took a sausage off his plate and fed it to his dog.

"Don't tell me you don't spoil that cat of yours," said Sirius and petted Padfoot on the head. He was about to take another sausage but Mrs. Harris slapped his hand.

"You're supposed to eat that! The painkillers will do no good on an empty stomach!" she scolded.

Sirius sulked and stabbed the sausage with his fork and nipped at it.

"I treat Kreacher well," said Regulus. "It's not the same as spoiling him. And he doesn't drool all over my lap, begging for sausage."

"Padfoot is a good dog," said Sirius and gave the dog the rest of his sausage when Mrs. Harris looked away. "Your scrawny cat could use a little stuffing too. You should give him a treat once in a while."

Remus just sat quietly and listened to the brothers bickering over their pets.

"I give him plenty of treats! He gets precisely the food he needs and he's as healthy as he can be!"

"So you're saying my dog is unhealthy just because he isn't a stuck up feline that sleeps all day, and that he's not well-trained because he likes other people apart from me?" Sirius said and narrowed his eyes, looking like he was about to start a fight.

"I... I don't think that's what he said," interjected Remus.

"I didn't say that! You accused me of not feeding my cat well!" said Regulus agitatedly. "And I didn't train him to only like me - he only likes me because I'm the only one who appreciates him!"

"You're the only one who can love that foul creature!" spat Sirius.

"You two behave!" Mrs. Harris said and turned to Sirius. "Apologies to your brother!" When Sirius just sulked and said nothing, she smacked him upside the head.

"Ouch! Alright, alright! I'm sorry!" he hissed and leaned back in his seat, looking moody. "Why don't you make Reggie apologise for what he said about Padfoot?" muttered Sirius a moment later.

"I only pointed out facts," said Regulus. "That he's drooling and begging. Which he is. I didn't say he was unhealthy or foul."

Padfoot stood with his head on Sirius' lap and looked up at him with big eyes. "I just love my dog," Sirius mumbled and let a hand run over Padfoot's head.

"Well, tell him you're sorry," said Mrs. Harris and tapped her foot at Regulus. "You're brothers and should appreciate each other instead of fighting all the bloody time."

"Alright. I'm sorry for stating the obvious," said Regulus grudgingly. "I suppose you've got your reasons for loving him..."

Sirius got up from his seat. "Well, me and Padfoot will go wake up James."

A/N: To see Zayhad's illustration to the chapter go to deviantart dot com and look up Zayhad. She has a folder in her gallery with the story's name on it.