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“Hey! There he is!” Sirius, dressed in a “sexy convict” costume, pushes through the crowd of zombies, superheroes, and school girls toward the front door and sticks out a fist for Remus. “You made it, Moony!”
Remus laughs and complies with the fist bump, before standing back to take in the sight. “Well, look at you, Andy DuFresne.”
Sirius scoffs, and steps back, holding out his arms to fully display his body in the tight orange jumpsuit. “Do I look like Tim Robbins, to you?”
James, dressed in star spangled wizard robes and a fake white beard appears behind him, throwing an arm over his shoulder, “Only if Andy was played by John Stamos! You look smokin‘!”
Sirius grins, “Thanks, Prongsie! Though we should talk about your obsession with Uncle Jesse. It’s disturbing.”
“What’s up, Remus!” James ignores Sirius and sticks out a fist for Remus to bump. “That’s dope!” He gestures to Remus, indicating his costume. “Wolf-man. It suits you, bro.”
“Thanks. You look pretty dope yourself… Merlin?” James grins, preening at the compliment.
Sirius turns to him with a raised eyebrow. “I thought you were supposed to be Gandalf?”
“As long as I’m a mad powerful wizard, I don’t give a shit. Call me whatever you want,” James says as they walk together into the living room. “You want some jungle juice, Moony?”
“Sure,” Remus gives him a thumbs up, pulling off one of his wolf's claw gloves to carefully check his glucose monitor and insulin pump. He turns to Sirius while James heads into the kitchen to get drinks.
“This is quite a rager, Pads. Are you sure your parents are okay with this?”
Sirius laughs, “Of course not! They have no idea.” He waves off Remus’s worried expression. “Don’t worry Moony, I’ve got it covered. Cleaners are coming tomorrow afternoon and it will be all back to normal by the time they get home. They’re staying at Aunt Dru’s house until Wednesday. Plenty of time.” James rejoins them, handing them each a red solo cup filled with what smells like cheap vodka and tastes like fruit punch.
Remus takes a small sip and cringes, returning his attention to Sirius. “What about Regulus? You don’t think he’ll tell your parents?”
“Nah, I made him promise. I let him invite some of his dumbass friends, so. Fair’s fair.”
“Hey Moony!” Lily Evans, wearing what appears to be a schoolgirl outfit, her hair in braids, and a witch hat says as she comes to join them, cozying up to James who wraps an arm around her and leans down to kiss her cheek. She laughs and pushes his face away, all while pulling his arm around her even tighter. “That beard tickles.” Turning her attention back to Remus, “Teen Wolf. That’s brilliant! I used to love that movie.”
“Thanks. The Worst Witch?” he guesses, and Lily beams at him.
“That’s right!” She playfully slaps James in the chest. “See, Remus knows who I am.”
James shakes his head. “I told her if she’s going to be a witch played by Fairuza Balk, why would she pick Mildred Hubble when she could be Nancy from The Craft!?”
“Oh, she’s hot. I’m not even attracted to chicks and I’d do her,” Sirius says, matter-of-factly.
Remus smiles at his friends’ banter and takes another sip of the jungle juice, his heart in his throat as he scans the room, hoping for a sign of the the younger Black brother. When he catches Sirius watching him with a curious expression, he coughs and asks, “So, is Pete here?”
Lily chimes in, “Oh, I saw him earlier. He’s wearing a kimono and a rat nose? Weird costume…”
As James and Sirius both go off on her about her inability to recognize Master Splinter, Remus is stunned when he spots an incredibly attractive person in a black cat costume crossing the greatroom toward the patio door.
“You should go talk to him.” Sirius’s warm breath is right in his ear, close enough so that only Remus can hear him over the blasting vocals of Christina Aguilera. “He’s been subtly asking about you all week.”
Remus blinks, and he looks over at Sirius, who winks and pats his back while gesturing toward the patio door. “Go on,” he mouths. Remus nods, and mumbles a quick, “I’ll see you guys, just need to… um.. yeah.”
Remus heads toward the patio door, the commotion of the party fades into the background as memories of the county fair flash through is mind — Regulus tasting cotton candy for the first time, his eyes wide with wonder, Regulus grasping Remus’s sweater in panic on the Ferris wheel, Regulus lighting up with joy when Remus gave him the beanie baby, and, of course, the warm press of Regulus’s soft lips on his own.
He presses the plastic rim of the solo cup to his lips and downs half of his jungle juice, feeling the sugar and alcohol spread through his body. Liquid courage.
He takes a deep breath and slides the door open.
Remus steps out into the cool air, closing the door behind him, shutting out some of the din of the party. Regulus is leaning against the wooden balustrade looking up at the stars. He is a vision in tight black leather pants and a fuzzy black sweater with silver threads sewn into, which sparkle in the moonlight. His head is adorned with frilly black cat ears. He fidgets with a tail attached to his belt, and Remus notices that he has painted his fingernails with shiny black nail varnish.
“Hey.” Remus says, and it comes out much croakier than he expects. He clears his throat as Regulus turns to look at him. His makeup is immaculate, dark lines widening and shaping his grey eyes, which shine almost silver in the starlight. A thick line of black paint on the bottom of his pointy nose, connected to his darkened upper lip gives the illusion of feline facial features, capped off with carefully drawn on whiskers across his sharp cheekbones. Remus can’t help but shake his head in awe as he steps closer.
“You look amazing.” The words come out of him with a gasp before he even realized he’d spoken them.
Regulus drops his tail and crosses his arms across his chest as he takes in Remus’s appearance. “Thank you. You look… hairy.”
Remus huffs a laugh, grateful for the camouflage of his fake beard and the dim porch light concealing his blush. “Yeah, it’s a bit warm, to be honest.” He tugs on the fur poking out of the ends of his letterman jacket.
“What are you? Some kind of wolf-man?” Regulus asks with an appraising glare. “And what’s with the basketball jersey?”
The alcohol must be doing its job, because Remus feels brash enough to move closer. Leaning on the balustrade right next to Regulus, he says with a smirk, “Don’t tell me you have never seen Teen Wolf? With Michael J. Fox?”
Regulus’s brow furrows and his lips pinch, and it’s frankly adorable. “Michael J. Fox? The guy from Family Ties?”
Remus chuckles. Regulus always surprises him with which parts of pop culture he’s familiar with, and which references are completely foreign to him. “That’s the one, yeah.” He steps even closer, close enough to feel Regulus’s body heat, and a pleased thrill runs through him as he notices Regulus doesn’t shy away, leaning into it so that they are only inches apart.
“Well, the movie is a classic. If you haven’t seen it, I’m pretty sure Peter has it on VHS. Maybe I could borrow it so we could watch it together sometime?”
Regulus looks up at him with shining eyes, a blush booming over his cheeks as he asks, “You want to watch a movie together? You and me?” He whispers and Remus can only hear him because of how close they are standing.
He opens his mouth to answer, but is interrupted when the patio door opens and the noise of the party spills out. They both look up as a person in a Ghost Face costume steps out and lets out a hearty guffaw, making him instantly recognizable as Barty Crouch Jr.
“What the hell is this, Reg? You’re a Pussycat?” He makes a cat yowl sound along with a clawing motion with his hand and continues laughing.
Remus feels a wave of protectiveness, as he sees the light in Regulus’s eyes dim at his friend’s taunts. “Fuck off, Crouch. His costume is awesome, and actually took some effort and creativity, as opposed to yours, which looks like you got out of a bag from Walmart.”
“No one asked you, Fruit Loops,” Barty pulls back the mask and puffs up his chest, stepping toward Remus. “Don’t think I didn’t see you out here hitting on Reggie. You’re barking up the wrong tree. He isn’t a Faggot, like you.”
Remus’s features are hard as he straightens up, emphasizing the good three or four inches he has on Barty, and stepping up to meet him. He feels the muscles in his arms tightening up as his hands ball into fists. But Regulus intervenes before any punches are thrown, pushing Barty back and keeping his arm up to hold him back. “Hey! What the fuck, Barty!”
Barty cackles, absolutely delighted to have gotten Remus so riled up. Remus tries to make eye contact with Regulus, but he just shakes his head, eyes trained on the ground. “Maybe you should go inside, Lupin.”
Remus steps back and swallows, his throat burning with shame. He is not a violent person, and he almost never loses his temper. But in that moment, he yearned to punch Crouch in his very punch-able face.
“Reg, I’m so—” he starts, but Crouch is still laughing, and Regulus makes a loud noise of frustration, pushing him back before marching across the porch, opening the sliding door with force, and disappearing into the house.
“Hey, Moons!” Sirius drops down next to Remus on a couch in the den, which is slightly quieter than the main room of the house. He had been pretending to be interested in a conversation Marlene and Lily were having about their chemistry teacher and his obvious favoritism of certain students. Lily had been invited to one of his “Slug Club” events, and Marlene was insistent that she should not attend. When the girls had left to get more punch and gotten pulled into a game of Beer Pong, Remus hadn’t bothered to move.
“Why are you moping around in here by yourself?” Sirius asks, his tone light, but with a look that betrays his worry for his friend.
“M’not moping. Just a bit tired.” Remus lies. It had been two hours since Regulus left him on the patio and he hadn’t seen him at all since. He had either left or sequestered himself in his room. Either way, Remus was sure that he had blown his chance with him. So yep, he is definitely moping.
“Uh huh.” Sirius is unconvinced. “What happened to your costume?” He gestures to Remus’s outfit, which is missing the furry beard, jacket, and wolf claws. He basically looks like a dejected basketball player, probably kicked off the team for being so mopey.
“Got hot,” Remus murmurs. “I left some stuff in your room, by the way. I hope that’s okay.”
“Course it’s okay.” He pats Remus’s leg. “Can I get you something? More punch?”
Remus sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “Uh, no, thank you. Think I had enough for now. I need to ration my insulin. I left my pump in your room, too.”
Sirius bites his lip. “Shit, sorry. I forgot.” A beat of awkward silence before Sirius rushes to fill it. “Hey, did you see Benji?”
Remus snorts a laugh, “Yes, he’s dressed like Elmo. It’s hilarious.”
“Cute though, right?” Sirius wiggles his eyebrows suggestively. “I think he needs someone to tickle him, Moons.”
Remus shakes his head, still grinning. “I saw him flirting with Caradoc in the pool room an hour ago. I think he’s probably been tickled plenty by now.”
Sirius frowns, “Damn. I thought you two were good together.”
Remus shakes his head. “No, we really weren’t. It’s fine, Sirius. I’m not interested in Benji.”
He doesn’t appreciate the pitiful look Sirius is giving him. He’s saved from any further humiliation when a repeating pattern of three quick beeps and a strong vibration, which Remus feels through the couch, interrupts them. Sirius pulls his pager from his belt loop and presses the button to stop it, lighting up the display.
420 - 775
“420? Is someone asking you for weed?” Remus asks, clearly amused by the cryptic message, and Sirius’s exasperated response to it.
“It’s Regulus.” Sirius rolls his eyes, clipping the pager back onto his belt loop. “He thinks 4 is how you do the letter H. It means H²O. He wants me to bring him water.” He sighs and waves his hand dismissively. “He does this sometimes when my parents have company. He gets overwhelmed and hides in his room. Refuses to come out as long as there are guests in the house.”
“Hey, Padfoot! There you are!” James runs in to the den, looking excited and disheveled. His white beard now splattered in punch colored stains. “We’re out of ice for the jungle juice. Can I borrow the truck to go get more?”
“No, you can not borrow the truck! You can come with me, but I’m driving.” James nods, accepting that this is a far superior plan. “Moony, would you mind bringing a bottle of water up to Reg’s room? You’re probably the one person aside from me that he might allow to step foot in his room.”
Remus perks up. This could be his chance to apologize and fix things with Regulus.
“You don’t need to give me those puppy dog eyes, Sirius. I’d be happy to bring Regulus a bottle of water.”
Sirius gives him a grateful pat on the shoulder. “Thanks, Moons. You’re the best!” he gets up to join James, who is already halfway to the truck. But he stops at the archway and turns back to Remus. “Oh, it needs to be the Aquafina, from the garage fridge. He won’t drink the store brand stuff we have in the kitchen for the party.” He taps the wall, swaying a little, and winks again.
“Good luck, Moony."
Remus takes a few moments to gather his courage, staring at the sign on the bedroom door that says “Do Not Enter Without the Express Permission of Regulus Arcturus Black”. He waits for the din of the party to die down a bit before knocking.
Now or never, Lupin! just do it!
He knocks three times and leans his ear against the door, straining to hear a response. There is a muffled “Come in.”
Well, there you go. Permission.
He swallows, turns the doorknob and steps cautiously in to the room, closing the door behind him.
It’s one of the biggest bedrooms he’s ever seen, second only to Sirius’s, which is on the first floor. Regulus’s room is wider than it is long, with plush off-white carpet, a large bay window with shimmery green silk drapes that trail onto the ground. There is a full-sized, expensive looking Yamaha keyboard on one end of the room, a desk with an Apple computer on the other, and in the middle, a queen sized four-poster bed adorned with a thick duvet and throw-pillows perfectly matched to the drapes.
Regulus is on the bed, pressed up against the headboard with his knees pulled up to his chest. Having removed his costume, he’s dressed in a simple black t-shirt and dark gray sweatpants. He gapes at Remus, his eyes rimmed with red.
“Lupin? What are you—”
Remus holds out the Aquafina bottle, approaching him like one would a stray animal, afraid any wrong move will send it scurrying away. “You asked for water.”
“From Sirius.” Regulus grouses, wiping his eyes and turning his head to avoid Remus’s gaze.
“Right.” Remus stops next to the bed, still holding out the water bottle. “He had to run an errand, so I volunteered to bring this to you.”
Regulus accepts the bottle, and mutters a quiet “Thank you”.
Remus sighs. Now that his hands are empty, he’s not sure what to do with them, so he shoves them in his pockets. “And… I was hoping we could talk?”
A few seconds pass in painful silence before Regulus finally looks up at him and nods. He gestures toward the edge of the bed.
Remus nervously approaches the bed, “You mean, I can—?”
“Just sit, Lupin.”
Remus sits.
“Reg, about what happened earlier... I’m so sorry.”
Regulus snorts, “What are you sorry for?”
Remus is bewildered. He had been so sure Regulus was furious at him for overreacting to his friend’s provocation. Regulus drops his legs and moves himself next to Remus on the edge of the bed. “I should be apologizing to you,” he says to the floor. He makes a pained noise and looks up at Remus, his eyes shining and his voice thick as he adds, “Barty’s such a dickwad. He called you that, that stupid slur… and I. I didn’t…”
Remus, seeing Regulus trembling and clutching the duvet, gently places a hand over his. “No, no, Reg. I’m the one who wigged out. If you hadn’t stepped in, I definitely would have clocked him. And really, I’m very grateful that you stopped me. It would have done more damage to my bony knuckles than to his ugly mug.”
Regulus’s hand relaxes and he looks up with a tear-stained face at Remus’s self-deprecating smirk and can’t help but smile. “He is pretty ugly.”
Regulus laughs and nods enthusiastically. “I know he’s your friend, Reg. But, god, he really is.”
Regulus scoots close enough for his arm to brush against Remus’s. “So, if you don’t hate me, does that mean you still want to watch a movie with me?” He asks, looking up at Remus with wide eyes still smeared with eyeliner and puffy from crying.
“Yes!” Remus gasps, sucking in a breath. The beauty of this boy had him mesmerized, and he runs a hand through his hair, composing himself. “Of course. God, yes. I still want to watch a movie with you.”
Regulus looks down at the space between them, and rubs absently at the silky fabric of the duvet cover. “Like, just you and me? Like a date?”
“If you want, sure. Yes.” Remus thinks his voice is more high pitched than usual.
A blush colors Regulus’s pale cheeks, and he’s biting his lower lip. “I do,” he says it barely a whisper.
Remus wants to kiss him so badly it hurts. But he stays perfectly still, waiting, watching to see how this boy will surprise him next.
“Do you think I’m gay?” Regulus asks.
Remus stammers, “Oh… um. Well, that’s not…” He searches Regulus’s face, trying to find a clue as to what he expects from him, but the other boy is just watching him expectantly.
“You’re the one who kissed me.”
Regulus’s jaw drops, and so does Remus’s stomach.
Fuck.
“You said what happens on the Ferris Wheel stays on the Ferris Wheel,” he croaks, simultaneously accusatory and defensive.
“I know, Reg.” Remus groans and drops his head into his hands, tugging on his curls in frustration. “I swear, I haven’t told anyone. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t been thinking about it constantly.” He turns to face Regulus, pleading. “Why did you do it?”
Regulus has the good sense to look abashed at that. He shrugs. “I wanted to.”
Remus’s brow creases in confusion.
Regulus rubs the duvet cover between his fingers again. “I can’t be gay. Do you understand? My parents— They’re very religious. They’d cut me off. I wouldn’t be able to go to college… So, what I want is irrelevant.”
Remus knows how conservative the Blacks are. Sirius has never cared what they think. He was in trouble constantly. He had already been told that he would get no help for college because he had stopped attending church with them. But Sirius didn’t need them. He was top of their class and a shoe-in to earn a full ride scholarship to the state university.
He should have known Regulus was not be like Sirius. Regulus is the good son. He works hard and doesn’t make waves. But without Sirius’s genius-level intelligence, school is a struggle for him, and he depends on his family’s reputation and money to get him in to a decent college.
So, he can’t be gay.
Remus gives Regulus an understanding smile. “Right. I understand.” He stands up and starts toward the door on shaky legs. “Well, I should go.”
“Wait, you don’t have to go. We could…” Regulus jumps from the bed and moves swiftly to block the door. Now that he’s there, he doesn’t seem to know what he wants to say, his eyes darting around for an idea. His gaze settles on a bookshelf; he points out board and card games on the bottom shelf. “We could play Uno!”
“Hmm.” Remus eyes the game shelf and shrugs. “Maybe. But hey, I wanted to ask you about that.” he gestures to the keyboard in the corner. “Do you play?”
Regulus’s smile illuminates the room. “Yes! I’m sure you’ve noticed the mini-grand downstairs,” he says as he moves toward the instrument, gesturing for Remus to follow. He seats himself on the bench. “My parents bought this so that I could practice with the volume on low, or with headphones so they don’t have to hear it. But it actually has a lot of cool features.” He turns it on and tests out the volume by pressing on the middle two keys in quick succession. “Do you want me to play something?”
“Yes! I would love to hear you play,” Remus says, leaning over to look at all the buttons and symbols on the keyboard. It’s much fancier than the Casio that James had let him tinker with on a few occasions.
Regulus beams and pats the bench beside him. “You can sit.”
Remus hesitates. “Won’t I be in your way?”
Regulus responds with a casual wave, “No, it’s fine. Sit. It’s more distracting with you hovering like that.”
Remus’s heart is pounding in his chest, but he does as he’s told and settles himself next to Regulus. He still worries that it will be awkward for Regulus to reach keys on the high end of the keyboard without bumping into him, so he tries to sit back as far as he can on the bench. Regulus plays, his long pale fingers seeming to float and dance across the keys to a familiar melody. Remus closes his eyes and allows himself to get lost in the music. He starts softly singing the well-known lyrics without realizing it.
“There is so much a man can tell you
So much he can say
You remain my power, my pleasure, my pain
To me, you’re like a growing addiction that I can’t deny, yeah
Won’t you tell me, is that healthy, baby?
But did you know that when it snows
My eyes become large and
The light that you shine can’t be seen?”
When he opens his eyes, he catches Regulus looking at him with a wide grin. And then he starts to sing along, still playing with incredible skill and not breaking eye contact.
“Baby, I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the grey
Ooh, the more I get of you, the stranger it feels, yeah
Now that your rose is in bloom
A light hits the gloom on the grey
Yes, I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the grey
Ooh, the more I get of you, the stranger it feels, yeah
And now that your rose is in bloom
A light hits the gloom on the grey
Ba-ya-ya, ba-da-da-da-da-da, ba-ya-ya
Now that your rose is in bloom
A light hits the gloom on the grey.“
As the last note fades in the room, Remus sucks in a breath. He feels as if he’s just had an out-of-body experience. “Jesus, Reg. You’re so fucking talented,” he says breathlessly.
Regulus laughs and nudges him with his shoulder. “I didn’t know you could sing!” He presses a warm hand on Remus’s cheek and leans in, adding in a suggestive tone, “Also, I love it when you swear.”
Remus lets out a bemused laugh. “Well, fuck me, then.”
Soft lips press against his and Remus whimpers, this time not hesitating to respond. The first time Regulus had kissed him, he was paralyzed with shock. But this time… he had mentally prepared himself, hoping for a second chance. He cards fingers into Regulus’s hair and moves his lips, gently swiping his tongue along Regulus’s bottom lip. Regulus makes a keening sound and opens for him, inviting Remus in, his hands grasping at Remus’s jersey, pulling him closer.
When they almost topple over from lack of oxygen, they break apart, gasping. Regulus’s pupils are blown wide, and his lips—oh, lord, his lips—are red and slick and Remus wants to claim them again. He starts to, but Regulus places a hand on his chest, holding him back.
“Remus,” he says, still slightly out of breath. “I don’t want to be like Benji.”
Remus’s brow creases in confusion. What the hell does that mean?
“Benji? What are you talking about?”
Regulus bites his swollen bottom lip bashfully, looking up at Remus through his lashes. “You know… I don’t want to just be your make-out buddy at a party. Not if it doesn’t mean anything to you.”
“Oh.” A wave of nausea washes over Remus as he remembers telling Regulus that he had kissed Benji, despite not having any genuine feelings for him. Of course, Regulus worries he might use him the same way. “Oh, God. Reg, I swear, that’s not what this is.”
Regulus’s hand on his chest slowly moves up to Remus’s shoulder. “Good. Because it means something to me. I like you. A lot.”
“I like you, too! So much. I think I have for years and just tried to suppress it because I honestly thought there was no chance you would feel the same way about me.” Remus feels a twinge of embarrassment by his blurted confession. But it sounds like Regulus is looking for a relationship, which is something Remus is eager to experience.
Regulus’s eyes light up with happiness, and he leans in to kiss him again. But Remus pulls back. “Wait. What about your parents?”
Regulus frowns, “Right.” He heaves a sigh. “Obviously, if we’re going to be together, we can’t tell anyone. At least not anyone who might let it get back to my parents.”
“Okay.” Remus takes one of Regulus’s hands in his and swipes the pad of his thumb over the back of his fingers. “I can do that. We won’t tell anyone until you feel comfortable. I want you to feel safe, that’s the most important thing.”
Regulus visibly relaxes and gives Remus a grateful smile. “Thank you. I’m sorry to ask that of you, it’s just—”
“I know. It’s okay, Reg. Really.” Remus smiles dopily back at him, until a thought occurs to him. “What about Sirius, though? I think he already suspects there’s something going on between us. He’ll figure it out pretty quickly.”
Regulus’s grin widens, and he shakes his head. “Oh, don’t worry. We can tell Sirius. He would never betray me to our parents. He hates them more than I do. In fact, I’m sure he’ll be happy to help me secretly rebel against them with a scandalous gay love affair.”
Remus smirks, throwing him a cocky grin. “Oh, is that what this is?” He brings Regulus’s fingers to his lips and starts kissing up his arm. “Well, I didn’t realize it was a love affair.” Regulus giggles and squirms as Remus kisses, licks, and nips at his smooth skin all the way up his arms before claiming his mouth again.
Twenty minutes later, after they had moved to the bed, kissing and caressing, and making each other giggle like happy school girls, Regulus’s curious hands slide under his jersey and Remus gasps.
Regulus quickly pulls his hand back. “Oh, shit. Sorry.”
“No, no, it’s okay. Just surprised me.”
“You don’t have your, um, insulin device on?” Regulus says as he tentatively lifts the hem of the jersey again.
“My pump. No, I took it off. It’s downstairs. It’s okay, you can touch all you want.”
“Hmm, okay.” Regulus says happily, and he sends Remus a mischievous grin before ducking down and pulling the jersey over his head.
Remus protests through fits of laughter as Regulus’s breath and hair tickles his chest. Regulus gets down to business, kissing and caressing every bit of bare skin he has been granted access to.
Remus is still squirming and laughing when a voice coming from the bedroom door startles him into silence. “Aha! Found you!”
Remus looks up to see Sirius leaning against the doorjamb, a knowing smirk playing across his lips. “Hi Moony. What’s that you’ve got under your shirt?”
Slowly leaving his jersey cocoon, Regulus gazes into Remus’s shocked face before turning to his brother and clearing his throat.
“Sirius. Please come in. We have something to tell you.”
“Yes! I knew it!” Sirius closes the door and practically jumps onto the bed. “So, how did this happen? Tell me everything I missed.”
As they all snuggle together on the bed, Remus and Regulus take turns talking about how they came to this moment. Sirius chimes in every once in a while with all the things he had noticed, like Regulus’s sudden interest in what his friends were doing, and Remus’s change in demeanor since the fair. Not to mention, the fact that he blushes whenever Sirius mentions his brother. They stay up late talking until Remus feels faint from low blood sugar, and he reluctantly releases Regulus’s hand as they head downstairs to find some food amongst the party stragglers. As they listen to James babble about all the fun they missed out on by hiding upstairs, Remus can’t resist sharing a secret smile with Regulus.
As far as Remus is concerned, this has been the best Halloween party of his life.