Running in the dark

Chapter 77

"What the?" Remus said softly and the room was silent.

Regulus could still remember the last time he had seen the two. With Remus it was when he was on the floor, being beaten and cursed and with Sirius, it was when he was unconscious on the streets of Knockturn alley.

Sirius was now grasping onto Remus' shoulder as they looked at Regulus with wide eyes.

"You're, you're alive?" Sirius said, he didn't sound convinced with himself, it seemed so unreal.

"I am," Regulus replied softly.

The two came over sitting on the sofa but their eyes did not once leave Regulus.

"How?" Remus asked breaking the silence.

"I faked it, it was the only way I could get out of working with Voldemort and find a way to stop him," Regulus replied.

For a moment Regulus thought Sirius was going to attack him but he actually launched himself over to pull his brother into a hug. "You son of a bitch," Sirius said as he began to cry. "You had to be so fucking dramatic and fake your death," he cried out.

Regulus patted his brother's back. "I missed you too Sirius," he replied.

"It was you, you were the one who killed Voldemort, they hadn't given a name yet," Remus spoke and Regulus nodded.

"You need a hair cut," Sirius said as he wiped his tears quickly when the embrace finished.

"Maybe," Regulus replied, his hair was getting long enough that it almost reached his chin.

"So it's over, the war," James said talking for the first time since the two had arrived, his eyes had been fixed on Regulus, too scared that if he looked away Regulus would no longer be there when he looked back.

"It is, you still look a bit, should I make some tea?"

"Ill?" Sirius asked.

"James was more dramatic than you and fainted when he saw me," Regulus said and Sirius laughed.

"You just showed up out of nowhere," James muttered.

Regulus chuckled a little before standing up and walking towards the kitchen, James watched him until he could no longer see him.

"This is too fucking unbelievable," Remus muttered. It was if they were all honest it seemed a bit too good to be true, but here Regulus was, alive.

Regulus walked back into the room with a mug in hand and passed it to James smiling softly and he sat back down.

Remus then turned to whisper something into Sirius' ear and a look of disgust went across his face.

"What?" James asked confused by this secrecy.

"Why did you have to put that picture in my mind, Remus," Sirius muttered.

"I'm being honest," Remus replied.

"Do I want to know?" Regulus asked.

"Remus has just told me that if we stay too long that he's sure you two will end up shagging right in front of us," Sirius told them shaking his head and this made James choke on his tea and place it down on the table.

"Fuck you, Remus," James groaned through coughs.

"Not my fault you two are basically eye fucking in front of us, we'll be back in a few hours, make sure you're decent," Remus said tugging at Sirius's arm, Sirius seemed a bit hesitant to leave until Remus whispered something else to him which made him a bit more eager to go now.

When they left it was silent for a few moments and James turned to Regulus beside him.

"You're an idiot you know, a bloody idiot, you could have told me, told us you faked your death," James said.

"That could have put you in danger James, I couldn't have done that," Regulus responded.

"I wouldn't have cared about the danger, knowing you were alive would be worth any danger," he responded.

"That's why James, you don't care about the danger of it, I wouldn't know what to do with myself if you got hurt because of me," Regulus replied.

"Well that's not going to happen," James told him. "And Sirius was right, you do need a haircut," he chuckled pulling at one of the curls of Regulus' hair until his eyes flicked to Regulus' face.

He didn't know how or when but their faces had gotten closer, he then let go of the curl and found his hand falling to Regulus' thigh. From there it was a rollercoaster. Regulus was looking back at James and that's all James needed to set him off. He pulled Regulus onto his lap one hand flying to the back of his head and the other staying on his thigh. Regulus' arms went around James' waist instantly and then their lips met. It was hungry and passionate, the kiss was full of want.

It had been too long, too long since they had kissed since they had felt each other's touch. The longing for one another ceased to exist because they were here, beside each other and there wasn't a thing that would separate them now, no war, no secrets, it was just them.

Soon enough James was kissing down Regulus' throat as Regulus let out soft sighs, his hand running through James' hair. The night was a wonderful one which was not spent sleeping.

The next day the Order was called together for one final meeting, Regulus joined them all there and with him Barty, Pandora and Evan came, the four were congratulated and praised and they told the members of the Order what happened, but then he dropped a bombshell.

"I do have some news that isn't the most pleasing," Regulus told the room. "This whole time there has been a spy from your side," he said. He had learnt of this spy from Barty after he faked his death, it was a shock to him, but real.

"Peter Pettigrew," he told the room and they all turned to him, he seemed to shrink in his chair and visibly pale.

"He was the death eater that killed Marlene McKinnon," he told them.