Truth
Remus had promised himself to not overthink it, Regulus was most likely just busy. Yet he found himself staying up nearly every night now, waiting for that tapping of an owl's beak on his window, it just did not come.
Four days in, Remus was sitting at the kitchen table, exhausted, worried, a mess all together. It was pouring outside and the wind made the branches of the trees outside the windows slap against the glass.
It was fitting for what was about to come, yet Remus didn't know. He was dozing off for seconds at a time, before being startled awake yet again by the loud sounds of a branch against a tree. It would stop immediately after so he would take another sip of his hot chocolate and doze off again.
Only this time, it didn't stop. And it sounded like the entirely wrong direction as well.
It took Remus' brain a minute to catch up until he realized that it was in fact not a branch against the window, but someone banging against the door.
It sounded frantic, but Remus got much more concerned when the banging stopped. With newfound energy, he jumped up and tore open the front door, only to have a body sink against him. Not quite lifeless, but terrifying nonetheless.
"Remus-" a broken sob shook the body that Remus held in his arms and it was a shock to his brain.
Regulus
His clothes were torn and there was blood running down his face and arms and it had gotten everywhere so that Remus couldn't properly assess how bad the situation actually was. Regulus was soaked and out of breath, dirt all over him.
"It's okay, it's okay I got you now. Come here" Remus whispered soothingly as he pulled Regulus inside, closing the door behind him and guiding him to the fireplace to warm up. Every single move had him hiss in pain.
"It's- my mother she- Sirius ran away so- and she wants me to marry- I didn't do anything she just-" Regulus was basically rambling, it was hard to piece together, but the bits and pieces that Remus understood concerned him.
Sirius running away had been long overdue, he had been questioning when it would happen. Of course that would have made Walburga incredibly angry and the only one to let it out on would have been Regulus.
He was in such a bad state, he was shaking all over and by now Remus was almost sure it wasn't from the cold, not anymore. His eyes were filled with panic and Remus didn't want to begin to imagine what he had gone through those past days.
"I didn't know where to go…she would have found me everywhere else…I'm sorry" Was the first coherent thing Regulus said.
Remus shook his head "No, don't be sorry. I am glad you came here, you're safe now that's all that matters."
Remus got up to make tea for Regulus, the only thing he felt capable of doing to show him he cared. It wasn't much, but it was the least he could Do.
He got a proper look at Regulus for the first time when he came back. He wasn't shaking as much anymore and his clothes had begun to dry so Remus saw what he was wearing.
A dress?
Why for Merlin's sake was he wearing a dress?
Regulus looked up, having noticed that Remus had stopped moving, and met his eyes. He slowly followed where Remus was looking and cursed.
"That…right-"
Remus sat beside him and handed him the tea.
"You don't need to tell me if you don't want"
Regulus looked at him for a moment, seeming to consider.
"Remus I was born a girl"
"I was born a girl and my mother wanted me to marry a man and we met with some families, friends of ours, and Evan slipped up and called me Regulus so she found out and she got so, so mad. I thought I was going to die"
Remus wordlessly pulled Regulus closer, processing it.
"It's alright now. You're here and she won't find you. And if she does I'll be ready. I got you."
They sat in silence like that, Regulus drinking his tea and Remus holding him. He stopped shaking over time and they just stared into the flames, dancing their silent song.
"Would you be okay with me taking a look at your wounds? I really don't want them to get infected"
Regulus was hesitant but he agreed, so Remus got up, walking to his room to grab the first aid kid he had stored away in his closet.
He returned with it and a change of clothes for Regulus. They would be too big on him but at least they were clean.
"The bathroom is right there" Remus gestured over to the bathroom.
His apartment wasn't big at all, he would have to see how he would be able to make Regulus comfortable here.
When he came back, he was practically drowning in the shorts and t-shirt Remus had given him. He seemed a little cleaner, too, he had probably washed himself somewhat. And this entire look made Remus' heart stand still.
It was wrong, it was so, so wrong to find him beautiful in this situation but he was. It would be a lie to say he wasn’t and Remus didn’t like to lie to himself. He really just wanted to kiss Regulus as he sat down in front of him, but he held back, instead unpacking the kit.
Some of the cuts were horrifyingly deep, Remus even had to sew some of them close. The wound on his head wasn’t half as bad as Remus had fear, he noticed with relief.
With his wounds cleaned and patched up, Regulus looked much like himself again. Remus could have looked for an eternity, taking him in, and apparently he did, since Regulus spoke up eventually.
“Can you say something instead of just staring at me?”
And, to his horror, he couldn’t. There were no words that could describe what he wanted Regulus to know. There was really only one thing he knew to do.
So he kissed him. It was gentle, held back, soft. A question and a promise all at once, and Regulus returned both. His hands found Remus’ and they just held each other like that, still shy, still a little afraid.
When they pulled away, Remus immediately sank forward, against Remus, getting comfortable.
“Regulus-”
“Don’t you dare say anything. We can talk tomorrow. I just want to sleep now, like this, with you here. Please?”
And who was Remus to deny him his request? He held Regulus close as he almost immediately dozed off, falling asleep quickly. The floor wasn’t the most comfortable, but it would do for as long as Regulus needed to rest.