Golden Boy [Remus Lupin]

5. a worthy predicament

"You shagged the Elio Falwey?!"

This was not the most ideal declaration to wake up to.

"Christ mate, keep your voice down!"

"Why would I keep my voice down when I wake up to news like this? Merlin mate, I stole that girl, Anika or what her name was, away so you could talk to the boy, not shag him!"

"You're making it sound worse than it is!"

"That's because it is worse than it is! Your screwed the most popular boy in school. You've practically painted a target on your back."

Remus groaned, running out of defensive rebuttals. He fell back onto his bed, head hitting his pillow with a resounding 'thump'.

"I don't know." He said, looking at the overarching maroon tapestries that made up his four-poster. He was shirtless and the messed up sheets beneath him were still warm.

Elio Fawley had been in his bed.

Merlin, what had he been thinking? Last night, he should have just let Elio go. He should have sulked off to bed instead of standing up and rushing out into the hall, breathless, not really knowing what to say other than 'wait'.

And now Sirius Black was looking at him like he'd just committed the greatest sin ever. Peter Pettigrew looked mortified. And James Potter looked impressed.

"Good on you, Moony." he said with a wink when Remus dared glance at the raven-haired boy.

This did not help matters. The act was by no means impressive, no matter how astounded James was.

Elio Fawley's sexuality was never a question. He would kiss any person he came across that he thought was even mildly pretty in any sense. And Remus? Well, he must have passed those standards.

He felt his face flush, heating as he recalled the events of the night. Lips on skin. Tracing scars, trailing everywhere.

They'd issued a muffling spell around the bed but though none of his dorm mates heard anything, they had seen Elio that morning, crawling out of Remus' bed, hair askew from hands raking through it and shirt half unbuttoned and wrinkled like it had been hastily put on.

"You offered to tutor him too so we're told." Peter said when Remus finally got over himself enough to sit up again and start looking around for his shirt. He found the sleeve of his favorite brown knit and traced its length to the underside of his bed.

"I don't remember anything about that." He muttered brows furrowed as he tried to remember ever mentioning such a thing as tutoring. He remembered Elio's valiant declaration of failure in potions but after that it had all been a bit fuzzy.

"Christ mate, how drunk were you?"

"Drunk enough." Remus reflected, still hot in the face. With a sudden self-resentment and burning shame, he shoved on his sweater and stood, hastily stripping his bed to wash later and locking himself in the adjoining washroom. "Why did I have to go after him?" Remus said, loud enough for the marauders to hear as he turned on the tap and splashed cold water over his face.

"Because it's Elio, mate." Sirius answered from the other side. "He's the Ravenclaw equivalent of me. You haven't been around him long enough to resist his looks like you have been with mine." And even though Remus couldn't see him, he could hear the tease in the boys voice. Remus hastily dried his face and looked himself dead in the eyes, watching the figure that was himself stare right back at him. His lips were red and bitten, and his hair was disfigured as if it hasn't been brushed in weeks.

"You can't compare yourself to him." Remus said, shaking his head and switching off the light. He was plunged into darkness for a moment before he exited back into the main space.