"That wasn't a mistake. That was a necessary evil to give me the opportunity to be friends with your brother," Remus replied solemnly, barely hiding his smirk. "Otherwise you would have had no reason to speak to me at all and then I'd have been bereft of the best yet again." He smiled brightly. "Why, you know, I think you're right. I do love you this way."
The smile softened when Regulus spoke again and Remus happily obliged, continuing to toy with the dark strands of hair. "I like giving you goosebumps. I think it's your fault for having hair that almost begs to have my fingers run through it." It was still odd, when he stopped to think about it, how tactile he'd become around Regulus. It wasn't even just about sex, more just simple touching, connecting in a way that was more tangible than words. Recent events might have dampened his desire for chocolate, though he didn't say as much. "I still think you're a much nicer person than you want to be sometimes. You might make the gestures as a means to an end. But, there are a lot of people in your position who would still skip the pleasantries, the ego stroking, and just go for the threats and demands simply because they have that kind of power to do so. It's why you have the one percent of the population who, like me, looks at the gesture and wonders where the catch is, how is that rug going to be pulled out from under us once we trust the nice appearance." Chuckling quietly, he took advantage of Regulus' turn of the head to drop a playful kiss on the end of his nose. "Of course I didn't argue. I wanted to understand your way of thinking, not fight about it. Why would I be afraid to discuss things with you when it's the only way to truly understand how another person thinks? I may not always agree, but I want to understand. And, sometimes, I do rethink my own position and change, if not completely, then at least some of my previous perceptions."
Smiling softly, Remus brushed his fingers gently through the dark fringe around Regulus' face. "You wouldn't do that. But, that's what makes you special, different from the others I've known in the past who would, not because they truly don't care but because they won't have taken the time to consider it from any point of view but the one where they're 'fixing' something wrong with their partner. Well intentioned, but damaging." Remus snorted at the teasing, hugging his lover tighter for a brief moment. "I am a different being," he returned with a grin, borrowing Regulus' own words. "I don't think I should qualify as a mere mortal. But, I will accept the charge of indulging you at every opportunity."
Mention of Moody made Remus laugh. "We could probably have Moody on our side just by pointing out how much less of an advantage he has if he doesn't have werewolves to use for security." It hadn't escaped Remus' notice that the man had been very thorough in his use of the werewolves and their advantages during the siege. "Which wrong conclusion would that be? That, as has been the case for generations, no one would stop to consider werewolves as individuals, but a single problem to be corrected? No, I don't think you're wrong about that. Perhaps they might be less stringent officially than we fear. But, official regulations and rules have always been only half of the restrictions imposed on us."
"Not that I'm against subtle. I just don't think you're wrong."