gaius (ex_gaius583) wrote in snark_n_bark, @ 2008-05-09 19:14:00 |
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Entry tags: | complete, gaius, regulus |
Come and knock on our door, we've been waiting for you...
Characters: Regulus, Gaius
Summary: New roommates share tea and a little bonding time
The day at school had been long and trying, and Gaius trudged wearily back toward Haven's Loft, barely able to keep putting one foot in front of the other. He didn't even consider turning into his cat form; with magic so unstable, he couldn't risk being stuck with four feet and fur for the duration of the crisis, and he missed the freedom keenly.
Finally the house came into view, and Gaius found enough energy to pick up his pace as he drew closer, entering through the kitchen door rather than from the front so that he could get tea as quickly as possible. He shut the door quietly, dropping his book bag on the floor, then shrugged out of his teaching robes, hanging them on a convenient hook. As he turned toward the sink, he noticed that someone was at the table, and he smiled in welcome as he recognized Regulus.
"Hullo, Schönes," he greeted his friend, moving to the table so that he could bend down and give Regulus a hug and a chaste kiss on the cheek. "Sirius mentioned that you were going to be staying here." His smile faded a bit. "I only wish it were under better circumstances, but I am very, very glad you'll be around. Hogwarts has been absolutely mad, and I've had no time to call you or drop by for a visit. Can you believe it's been a whole year since we went to Egypt?"
"Has it really?" Regulus regarded his friend with raised eyebrows. "Time does fly, although I can't say we are having fun at present." He gestured to the pot of tea and plate of chocolate biscuits on the table in front of him. "Would you care to join me? There is plenty for two. You can have a rest and catch me up on all you haven't had time to tell me about."
"I'd love to join you." Gaius grinned, feeling his fatigue retreating at the thought of spending some time chatting with Regulus rather than grading papers. He moved to retrieve his favorite mug from the cabinet, then sank down on the chair opposite Regulus' with a sigh of relief. "Feels good to be off my feet. That's part of the problem at the school these days; we're being run ragged dealing with all the magical calamities that keep cropping up. It's not even worth forbidding the children from casting spells, were that even possible. Things are just going to happen, and we have to deal with it."
Regulus gave him a sympathetic look. "You have my sympathies," he said. "Although better you than me when it comes to corralling children. I would be too tempted to lock them all in a warded room until the problem is solved."
"You have no idea how often I've been tempted that way myself," Gaius said, making a slight face as he filled his mug with tea and added two spoonsful of sugar. He stirred the beverage in silence for a moment, thinking about all the mishaps and near-tragedies the school had gone through during the week. "It's not their fault though, really. We've had a few children who have been admitted to St. Mungo's because of things going wrong. The fact that magic has been on the ebb has been an odd blessing of sorts, since now a spell seems as likely to just fail as create a disaster. I don't want to have to take another youngster in to have a limb regrown like I had to do a few days ago."
"Dear Merlin, I should think not." Regulus took a sip of his own tea and reached for a biscuit. "It does sound as if your job is more taxing than usual, even with the failed spells." He studied Gaius closely while he ate his biscuit. "You look tired, which is unusual. You usually seem so energetic."
"I feel tired, to be honest," Gaius sighed, then lifted his cup to his lips, blowing on the hot beverage before sipping at it. "Never have I felt that I've worked harder and actually taught less than I have in the last couple of months. I feel terrible for the children about to take their NEWTs, with the hope of getting into medical training, or into the Auror program, or what have you, because there is no way it's fair for them. They are missing out on their education because of this."
"Which is both unfair and potentially dangerous," Regulus said, absently rubbing his left arm. He glanced at Gaius questioningly. "I suppose either Sirius or Harry told you what happened to me?"
"Yes, and I got an owl from Severus," Gaius replied softly. It was his turn to look sympathetic. "Remus seems to think it unlikely that the Dark Lord is returning after Harry dealt with him in such a final way. With so many ghosts hovering about these days, though, I can believe that some amorphous bit might have manifested briefly."
"I hope that is the case," Regulus said fervently. "Not only for myself on a personal level, but for the wizarding world as well. We have barely recovered from the last war. I have no desire to see another erupt so soon. It's bad enough we haven't managed to rid ourselves of Bellatrix. Of course, she is delighted. She sent letters, as I'm sure you heard. She made it quite clear she isn't finished 'playing' with me yet."
"She is a psychotic, evil woman who needs to be dealt with," Gaius replied angrily, upset for Regulus and Severus having to deal with Bellatrix on top of everything else. "And you're right, we don't need another war. Especially as this one will end up being fought with rocks and knives rather than wands."
That coaxed a startled laugh out of Regulus. "You're quite right about that. We seem to be reduced to little more than Squibs. It certainly seems better not to bother trying to use magic when it has become so unreliable, although that does make life terribly inconvenient." He gave Gaius a conspiratorial look. "Especially for hedonists."
Regulus' laugh made Gaius relax, and he smiled again, sipping at his tea. "Ah, yes, the life of a hedonist when all the lovely little things we enjoy so are denied us. We're deprived, you know that? It's not fair at all. We'll simply have to come up with a way to deal with it, don't you think?"
"An excellent idea," Regulus said, smiling. "Perhaps we could start with a foot rub for the weary professor? I happen to be good with my hands, and you look in need of a little indulgence."
Gaius lifted a brow in surprise at the offer, but he wasn't about to turn it down. "You are a man after my own heart, my friend. If you are willing, I'm not going to turn you down."
Slipping off his shoes, Gaius swiftly removed his socks, glad that he had Snapean feet - slender with long toes. He flushed slightly, though, as he moved his chair to one side and lifted a foot up to Regulus. "If you do a good enough job, I'll return the favor." His eyes sparkled wickedly. "And if you don't... maybe I'll have to tickle instead."
Regulus placed Gaius' foot in his lap and began massaging the arch with a firm, strong touch. "You could try to tickle," he said, a dangerous glint in his pale eyes. "But you needn't worry. I'll do a good job. We hedonists must look out for one another, and besides, Sirius will owe me for relaxing you and putting you in a good mood for the evening, which will benefit him greatly, I'm sure," he added, teasing.
Gaius went boneless in his chair, Regulus' deft fingers seeming to find the exact spot that caused tension to drain out like a plug being pulled. "Mmmm... yes," he murmured, letting his head tilt back as he relaxed. "Definitely no need to tickle; you're doing a fantastic job. I'll make certain to let Sirius know that he owes you a huge debt for this. Absolutely enormous. And so do I."
Regulus chuckled as he continued to work along Gaius' foot to his toes, giving each one individual attention. "I should take shameless advantage and ask you to repay me with a frightfully expensive dinner, but I shan't. Bring me a cup of tea or a glass of wine when I'm tired sometime, and we will call it even." He worked in silence for a moment, and then a sudden thought occurred to him. "Oh, I meant to ask if you have seen Severus since his - ah - transformation. Is he really all right?"
"Take advantage, I don't mind," Gaius was almost purring with contentment, and he peeked at Regulus through slitted eyes. "Although I will also happily fetch and carry for you. As far as Severus goes... he's fine, at least for the most part. Probably desperate at this point, but all right."
"Desperate?" Regulus glanced up at him, one eyebrow raised. "Why would he be desperate? He sounded in reasonably good spirits when he wrote to me the other day."
"Er..." Gaius considered how much he should say, then shrugged; it wasn't as though Severus and Remus were exactly circumspect about their sex lives in public, not from the things he'd seen, at least. "It seems that Remus and I have something in common," he said slowly, a slight flush staining his cheeks. "Neither of us has any interest in female anatomy. At all. In my case it's purely an aesthetic choice, but I think Remus is a bit... more reluctant than that, shall we say. I suspect that famine after the feast isn't sitting well with my brother."
"Ah." Regulus turned his attention back to the foot massage, although he found discussing Severus' sex life wasn't as uncomfortable as it once might have been. "I imagine it isn't. Severus' passion will out one way or another. If he isn't channeling it into sex, I imagine he will have to channel it another direction, such as his temper. You might want to wear protective gear when you see him next, just in case."
He gave Gaius' toe a playful tweak before lowering his foot to the floor and reaching for the other to give it equal attention.
Gaius laughed at the tweak, as well as at Regulus' observation, while willingly lifting his other foot so that Regulus could work on it. "Mmm... feels just as good on that foot," he sighed happily. "Now, where were we? Oh, yes. Severus. I'll make certain that I'm not anywhere near the line of fire when he finally explodes - if there is one thing that I have in abundance - besides hedonism, thank you very much - it's an instinct for self preservation. I'll look out for you, too; we hedonists have to stick together. It's a hard, cold world out there, but so long as we look to each other's comfort, we might survive it."
"With enough excellent food and wine and plenty of cushions to recline upon, I dare say we will survive. Barely, perhaps," Regulus added, teasing. "But we will get by somehow, even without the little conveniences magic offers. I suppose this is our version of 'roughing it'. Certainly it is my only version, because I have no intention of tromping around in the woods or sleeping on the ground."
"Neither do I - can you just imagine either of us... camping?" Gaius shuddered delicately, although his eyes were full of humor. "Ah, well, we'll get along." He flex his toes. "Especially with you being so good at this. I'm not as good at massage as you are, but I'm a decently good cook and I draw up an absolutely magnificent bubble bath. I definitely owe you, Regulus. I feel about a million times better than I did when I walked in that door. I'm glad you're here."
"As am I. I feel much safer here than at my flat," Regulus replied as he focused on Gaius' in-step for a minute. "And the company is much better as well," he added with a smile. "I do like not being alone all the time."
"Sometimes a little privacy is good, but yes... It's nice to have people to talk to, isn't it?" Gaius laughed. "Besides, what hedonist doesn't like to be properly admired? See, you need to be here so that we can worship you as you deserve."
Regulus laughed outright at that, and he shook his head. "Who is this 'we'? Sirius would laugh at the mere idea of worshiping me, Harry doesn't seem the worshiping kind, and Faelan doesn't know me well enough to be dazzled by my magnificence."
"Well, then, I guess you'll have to content yourself with me," Gaius said, waving a hand airily. "That's all right, though, because I can appreciate you properly, while they cannot." They were talking nothing but nonsense, of course, but Gaius was enjoying himself. He was very comfortable with Regulus, and was pleased that Regulus seemed equally as relaxed around him. In some ways, he didn't have friends who were peers; oh, certainly there were Severus and Serenus, but they were his brothers, and Sirius was his lover, while Harry and Faelan were hard to look at as being comrades, since they were little older than the students he was used to teaching. Only Regulus was a friend in the truest, most uncomplicated sense of the word, and it was nice to be able to have that kind of a relationship.
Gaius glanced up at the clock. "It's getting close to dinner time, I see. There isn't enough time to cook up a gourmet meal, but what do you say we Floo to Diagon Alley for some good take away? We can bring it back here and surprise everyone, and then they will have to admire us both!"
"Very clever of you," Regulus replied, releasing Gaius' foot and stretching briefly before rising to his feet. "I think that's an excellent plan. Did you have anything particular in mind?"
Rising as well, Gaius flexed his toes on the floor and sighed in contentment before bending to put on his shoes and socks. "That feels wonderful. I feel as though I could dance all the way to Diagon Alley." He reached out to squeeze Regulus' arm gratefully. "I'm open to suggestions. There's an excellent Chinese restaurant just outside the Leaky Cauldron, or a good Italian place a little farther down. If you know something else, though, let's go for it."
"Chinese food, I think," Regulus replied after a moment's deliberation. "Some Kung Pao chicken sounds good. We can get a variety of dishes, and hopefully, everyone will find something they like."
"Good choice!" Gaius nodded, then reached for Regulus' hand and pulled him toward the parlor. "We'll get one of everything, and two if it sounds good. Thank Merlin I have plenty of Muggle cash left - you never know when you might end up wanting to indulge, right?"
Regulus let himself be led along, amused by Gaius' enthusiasm. "I always want to indulge," he said lightly. "The eternal question is what I want to indulge in at any given time. Right now, it happens to be Chinese food." Once they reached the fireplace, he got a pinch of Floo powder and tossed it onto the flames. "After you, Mr. Blank, since you can walk so well now," he said with a little bow.
"Just so long as you don't say 'Age before beauty', or something like that!" Gaius lifted his head in a haughty imitation of Severus and stepped past Regulus. Then he grinned wickedly. "Last one there is a blast-ended screwt!" he called out playfully, then hopped into the hearth and disappeared in a flash of green.