Yeah. It had pretty much thrown James for a loop, too. But he didn't really feel keen to comment. For one, he'd accepted it at face value once the words were out of Regulus's mouth. Some part of him felt a bit unsteady on such a premise, but for better or worse, James trusted the things Regulus told him. And he believed Regulus on this.
Not that he was the least bit interested in explaining why. And that was all the more reason to subvert Remus's suggestion.
"James Potter and Regulus Black-- 'pals'? Yeah, I really don't think that's got a snowball's chance," he dismissed, chuckling a bit. "I'm not a total tosser, I said I was sorry about punching him. But look, it's fine, really. It's not even about him." And it wasn't. It didn't have to have been Regulus. It could have been anybody. And it wasn't what Regulus had said, or what had happened next or later, but the fact that there had been an opportunity to do something good, something really good, and he'd blown it. "It's about me, and I don't need him to figure out me."
And that was sure as fuck the truth. James wasn't blind to his shortcomings, and though his more delinquent years were behind him, they happened to be right behind him. And it wasn't like James thought Remus was blind to that, either. Nevertheless, for all the fucked up stuff there was between him and Regulus, the cloud that loomed over all of it remained the fact that Regulus had been Sirius's brother before he'd been James's, and there was no way in hell James had to like that fact.
"Look, it's fine. It's not--" It wasn't hanging over him anymore, he wasn't obsessing about Regulus's death anymore, and that'd be the end of it, especially where Remus was concerned. "I talked to him, it's done with." Actually, part of him said it wouldn't be a terrible idea if Remus talked to Sirius, but that might open up a whole slew of complications that none of them were really ready to deal with. Still, his smirk was quirking up again. "Maybe we ought to just Sirius wrecked. I'm pretty sure I could talk him into shagging you." Actually, he knew he could, especially if he introduced the influence of a wager. "Might clear a few things up?"
Really, it just seemed that Remus always seemed to be in a better mood when he was able to tell James he was a prat or a wanker or whatever, even if James sincerely doubted Remus would have counted his offer as anywhere near legitimate.