Dancing in the Dark (Remus) - COMPLETE

[remuslupin]

Remus felt a sudden flush of desire in his stomach as Ferret purred into his ear. He knew all the reasons that it was a bad idea to play along with her game of attractive lesbian teases her straight best friend (her lack of attraction to him and her confusion over her sexuality foremost among them) but she had started it all by flirting with him and he was going to do his very best (using what he had absorbed of Sirius' and James' knowledge over the years to compensate for his lack of experience) to return the favour.

As she licked them, Remus' eyes were drawn irresistibly towards Ferret's lips, and as her hands settled on his hips they felt almost hot against the single layer of clothes separating them from his skin. He swallowed a growl as she whispered in his ear again, struggling to control his bodies natural reaction, then decided it was time to up the ante and stop playing fair.

"Quite alright with me," He said with a smile, "Just give me a moment - It's getting rather hot in here." Pulling off his jacket and stowing it in his pocket with the help of a Shrinking charm, Remus unbuttoned the top of his shirt until most of his chest was showing, careful to keep his expression innocent as Ferret watched him. "That's much better, don't you think?"

Knocking back another shot as the music changed to a slower-paced piece, Remus leaned over to whisper in Ferret's ear and asked: "Shall we?", deliberately letting his tongue flick lightly across her jaw just behind the ear. Controlling his blush, Remus smiled at her, doing his best to look guileless and innocent. The easiest game to win, after all, was one that the opponent didn't know they were even playing.

[talls]

Ferret held back her very pleased groan as Remus removed his jacket. She bit her lip gently as she watched him unbutton his shirt further, her eyes wondering along his chest. This scars were mostly hidden by the fabric but she resisted the urge to run her hands along the skin.

That was for another time.

"You're telling me," she said, waving a hand to releve some of the flushness in her face. Part of it was from dancing, part was arousal. As Remus leaned to whisper in her ear, she felt his tongue flick across her skin. Wiether on purpose or accident, Ferret couldn't hold back the soft groan that slipped between her lips. Eyes heavy, she nodded at Remus, taking his hand in hers as she lead him to the floor. She waited for him to choice how they would play this round, happily following along with anything he had in mind.

[remuslupin]

Keen as his hearing was, Remus heard the soft groan that Ferret let out even over the sound of music and too many people packed into a small space. He noticed her biting her lip too, and saw the flush upon her cheeks. He was pretty sure she could now be sure she wasn't just attracted to women, though he suspected it was more the act of flirting itself rather than him she was reacting to.

As Ferret took his hand and led them onto the dancefloor, Remus did his best to bite back a pleased smile. It seemed - with some good instincts and a little advice from Sirius - that he did know how to flirt after all, and given that Ferret had stopped the oh-so tempting actions that tortured him with something he could never have it seemed his plan to counter-flirt had been a success. Now he only had to get through this slow dance and the rest of the night without letting on that his feelings for her were slightly - or even majorly - more than friendly.

He knew that the only two male exceptions to her sexual orientation were Sirius and Ash, but that didn't stop a hint of wistfulness from entering his gaze as he pulled her close and began swaying slowly to the slow-dance music that was now playing, feeling a tug on his heart as he danced with Ferret and knew that she would never like him back even if she were generally attracted to men, pale and skinny and scarred and monstrous as he was.

[talls]

Ferret smiled and wrapped her arms around the boy's neck, pressing against him, but not in the way she had before. This time, it was sweet and calm but the contact still made her body tingle with electrisity. She swayed with him, laying her head on his chest, closing her eyes.

The feel of her so intimatly, so carefully, made her heart race more than it should. But then again, she had feelings for the boy, so it was to be expected.

She still felt something for Black and Ashton, but they seemed paled to what she felt for Remus, expecially now. She felt so safe in his embrace, and she felt like herself. Not confused, not like she was hiding, but she felt the essence of the true her as he held her.

Looking up, she met his eyes. Taking the chance, Ferret leaned up and genlty kissed Remus's lips.

[remuslupin]

As Ferret's lips touched his Remus instinctively relaxed into the moment, memorizing the sound and smell and taste of her before reality set back in and his conscience reasserted itself with a vengeance. Remus Lupin was a good man at heart - despite what those who feared all lycanthropes as monsters might have claimed - and good men did not go around taking advantage by kissing their drunkenly judgement-impaired lesbian friends who weren't at all attracted to or interested in them.

His nerves felt raw from experiencing a brief taste of what it would be like for a girl (this girl) to be interested in him, and as he suddenly sobered Remus reminded himself again and again that Ferret viewed him as nothing but a friend to try and block out the too-intense memory of her lips. The evening was over; Ferret had clearly drunk far too much - and was clearly a physical affectionate drunk, Remus noted - and he had taken all the torment of longing for something he couldn't have that he could take for one evening.

Hiding his guilt and pain as best he could behind a small smile, Remus kissed Ferret on the cheek - so she didn't feel rejected, he justified to himself but knew it was so he'd have an excuse to touch her and smell her one last time before she sobered up, realized what she'd done and never spoke to him again - and offered her his arm. "C'mon - time to go," his voice was still tremulous and slightly broken through the iron control he was exerting over his feelings, "Once you reach the point of kissing the closest pair of lips despite your lack of attraction to their owner then I hear that's a pretty good sign you've had enough to drink."

Taking her hand, he began to lead her off the dancefloor and towards the door.

[talls]

Ferret frowned as Remus pulled away from her. Her confusion continued as he just moved to kiss her cheek. Had she done something wrong? She had taken a chance but she was sure Remus had felt something more for her. His eyes looked so hurt as she studied them.

He held out his arm to her and she took it. But at his words, she dug her heels into the floor, trying her best to stall him. But he was a lot stronger than she, so she found herself being dragged a tad. As he took her hands, she redoubled her effort.

"Who the hell said I wasn't attracted?" she demanded. She would rip their throat out. They say that being drunk makes the truth come out. She was about to prove that statement very true.

[remuslupin]

Lost in thought and self-recrimination as he was, Remus didn't even feel Ferret's attempt to resist his gentle pull. Due to his lycanthropy Remus was ridiculously and impossibly strong for someone who weighed less than one hundred and fifty pounds soaking wet. It was only when he took her hand she started to seriously resist that he noticed he'd been half-dragging her around.

He was about to apologize when the thought was sidetracked by Ferret's outburst of rage. Remus wasn't quite sure of the cause of it or why his simple statement of fact had annoyed her so, but he wasn't going to lie. Besides, no matter how hard to tried to crush it a treacherous spark of hope was starting to rise within him - it had almost sounded like she'd implied an attraction to him. But Remus knew that hadn't happened - he'd probably misheard her over the music and his mind had interpreted her words as the ones he wanted to hear.

"Well," He said, looking down at his feet to avoid her furious gaze, "You like girls and I know that the only men you're questioning your orientation over are Ash and Sirius. Neither of whom are called Remus, and both of who are handsome and masculine and unmarked and unmarred in a way that I'm not." Remus shrugged bashfully. "I guess I just assumed."

[talls]

Ferret crossed her arms, clearly annoyed. Annoyed he had thought that, annoyed that he wouldn't look at her. But most of all, he had led her on. He had flirted and made her feel wonderful and had felt nothing for her at all.

She was hurt.

"Have you asked me lately how I feel about them?" she asked angrily. "No! Do I find them attractive, yes, but I am not attracted to them!" She looked at her best friend with sad eyes.

"You are lying to yourself," she muttered. "You are handsome Remus, and masculine. I like you how you are. You are so kind, so good. You care about me and look out for me. You hold me at my lowest and put up with my stupid antics."

She frowned, her hands balling into fists. "I like you Remus Lupin, more than a friend." And with those words she marched past him and out the door.

[remuslupin]

As Ferret crossed her arms and her glare intensified, Remus flinched. He'd assumed she would regret kissing him and had done his best to avoid that situation and ensure that their friendship would continue but it seemed his actions had let to the opposite scenario. Ferret's angry words and sad eyes tore into Remus and he felt a wave of guilt at the thought of having hurt her as she proceeded to explain to him in simple words just how clueless he had been before turning on her heel and storming out of the nightclub.

His mind racing and tumbling with the revelation that Ferret liked him back - that she thought he was handsome and kind and good - Remus stood for a moment frozen stock still as he struggled to process the sudden shift in his thinking that this new information had provoked. Snapping out of it a few minutes later, Remus raced for the door, wrenching it open (and unbeknownst to him shattering one of the hinges) and searching the moonlight street outside desperately for his friend.

Noticing Ferret half-hidden in the shadows of the alley where their night had started and smelling the trail of her sorrow and anger, Remus walked up swiftly to where she had hidden herself, wrapping his arms around her in a tight hug to express his regret as he pulled her into a kiss and tried his best to express his feelings; his affection and desire for her and his appreciation and thankfulness that she reciprocated his once-thought-hopeless feelings.

[talls]

Ferret walked quickly to her alley. She debated changing her clothes, to change and leave before Remus could follow her. Then she thought she would just change her shape and hide out for the rest of the holidays.

But she could barely force herself to move. She leaned on the wall and let tears roll down her cheek. Sliding down the wall, she cried silently in an attempt to let out all her feelings.

But then, she felt herself being pulled into a tight hug. Ferret struggled only briefly until she smelled Remus's scent, his unique, natural scent.

And then he was kissing her and that kiss sent jolts of electricity through her body. Finally she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him back, relief filling her as pressed herself against the object of her desires. Tears of sorrow and happiness still rolled down her cheeks, but she ignored them for this perfect moment.

[remuslupin]

All too soon, Remus was forced to break the kiss when the need for air became too pressing to ignore. "I'm sorry," He gasped. "I was a blind thoughtless idiot, and I hurt you, and I'm sorry. I just-" The beginnings of tears glinted in his eyes, "I truly thought no one would ever like me back .I thought no one but my friends would even stick by me when they found out my secret, but you did and then by some miracle it now seems you like me too."

He frowned as he looked down and examined himself, "Though I truly still can't see what there is there to like. Sorry, sorry!" Remus said panickedly, knowing Ferret was probably about to hit him again for doubting himself. Before she had the chance he kissed her again, feeling the same warm glow as before suffuse him as lightning crawled across his skin and raced down his spine.

[talls]

Ferret felt like she was on Cloud 46, far past Cloud 9. She listened to him, listened to his apology, listened to him lower himself. She shushed him softly, placing her hands on his cheeks, gently running her thumbs along his jaw. When he mentioned how he couldn't see what there was to like, she raised her hand to strike him to be distracted by him kissing her again. Her hand lowered and she wrapped her arm around his neck.

When they broke for air once more, Ferret looked into his eyes, smiling sadly. "Remus, I barely understand who I am. I wake up every morning with a difference face and wonder if this is really me. I wonder how can some one care about me when I don't even care for myself." She stroked his cheek again.

"But you do," she whispered. "You are here, kissing me. I have never felt so cared for by anyone Remus. You are so special to me..." She leaned in and kissed him again, craving the feeling of him near her, caring for her, liking her more than a friend.

If she were to die now, she would die happy.

[remuslupin]

Remus frowned as Ferret listed her insecurities to him and placed a finger over her lips. "Shhh, Ferret - don't you see? It isn't about what you look like. I know who you are. You're the girl who trusted me enough to tell me her greatest secret. You are the girl who craves physical contact and loves greasy American food. You accepted this stupid thoughtless boy when you found out he was a werewolf and found something in him worth finding attractive. And no matter what face you wear, you are still that girl."

Remus smiled at her and ran his fingers through her hair, "If you're finding it hard to see yourself as worth caring right now then its okay to feel that way. And even though someday I hope I can change that, for now I just want you to believe me when I say I care about you enough for the both of us, and I could list a thousand and one reasons why." Placing a feather-light kiss upon her lips, Remus pulled Ferret tighter into the hug, then felt his skin burn as she stroked his cheek.

Holding her close, his grip tightened as she whispered compliments in his ear and then leaned in to kiss him again. Remus gently held her close as she melted against him and he smiled against her lips. "Of course I care for you, silly Ferret." He kissed her playfully on the nose, "You're very special to me too." Looking into her eyes, Remus swallowed nervously and blushed a furious red. Giving a tentative smile, he asked:

"Does this mean you want me as your boyfriend?"

[talls]

Ferret smiled and blushed as he told her who she was. It made her heart swell at the thought that someone could know her so well.

"I do like greasy American food," she muttered, smiling ever so slightly. She had throught that part of attraction was based on looks. While she knew now that wasn't everything, but their had to be something in it.

But for now, she pushed the thought away. She was here in Remus's arms, he was holding her, he was kissing her, he cared for her and thought her special. Ferret sighed in contentment as he ran his fingers through her hair. She felt so relaxed and yet so alive. As his grip on her tightened and she felt him smiled against her lips, she let out a soft sigh. A happy sigh, content, loving.

The girl wrinkled her nose when he kissed it, smiling up at him. As he looked into her eyes, she blushed and noticed he did the same. Hearing his words, her heart lept in her chest. She reached for his hand and squeezed it gently.

"I don't know. Does this mean you want me as your girlfriend?"

[remuslupin]

As Ferret squeezed his hand Remus felt some of his nervousness die down. After the events of the last few minutes it was probably quite silly of him to be nervous about asking Ferret to be his girlfriend, but a lifetime of believing people would reject him when given the chance was hard to overcome. Certainly her reaction hadn't been a bad one, and so Remus squeezed her hand back then lifted it to his lips and kissed the back of it.

"I do! I mean, that is-" Remus blushed and lowered his eyes, "Only if you want to - I don't want to presume." He cut himself off, stopped babbling and took a deep breath to calm himself down before pulling Ferret into a hug and looking into her eyes. "Yes, Ferret. I would love for you to be my girlfriend. If you'll have me as your boyfriend." He paused, wanting to kiss her again but waiting for a reaction first.