#blackeclipse

It was in his third year at Hogwarts that Madam Pomfrey brought up the Mark on his shoulder. She had asked him why he wasn't using their soul bond to help with the pain and recovery.

At his confusion, she had produced a mirror. Sure enough, on the back of his right shoulder, there was a moon inside of a sun. It looked as big as his palm and was very clearly a Soul Mark.

Poppy was surprised he didn't know it was there. Apparently, she had seen it the first Full he had spent in the castle and assumed he knew. It was rare that someone didn't know, so she hadn't thought to ask.

In a matter of seconds, Remus had resigned himself to the knowledge that he would never know his Soulmate.

There was no way to track your Soulmate until the bond was complete. So, short of posting a picture of his mark around the castle, there really wasn't anything he could do. And that was, of course, assuming they even went to Hogwarts.

It wasn't until two years later, almost to the day, that his luck changed.

~~~

He was roused by someone gently running their fingers through his hair. He was lying on his side and definitely in the Shrieking Shack.

"Hey, Moons." It was James. Remus didn't even need to open his eyes to see the tired smile on his friend's face. "Poppy will be here soon. We have to go, but we'll meet you in the hospital wing, okay?"

Remus nodded, or, at least, he tried to. He wasn't sure how successful he was considering his head felt like it had been stuffed with cotton, then used as a bludger.

Still, James must have gotten the message because he heard the other boy stand and move away. There was a soft chorus of 'bye's and 'see you in a bit's as his friends left.

It had been a success, then. The Wolf hadn't attacked his friends while they held their animagi forms. Despite his best efforts, Remus felt tears rolling sideways down to his ear.

He couldn't remember last night, but the knowledge that he hadn't been alone was enough. And, as he slowly came further into consciousness, he realized that he wasn't torn and bloody.

He didn't know if this was because his friends had already healed him, or if they had stopped him from hurting himself in the first place.

Before he could start worrying about if he had hurt his friends instead, he heard Poppy coming up from the tunnel. Remus pushed himself upright and looked over his shoulder in time to see her step through the doorway.

She helped him dress, stand, and make his way back through the tunnel. By the time they reached the castle, he almost felt better. Poppy clearly noticed the change, but she kept her comments—and suspicions—to herself.

He hadn't been settled into the hospital wing for more than five minutes when James came in with a plate of food. At this, an alarm bell went off in Remus' brain, and it took him a moment to realize why.

James was alone.

And he looked nervous.

Panic gripped Remus' heart and it must have shown on his face because James ran the last few steps to his bed.

He set the food aside and took Remus' face in both hands. "Hey, hey. Everyone's fine. No one's hurt. It was a success! We're all okay! I promise!" James' words were hushed but adamant.

Remus searched his face for any sign of a lie. Upon finding none, he slowly let out a breath. "But- Then...Why..." Remus wasn't sure how to phrase his question. He wasn't used to being at a loss for words, but his heart was still thumping painfully in his chest.

James, sitting on his bed now, stoked his thumbs over Remus' cheekbones. He smiled shyly at Remus for a moment before, "Because... I have something to tell you." At the renewed fear in Remus' eyes and the way he brought his own hands up to hold James' forearms, he hurried on. "It's not bad! It's nothing bad, just... Strange? No, not strange. Um... Unexpected?"

Remus' fear almost completely dissolved into confusion as James struggled. "James, if it's not bad, why are you nervous? And why did you have to come alone to tell me?" His voice was rough and weak, but he really couldn't take much more suspense.

James paused, took a deep breath—hands still on Remus' face—looked him in the eyes, and blurted, "We'reSoulmatesandIdidn'tknowhowtotellyoubecauseyouneversaidanythingandIdidn'tknowhowyou'dreact"

Remus froze.

He stopped breathing.

His brain short-circuited.

His heart stopped beating.

Well, that may be an exaggeration, but everything after 'We're Soulmates' was lost on him.

They were roommates. They had been roommates for YEARS now! How did they not know? How had none of them ever noticed? How did James know now? What changed? Had James really never seen his Mark before?

An eternity passed before James quietly whispered, "Remus?"

He startled, eyes focusing back on James. "Where?"

He didn't need to elaborate; James was already moving. He stood and unbuttoned his trousers. Out of habit, Remus looked away.

And then it hit him. Of course! Remus looked back and, sure enough, there was the matching Mark. James was holding his pants in such a way that the Mark was visible, but his crotch wasn't. Because there it was. On James' right hip bone, low enough to be covered by his pants and close enough to his crotch that Remus had always averted his eyes.

He had heard James and Sirius talking about it in first year, but Remus didn't know he had one then. And by the time Poppy had brought up his Mark, he had all but forgotten about James'. His immediate resignation to never finding his soulmate had kept him from telling his friends at all. He also assumed, like Poppy had with him, that they already knew it was there.

They both jumped when Remus' fingers brushed the Mark. He hadn't meant to reach out, but he was a moth to a flame. His fingers tingled as they brushed James' skin; the Mark turning silver under his touch.

Poppy cleared her throat and they both jumped again. James quickly pulled his trousers back up and Remus firmly set his hands in his lap. But she was smiling at them.

Well, she was frowning, but the arch of her eyebrow and the look in her eye showed clear amusement. "Please keep your trousers on Mr. Potter. This is not the lavatory."

James nodded quickly, but both boys smiled at her as she came over. She had James join Remus on the bed so she could show them how to use their bond to heal each other.

Because their marks were in such odd places, she had them put their hands over each other's Marks; on top of their clothes. So really, James just put his arm around him, and Remus laid on his side, hand on James' hip.

James' breath caught; Remus' face burned. Remus was contemplating bolting for the bathroom when James' hand slipped from his hair back under his shirt.

His fingers didn't immediately seek his Mark, though. Instead, they lingered at the base of his spine, tracing a thick scar there.

It was Remus' turn to stop breathing. He looked up to James, question clear in his eyes.

The peculiar expression was back. James' pupils were blown wide; he was chewing on the inside of his cheek; Remus was fairly certain James was staring at his mouth.

Oh.

For once, Remus didn't think. He leaned up till their faces were a hair's breadth apart. James took the invitation.

The moment their lips met, a tingling went through his whole body. Electricity danced through his blood, and the world stopped moving.

James' lips were surprisingly soft. Remus knew James' mom sent him some sort of balm to keep them from getting chapped while flying but, damm.

They were firm but gentle against his own. Their lips moved slowly, sweetly, seamlessly.

Remus' hand moved up to James' jaw. His fingertips mapped the planes of James' face before sliding into his hair.

James' other hand wound around Remus' back as well, pulling him fully on top of the other boy. Remus gasped into the kiss as their hips slotted together. James groaned.

Remus squirmed, which only succeeded in creating friction between them. He whimpered as James put his hands on Remus' hips. Then James froze.

Shit.

James tried to pull back, but Remus held on.

"It's okay." The boys knew Remus hadn't been born with boy parts, but it hadn't made a difference until now. Surprisingly, he hadn't even considered the implications until right this moment.

James breathed a laugh. "Shit. I had forgotten actually. I just thought you didn't- That you weren't..."

It was Remus' turn to laugh, but his was from disbelief and euphoria. James had 'forgotten?' How did you 'forget' that one of your best friends didn't have a dick?

James brought a hand up to Remus' cheek. "You've always just been Moony. The rest never mattered. Still doesn't matter. Just, tell me. When I do something wrong or if you need anything or-"

Remus kissed him.

Hard.

What had he ever done to deserve James? How was this wonderful, beautiful boy his to keep? Remus couldn't imagine, but he was eternally grateful.

This time, Remus rolled his hips on purpose, and James moaned into the kiss. Remus put his hands on either side of James for better leverage and trailed kisses across his jaw, to his ear, and down his neck.

It was sloppy, and desperate, and didn't take long for James to shudder beneath him, fingers digging into Remus' hip bones. Remus nuzzled into his neck as James' breathing evened out.

Once James' pulse returned to normal, there was a banging on one of the bedposts.

"Oi! Love birds! Breakfast."

Sirius.

Naturally.

Remus looked down at James and the two laughed. Remus moved to pull away, but James didn't let him go. Remus raised an eyebrow at him.

"Are you sure? I can..."

Remus smiled but shook his head. He wasn't ready for that, and he didn't want to ruin the euphoria of learning James had 'forgotten' he was trans. "Not today. Besides, I'm sure Siri's about two minutes away from ripping the curtains open and dragging us out."

James nodded slowly. "Yeah, okay." Still, James stole one more kiss before letting him go.

Remus smiled as he opened the curtains and rolled out of bed. He grabbed his clothes and made his way to the bathroom. There was a lightness in his chest that made him feel like he was flying.

~~~

It was over a week before Remus saw Regulus again. They were back to sitting quietly in the library, barely looking at each other long enough to nod in greeting.

Remus knew the other boy needed space. Regulus had risked a lot by confiding in Remus and he wasn't about to break that trust.

A week after Regulus reappeared, Remus gave him a book. It wasn't the first time they had traded novels, but it was the first time Remus had given him one by a muggle author.

The Little Prince

It was one of Remus' favorites, and, while he was loathe to part with his own copy, he wanted Regulus to know that Remus trusted him. It had originally been his mother's and both of them had left ink all across the pages.

Remus had set it on the arm of Regulus' chair as he left one day and waited.

Afterward, Regulus avoided him for days. Remus knew this for a fact because the other boy kept sitting with his back to the hall at meals.

He had confided in James, who turned out to be the best Soulmate anyone could ask for. Still, Remus was about ready to hunt him down on the map when he finally showed.

Remus had been sitting in the library, per usual, when the book fell into his lap.

"So, you think I need 'tamed,' is that it?" His voice was sharp and cold in a way that it hadn't been since they had started sharing this space.

Remus gapped. "What? No! I-"

"So, you just don't want to see me anymore, then?" His hands were balled into fists, resolutely by his sides.

"What? No. Regulus, that's not what I-" Remus was standing now, the sleeves of his—James'—jumper falling down over his own clenched fists.

"Why would you give me that? What could you possibly want me to take from that? Do you think I'm selfish? Self-centered? Another obstacle in your narrative? What could you have possibly wan-"

"IT'S MY FAVORITE!" Remus all but screamed. Regulus snapped his jaw shut and stared at him wide-eyed. Remus took a deep breath and continued. "I gave it to you because it's my favorite. It was my mother's, and... I wanted to share it with you."

Regulus blinked at him. "You... Why?" It was the most open Remus had ever seen him. Pure confusion with underlying mistrust, clearly painted across his face.

Remus shrugged. "Peace offering? Payment for telling me about that study? Because I wanted to trust you? Take your pick."

Regulus stared at him.

Remus went on, "You opened up about your plans for the hols, knowing Sirius has told me about what it's like at your house. I figured the least I could do was trust you with something as well."

Regulus was messing with his rings again. His eyes were darting from his hands, to the shelves, to the chairs. He seemed to want to say something, but when he looked at Remus, he started.

Remus was watching Regulus spin the silver snake on his right forefinger. Around and around and around.

Regulus took a step forward; Remus took an unconscious step back. Regulus looked down at his hands, then back up at Remus.

Determination filled him and Regulus closed the gap between them. Remus only had time to flinch before Regulus laid the back of his hand gently on the only bit of exposed skin he could see, Remus' cheek.

Remus braced himself for the burn of silver, but, instead, felt a tingle.

The kind of tingle he had only ever heard about.

The kind of tingle he had never felt because he didn't notice it when he and James first met.

The kind of tingle that comes from a Soul Mark rising to the surface of the skin.

It was sort of like when he and James touched each other's Marks, but different, somehow.

Itchier. Like it was his skin shifting around instead of his blood zinging at the touch.

Remus grabbed Regulus' arm before he could bolt. He was just in time too, because, as soon as Remus moved, Regulus tried to pull away.

One hand on Regulus' forearm, the other on his opposite shoulder, Remus searched his face. He didn't even look at Regulus' hand; he knew what he would find.

Regulus was panicking. His breaths were picking up speed and Remus could feel his pulse racing under his grip. Remus steered him to a chair and made him sit down.

Remus took his face in his hands and forced Regulus to meet his eyes.

"Breathe," He instructed firmly. He mimicked deep breaths, but Regulus wasn't copying. He didn't even seem to be in the room.

"Fuck it." Remus covered Regulus' mouth and nose, stopping the frantic in and out of air.

Remus counted to six, then released. Once Regulus had breathed out, then took a big breath in, Remus closed his airways again. This time he counted to ten, then released.

He continued until Regulus' eyes came back into focus. Remus did it twice more before Regulus brought his hands up to Remus' forearms, not to pull him away, just holding on.

Still, Remus stopped, gently shifting his hands from Regulus' nose and mouth to his cheeks. Remus stroked his thumbs over the other boy's cheekbones, watching his eyes for...anything.

Regulus' eyes searched his own back. After an endless moment, Regulus finally spoke. Quiet and hoarse, "How are you so calm?"

Remus laughed. "I'm not; I assure you."

"I- I thought- You and James..." Regulus sounded unsure. That had to be a first.

"We are." They hadn't told anyone yet, but of course Regulus knew. How could he not?

They looked at each other. Remus let his confusion and fear crawl onto his face. He could feel Regulus relaxing the more open he was.

"I've heard of people having more than one Soulmate but, honestly, until a few weeks ago, I didn't think I'd even find my first one."

Regulus furrowed his brows and tilted his head.

Remus smiled and dropped his hands to hold onto both of Regulus'. "James and I bumped into each other on the train in first year. There was so much going on that neither of us noticed. I didn't even know I had a Mark until third year."

Regulus nodded, then, "Where is it?"

"My shoulder."

"James' too?"

Remus laughed. "No, his is here." Remus gestured to his own hip.

Regulus' eyes went wide. "How...?"

"I fell into their compartment. James was standing on one of the seats to reach the rack and I backed into him. We both fell to the floor, so neither of us noticed."

"But...you all share a dorm. Surely James would have recognized it?"

Remus pursed his lips. "I... um... change in the bathroom because..." He gestured to himself.

Regulus frowned at him. "But- Oh."

Remus knew that Regulus didn't really get it, but he also really didn't want to get into that just now. Instead, he looked down and focused on the rings adorning Regulus' fingers.

"They're steel." Remus looked up at him. "They've always been steel. Well, this one is platinum," He gestured to the Black family signet ring on his left thumb. "But, I only started wearing them a year and a half/two years ago. I only suspected then, but we were already studying back here together so I figured..." Regulus shrugged.

Remus felt the stinging in his nose signaling imminent tears. "Can I hug you?"

The question surprised Regulus, but he nodded. Remus surged forward, wrapping his arms tight and burring his face in Regulus' neck.

He felt Regulus' hesitant hands come to rest on his shoulder and the back of his head. Regulus gave a few awkward pats before Remus took mercy and let him go.

Remus wiped away the unshed tears and checked his watch. He cursed.

"I have to go but, we'll talk tomorrow. Okay?"

Regulus just nodded.

Remus took the hand with the Mark on it. It was a crescent moon and a four-pointed star. This moon was waxing instead of waning like the one on his and James'. The star was slightly off-center and tilted just a bit. It was beautiful.

Remus pressed a soft kiss to the Mark before he pulled away. He packed his things and slung his bag over his shoulder. He turned back before he walked away; Regulus was staring at him.

He went back over, bent to eye level, and brought a hand to Regulus' cheek. He let his thumb drift back and forth a few times before, "Try not to overthink it. Okay?"

Regulus nodded, but Remus knew he would.

"Here." Remus handed him back the copy of The Little Prince.