#forjanus

ii. JAMES HAS BEEN MISSING FOR WEEKS - Remus has been crossing each day off on the calendar in his flat almost obsessively , rarely leaving his laptop other than to do the necessary. He's barely eating , relying on alcohol to fog his mind so he doesn't have to deal with the very real possibility the 00 was dead. ALEC HAS BEEN HERE MORE OFTEN THAN NOT , doing the one thing he's never had to do before. Take care of Remus. The profiler might think it remarkable , even sweet , if he wasn't as ill and stubborn as he was. Yet , it was very likely the only thing helping him cling on was in fact the other 00. Alec , Remus and James were a group. The three of them. They were in some ways dependent on one another and Remus knows if he were not bordering on being very unwell , Alec would likely be out there , looking for James. This , he feels immense guilt for , as if he's preventing Alec from doing what he needs to do. So one night , as he's lying in Alec's arms and staring at the ceiling , he finally turns his head to look at him. "I know where you want to be right now." IT'S A GHOSTLY WHISPER , a hand moving to touch Alec's jaw. "I know where you need to be." His voice breaks just a little. "It's okay. Go after him. Bring him home Alec." HE KNOWS THE OTHER IS HURTING AT THE LOSS , even if he's too stubborn to admit it in depth. Remus also knows nothing is going to change until they know whether James is alive or dead. He moves so that he's straddling Alec , taking his face in both his hands. "I will call Eve. Ask her to stay with me for a few days , so you know i'm safe." He leans down, pressing his forehead against the others. "Go to him. I know that's where your mind is. I am fine." Or he would be. He'd have to be. He presses his lips softly to Alec's , closing his eyes. "Just come back to me. Both of you." iii. REMUS HAS LOST THE THREAD OF THE CONVERSATION , laying sprawled out across the sofa , resting his head on Alec's lap as the other man bickers with James. Instead he watches them out of amusement , rolling his eyes as they trade playful insults and bring up old memories. HE'S CONTENT - he's happy even. There's something so familiar about this , it reminds him of the old days. It reminds him of how inseparable the three of them where and when Alec's head tilts down, and their gazes meet , he grins. He leans up , placing a kiss on the tip of his nose as James makes a mock sound of disgust. "Must you be so cloying?" 007 snipes and Remus just grins. "Yes." He murmurs. "I've had to listen to you two complain all evening about this and that." HE SITS UP JUST ENOUGH THAT HE CAN STEAL A KISS FROM ALEC'S LIPS THIS TIME. "I'd kiss you too but as you've called me cloying , i'm not kissing you for at least a week." Words are teasing and he finally removes himself from Alec's lap. "Enjoy drinking yourselves into oblivion , i need to sleep." He gives them both an amused look and then disappears into his bedroom , knowing they'd either leave or one or both of them would crawl into the bed with him later. He prefers the latter option if he's honest. iv. Leaving Alec with Logan Ash for a week probably wasn't the smartest idea , which is why he readily listens to the 00 complain for half an hour , or three quarters of an hour really. "Are you done yet?" He asks , sitting next to the other, reaching for his hand and bringing it to his lips so he can kiss his fingertips. REMUS HAS ALWAYS BEEN ONE TO SHOW PHYSICAL AFFECTION - even if right now he was teasing the other for whining. "You've been oh so brave." A wicked grin etches itself onto his lips and he drops his hand. "The bravest 00 in service if you ask me." HE KNOWS OF COURSE , the only reason Alec had deigned to agree to his request a week ago was because Remus was the one who had asked. He leans forward , brushing his lips against the others ear. "Come to mine tonight, and i'll reward you for your bravery. Seeing as you've been...such a good boy." & WITH THAT , he stands , winking before disappearing off to Q branch to go talk with the quartermaster about what he had found in Spain. v. Seeing Alec like this breaks something inside him - he's seen him drunk before , even high , in the past but for some reason , this affects Remus a little more than it has before. HE CAN PLAY THE PROFILER & he knows what to do when someone's intoxicated. But seeing Alec in clear distress , lost , broken even ; all he wants to do is fix it despite knowing it's never that simple. So he takes the other man by the hand , gently removing the glass from his other. "You need to sleep." REMUS TRIES TO SOUND FIRM , tries to take control of the situation because he's fairly certain if he doesn't it's going to get much worse. He guides him through the apartment , glad he'd stopped by in the first place to check up on the 00. WHO KNOWS WHAT HE'D HAVE FOUND IF HE'D WAITED UNTIL THE NEXT DAY. He shudders at the thought. Slowly , he helps the man undress, removing his shoes too. Helping him into bed , he gently tucks him in. Sitting on the edge of the bed , he closes his eyes for a moment. He knows he should tell someone , get Alec some outside help but he also knows the other man would not forgive him for it in the morning so he vows to sit by his side and make sure he doesn't choke in his sleep. He leans forward , pressing a kiss to his forehead. "Sleep , darling. I'll be here when you wake up."