black coffee | remus lupin [2]

57. a new set of rules

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"I THINK WE'RE GONNA have to establish a new set of rules," Claudia said to Remus, laying in bed with him after she had woken up in his warm arms.

"No," Remus groaned. "Please, no rules."

"Just hear me out," Claudia said amusedly. "Merlin, you're so dramatic."

"Don't call me dramatic when those stupid rules of ours literally had me hanging by a thread for a month straight. But, okay. What're you trying to say?"

"I just think me should make some things clear," she shrugged. "Maybe not make rules, just...decide on a few things."

"What kind of things?"

"...Things. I don't know."

He smiled, "How about I ask you a few questions and you clear a few things up, okay?"

"Okay," she nodded.

"Can I call you my girlfriend now?"

"Yes," she said, causing his smile to grow even bigger. "If you want. But you can't exactly walk around Diagon Alley yelling to people that I'm your girlfriend. That would get the both of us in big, big trouble."

"Got it," he nodded. "So it'll kind of be like it was at Hogwarts then?"

"What?"

"You and I will be together, but not a lot of people will know, and not a lot of people will see it."

"I guess," she said insecurely. "I mean, we do have to keep it kind of secret. Are you okay with that? Because if you aren't, we can just forget this whole night even happened and-"

Remus interrupted her with placing a soft kiss to her lips.

"I'm more than okay with that," he said.

"Even if I can't give you much more than this? Even if our future might not be more than what we have now?"

"Even so," he nodded. "Trust me, Claudia, it would be you or it would be no one for me. I'm perfectly content with having you like this. More than content, actually. And it does make some things easier for me as well."

"How?"

"I don't have to worry about ruining your life with my...condition. I know I started saying that I wanted kids and stuff right before we broke up, but I think that maybe that was selfish of me-"

"Don't," Claudia said quickly, and rather sternly, with a frown on her face. "Your lycanthropy has never once even ruined anything. Okay? And you are not selfish for wanting kids. In fact, you'd be selfish for refusing to have them because no one could be so lucky as the children who could have you as their father, so please don't go back to putting yourself down, Remus. I love you no matter what."