The One Where They Pretend It's Not a Date (It Is)
James arrived early.
He’d spent twenty minutes pretending not to pick his outfit, another ten pretending not to fix his hair, and five standing outside the café like a man debating the meaning of existence.
By the time Regulus walked in, hair perfect, expression unreadable, James was halfway through his second coffee and an existential crisis.
“You’re early,” Regulus said, setting his bag down.
James blinked. “So are you.”
Regulus shrugged. “Didn’t want to be late. You’d probably write about it.”
James grinned. “Don’t tempt me.”
Regulus gave him a Look, but there was a spark behind it now. Something familiar. Something dangerously close to fondness.
He pulled out the marked-up pages, neatly clipped together with color-coded tabs.
“You really—annotated all of it?”
“I said I would,” Regulus replied, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “I don’t make empty promises.”
James took the pages, flipping through them. “Is that… a compliment in green?”
“Don’t make it weird.”
“Reg,” James said, mock-scandalized, “is that a smiley face?”
Regulus immediately tried to snatch the page back. “You weren’t supposed to see that.”
“Oh, no, I’m framing it. Printing it. Putting it on a T-shirt.”
Regulus narrowed his eyes. “You’re insufferable.”
James smiled, soft and real. “You keep showing up anyway.”
Regulus didn’t answer. But his hand brushed against James’s on the table—and he didn’t move it.
For a moment, they sat in silence, pretending not to notice the contact. Pretending they weren’t both thinking about it. Pretending it wasn’t a thing.
“So,” James said, voice too casual, “is this a date?”
Regulus blinked. “No.”
James’s face fell—just slightly.
Regulus tilted his head. “Unless… you wanted it to be.”
James looked up, caught off guard by the honesty. “Do you?”
Regulus looked away. “I’m not good at… people.”
“I noticed,” James said gently. “Still like you, though.”
Regulus huffed. “You shouldn’t.”
“I know.”
Their fingers touched again.
This time, neither of them moved.
Somewhere across town:
SIRIUS [6:57pm]
> I’m gonna SCREAM. They’re TOGETHER. I CAN FEEL IT IN MY BONES.
REMUS [6:57pm]
> Leave them alone.
SIRIUS [6:58pm]
> Never. I was BORN for this.