Chapter 4
James awakes, dazed and disoriented his head lulls as he tries to open his eyes, panic rising as he comes to his senses and looks ahead at the dark room he’s in. He can’t remember a thing, he was making tea… he swears he didn’t fall or-
“Hey.” Comes the honey voice he recognises slightly.
Regulus.
”What happened?
He isn’t scared, seeing him stood before him, his usual put together self is calming him from whatever might have happened.
But he’s noticing all too quickly as his face twists into a small frown, that something is wrong. And James is then noticing the room, the view outside the window, a forest, not his own house. He’d been taken here.
”What happened?”
Don’t panic. He’s certain this is a silly misunderstanding that can be easily explained.
Regulus crouches before him, his familiar scent fills his nose, like fresh running water and moss, he touches his hand, his cold skin rubbing a circle as he furrows his brows, wordless it seems.
”Regulus what happened?” He repeats.
“It’s unexplainable.” He whispers.
James moves his hand from his, backing up against the wall and looking around. The room was cold, dark and full of old furniture, half of it covered in dust cloths, it smelt stale, like it had been abandoned.
He knew Regulus was strange, he spoke strangely and acted even stranger, but he was kind, soft and he wouldn’t take James here if it wasn’t for good reason… right?
He was far too trusting, mum always said that.
”You’re scared.”
“I’m just confused… where am I?”
Regulus sighs heavily. “You’re in scotland… the highlands, this is an old place of mine.”
He laughs, because he knows he’s lying. He lived hours from Scotland, it was a whole other country, but when he doesn’t laugh back, he’s feeling fear rising.
I am not in fucking scotland.
”Did you knock me out?” He asks breathlessly, his pulse beating heavily in his neck.
“I did.”
”What the fuck!?”
Regulus pinches the bridge of his nose, exhaling and then standing. “Long story short, there’s some bad people after me… dangerous people.”
He’s not sure what he means, he knew there something was suspicious about him, the way he comes and goes, it’s obvious, but he didn’t really think he was dangerous, nor does it explain why James is here.
”Why am I here?”
”Because I need to protect you, they’ll come after you.”
”How do they know me!?”
”They don’t… they’re just… clever. They watch me, and they’ll know about you. So I had to take you away, so you wouldn’t be caught up in it.”
James swallows heavily, alarmingly his heartbeat slows, he looks out the window and then frowns as Regulus catches his eye.
He was so achingly beautiful. But he knew nothing. He had been an idiot to let it go this far without an ounce of information from him.
“Who are you?” He asks quietly.
He hates that he feels all these things for him, yet truthfully he doesn’t know anything about him.
He’s a stranger outside the sheets.
”Someone with an unfortunate past.”
”I knew something was off,” James mumbles, rubbing his forehead with a wince. “Couldn’t you just explain that to me, you know, instead of knocking me out like a psycho?”
Regulus purses his lips. “You wouldn’t have taken it seriously.”
“Yeah well consider me taking it seriously now… fucking hell, my heads killing me.” He mutters, his head has a big bump on the side, throbbing painfully with each word he says.
”I’m sorry.”
”Yeah I’m sure,” James mutters, throwing him a glare. “Why are you in trouble, what did you do?”
”It wasn’t me,” Regulus murmurs, handing James a bottle of water from the table at the side. “My brother… he’s a fucking idiot. He let some unsavoury people aware of my location- which by the way has happened to me 12 times in the past 5 years.”
“What is it… like drugs?”
Drugs? Killers? Mafia? Jesus he couldn’t begin to guess.
Regulus burst out into a laugh.
”It is not funny.” James mutters.
“No!” He quickly says, wiping the smile of his face. “It isn’t.”
”Tell me, I’m serious or I’ll just go.”
“Go where?”
James narrows his eyes at him. He was stuck. He had no car. No idea of his location. No clue about anything. He felt for his phone usually in his pocket but that was gone.
”My brother hurt someone in their group, they’re after him, he came to my house, getting tracked, they’ll know I’m there… therefore you are in danger. I kidnapped you we’re in Scotland. Think of it as a holiday.”
James slumps back against the wall, kicking the floor in frustration. “You know I’ve never been in trouble… I’ve never even had a detention! Now I’m here with you, because somehow I’m in danger because we shag?”
”Exactly.”
”Well I think it’s ridiculous.”
Regulus frowns, his eyes still sparkling. “It is ridiculous. And I’m incredibly sorry, but I happen to quite like the sight of you alive, and if I didn’t take you, you’d be dead.”
So he was a criminal. Or his brother was criminal. It explains the very little information he has on him, his strange rushed exits and his mysterious behaviour.
But for whatever stupid reason, James didn’t feel scared of him. He was annoyed with him. He considers himself pretty understanding. If Regulus was honest, perhaps he’d have just followed him. It’s wasn’t as if James had a life.
James hated his life.
If he could escape it for even a minute he’d run without thought with him.
“Are you hungry?”
”No.” He whispers, still slumped thinking about this ridiculous situation he’s in now.
Mum would be worrying if he didn’t call her as he usually did. God knows how long he’s been out for.
“I need my phone, do you have it?”
Regulus hands him his phone from his pocket. “I text your mum.”
”What?”
”So she wouldn’t worry.”
James stares at him, ludicrously. He text his mum? How did he know to do that?
“Look Regulus, I like you… but I don’t think I can be okay with being taken without knowing everything. I trust you won’t hurt me… or I hope. But please help me understand.”
He isn’t asking a lot. He knows they aren’t friends… or anything really. But they’ve shared some pretty close nights, and he’s certainly not going to be able to be compassionate if he knows nothing.
”Look James, if I told you the whole truth you wouldn’t understand.”
“You don’t know that.” James whispers.
Regulus gestures his head to the door, “Come on, let me feed you.”
He’s following him, into the equally dusty kitchen, there’s bags on the counters, full of food that he starts putting away, humming as if this is all totally normal for him.
”Is it killers?” James reluctantly asks.
Regulus stiffens, looking over his shoulder, his lips in a firm line. “Yes.”
Great. Fantastic James. You really know how to pick the good one’s.
”Why would you insist that I come?”
”Like I said, they know where I am, therefore anywhere I’ve been will be checked. Which means you.”
James chews his lip, resting his head in his hands. “Why would they care about me?”
”Because you’re… intertwined with me.”
God his nonchalance was infuriating.
”Hardly!” James says exasperatedly. “You don’t even stay the night. You haven’t even used my toilet!”
Regulus closes his eyes, “You’re being impossible.”
”No I’m not! I don’t know if in France this is what you do with your lovers, but english people do not like this and I am seriously not happy with you.”
“Well guess what, I’m not exactly thrilled about this either!” He says firmly, completely different from how he usually is. But again, he hasn’t seen him outside the sheets, so what does he know. “We can return soon, when it’s safe.”
James silences himself from more questions, watching Regulus begin to cook, he’s not afraid, he seems more inconvenienced by these ‘killers’ than scared, he’s just humming, frying chicken in a pan.
He looks at the plate placed before him, steaming heavenly up into his nose, James turns his nose up at it, pushing it away.
”I can hear your stomach growling, do not be so proud as to starve yourself.” Regulus whispers, sitting opposite him, only he has a glass of whiskey, not food.
”It might be poison.”
“You saw me make it,” He mutters. “Besides, I’d have put less effort into the meal if I was just going to poison it.”
James starts to eat, because he was absolutely starving, and it smelled amazing, it was good, he was skilled it seems not just in the bedroom.
He’s being watched, each bite he takes he can feel his grey eyes piercing into him.
He was intense, it’s why James was so attracted to him, his looks were one thing, otherworldly beauty, almost impossibly beautiful. His skin flawless and pale, his eyes were something else, sea grey and crashing like stars into the ocean.
James could only sigh away his desires. His first time being single and deciding to have some fun and now he’s been kidnapped.
His luck was comical.
”So this is your place?” He asks, swallowing his last bite.
Regulus glances around with a nod. “Not been touched in a while. It used to be my favourite place, now it’s just… a place.”
”Well it’s… nice.” James quietly says. It wasn’t really nice. It looked centuries old. It didn’t have a microwave or kettle, the stove was gas and the fridge looked medieval.
“It was my grandfather’s.”
“Makes sense.”
Regulus laughs softly. “I’ve bought fresh sheets, lest you want to sleep on the original one’s.”
”I appreciate it.”
”There’s only one bed though.”
James glances at him, his pursed lips and shining eyes. He’d wanted a sleepover with him for weeks, begged for it. It all felt silly now.
“Of course there is.”
”I can sleep on the floor.”
”That would be ridiculous,” James rolls his eyes. “We’re not strangers and I’m not angry with you. I like you stupidly enough to somehow be okay with this.”
Truthfully, it was the most interesting thing that had ever happened to him. He’d be fired. His plants would die. His milk would spoil. But here he was, with a man he’d never seen not naked within seconds, cooking him food and chatting.
It was actually nice. He hated his life. This was something different at least.
”Okay then.” Regulus says quietly.
There’s still tension, they’re both aware of it, thinking about the same thing. Are we still having sex? Are we just friends now? Fugitives? James couldn’t help himself staring into his eyes and losing sight of any potential danger.
”James,” He whispers, his cheeks aren’t pink but he’s fairly certain the way he’s sinking into his chair he’s shyly thinking the same thing. “Stop it.”
”What?” He whispers back. “I’m just sat here.”
It’s like he read could his mind, know exactly where his mind was running. Surely he wasn’t just thinking this stupidly? He cant sit there and look like that and not expect James to just be his friend.
”So are we just friends now?”
Regulus head whips up, his brows furrowed. “No I don’t have friends.”
”So… what then?”
”Well,” He rubs his arm, tucking a dark curled hair behind his ear, “Well, that’s up to you. Unfortunately you’re stuck with me for a little. Do what you must to make the time pass.”
James leans back in his chair, his tongue poking his cheek as he holds back a laugh. It was painfully obvious. Of course the situation wasn’t great, but that only made it a little more exciting.
We’ll see how long being friends goes.
”Just friends I guess.” He lies. Just to see his reaction.
But he’s good, Regulus simply licks his lips, nodding swiftly, not a single stagger or frown. “I respect your decision.”
”Good.”
The evening was quiet, Regulus busied himself unclothing the furniture, going on long walks for firewood, returning flushed and smelling strange.
His eyes were red, if he didn’t smell like wet dog he’d assumed he’s just smoked a spliff, James simply looks away, focusing on the book he was pretending to read as he built the fireplace up.
There wasn’t much to do. Except think. And god was he thinking. Who was he? Someone who cared a little about him. Which felt nice. If not completely ridiculous given the circumstances.
He was bent over, placing the logs in, James peered over his book, smirking as he huffs and puffs, blowing on the flame to grow it.
He was struggling for at least a half hour, blowing and huffing.
”Do you need help?” James finally asks.
”Oh now you want to help?”
”I was kidnapped, I’m not exactly going to dust for you am I?”
Regulus turns and raises an eyebrow. “You’re too old to ‘kidnapped’… you were relocated.”
”Knocked out and taken against my will.” James corrects.
He huffs and nods, handing him the matches. “I’d like your help, please.”
He bends down, taking the match from his hands, feeling his eyes on his body as he starts the fire. Regulus’ face turns to face him as he sits up, the fire now spreading.
”Thank you, James.”
”That’s alright.”
They sit before the fire, James leaning back resting on his hands, Regulus hugging his knees to his chest, staring into the flames.
He wonders what he’s thinking, he looks far away, it’s frustrating for James, not knowing who he is, what he’s feeling, what he’s going through with his awful sounding brother.
What James does know, and what he’s very good at, is offering comfort.
“C’mere,” He whispers to him, tugging at his wrist. “We don’t have to talk.”
Regulus hesitates, his lips curling into a frown, but after a moment of James pleading with his eyes, he’s closing the space between them and leaning against his shoulder. James wraps his arm around him, leaning his head on his.
It’s strange, how cold he is, how even in front of the fire his skin is as cold as stone, James rubs his arm, trying to warm him, but it’s still cold after a pretty frivolous attempt.
”I run cold.”
“I can feel that.”
”I’m really sorry, James. I was really enjoying getting to… know you.”
James bites his lip, furrowing his brows. Is that what they were doing? It felt a lot more special than that. But again, what does he know?
“We still can.” He tries.
Regulus looks up, his dark lashes boldly shading his eyes. “This is a pretty shit situation to get to know someone in.”
Understatement. But how could he not?
”I’m not sure what is exactly going on, but what I do know is that you’re pretty much the only thing that has made me excited… in just about forever.”
His life is stagnant. Boring. Lifeless. A dead end job. A overbearing mother. No friends.
This is embarrassingly the best thing that has ever happened to him. And yes, perhaps he’s in complete danger, nearing death, but he’s certainly not going to reject the person who’s been feeding his soul so passionately.
“You should sleep, James.”
Well then. The feeling wasn’t mutual.
He gets up, pushing Regulus lightly away, he looks back at him, standing before the bedroom door.
“This hasn’t changed much for me… just location. I still think you’re just about the most beautiful person in the world.”
Regulus offers him a soft smile, he nods slightly, resting his head against the sofa behind him. “Good night, James.”
James nods back. “Good night, Regulus.”