Trust Me
James should have known that a day of relative peace was too much to ask for.
One moment, he was enjoying the rare quiet of the safehouse, still basking in the unlikely truce he and Regulus had struck. The next, Moody was barking orders at them, sending them on a last-minute recon mission that, in James’s opinion, should have been left to someone not stuck in an awkward new partnership.
“This is simple,” Moody growled, his magical eye whirling between them. “Get in, gather information, get out. No theatrics. No heroics.” His eye lingered on James a beat longer. “And no unnecessary risks.”
James scoffed. “I never take unnecessary risks.”
Moody snorted like that was the funniest thing he’d ever heard. Regulus, standing beside James, looked just as unimpressed. “Define ‘unnecessary,’ Potter.”
James shot him a grin. “Oh, you know. Anything that gets us killed. Which, for the record, hasn’t happened yet.”
Regulus sighed, already looking like he regretted everything. “Let’s just get this over with.”
The mission itself was supposed to be easy—stake out an old warehouse suspected to be a Death Eater meeting spot, gather intel, leave.
Naturally, things went wrong within the first ten minutes.
“I told you that alley was a bad idea,” Regulus muttered as they crouched behind a stack of abandoned crates, barely concealed in the dim moonlight.
James, who was still catching his breath from narrowly avoiding a group of cloaked figures, shot him a glare. “Well, excuse me for wanting a closer look at the actual meeting.”
Regulus pinched the bridge of his nose. “Closer looks get you killed.”
James waved him off. “Relax, we’re fine.”
Regulus gestured toward the patrolling Death Eaters. “Are we?”
James hesitated, then gave a small nod. “Okay, fine. We’re mostly fine.”
Regulus muttered something under his breath that James was fairly certain was an insult, but before he could argue, a sudden noise caught their attention. Footsteps—heavy, approaching fast.
They had seconds to react.
Regulus grabbed James by the wrist and pulled him sharply against the wall, pressing a finger to his lips in silent warning. James swallowed a retort, listening as the footsteps grew louder. A figure passed by, close enough that James could make out the skull-like mask in the darkness.
They waited.
The seconds stretched on, tense and suffocating, until finally, the Death Eater moved on.
James let out a slow breath, realizing only then how close they were—Regulus’s shoulder almost pressed against his, his grip still firm around James’s wrist.
“Well,” James murmured, keeping his voice low. “Didn’t know you cared so much.”
Regulus released him immediately. “I don’t,” he said coolly, but there was a flicker of something unreadable in his eyes. “You’re just loud when you’re panicking.”
“I wasn’t panicking,” James whispered back. “I was… considering my options.”
Regulus gave him a flat look. “Your options were shut up or get us both killed.”
“Exactly. And I chose wisely.”
Regulus sighed, turning his attention back to their surroundings. “We need to move before they double back.”
James nodded, but as they crept toward their exit, he couldn’t shake the small, strange thought that maybe—just maybe—Regulus wasn’t entirely regretting being stuck with him.
By the time they made it back to the safehouse, James was still grinning.
“What?” Regulus finally asked, exasperated.
James plopped into a chair, stretching his legs out. “Nothing. Just thinking about how well we work together.”
Regulus gave him a dry look. “We almost got caught.”
“But we didn’t,” James pointed out. “And admit it—you had fun.”
Regulus stared at him, unimpressed. “Your definition of fun is concerning.”
James smirked. “Come on. Just a little?”
Regulus rolled his eyes, but James caught the faintest twitch at the corner of his lips before he turned away.
James had exactly two seconds to process the spell flying toward them before everything went dark.
Not just the room—his vision.
“Bloody—Regulus?” James blurted out, his heart immediately kicking up a notch. He blinked rapidly, but the darkness stayed. Panic curled at the edges of his mind as he reached out, trying to make sense of where he was. “Tell me I haven’t gone blind.”
There was a pause. Then, in a distinctly unimpressed tone, Regulus answered, “You haven’t gone blind.”
James let out a breath. “Oh, thank Merlin—”
“You’ve just been temporarily blinded by a spell,” Regulus continued. “A rather inconvenient one, at that.”
James groaned, running a hand through his hair. “Of course. Because tonight wasn’t already enough of a disaster.”
He heard Regulus moving, footsteps echoing slightly. That’s when James registered the space around them—large, empty, a little too quiet. The Death Eaters were gone, but so was their way out.
“Where are we?” James asked, keeping his voice low.
“A storage room, I think,” Regulus answered. “Somewhere in the back of the warehouse. The door sealed behind us when we ran in here.”
“Brilliant. So, what—you’re telling me we’re trapped?”
Regulus exhaled. “For now.”
James cursed under his breath, shifting slightly, his hands fumbling in the dark. “Alright, fine. No big deal. Just… find a way out and let’s go.”
Another pause. Then: “James.”
Something about Regulus saying his name so directly made him freeze. He wasn’t sure why.
“What?”
Regulus sighed. “I need to find a way out. You need to stay put.”
James scowled. “Like hell I will.”
“You can’t see,” Regulus said, his voice sharp but controlled. “Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?”
James huffed. “I don’t need to see—I just need you to guide me.”
A beat of silence. Then, quieter: “You actually trust me to do that?”
James hesitated. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Regulus, but trusting someone with his safety—trusting someone enough to let go—wasn’t something he was used to.
But Regulus hadn’t let him die yet.
So James took a breath and nodded. “Yeah. I do.”
He heard Regulus shift, then a resigned sigh. “Fine. Stay close to me.”
James took a hesitant step forward, but immediately, his knee hit something, sending him stumbling forward. His hand shot out, colliding with Regulus’s chest.
Regulus caught him by the forearm, steadying him. “For Merlin’s sake—stop moving without me.”
James grinned, despite himself. “Not my fault you’re suddenly good at catching me.”
Regulus muttered something about reckless Gryffindors, but James could feel the way his grip tightened slightly, just for a second, before he let go.
“Alright,” Regulus said, voice more focused now. “I’m going to talk you through this. Just listen to my voice, and don’tmove unless I tell you to.”
James swallowed, pushing down the unease at being so utterly dependent on someone else. “Got it.”
Regulus exhaled. “Good. Take a step forward—carefully.”
James followed his voice, keeping a hand outstretched, but Regulus’s directions were precise. “To your left. Good—now, step over that.”
They moved slowly through the room, and with every step, James felt the tension ease just a fraction. There was something steady about the way Regulus spoke, something James found oddly reassuring.
Then, suddenly—
“Alright, stop.”
James froze. “What? Why?”
Regulus exhaled through his nose. “You’re about to walk into a crate.”
James frowned. “You could’ve warned me sooner—”
“I just did,” Regulus said dryly. “Now reach out—no, slightly to the right. There. That’s the edge.”
James found it, fingers brushing against rough wood. “Huh. You’re good at this.”
Regulus snorted softly. “I’m good at not dying. Now, let’s—”
The room suddenly shifted, a creaking sound filling the air. The floor beneath James tilted ever so slightly.
James reached out, gripping Regulus’s sleeve instinctively. “Okay, that wasn’t me.”
Regulus cursed under his breath. “The foundation’s unstable. We need to move—now.”
James felt a hand grab his wrist—firm, sure, and guiding. “Come on.”
He didn’t argue. Just followed.
They navigated the room quickly now, Regulus keeping a tight grip on him. The door wasn’t far. James could hear the sound of Regulus’s breathing, steady and controlled, even as the ground beneath them felt like it could shift again at any second.
“Almost there,” Regulus muttered. “Just a little—”
The floor tilted again, and James stumbled—except this time, Regulus caught him. One arm braced against James’s chest, the other gripping his wrist tight.
James let out a breathless laugh. “You really enjoy catching me tonight, huh?”
Regulus huffed, but didn’t let go immediately. “I’d rather not drag your unconscious body out of here, so yes.”
They stood there for a second, close enough that James could feel the warmth of Regulus’s breath against his cheek.
Then Regulus cleared his throat, pulling back. “The door’s right in front of you.”
James reached out, feeling for it. A second later, his fingers brushed metal. “Got it.”
Regulus muttered a spell under his breath, and the door clicked open.
James grinned. “See? Easy.”
Regulus gave him a look. “Easy is not the word I’d use.”
James stepped forward—but misjudged the distance and nearly tripped again.
This time, when he caught himself on Regulus, his hand landed lower than expected—somewhere below his waist.
James froze.
Regulus smirked immediately. “Well, well. Maybe you’re not that blind anymore if your hand’s in that place, huh?”
James inhaled sharply, then shoved him off. “Keep moving, Black”
Regulus laughed, following him out the door.