Regulus loves James, dearly, but he didn’t know if James loved him the same, that’s why he broke up with him.
He hasn’t talked to him since he broke up with him, and Regulus is happy that he has done that. Until someone sends him a message, he grabs his phone and sees that it’s his brother.
Hey reggiee, are you coming to my birthday tomorrow? :)
Fuck. It’s Sirius’ birthday tomorrow and Regulus totally forgot about it.
Regulus has to go to Sirius’ birthday. But that means that he has to talk with James. Regulus wouldn’t have any problem going and talking to James three months ago. But now, having to talk to James after Regulus broke up with him with no explanation at all? Regulus doesn’t want to do that. And if he doesn’t go, that means that Sirius would feel bad about his absence and ask why, and what can he say? “I’m not going because I was dating your best friend for three months and I broke up with him.”
No one, not even his friends, know about him and James. Probably some of them figured it out, but neither of them told anyone.
After a few minutes of staring at the message. Regulus finally replies something.
Yeah, im going
He sights and leaves his phone on the table. He is going to go to the birthday party, and he will try his best to ignore James.
—----
Regulus is the first person to get to Sirius’ flat (excluding Remus, who Regulus thinks that he lives here.)
His brother hugs him. “Reggie! How are you!”
“Been better.” Regulus smiles and breaks the hug. “Happy birthday, Sirius.” He gives Sirius a present that he bought on the way here. “It’s not the best, but I hope you like it.”
Sirius’ expression lights up as he opens the present, which was a t-shirt from Sirius' favorite artist, David Bowie. “Regulus Black, I love you.” Sirius hugs Regulus again for a shorter time than he hugged him the last time. “Moony! Look what Regulus got me!”
Sirius disappears as he goes to the kitchen. Regulus goes and sits on the couch, and after some minutes Sirius comes back to the living room and gets out of the flat. He comes back with James, whose gaze lingers on Regulus.
That’s when Regulus realizes that it’s going to be a long night.
James goes to the kitchen with Sirius, to greet Remus, Regulus thinks. And when James comes back, he sits next to Regulus on the couch. “Hi.” That’s all that James says.
Regulus turns his head to look at James, he forgot how pretty he is. “Hi.”
James looks like he is about to say something but he hesitates and doesn’t say anything.
Both of them stay in an awkward silence until more people get to the party. First it was Peter, then Marlene and Dorcas, Mary and Lily got some minutes later and finally Remus gets out of the kitchen. Thank god James at the moment that Peter enters the flat he goes to talk to him.
Regulus stays on the couch for some minutes until Mary sits with him. “You don’t like us, little Blackl?”
“What?” He questions.
“You are not talking to anyone here.” She explains, as she is telling something new to him. “Wasn’t Dorcas your friend?”
“Yeah, but I just came here for my brother, if it wasn’t for this idiot I would be studying some stupid thing for the university.” He lies, because he is afraid to have a conversation with somebody and James comes to ask what they both are talking about, and he will join the conversation and talk to Regulus.
Mary chuckles. “Okay, but you, c’mon! Get up, have fun! We don’t bite!”
“Except for Marlene, she bites!” Someone shouts, he believes that it is Lily.
She gets up from the couch and gives Regulus a hand to get up, he doesn’t have another option and gets up with her.
And that’s how Regulus ended up having a conversation with Mary and Peter.
“No, no, no! Listen, if my boss would come right now, I would tell him to fuck off.” Peter says, grabbing another drink, his cheeks are pink thanks to the alcohol.
Mary is slightly drunk and laughing about what Peter had said.
Regulus looks for James in the place, he finds him, James is looking at him. Both are looking, no, staring at each other, and neither of them dare to look away. But Regulus looks away when Mary says something to him.
“And you little Black?”
“What?” He asks.
“You know, your work?” Peter mentions.
“Oh! Yeah, I’m not working at the moment, I’m mostly studying, but it’s really stressful, you know?”
Regulus grabs a drink and sees that Sirius is putting music in a speaker. Of course he puts on David Bowie. Instantly almost everyone gets up to dance, even Remus, who doesn’t usually dance.
So Regulus’ conversation with Mary and Peter ends since they are now dancing, and Regulus decides to disappear from the party, escaping to the bathroom.
He sighs, Regulus is good, he hasn’t talked to James the whole night. He looks in the mirror, David Bowie is still playing on the flat. Regulus ends up staying in the bathroom until someone knocks the door, Regulus opens it and sees that it’s James.
“Regulus,” James breathes out, as he didn’t know that Regulus is there.
“What do you want, Potter?” Regulus questions meanly, even though he doesn’t want to be mean with James, because he loves him, he does it, he is mean.
“Can we– Can we talk?” James replies, insecure.
“There is nothing to talk about.” Regulus lies, there is a lot to talk about.
“Yes, there is a lot to talk about Regulus,” James clarifies, “Don’t be stupid.”
Regulus snorts a laugh. “Okay, tell me, what the fuck do you want to talk about?”
“Why did we break up?” James asks. “Tell me, why did you break up with me? Respond to that simple question and I’m not bothering you anymore.”
Regulus can tell James the truth, he can say “because I felt that you didn’t love me, and I love you.” But he doesn’t say that. Instead of that he says: “Beca–”
He doesn’t get to finish the sentence because James is kissing him, James is kissing him in the bathroom of his brother’s flat, so desperate, so fucking desperate. And Regulus is kissing James too now, so desperate too, Somebody to Love by Queen is playing outside, James feels warm, and his mouth has a faint alcohol taste, it feels magical.
Regulus wants to keep kissing him, but at the same time he doesn’t want to, because he broke up with him. So Regulus breaks the kiss, both breathless.
“This was a mistake,” Regulus mutters and leaves the bathroom, not letting James say something.
He is back in the party, and nobody seems to have noticed that he and James disappeared for some minutes. The rest of the party passes slowly, Regulus talks to almost everyone, except to James. When the party ends, Regulus doesn’t take long to leave, in fact, he is the third person to leave.
As he walks on the streets at night, someone calls out his name.
“Regulus!”
He looks back to see who it is. Shit, it is James.
Regulus starts to walk faster, but James manages to catch him.
“Regulus!” James shouts agitated, even though he and James are literally close to each other. “Listen, I know that you don’t want anything to do with me. But can I at least have an explanation on why the fuck you broke up with me?”
“I was going to give you an explanation, but you decided to interrupt me with a kiss.” Regulus shots.
“Which you really enjoyed.”
“Shut up.”
“Will you give me an explanation then?”
“Because I felt that you didn’t love me!” Regulus confesses finally, and James laughs? “What?”
“Regulus, what?” James asks, wheezing. “You really thought that?”
Regulus nods, and James calms himself to talk to Regulus.
“Regulus, I love you, more than you think, literally. I never loved anyone else other than you, yes I might have not realized it early, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t love you, Reg. I would give you my whole fucking soul if it’s necessary, I feel a lot of things for you, and I’m telling you this again, I love you so mu–”
“James please stop talking,” Regulus interrupts to then start kissing him, the kiss, again is desperate, and it lingers more than the last.
Regulus was an idiot, how could he believe that James didn’t love him?
The kiss stops for some seconds that make both catch some breath. “I love you, James.” Regulus says before kissing him again. “I’m sorry.”
Both are hungry for each other. And the kiss stops again.
“My house is near, do you want to–”
“Yes, yes, please Regulus, yes.”
Regulus smiles and leads James to his house.
Thank god Regulus was wrong and James does love him.