Party in the U.S.A.
James moved to the city when he was twelve years old. His father had just made a very good contract with some big company and his family had to move to another country. But their new neighborhood was way prettier and his house had a garden. James has always loved nature.
But the best part of it? The neighbors of the house in front of them had children too, of his age! James’ mom assured him that they would be friends in a span of a second, and she was incredibly right.
Or at least in part.
James could only get along with the kid who was his same age. The younger one didn’t like him very much.
They played everyday in their front yards, James was invited to his house anytime and their parents seemed to be friends too, which was amazing for him.
He didn’t even remember how his life was before moving. For James, his life started the day he met Sirius Black, his very first best friend, who once promised to never leave his side and has kept it since.
James had a place in the business world since before he was born, being an only child only secured his place as the one inheriting all his family’s legacy someday in the future. But to do so, he had to grow up with a lot of responsibilities. It was easier when he was a kid, clearly, everyone was more focused on teaching him manners than anything else. But that changed, for worse, when his father and Orion Black became partners.
Somehow, they managed to unite both empires and made it one. That was the reason he moved in the first place. The Black’s company was objectively bigger than theirs, so the Blacks remained as the knowing owners, but without denying the partnership. In short terms, Blacks are the heads of the company, Potters are the second in charge, but both have the same authority and can’t do anything without the other’s approval.
All of that was something both Sirius and James didn’t understand fully until they were around fifteen, because it was important for their parents to let them know that their friendship was as much as planned as their partnership. Because James and Sirius, as the heirs of the whole company and their respective legacies, needed to remain friends to keep the ship floating peacefully.
Not that it mattered really, because Sirius isn’t the one training and working to be his dad’s successor; Regulus is, his brother. Not that James is training much either, standing next to Sirius. But the difference is that James’ parents don't have other options, since he’s their only child. Because while Sirius always expressed his disinterest about their business, his brother stepped up and became the Blacks’ second, perfect option. James didn’t have Sirius’ luck to get away with it. He’s fighting it, though.
With the friendship of their families, their parents established a habit to have dinner in their houses every Sunday. Both families, the seven of them. Mostly to talk about business and make Sirius, James and Regulus part of it, since they’re all studying a business major in college. Not by choice, but still.
If it were James’ choice, he would be studying to be a veterinarian, he just loves animals that much. Or something way more interesting and softer than finances, numbers, or anything related to that world. Sirius, on the other hand, probably would be studying photography or graphic design. James isn’t sure, Sirius doesn’t like to talk about what they could be doing with their lives instead, if they only had freedom.
But they don’t, so they just have to spend every Sunday night hearing their fathers ranting about shit James and Sirius don’t understand, but at least they’re suffering together.
This time is at James’ house.
“We’re planning on take you both with us all day tomorrow,” Orion says with a smile, sitting on the left side of the table. James’ dad always sits on the right side, each of their mothers at the rights of their husbands, in between Sirius and his mother is the youngest Black and James in front of him. “Isn’t it a great idea, boys?”
Great idea would be being able to have lunch with Remus and Peter as they already agreed to do, and go to the city fair again.
See, Regulus might be almost established as the Black’s successor, he’s worked for it since he was eleven, but for some weird reason, their parents are still trying to force Sirius to care. Pointless. If they already have a son secured for the job, why bother Sirius that much? Why do they keep insisting on the matter? It’s really, really obvious that Sirius isn’t planning on work there, not now or ever.
“Yes, dad,” Sirius answers anyway, faking a smile. “What time tomorrow?”
“Eight sharp. We’ll go together. I don’t want any mess made.”
James fights the urge to run out of there, he’s pretty sure Sirius would join him. Eight am is a torture, he doesn’t even select classes at that time, neither does Sirius. He likes his mornings to be quiet and peaceful and calm. Not surrendered by all those boring people, or numbers, or finances.
“Aren’t you coming, Reg?” Sirius asks out of nowhere. “It’d be fun.”
It won’t be. Sirius knows it. He just wants to show how much Regulus hates it too. Well, James doesn’t know. He thinks Regulus hates it as much as them, just that he copes with it better than they do.
Not even Sirius knows when was the moment his brother decided to cut ties with him and became the perfect son of their parents, but it was around the time James moved. Regulus was just eleven years old. So James never got to see the nice, younger version of Regulus. The one that didn’t care about the business, the one that loved his brother and surely the one that would have liked him.
Is quite infuriating how much Regulus despises James, and that he can’t do anything about it. But what bothers James the most is the fact that Regulus dislikes Sirius. How can he? Sirius is his brother. What would James do to share blood with Sirius, and Regulus just hates it?
James knows their story, from the moment Regulus was born until one trip Regulus made to Rome alone with his mother and came back as a completely different person. After that, Sirius says, they were never the same.
But before that, they never got into a single fight.
Sirius was Regulus’ protector, every single time. He did everything to make Regulus a good son too, so neither of them would get punished, though it was obvious that Sirius always took the blame for Regulus’s mistakes, proper mistakes of a kid; broken glasses, not liking his food, not properly greeting their parents’ friends. For what James knows, before Regulus was eleven, he never made anything to hurt Sirius on purpose. He was a fast learner and Sirius was older so he made the mistakes first and made sure that Regulus didn’t.
One day, crying after he got into an argument with Regulus; Sirius swore that Regulus truly loved him before, loved him more than anything. And Sirius is hardly ever mistaken, so if Regulus loved him, and they never got problems, James would never understand where all this hatred towards Sirius came from.
Regulus looks at Sirius without flinching. “Can’t. Next week is the mayor’s birthday and I promised Barty and Pandora to help them look for a gift tomorrow. I told you we’re all invited, right? It's going to be a big party.”
“You did,” Sirius says between his teeth, clearly annoyed by how Regulus just changed the topic. “Do we have to, though?” Sirius looks at his mom.
“Of course! What kind of question is that, Sirius?” She looks offended, and James feels immediately sorry for him. “Your brother only holds onto that friendship to make our connection with the Crouch family even tighter. How can we not attend his birthday party?”
For a second, Regulus closes his eyes and James knows that he’s rolling them, which makes him chuckle. The Blacks don’t like the Crouch twins very much, and they would rather not have them any closer to their perfect son, so Regulus always plays the card of the connection with the Mayor, just to please them. It works every time.
“Yes, you’re right, mom,” Sirius nods and even when he looks like he doesn’t care, James can sense he’s mad. Regulus, again, has made something perfect and Sirius, again, is being called out.
Regulus takes his glass of wine directed to his mouth, covering his proud little smile.
Oh, how much James hates it.
“Regulus,” James blurts out, feeling his anger as the guy in front of him still takes a sip from the white wine and looks at him between his large eyelashes. “Are you still going to make it to the party later?”
Silence.
Listen. James doesn’t hate Regulus. Not even Sirius himself hates him, even when everything Regulus does is somehow targeted badly at Sirius. James can’t hate him, because he’s not a hater, alright? And he hates enough people already, those being Walburga and Orion Black. Adding a third person would be greedy. Besides, James spent too many years of his life trying to make Regulus like him. He wanted to become his friend, truly. Not anymore, but anyway.
But his crux is still Sirius, and James does not think when he’s affected, even if it’s for the slightest bad comment they can throw at him. So he gets mad when Regulus gets on Sirius’ nerves. He gets mad at Regulus.
James knows, from a very reliable source (he overheard Barty and Regulus talking a few days ago), that Dorcas heard about a party in the outskirts of the city. Regulus was planning on sneaking out after the dinner.
Taking a fast look at Sirius, James finds him frowning very funny, but his eyes are on Regulus’ tight expression. Regulus’ gray eyes are killing James. He’s just ruined his plans for the night.
Well. That was for Sirius and for the picture Regulus’ friends posted last week of James, Sirius, Peter and Remus having a nice little chat with their plushies on a very nice afternoon after the first day at the city fair. The four of them swore, to Regulus’ door since he never opened it, that they would seek revenge. This is something to start with.
“What party, Regulus?” her mother asks softly, but cautious. “You didn’t mention anything.”
Regulus thinks about what to say for a few seconds and James takes it as a win.
“One of Sirius’ friends, Lupin I think, heard about a party at the outskirts of the city and invited me,” Regulus blinks, putting his hands underneath the table. Believing his lie, telling his story, looking at James with a frown. “But I refused because it sounded quite dangerous. James, you must have heard me wrong. Sirius and I aren’t going. We told you. I hope you have fun, though.”
Oh, no.
“Lupin?” Orion greets his teeth, looking at both Sirius and James. James holds his breath under the stare of his own father. This is going the wrong way. Why would Regulus have to mention Remus. Of all people. Remus.
“What do you mean is dangerous, James?” His mother looks at him, mad.
Oh, Shit. Fuck.
How the fuck did Regulus just turned the problem to him? How?
“I’m not going either, none of us, actually.” James clears his throat, keeping the lie, Regulus was so clear about it that turning it around again would confuse and upset everyone. “We just thought that you told your friends and you were still up to the plan, without us. I don’t remember you saying you won’t go, but if you say so.”
“Yes, I say so,” Regulus cuts off. “Thank you for worrying about me, though.”
James bites his own tongue and fakes a smile.
The atmosphere is a little tense after that and Regulus looks frustrated now, as their parents start talking about the Mayor’s party again.
James smiles at Regulus, genuinely this time.
It doesn’t matter if Regulus just escaped from explaining that one, he’s still not going to make it to the party. James knows him enough to know that Regulus isn’t going to risk his parents’ suspiciousness. The idea of the party would be in their heads until they go to sleep and they could go to his room every hour of the night just to make sure that he’s still there. They won’t even sleep if that means being able to keep an eye on Regulus. That’s how overprotective they are with their perfect son.
Sirius seems very much pleased by the idea too, after understanding a bit of the scene.
They move to the living room ten minutes later, just to keep the chitchat. Now Sirius is sitting next to him finally, Regulus is alone on a single couch, and their parents are together. They laugh more, as a result of many glasses of wine and a few whiskeys.
“I love you, James,” Sirius says and, grabbing him by the sides of his face, kisses his cheek, James just chuckles. “You’re a fucking genius.”
“I know, I know. Thank you very much,” he fakes a reverence on his seat, before telling Sirius everything he heard in the conversation and how Regulus’ plans are now frustrated.
He didn’t mention it to Sirius before because James actually doesn’t care what Regulus does or doesn’t do with his life anymore, as long as don’t affects Sirius.
“Look at him, probably telling his friends that he’s not going to make it,” Sirius says funnily as they both look at the younger Black in front of them, who’s typing on his phone fastly with a frown on his face. “I’ve never been happier.”
One minute later, Regulus' frown deepens, as if it’s possible, stopping his effusive typing. Apparently, it’s a call, because he lifts up his phone to his right ear and mutters a quiet “Hello?” that their parents don’t seem to notice it, but the little poke Sirius gives to James indicates that they’re both invested in Regulus’ call. “Yes, that’s me,” Regulus sighs. “No?… Sorry, I’m not following.”
And then, he gets up very fast and walks away from the living room, getting into a hallway. They know each other’s houses as much as their own. It’s been nine years of Sunday dinners after all.
“That kid can single-handedly carry on his shoulders a whole company on his own, but can’t answer a phone call normally,” Sirius snorts.
Honestly, James thinks that Regulus has programmed himself to be a clever genius, but it’s not really in his nature, not like it is in Sirius’ nature to be nice, funny and an extroverted butterfly. Regulus, unlikely, has to be a shy and grumpy black cat, who can stay quiet for hours and not feel the necessity to talk or show that he’s there.
But, since Regulus was eleven, he introduced himself to everyone he crossed eyes with, he did handshakes and greetings proper of an adult before he even got into high school. He has made a lot of contacts in college, not friends, but he’s smart about who he has to be in touch with.
The thing his mother said about only being friends with the Crouch twins for the connection? Well, Regulus actually implements that mechanism on a daily basis. Regulus knows when, how and why, but he also probably spends hours thinking prior about it. James bets that Regulus has people’s names on his contacts like Karen, good with computer systems, or Josh, principal’s nephew, for a fast search.
Regulus is a natural smart guy, he is, but he pushes it too much, and sometimes in the wrong ways. Especially when it is to please his parents.
“Who was it?” Sirius asks when Regulus comes back and sits again. “You seemed upset.”
Regulus is scowling. “I don’t know, really. A woman said my name, my full name, and tried to explain how I won some lottery, but I cut her off and finished the call. I just blocked the number, but I should change my number.”
He’s very radical, too.
“You’re so dramatic, Regulus,” Sirius complains, leaning back on the couch and crossing his arms on his stomach.
“Maybe if I change my number you would also stop texting me crap and calling me without reason.”
“We literally live in the same house, how changing your number would stop me from bothering you?”
Regulus rolls his eyes. “Yeah, you’re right, maybe I should just kill you in your sleep.”
“Oh, you would love that, wouldn’t you, Reg?” Sirius laughs sarcastically. “Get rid of me?”
“I literally don’t think about you twice in a day.”
“Stop,” James cuts off, feeling how Sirius started to tense more and more. He puts his hand on his knee to bring him back to the room, because he’s apparently somewhere else. Anyone would say that after years of being treated poorly by his little brother, Sirius would have gotten used to it, but not really. James knows it still hurts him every time Regulus expresses his hate for him. “Not now”
Regulus just snorts and whispers something that they can’t exactly hear, but definitely upsets Sirius.
“Didn’t you learn to speak clearly, Regulus?” He says firmly and the entire room goes quiet. “Are you a coward or something? Why do you have to babble like a little baby?”
“Sirius.”
“Sirius,” Orion calls him out louder than James, and from there he knows that everything is going to go downhill.
“I called James a fucking idiot,” Regulus admits, mad as his brother. “What are you going to do about it?”
“Regulus?” His mother gasps loudly, never hearing his perfect son talk like that before. “Why would you say that about Jamie?”
Jamie wants to laugh until he’s out of breath, but his mouth has just dropped open by the surprise. Like, well, all of them. Everyone is too stunned to speak, except for Regulus, apparently, who just keeps talking.
“He is!” Regulus points at him with his arm, looks at him with daggers for eyes and James’ eyebrows fly up. “He's a complete jerk and an asshole! And— he just— Fuck. I fucking hate him.”
James’ reaction isn’t fake, he’s shocked, as well as everyone else when Regulus stands up and walks his way out of the house, until they hear the front door open and close with a loud noise. And with that, Regulus is gone.
James looks at Sirius. Sirius looks at him. Both of them with their jaws hanging open in surprise. Asking to each other what had just happened?
“Mental,” Sirius moves his lips, not making a sound.
“What did you do to him, James?” His father stands up, putting his glass of whiskey down at the little table in front of them, but Orion mimics his action, lifting a hand, likely asking him to calm down.
“No need, Fleamont,” the man says. “I’m sure it's not James’ fault. I’m going to fix this with Regulus myself. I offer you my apologies, James, I don’t know what’s wrong with Regulus, but he will be sorry too later.”
Ah, well, that doesn’t sound good at all. James isn’t much of a fan of warnings, and Sirius neither.
“He’s just very stressed lately, dad—”
“I’ll talk with you at home. Let's go, now.”
It seems like a thousand apologies later, when he’s alone with his very petrified parents.
Regulus is that type of perfect that a one-minute scenario has put them all in stone-mood.
“Regulus is very stressed lately,” James repeats Sirius’ words, touching his mother’s shoulder. “And I think it upset him that I talked about the party earlier. I’m sorry. I didn’t think it would end like this.”
He feels the need to help Regulus, even in the smallest possible way, he knows what Orion Black is capable of when he’s upset with his sons. Sirius had to live it more than Regulus, therefore, James had to witness a lot of his punishments.
“It’s okay, James,” his mom smiles softly at him, as his dad just sighs. “Just don’t take it personal, he’s a good kid.”
“I won’t. We make fun of each other like that sometimes,” lie, they can’t even look at each other most of the time. “I’m sure he didn’t mean it. Don’t worry.”
“I’ll talk with Orion, later,” his father assures him. “Go to sleep, James, we’re still going to the company early in the morning.”
And just like that, James goes up to his room running, his fingers tickling to press the call button and tell Remus and Peter everything that happened, but before he can even pass his lock screen, a text from Sirius comes in.
Regulus is not at home and he has turned off his phone. Mom’s freaking out and dad’s head is about to hit the roof. Help?
Regulus planned everything since James opened his mouth on the table.
“I hopped off the plane at LAX, with a dream and my cardigan,” Pandora sings in the passenger seat of his brother’s convertible, the air playing with her hair as the music intertwines with it. “Welcome to the land of fame excess” she points back at Dorcas, who’s sitting behind her and grits out a woah, matching the song. “Am I gonna fit in?”
“Jumped in the cab, here I am for the first time,” Dorcas continues the song, laughing in between, Regulus can’t help but smile while taking the cigarette to his mouth again. “Look to my right, and I see the Hollywood sign.” The four of them, even Barty who’s driving, look at the right for a second, before starting to laugh again. There is absolutely nothing to see in the road, emptiness on both sides and the sky above them. “This is all so crazy, everybody seems so famous.”
Regulus thanks to a divinity that the path is clear and with no other cars around, Barty is super passing the speed limit and he definitely shouldn’t be signing insanely. “My tummy's turnin' and I'm feelin' kinda homesick,” Barty pouts at Regulus through the rearview mirror. “Too much pressure and I'm nervous, that's when the taxi man turned on the radio”
“And a Jay-Z song was on,” Pandora signs, upping her arms, completely free.
“And a Jay-Z song was on,” Dorcas imitates her.
“And a Jay-Z song was on,” Regulus finishes the verse, a little bit more quietly, while the four of them start chanting the chorus with their hands up, like the song says, Barty, thankfully, is very thoughtful of keeping at least one hand on the steering wheel. Their arms move in time, from right to left.
Regulus feels as free as he can be, laughing and singing their favorite song, the air smashing on his face. He can finally breathe.
They were waiting for Regulus’ text when he called, taking advantage of the wrong number who called him, he had to go to the hallway to understand, but finished the call just at the mention of a lottery. Decided to call his savior instead.
“Potter fucked everything up. I’ll be waiting for you at Dorcas in literally ten minutes. Hurry the fuck up, Crouch,” he said very kindly and also finished the call without letting Barty answer properly.
All he had to do was push Sirius a bit, offend his best friend, and then lose his own mind.
Sirius, with the heart that he has, is going to excuse his behavior and all the things Regulus said. James would assure that he’s not offended at all. Regulus just knows.
They’re older and the weight of everything has always been on their shoulders, so Sirius and James clearly know what is going to happen to Regulus when he steps a foot on the Black House later. Sirius is still his older brother, who took all the punishments for him when they were little and Regulus was just learning about good behavior. None of them would leave Regulus alone in this.
Not that he needs them, though, Regulus knows exactly what he’s going to say and do to get himself out of the problem. He has already imagined all the possible conversations in his head a few times by now.
So, he doesn’t have to worry, just enjoy the party.
Party that’s almost half an hour outside the city, by the way, but luckily, Regulus enjoys car rides. Unlike Dorcas, who gets bored within the first five minutes, changing the songs again and again before they even get to the chorus. Barty calls her out for that, he hates not being able to enjoy the songs completely. Pandora takes videos and photos of them, assuring Regulus that none of them are going to be posted anywhere.
They make it out alive, hearing the music blasting in their ears once they arrive. It isn’t a dangerous place, like he said to their parents, it is Dorcas' old summer house, just that it has been abandoned for four years. Dorcas remembered it and decided to invite a few people over.
Regulus smiles, going through the door, at the thought of how different their meanings of few are. It must be a party with a hundred people, at least. He feels Barty’s hand on his low back and turns to face him. They’re just standing in the center of the room full of people.
“I just lost Dora and Cas,” Barty says, getting close to him, holding Regulus’ waist with both of his hands, making sure that he’s not losing sight of him too.
“They’re going to be good,” Regulus assures, they always try to escape Barty’s sight at parties, he’s very protective when it comes to strangers getting closer to them. Though these are people Dorcas invited herself, and there’s two men in the entrance as security, because somehow this is supposed to be a private party. “Dance with me, come on.”
Barty decides to steal a kiss from him first, wild and hungry, definitely not short. Regulus only allows it because everyone around him seems to be quite wasted by now, and no one’s really paying attention to them.
Regulus wasn’t very sure once he got into the car, but now he knows that he’s definitely getting laid tonight.
* * *
“Good luck, alright?” Barty says, turning to his side, looking at Regulus in the passenger seat, lifting his arm to mess his curls even more.
Regulus has his shirt unbuttoned at the top and bottom, and is wrinkled everywhere. With his hair like a mess from the wind on the way back, his eyes are red for the drinks, but he’s not as wasted as Pandora, who’s asleep in the back seat. They already left Dorcas at her home.
“Call us if you need anything.”
Regulus rolls his eyes. Barty doesn’t think his plan is going to work, but Regulus has faith in himself.
“Take care of my wallet and phone. I’ll go to your house tomorrow, probably with new ones, we’ll transfer my stuff then.”
Since he already has his eyes red, he doesn’t exactly need to cry, as he walks to his house, Barty had to leave him a few meters away, just to not be seen by the street cameras. But he does think about a few dead puppies and, what else? maybe a movie, like the one with the two kids, where one of them dies and everything. Alright, you know what? He doesn’t need to cry, just to fake sounds.
He lets out a sigh before lifting up his hand, he’s going to find this very funny in the morning, but now?
“Mom!” he cries out hard, knocking, smashing the front door of his house, not caring that it’s almost 4am and people are sleeping. He can even feel the tears on his eyes now, believing his own act. “Mom! Sirius!” He screams desperate, as if someone’s trying to kill him. Oh, the laugh he’s going to have tomorrow when he tells his friends. “Mom!”
The door opens at the last knock and a very alarmed Sirius appears in front of him, still with the clothes he used at dinner. “Regulus,” he sighs, very relieved.
Regulus, likely, starts crying there, sobbing as he gets pulled in by his brother, inside the house. Sirius doesn’t get to ask anything when their mom appears in a rush.
“Regulus?” she asks worriedly, holding her son in a hug. “What happened? Why do you look like that? Where were you?”
Regulus can hear Sirius cursing, desperate behind him, as he keeps crying in his mom’s arms. He’s not sure where his dad is at, but he’s definitely very pleased with just having the sensible ones with him.
“Someone robbed me, mom,” he cries on her shoulder as she gasps and starts to shake. “I don’t know where I was. I was so scared,” he’s probably going to hell for this, he knows it. “I shouldn’t have gone, mom, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
He falls on his knees just to make it more dramatic, and his mom still holds him tight on the floor, whispering some comforting words and saying he doesn’t have to worry about it, the only thing that matters is that he’s at home now.
Tantrum? Did Regulus throw a what earlier? Nah, how’s anyone going to remember that when he’s a wreck crying on the floor in her mom's arms because he’s just been robbed? No one. Not even the Potters.
And Barty doubted his skills, incredible.
* * *
Regulus has a cup of tea on his hands ten minutes later and is sitting on the couch, his mom is still next to him and hugs him by his waist, Sirius and their father are sitting in front of him, both of them clearly worried.
His father was at the Potters, but apparently James was the one who heard when Regulus started knocking on the door and announced it to both their fathers. Regulus feels a little, just a little, bad because he realizes that even the Potters were worried about him.
“What happened?” his dad asks as softly as possible, crossing his arms.
“I was so mad and didn’t want to come here, so I went to Dorcas,” he starts, faking an irregular breathing, thanks to the sobs. “I was there for an hour, until she told me to come back and apologize to James and so I did,” he pinpoints the moment Sirius doubts his words, narrowing his eyes and pressing his lips together. “But, on the way, three men intercepted me and asked me if I was Regulus Black. I didn’t say anything I swear, but they hit me a bit in the stomach and made me enter their car. And earlier, before the argument with James, some woman called me and told me my full name too, I think it’s related, dad. Someone has my information,” that’s dramatic as fuck, but he sounds terrified, and the tears start falling down again.
Though he heard last year that something like that happened to the daughter of one of his father’s friends. So. It could have been real, for all he cares.
“And— And they left me far away from here, without my wallet and my phone, I was lost, mom,” he sobs again, pulling his face down, his shoulders shaking.
Ah, how many times Sirius told him that crying didn’t actually solve anything. Wrong.
His mom starts to caress his back from top to bottom, repeating that he’s home now. Even when she’s not a very good, caring or loving mother, she has grown to take care of Regulus in a special way since something happened in their lives when he was eleven years old. Though perhaps physical affection should be practiced a little bit more. Or not tried at all.
“I’m sorry you had to experience such an awful thing, son,” his father says after a minute, Regulus looks at him in between tears. “We’ll get you a new phone tomorrow and I’ll make sure to cancel all your cards and get you new ones, alright?” Regulus just nods. “You need something else or you'd rather go to sleep?”
Yeah, well, Regulus can’t ask much from him. His father isn’t a very sensitive man.
Regulus shakes his head and they start moving. His mother doesn’t leave his side until he’s in his room and asks her to close the door when she leaves.
He can’t help but smile, looking at himself in the mirror of his bathroom. He looks like a mess, he’s disgusted even. He could use a shower, too, he sweated a lot at some point of the night, a very fun one. But he smiles because he is good. Fooled the nastiest, cruelest two people he knows. What an achievement.
He’s smirking when his door is opened again, making him go back to the sad and traumatized face, just to see Sirius leaning on the frame. He frowns.
“Yeah?”
Sirius has that suspicious look of him as he examines Regulus from head to toes.
“We searched for you for hours,” Sirius feels the need to tell him, apparently, leaning on the door frame. “Dad, Fleamont, James and I. Effie stayed with mom here because she was freaking the fuck out. We were worried.”
Regulus isn’t going to talk, he knows where this is going, so he smiles slightly again as he starts unbuttoning the few buttons of his shirt that are left. As he lets go of his shirt, he makes sure that Sirius sees the bright and still red hickey that Barty left in his collarbone a few hours ago, he made sure to cover it for his parents.
“I can’t believe it, Regulus,” Sirius sighs, tilting his head back. “Why would you do something like that?”
“Do what? Show you that mom and dad worry more about my well being than the mess ups I made? Unlike you?”
Sometimes, the very dark part inside of his chest enjoys talking like that to him. He loves to feel better than him, to show him that he’s better.
That’s what Sirius gets for being a trainwreck. Their parents worry about Regulus in a way that they would never do for Sirius, because Regulus is perfect, and calm, and has never made a mistake in his life. And the first time he does, something awful happens to him. Regulus will have to say that he learned from it and everything would be fixed. Sirius could have all of that too, if he just weren't so stubborn.
“Did you actually went to a fucking party while we were searching everywhere for you until the fucking two am and stayed up two more hours after that?”
Poor Fleamont and Effie, though, he can’t give a fuck about the rest of them, but he would make sure to reward their worry.
“Listen, Sirius,” Regulus takes a step back, holding his shirt on his hands and drawing a short smile on his face. “The next time James tries to ruin my plans, you’d tell him to think about it twice. Alright?”
Sirius just shakes his head with disbelief and walks away, crossing the hallway, going into his room.
Regulus doesn’t care, as he closes the door and walks into his shower turning on the term. He smiles feeling the hot water on his shoulders and back first. Regulus finds himself very surprised by remembering how he got to call James a prick in front of everyone, made it to the party, got amazingly laid and ended with a new phone, credit cards, and no punishment. All in one night.
As an eleven-year-old Sirius told him once: “You have to outsmart everyone, Reggie. I know you can do it.” And he does, because he can.