Chapter Two
The car ride started silent, James rarely did anything without having music playing, but Regulus was prone to headaches. After a few minutes though, James cursed under his breath.
“Mierda!”
“What?” Regulus muttered. He did not speak spanish, but he had spent enough time with James to know what that meant.
“I’m really low on petrol, like really low. I don’t think I can make it to your apartment and there’s no station open this late.”
“I’ll just walk then.”
James had briefly forgotten that Regulus could be insane sometimes. “No, what? That’s like, what, fifteen miles? You’re not walking that.”
“Well what the fuck do you want me to do? I can’t call anyone, I lost my phone.” Apparently Barty and Evan had not told Regulus they had his phone. James did not correct him, as much as he disliked them, they knew Regulus very well and wouldn’t lie for no reason.
“You can just stay at mine tonight. It’s way closer.”
“No. Just drop me off here.” They were passing by a field, with fields in front of them, and fields behind them. James actually laughed.
“Yeah, that’s not happening.” This is why James would always come when Regulus called. Because he genuinely would end up spending the night in a field rather than accepting help from most people. He would probably throw himself out of a moving vehicle if he felt like it. Thinking of that, James clicked the child lock, partially because he thought Regulus might actually throw the door open and go for it, but mostly to hear the snarky comment Regulus would make. Regulus did not say anything though. James glanced over to see him hunched forward, covering his mouth with the back of his hand. “Dios mío! do not puke in my fucking car!”
“I’m not going to.” Regulus mutters, breathing heavily. James has seen Regulus puke before in this very car, he knows the face Regulus is making. James pulls over.
“I just got it cleaned, do not throw up in here.”
“I’m not going to puke.” Even as he says it, Regulus is grabbing the door handle, it does not open. James clicks the unlock button repeatedly, five times more than necessary. Regulus barely makes it out of the car before he’s vomiting, knelt over on the side of the road. James does not get out to help him hold his hair back, he tried once. Regulus puked on him instead.
James hands Regulus a bottle of water as he gets back into his seat. He does not keep his car stocked with water just for Regulus, but it does come in handy. “Drink.”
“Do not say it.”
“Fine!” James starts the car again, smirking, “but I did tell you so.”
Regulus had never been to James’ flat before, and his first impressions were not very good.
“Oh yeah, the elevator’s broken, we’ll have to take the stairs.”
“What floor?”
“Just six flights, won’t be too bad.” This was in fact, not true. For James, six flights of stairs was nothing, just the warmup to his daily run. Regulus, however, was about four drinks too far in to even consider walking that much. James seemed to realize this. “Oh right, um, I’ll carry you?”
“There is no way that’s happening.”
“Well, what then? Should I grab a pillow so you can sleep at the bottom of the stairwell?”
“Yes.” James had been kidding, Regulus was not. Instead of trying to reason with him any more, James promptly picked him up and cradled Regulus like a baby. Walking up the steps as if he was the same weight as a baby too. “Potter, I am not nearly drunk enough for this.”
“You are most definetly drunk enough, you are far too drunk.”
“Maybe you just don’t drink enough.”
“I drink plenty!” Truthfully, James was more of a weed guy, but he was confident if he said that, Regulus would convince him that they should smoke, and James was absolutely not going to be responsible for Regulus getting any more intoxicated.
“Then why don’t you ever call me?” This made James drop the keys from where he was trying to get them into his locked door, all while keeping an arm around Regulus so he wouldn’t fall down.
“Do you want me to call you?” James stared at Regulus who was looking only at the door.
“No.” He whispered.
“Then why would I call you?” James finally got his door open and led Regulus inside.
“Do you want me to call you?” Regulus asked back, avoiding the question. “When I’m drunk, I mean.”
James had to think about it for a minute. “I want you to be safe, and I like being able to know that you are. If you call then I’ll always answer. But, I don’t really know why you call me .”
“You don’t know why?”
“No, I really don’t.” They were both still standing in James doorway, halfway inside his flat, halfway in the hall.
Regulus opened his mouth and started to say something, but then shut it and hesitated, “...Good.” He then walked past James into the entry, only mildly walking into a wall. By the time James had followed him inside and hung up his keys, Regulus was standing, mostly leaning, on the kitchen counter, staring at James’ fridge.
“Regulus, I’m serious, I don’t know why.”
Then Regulus did the most out of character thing ever and giggled, pointing at a picture hung by a magnet, “No, that’s Sirius!” and that is the only thing that gave James the courage to say what he did next.
“Why don’t you call Sirius instead?”
Then it was Regulus’s turn to freeze.