Part 3
Regulus sighs, pulling into the parking lot. He's absolutely drained from today's work, and feels all he needs to do is change into some comfortable pajamas and binge-watch television.
What he gets instead is chaos.
He unlocks his apartment, throwing off his shoes and coat at the door, rubbing a hand down his face. However, when he walks into the living space, he's greeted by Barty and Evan, who are grinning mischievously, and Pandora, who looks apologetic. Regulus silences a groan, staring at each of them in turn.
And then he promptly says, monotone, “No.” And walks out of the room. He walks into his own bedroom, trying to shut the door, but it gets stopped by Barty’s hand.
“Oh, come on, Reg–” He tries.
“No.” Regulus says firmly, giving up and laying down on his bed as the three of them come into the room, standing in different places.
“You don’t–”
“No. I want to change and watch television and eat junk food.” Regulus mutters, sounding very close to a stubborn child. He hates that. He watches as the trio has a silent conversation with each other.
“Fine.” Pandora states. Regulus raises an eyebrow. That can’t be possible, he knows his friends. They’re not going to let something go so easily.
“You’re just going to let me?” Regulus asks, skepticality seeping into his tone. It must be on his face too, because instantly they all look offended.
“Of course.” Evan says from the wall he’s leaning on, “If that’s what you need.”
Regulus looks at each of them, glaring a little, “Alright. Then are you going to leave?”
Barty snorts, “Of course not.” Regulus instantly releases a groan, putting his head in his hands in frustration. Why did he choose these people? Why?
“Just get out.” He says into his hands, “Please.”
“Awwww, why?” Barty whines, “We’ve known you for far too many years for you to still be uncomfortable changing around us.”
“Get. Out.” He grumbles, keeping his head in his hands in case – god forbid – he was blushing. James Potter has filled his mind again, and he can’t seem to get him out.
“Alright.” He hears Barty chuckle, “We’ll be waiting in the living area for you.” Regulus rolls his eyes from behind his hands, and doesn’t let his head go until he hears the soft click of the door closing. Regulus looks at himself in the mirror for a few moments. Fuck his stupid feelings. He can see the blush in his face. The fucking hearts in his eyes. What the fuck? He hates this. He hates it so much, every time.
He tries to push it aside, moving to his wardrobe and grabbing something to change into. He ends up in an
oversized dark green jumper and black plaid pants, also insanely oversized. He pulls them on quickly, basking in the warmth, before trudging back to the living area, where the three of them sit, waiting. As promised. Of course, a small part of Regulus had been excited. But most of him was really hoping they would leave him to be alone. To have his own pity party. But apparently, he has guests now.
Regulus sits down in an empty space on the lounge, visibly trying to ignore his prying friends. He realises, though, as he pulls up UberEats, that he can’t possibly ignore them if they’re going to be too stubborn to leave. He has to order them something, it’s the host thing to do.
“What do you want to eat?” He asks begrudgingly. However, his plans seemingly get interrupted by Pandora and how stupidly kind she can be.
“Oh, don’t worry, I already ordered pizza and ice cream for us all.” She says, as if it wasn’t like she had just stolen something from him.
“What? No, you all came here. I’m the host, whether I want to be or not, I’m supposed to order you food.” Regulus argues, because he, too, can be quite stubborn.
“You know we would’ve paid you back.” Pandora snaps back, raising her eyebrows.
“You’re right.” Regulus says, seemingly surprising everyone. He leaves the room for a moment, going back to the entryway. He grabs his wallet, checking he has some sort of change in there. Nearly 80, that has to be enough. He comes back, wallet in hand, smirk on his face, and watches as Pandora rolls her eyes miserably.
“Regulus please, you clearly need a rest day. Let me pay for you.” She tries, but he only smirks more.
“Well aren’t you quite the hypocrite?” He snips, “Now, how much was it? Around £60?” He’s counting again, pulling out what he needs to.
“Just for you? No, it would be more like £15.” Pandora answers. She seems questionable, wary, which is just what Regulus wants. Because no, he won’t allow them to pay for their own meal, even if it really was quite nice to get paid for. He can’t have it. Well… seems he’s quite the hypocrite too.
“I wasn’t asking for just me.” Regulus says, handing her the money. She starts shaking her head, but Regulus urges it toward her, “Come on, take it.”
“No, you’re not paying to everyone.” She responds, and oh the joys of two inseparable people too considerate and stubborn for their own good.
“Take it.” Regulus practically shoves the money in her hand, sitting down again, “Or else I’ll cancel the meal and reorder it.”
“And how could you possibly do that?” Pandora asks, skepticality in her tone.
“I’d find a way.” He answers, and she puts the money in her own wallet. Because she knows, Regulus can and will find a way to do exactly what he said. He never leaves a threat empty.
He sits back down, after grabbing the remote, and turns the television on, “Well, what should we watch?” Each of them lean back in turn.
“Whatever you want, Reggie.” Barty answers.
“Ugh, don’t call me that.” Regulus groans, “And no, I will not be deciding. I’ll turn on an art show and you’ll all groan, protesting and then I’ll be disappointed. So, what do you want to watch?”
“Well, I don’t know. Do you want to cry?” Barty wonders, tapping his chin as if deep in thought.
“With you all? Definitely not.”
“Oh yes, Regulus doesn’t cry.” Evan drops in, smirking from the chair he’s sitting in.
Regulus laughs, head falling down so they can’t see much, “Yes exactly.” He lies. He cried last night, thinking about his new dilemma. It plays in his mind over and over again. But nobody was there to see it, so to everyone’s
else's knowledge, it never happened. And he likes to keep it that way. They don’t need to see him so upset. Nobody does. He’s fine keeping that all to himself.
“Alright, do you want to laugh?” Barty asks instead, “Have a distraction to whatever morbid thoughts are going on in your mind right now?”
“There are no morbid thoughts going on in my head.” Regulus retorts. Lies. Always.
“Oh, yes there are. I can see it in your eyes. Who are you planning on murdering in their sleep?” Barty says it with such deep interest, resting his chin on his hand, that Regulus can’t resist.
“You.” He looks Barty dead in the eye, no smile on his face. Still, Barty laughs, as if Regulus had just said the funniest joke known to man. Regulus rolls his eyes, leaning back, “Alright, what are we watching?”
“You never answered the question.” Barty argues.
“Okay, enough I’m choosing something and no one is complaining.” Pandora interrupts, she clicks onto Disney+, hers, and goes through until she finds Pirates of the Caribbean. Regulus knows Pandora’s been wanting him to watch it, but it’s a pirate movie. How interesting could it really be?
“Really Panda?” Regulus asks, far too close to whining for his liking. He’s been doing it more often, that close
whining sound. He doesn’t know where he could have picked up the habit.
“No. Complaining. You’ll like it, I promise.” Pandora retorts, something so sincere in her eyes that Regulus leans back, crossing his arms over his chest. He truly tries to put in some effort to see what Pandora truly sees in this movie. So far, it’s dark and full of things he just can’t understand
And then someone comes on. A man, rather attractive. And oh Regulus understands the appeal now. He tries not to show it on his face, maybe just a twitch in his cheek. He hears a choking sound, and glances over to see Pandora desperately trying to smother her laughter. Was he truly that obvious? Or did Pandora know him so well that she knows a slight dilation in his eyes meant he was infatuated? Either way, he knows he’s fucked. He knows she will tease him about this until the end of time. And probably bring Barty and Evan in with her. Oh, how he hates her. He hates her for making him watch this movie and cursing him to a life of damnation.
They continue to watch, and Regulus is arguably completely intrigued by the movie, by the man, Will, his name. He can’t help it. He watches the movie fully, completely invested in everything. By the time the credits roll, Regulus is ready for the next. He never notices the pizza that somehow makes its way to the table.
“Well?” Pandora prompts, a triumphant smirk laying on her lips. She knows he likes it. Regulus can bet she wasn’t even watching the movie, but watching him. And, honestly, he doesn’t want to hear how he looked watching it.
He throws on a face he hopes communicates a nonchalant look, “It was, alright, I guess.” He hears Pandora laugh, loudly, proud of it. Soon, Barty joins in and even Evan shares a few chuckles. He desperately tries not to crack a smile of his own. It doesn’t work. He can feel the smile grow. He tries to hide his face, but he knows they all see the wide grin splitting his face in two.
“Okay, okay.” Pandora finally says when her laughter calms down, “Now, take a plate, eat some food, while we discuss what we actually came here to do.”
The smile falls off Regulus’ face, “No.”
“Reg…”
Regulus does take a plate, puts two slices of pizza on, and gets up, “No, there’s absolutely nothing to talk about.” He goes off to his room, for the second time, but this time he hears her follow him, and the boys soon after.
“Regulus, you and I both know that’s not true.” She argues, standing in the doorway with her arms crossed. All together, the three of them look ready to beat him up. And who knows, maybe they will.
“You just want another reason to make fun of me and I won’t be giving it to you. Or, to the others.” He tells her stubbornly, sitting down at his desk and biting off a piece of his pizza.
“You can’t just hold it up inside of you—”
“I can, actually.” He interrupts, “And I would like to.”
“It’s not healthy.”
“I don’t care.” He takes another bite of pizza, if only to stop himself from talking any longer. He can’t bear it. Especially because he can feel he’s about to crack. If they stay for much longer, he’s going to recount every completely humiliating thought he’s had about James Potter.
And apparently, that’s just what they want. Because Pandora comes and sits down on his bed, eyebrows creased. “Reg…”
“I’ve already gotten everything out. To you. And I thought you would keep it a secret, but apparently not.” Regulus grumbles, anger starting to take over. Or maybe purely annoyance, but either way he hopes it gives them a sign to get up and leave.
It does not. They just crowd in closer, allowing him for no way of escape. Regulus fixes them each with a, hopefully, withering look. They don’t budge. Regulus rolls his eyes, “What don’t you know?”
Barty looks very thoughtful before saying, “What happened when he picked Harry up?”
Regulus’ eyes widen, turning on Pandora. It’s easier to be mad at her than try not to show how gone he is for James. “Panda! You told them everything?”
“What did you expect?”
“To be a good friend.” Regulus takes a breath, opens his mouth, and instead of saying anything he just groans. “I feel like a bloody teenage girl talking about a cute boy from her class.”
“Well, you are talking about a cute boy from your class.” Barty teases, causing Regulus to be annoyed all over again.”
“Honestly, fuck you.” Regulus looks up, before blurting out, “I had to ask for his number today. I wanted to crawl into a hole and die the second the words left my mouth.”
“Oh, how did he take it?” Evan asks, bless him. There’s teasing in his eyes, but he says nothing out loud, instead going to comfort. Evan is starting to be Regulus’ favorite friend. Minus the fact that he’s barely even looking at Regulus, instead glancing at Barty.
“Terribly. He was so shocked and…scared? It looked like I was hitting on him. And he’s married, or at least with someone, I know it. How else does he have a child? Actually, no, don't answer that. Ugh, I won’t ever be able to look at him again.” Regulus hides his face, feeling a blush creep up his neck.
“Well, you’re going to have to.” Pandora decides to point out, which was the worst possible thing to say.
“And, besides,” Evan decides to wonderfully add in, “Technically, you didn’t have to get his number. You could have stuck to emails instead. So, really, you just fucked yourself over.”
“Why must you point out logic in a time like this?” Regulus groans, the feelings of wanting to curl up and die coming back. “I can’t see him again. I’ll just relive it. I’ve damned myself to a life of torture.”
“Well, you’re going to have to tell poor Harry he can’t be in the class anymore because his father is such a distraction for you.” Pandora teases. Regulus grinds his teeth, annoyance radiating off of him.
“Shut the hell up.” Regulus mutters, feeling knots in his stomach and his face getting hot. He looks away, “I’ll just spend as little time with James as possible.” Regulus sets his pizza down, appetite completely gone.
“You are so gone.” Barty laughs, throwing his head back. Regulus throws a pillow his way. He knows his face is red, and he can’t seem to stop it, no matter how hard he tries. He hates it.
“I’m going to murder you.” He threatens instead as Barty dodges the pillow, “In your sleep—” Another thrown pillow, “—With a knife.” Another. Barty only gets hit once, on the arm.
“It’s so obvious, I had to,” Barty gasps, trying to catch his breath from both the laughter and the dodging. There’s tears in his eyes, threatening to fall over in pure joy.
“Mate, do you have a death wish?” Evan asks, eyes wide, “Just shut your mouth and save yourself.”
“Thank you, Evan.” Regulus grumbles, settling back into his bed, “And now you can all leave and allow me to have some peace.”
“Regulus…”
“Leave and let me actually enjoy my night.” Regulus instructs.
“As if you’ll enjoy it.” Pandora retorts, “But, also, I fear you might actually commit murder if we stay any longer.” And finally, they walk out of the door.
“Thank the lord.” Regulus whispers into the night. And he hates it, but Pandora was right. He does not enjoy his evening. Instead, he spends it reliving every embarrassing interaction he’s had with James. And he hates it, but Barty is right too.
He is so, so gone.