Industry, Baby!

Regulus was woken up by his alarm. The harsh beeps making him startle. He picked up his phone, like he always does every morning and began making himself some toast, per usual.

He had just sat down when there was a knock on his hotel door.

“REG??” Oh it was Pandora, he shouldve guessed. Regulus cracked his knuckles and opened the door, to Pandora standing there along with the rest of his band.

“Ughh what is it,” He asked.

“We get it, you’re not a morning person. BUT Pandora’s telling us who we’re collaborating with. Remember from yesterday night??”

“Shit yeah,” Regulus wiped his face after taking in what Barty had just said.

“Right” Dorcas yawned. “Can we come in then?”. Regulus stepped to the side as the others stormed in. Regulus shut the door behind them with a sigh. He wasn’t sure if he was ready for whatever ridiculous name Pandora was about to drop, but there was no avoiding it now.

Barty flopped onto the couch like he owned the place, grabbing a piece of Regulus’s toast right off his plate. Regulus didn’t even bother swatting his hand away—he was too tired to care. Dorcas perched on the arm of a chair, stretching like a cat, while Evan leaned against the wall, arms crossed, looking mildly more interested than usual.

“Alright,” Regulus muttered, running a hand through his hair. “Let’s hear it, then.”

Pandora grinned, clearly relishing the moment. “Well, guys,” she said, drawing out the suspense as she pulled a folder from under her arm. “Your collaboration has been confirmed. It’s official.”

“No shit,” Dorcas deadpanned. “Who is it?”

Pandora’s smile widened as she dropped the folder onto the table. “The Marauders”

Pandora smirked. “You’re working with The Marauders.”

Silence.

Then:

Dorcas burst out laughing.

Barty choked on a bite of Regulus’s stolen toast.

Evan let out a low whistle. “Oh, that’s interesting.”

Regulus, however, remained very, very still. He stared at Pandora like she’d just suggested they do an opera song.

“…You’re joking.”

“Nope.”

“You have to be fucking joking.”

“I’m really not,” Pandora said, way too pleased with herself. “Contracts are signed, no backing out.”

Barty grinned. “Of all the bands out there…” He turned to Regulus, smirking. “This is poetic.”

Dorcas snickered. “You’re gonna be spending so much time with James Potter.”

Regulus clenched his jaw. "Brilliant."

“Contracts are signed, everything’s sorted,” Pandora chirped. “You and James are going to make musical magic together.”

Regulus ran both hands through his hair. “I hate you.”

“No, you don’t,” Pandora said smugly.

Regulus groaned, sinking into the chair. James Potter. Of all the people in the world, of all the artists available, why him?

Dorcas nudged his foot with hers. “Well, look on the bright side.”

“There is no bright side,” Regulus grumbled.

Dorcas grinned. “Oh, I disagree. This is going to be so entertaining.”

-  the marauder’s studio  -

The band was taking it easy after the party, nursing their drinks and chatting about the usual nonsense. Sirius was in the middle of an exaggerated story about a band he’d seen live, gesturing wildly as Remus nodded, only half-listening, his attention divided between James deafening laughter and the conversation.

“Boys.” Their manager, Frank, began.

“Yesss?” Sirius replied as he sat on the table.

“Alright,” Frank finally said, looking up. “I have got confirmation on your collab.”

That caught everyone’s attention.

James raised an eyebrow. “And?”

“Well Remus already knows, he managed to get it out of me,”

“WHAT?” Sirius exclaimed. “ Thats not fair you twat,”

“Oi.” Remus smirked. “But yeah, you’re gonna love this.”

Peter frowned. “You always say that when it’s something we won’t love.”

Remus ignored him and slid his phone onto the table. James grabbed it first, his eyes scanning the email. His grip on the phone tightened slightly.

The Old Gods. The Old Gods.

Regulus.

James blinked. Looked again. Nope, still there. His stomach twisted in a way he refused to acknowledge. James stared at the screen, then exhaled, pressing his tongue against his teeth as he tried not to react.

Remus, of course, noticed. “You good, mate?”

Peter, now curious, leaned over James’s shoulder. A second later, he made a strangled noise. “No fucking way.”

Sirius, who had been lazily tilting his chair back, suddenly dropped it forward with a loud thud. “Wait. What?” He snatched the phone from James’s hands, his eyes widening as he read.

Then, to everyone’s surprise, he burst out laughing.

“Oh, this is fucking priceless.”

Remus smirked. “Knew you’d like it.”

Peter looked between them, bewildered. “Am I missing something? Why is this so funny?”

Sirius grinned, eyes glinting with something dangerous. “Because my little brother is in The Old Gods.”

Peter blinked. “Wait. Regulus?”

James exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. “Yup.”

Peter let out a disbelieving laugh. “This is either gonna be amazing or an absolute disaster.”

“Why not both?” Remus mused.

Sirius, still grinning, elbowed James. “Bet you’re excited, huh?”

James gave him a flat look. “Fuck off.”

“C’mon, it’s just Reg,” Sirius teased. “You two will have so much fun together.”

James sighed, drumming his fingers on the table.

No. It definitely wouldn’t be boring.

-  time skip  –

Regulus was exhausted, walking into the small coffee shop, hoping for some peace and quiet to recover from the madness of the day. He had been trying to wrap his head around the fact that he was about to be forced into a studio with James Potter. He was still trying to shake the irritation, but at least coffee would help.

The bell above the door jingled as he entered, and he made his way to the counter, ordering a strong black coffee without even looking at the menu.

He could already hear the low hum of chatter filling the shop, and as he turned to find a table, his gaze accidentally landed on a very familiar mop of messy black hair across the room.

James Potter. Of course.

Regulus’s stomach tightened at the sight. James was sitting at a corner table with Sirius, laughing about something. Regulus’s eyes narrowed, his fingers tightening around his coffee cup as he hesitated.

“Just don’t look, and it’ll all be fine,” he muttered under his breath.

But that was impossible. The Marauders were unavoidable, and James... James was right there.

Sirius caught Regulus’s eye from across the room. He raised his mug in mock salute, his grin wide, and Regulus rolled his eyes in response. But it wasn’t just Sirius. James, too, seemed to notice him, and Regulus felt his pulse spike as the realization hit.

“Great,” Regulus muttered. “This is just what I needed today.”

James’s lips twitched into a smirk as he stood up, nudging Sirius out of the way. Regulus wasn’t sure if he should stay put or leave, but before he could make up his mind, James was already striding toward him, his footsteps confident.

“Regulus,” James said, his voice carrying just a little too much amusement. “Fancy seeing you here.”

Regulus bit back a scowl. “Would’ve been happier if I didn’t,” he replied, keeping his tone dry. “What are you doing here, Potter?”

“I don’t know,” James shrugged, not fazed at all. “Might be the same thing you’re doing, Black—getting coffee before I face the hell of today.”

Regulus took a deep breath, refusing to let James rile him up. He wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction.

“You know,” James continued, leaning against the counter as if they were friends, “I was hoping we wouldn’t run into each other until the studio, but looks like fate’s decided otherwise.”

Regulus didn’t respond right away, instead taking a sip of his coffee, hoping the bitterness might cut through the tension in his chest. He was just so... tired of this. Tired of James and his smug little grin.

“It’s not fate,” Regulus muttered, glancing at James briefly before returning his gaze to the coffee in his hands. “It’s just a coincidence. But I’m sure you’ve got a million excuses for everything, haven’t you?”

Sirius, who had followed James over, gave Regulus a half-amused, half-sympathetic look. “You’re both so grumpy this morning. You’d think you were about to record an album together or something.”

James smirked. “Oh, wait. You are.”

Regulus raised an eyebrow, not amused in the slightest. “I don’t know how much work will actually get done with you in the room, Potter.”

James’s grin faltered, but only for a second. “Oh, I’m sure it’ll be just fine. You’re not the only one who has to deal with it.”

Regulus could feel the weight of the past few days crashing down on him as the reality set in again. He was going to have to work with James, and it would be miserable.

“You know what?” Regulus said, suddenly feeling a strange sense of resolution. “Let’s just get this over with, Potter. The sooner I’m in the studio with you, the sooner I can forget this ever happened.”

James’s eyes flashed with something—was it irritation? Annoyance? He tilted his head, narrowing his eyes. “You really think you’re going to forget all this, don’t you?”

“Try me,” Regulus shot back, his voice low. “You’re not the only one who can be a professional. Just stay out of my way, and I’ll be fine.”

James didn’t back down. Instead, he stood a little straighter, giving Regulus a pointed look. “I’ll take that as a challenge, then.”

Sirius, clearly bored of the exchange, glanced between them before clapping his hands together. “Well, this is already more interesting than I expected.”

Regulus shot him a look. “Shut up, Sirius.”

“Maybe you could come back to our table?” James said, clearly enjoying the tension in the air, yet something in his face seemed to have changed. “Get all this awkwardness over with before the studio.”

Regulus shook his head. “I’ll pass. I’ve got more important things to do than sit here with you.”

James’s grin was still there, though he dropped his teasing tone. “Fine by me. But we’ll see how long you can avoid me when we’re in the studio together.”

Regulus didn’t respond, instead turning toward the door. He had no intention of spending any more time in this coffee shop with James Potter—or anyone from the Marauders for that matter. The only thing that would make this day worse was that.

Before he could leave, though, Sirius called after him, his voice light but a little too knowing.

“Good luck with Potter, Reg. You’re gonna need it.”

Regulus shot a glance over his shoulder, eyes narrowing. “I’m not the one who’s gonna need luck, Black.”

And with that, he walked out of the shop, hoping that the next time he saw James, it wouldn’t be quite as awkward. But deep down, he knew that wouldn’t be the case.