Regulus has never been careless a single day in his miserable 19 years of life. Every word from his mouth was always purposeful, his actions intentional, and his choices deliberate. The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black never allowed mistakes, and Regulus Arcturus Black would be no exception.
Until today.
The world would remember this day as the day Regulus Black was careless and said fuck this and fuck you to the Dark Lord.
It was the splash of icy cold water that awakened him. His eyes shot open as he gasped at the sudden shock. He tried his best to adjust his vision to the dark room, but it was useless. He struggled hard. The binds on his hands were tight, not allowing him to move an inch from their position behind the chair that he was tied to.
“Fucking hell, it really is him.”
He froze in his spot (not that moving much was an option). Regulus could pick that voice out of a million. Probably because it was always so damn grating. He spent years and years listening to that voice drone on aimlessly about anything and everything.
“He was just wandering the woods, completely out in the open. He didn’t even have his wand on him.”
Now that voice he could recognize out of a billion. Probably because he always found it fucking infuriating. He also loved the way it sounded when that specific voice begged or said his name, but Regulus did not prefer that train of thought at the current moment.
“Well, you got me,” Regulus mumbled, voice dry and rough. He looked up, eyes finally adjusting enough for him to see the faces of the men before him. Gray met silver and Regulus lifted his chin, “Long time no see, brother.”
The dimly lit room showed Sirius had aged quite well in the past three years. Being in his twenties seemed to agree with him. His hair was longer and his skin was covered in art and piercings. He turned out exactly how Regulus imagined he would. The only shock was Regulus was surprised his idiot brother managed to live this long in the first place.
“I’m not your brother,” Sirius spat. It was clear the animosity had not faded in their time apart.
Regulus did not mind. The anger was deserved, and he knew Sirius would come around. The pathetic Gryffindors loved forgiveness and villain redemption stories.
“Still as sensitive as ever I see. Lupin’s level headedness has not rubbed off on you yet?”
Sirius practically growled as he made a move towards Regulus, but was interrupted by his fellow Marauder.
“Drop the act, Black.” Potter stepped forward, out of the darkness. And Merlin was it a view Regulus missed.
James Potter had also grown into his looks. His curly brown hair no longer hung down in front of his eyes, but it was pushed back and longer in the back. Regulus missed pulling those untamable curls. James was always on the more muscular side, but now he was even stronger and filled out in all the right areas. Those stupid, too-large glasses still sat on his sharp nose, the black frames more dented and scratched than Regulus remembered. He noticed the white scar stretching down the side of James’ face and neck, remembering the exact turmoil he felt when he caused it. Regulus imagined that was the worst day of his life, and that was definitely saying something.
James leaned forward, face to face with Regulus, and sneered as he asked, “Where is it?”
“I’ve missed you,” Regulus admitted plainly, a slight smile growing on his face without his awareness.
Potter was clearly taken aback as his expression dropped, but he put it up just as quick as it fell and shook himself out of it, “Answer the question.”
“What question? Don’t you remember me telling you that I cannot possibly think when you are right in front of me like this, Jamie?”
Lupin, who has been standing in the back until now, tilted his head and examined Regulus carefully, “Is he spelled or something?”
Remus Lupin was just as hot as he was in school but with more scars. Regulus did always swear Lupin himself was made in the image of some Greek god. Barty once recounted a very long and very graphic dream he had about the Gryffindor.
Shit, he missed Barty.
“Nope,” Regulus responded simply.
He honestly wasn’t. Regulus was bored and he missed the two things that ever made him happy: Loving James and bothering Sirius. So why not get both?
Ignoring the others, Regulus stared right into James’ eyes, “Did you miss me too, mon soleil?”
That seemed to anger James, “You do not have any effect on me, Black. Not anymore.” His hand wrapped around Regulus’ throat in an instant, “If I have to ask again, I will start cutting your fingers off one by fucking one.” He made his point with an extra hard squeeze.
War looked shockingly good on James.
Regulus let out a choked chuckle, “You always did love breath play.”
“Regulus!” James and Sirius shouted at the same time, one angry and one disgusted.
Lupin snorted, hiding it with a cough while Sirius’ head whipped back and forth between James and Regulus so quickly Regulus thought the remaining brain cells he hand would surely fly out of his orifices.
Regulus took advantage of the momentary confusion, “Do you remember the first time you kissed me?”
“Come again?” Sirius squeaked, evidently still unaware of the relationship his best friend and precious little brother had back at Hogwarts before the war.
James’ face remained abhorrent, but his grip on Regulus’ pale throat loosened.
He continued his spiel, “We were in a very similar position. I was studying in the library for potions and you, for some reason, insisted on bothering me. I called you every offensive name I could think of that day. In case you forgot in my absence, I was a bit testy back then. But you persisted. You sat on the table, watching me study, humming and throwing that stupid golden snitch in the air and catching it. You did that for hours until you just grabbed my throat out of nowhere and brought my face up to yours. You kissed me for the first time. You were perfect, which only further annoyed me, but I loved it. And when I asked why you did it, you said I looked undeniably kissable and you were only human. You said you could only stare at me for so long before you were forced by powers unknown to man to kiss me. Like your sole purpose in life was to love me. Do you remember that, Jaime?”
James swallowed hard. His eyes looked all over Regulus’ face, but Regulus didn’t know for what. His eyes then darkened to a new shade, “What are you playing at, Black?”
The corner of Regulus’ lip twitched up every so slightly, “You look awfully kissable right now, so I’m hoping those powers you mentioned compel you the same as they did that day, mon soleil.”
Regulus knew in that moment he had won. He always won.
James’ gaze softened into a reflection of his glowing youth. His warmth returned and the sun shone once again. The lines from years of stress faded and suddenly it felt like Regulus was staring at eighteen-year-old James.
“Reggie?” James whispered softly, the fingers around his throat moving to glide over the edge of his jaw.
There it was. That stupid fucking nickname Regulus pretended to detest so much now made his heart warm and his stomach flutter.
It felt much better than James calling him Black. If he had heard it one more time, Regulus wouldn’t have been able to stop himself from breaking free just to use the ropes to hang himself.
“What the fuck is happening?” Sirius squeaked, “Remus, what is happening? Make them stop. Please stop. C’mon, this isn’t professional guys.”
“It doesn’t matter. I’m back now.” Regulus looked at Sirius and Remus who still stood behind them with their mouths agape, “And I know how to kill Voldemort.”