Chapter 1
Sleeping isn't always easy and surely not when at the bottom floor there are people who talk without caring to keep a low tone of voice.
And, if it wasn't enough, his stomach started growling for food. So here he was, standing up from the bed, still half asleep.
Walk down the stairs is like a torture, having to listen to the old wood creak under each step like they're about to break and all with just having woken up, he already knows that was going to be a long day.
"Put down the flour, Prongs!" said the even-too-known voice of his brother, Sirius Black.
Then laughs, laughs and again laughs, at least until he stepped in the kitchen, regretting it right after.
Socializing so early in the morning clearly wasn't a smart idea given how the day started, even though he was still hungry. So he turned around and left as quick as he stepped in.
"Wait, Reg." said his brother, stepping out the room a few seconds after him.
Funny how that idiot menaged to go search him in the complete opposite direction.
And why not use that as the opportunity to go snatch some food before his return?
Well, normaly someone wouldn't be acting like a thief in his own house, but he was Regulus Black. Nothing was normal about him.
There was still the guy Sirius was talking to, who was just standing there like he lived there and that was also his kitchen.
"You're his brother." the boy said and, onestly, Regulus wasn't sure if it was a question or a statement.
"Yeah, you're his new fiancé?" he asked casually, not really interested in the answer.
"Sad, I liked the other one." he shruggled as he was looking in the cupboard for food.
"Wha- No! We're just friends." said the other, clearly emberrassed
"They all say it the first time." was the uncaring answer Regulus gave him with a slight raise of his eyebrow.
"Seriously, just friends. I'm James, by the way." said the guy with glasses as he extended the hand in a greeting way, but when he saw that Regulus wasn't going to shake it, he let it fell along his side.
"He never talked about me?" he asked, and Regulus swore to have heard a hint of disappointment in his tone, like he was hurt by the idea of it.
"We don't talk much." Regulus answered dryly as he took a packet of crackers from the cupboard.
"I think it's one of those moments where I say I'm glad to have met you, but we both know it's not true, so I'll just go with a bye." Regulus said and with that left the room, leaving the boy with glasses speachless.
•••
It would be great having a normal and peacefull morning for once that his brother didn't take home anyone at an ungodly early hour.
But, it would really be too much to ask. So here he was, trying to ignore the nagging sound of the pebbles against the window by his bed.
But after five minutes he gave up and stood up, opening the window with a clearly pissed off face.
"Come down, sleepyhead." said the very idiot of Barty Crouch Jr.
"Not today, Barty." said Regulus with a yawn, clearly tired out of his mind.
"And I said today. Come down before I come there and push you down the window." said with that stupid fucking half grin on his lips.
"Move your ass, already. Evan is waiting for us." he added and, well, he wasn't going to take a no for answer.
Not that Regulus had any better plans that day if not sleep or study something stupid out of boredom.
So he quickly changed his clothes in something that wasn't his pajama and climbed on the window, reaching the gutter, using it to slide down to the ground.
It was common for him to sneak out like this, why? Well, he wasn't really sure, usually to avoid to tell his brother where he was going or with who, expecially that.
It was known by almost anyone that Crouch and Rosier weren't exactly the best company, everyone saw them as thugs, expacially Barty, and Sirius didn't like them either.
But the reality was that they weren't bad people, yeah, maybe not the best you can find, but they both cared a lot for Regulus and always involved him in everything, even if he was the new one in the group.
They never made any comments about his parents because they knew was a sore subject and neither left him behind because he was cold or sometimes difficult to understand. They reached the dismissed park, where Evan was waiting them. They climbed the locked gate since the park was closed to the public and no one should go in, but, hey, it was their secret spot.
They always went there when they weren't at Evan's place, since his parents were always out for work.
"About time." said Evan, comfortably sat on one of the benches that was still serviceable to sit on without ending up with the ass on the ground.
"Though you forgot the way to his place." he joked, pointing at Barty. "It was the princess fault." said Barty to justify the time he took to drag Regulus there.
"He was still asleep." he added as he dropped down on the bench next to Evan, his arm hugging the taller's shoulders so casually.
It was another common thing between the two, they were so close Regulus sometimes found so hard not to think they had to at least once hooked up. He shook that though away and sat next to Barty on the bench, not too close of course, he needed personal space, not like these two.
It took a second to Evan to take out a joint and right after Barty took out a lighter to light it up. The first one who took a drag from it was Evan, since he complained that he was the one who bought it, so they let him.
"You know," started Barty while focused on the sky, blowing the smoke from his nostrils.
"Sometimes I wonder why the hell you keep staying with us, Regulus." he said so casually. "You're smart, like really smart. You could be doing something great instead of snuck around with us."
"What the hell? Are you already high?" Rosier said right after, glaring at the other one with a raised brow.
"Why shouldn't he? I mean, I'm smart aswell, you're the dumb one." he said with an half grin on the lips.
"Maybe I like snuck around with you two." said Regulus before Barty could make a comeback to Evan's words, while snatching the joint and taking a drag from it.
There was a moment of silence where both Crouch and Rosier kept looking at Regulus in silence but, as always, Barty broke it.
"Stop being so sweet. You're going to make us cry." he said as he let go of the blond one to wrap his arm around the Black's shoulders, squeezing him slightly.
"Shut up, Barty." was the answer he got from Regulus along with a small push to make him let go.
Rosier laughed at the picture and focused his glare on the sky, now almost completely dark with clouds.
"I think it's going to rain." said the blond one. "We should get going."