Dear dairy, why..
James always been the sun, everyone has always said that. His abuela used to always call him aelius.
Which meant the sun, because of course it did.
James saw himself as the sun aswell, but not in the way other think. Sees himself as constantly needing to shine, as always always having to be perfect.
People rely on the sun. The sun can't fail them.
Then james met sirius, sirius was a star. His star. Sirius saw james for who he is. Sirius was his other half. His platonic soulmate. His brother.
Sirius never expected him to have to be perfect because he knew he wasn't perfect himself.
James found him in an old record shop, they fought over the best David Bowie album and he knew they were destined to meet.
He offered him a room in his apartment instead of the small studio sirius was staying in. He got him the job at the bau and he doesn't regret any of it.
Because james is the sun and sirius is his star, sirius understands what it means to have to stay bright constantly. To have to live up to expectations silently made for you.
Sirius sometimes tended to speak of regulus, whether it was breaking down in james' arms about his guilt for leaving him or the sharing the bittersweet memory's over a shared cigarette.
Either way, james has heard of regulus.
He's heard of all their childhood stories, the fact that regulus couldn't sleep without a nightlight until he was 14, the fact that they used to sneak up to the roof to watch the shooting stars.
James also knew of the abuse. James also had such a strong hatred for Walburga black that he feels if he saw her in the street he'd put a bullet through her head.
But anyways.
The reason james was late was because his meds dropped all over the floor, causing him to go into a frenzy trying to pick them up.
Usually him and sirius would be late together anyways but the raven head had already left to pick his brother up.
When he eventually got there he was stopped in his tracks by the sight of Regulus.
Regulus.
He looked so alike to sirius and completely different. High cheek bones and loose curls that went just to the nape of his neck and slightly curls around his ears. He was absolutely breath taking and the most ethereal thing james has ever seen.
James was quick to introduce himself, putting on a bright smile that faltered when he just got brushed over. Oh well, no matter. Try again later. That's fine.
He ignores the pang of hurt in his chest and sits next to sirius, sirius sighing dramatically and resting his head on james' shoulder while he looks longingly into the office across the hall.
Looking at regulus or remus we are yet to know.
James caught onto sirius' little thing for their unit chief straight away, reminding sirius they are at a workplace full of profilers and he is bound to get caught if this goes on.
The rant about remus' "oh so lovely eyes. James, don't you think they're lovely?" lasted hours. Hours.
James looks down at the photos infront of him, getting a paper ball flicked at his head by barty. Who of which gets flipped off with a playful smile before james looks back down.
He already knows what happened, dwelled on the case last night. Trying to look for any hidden patterns and ignoring the pain behind his eyes screaming at him to sleep.
The basics are written on the board,
white male late 30s early 40s, bigger build, insecure.
That's it and it isn't enough.
Regulus is sat with one leg crossed over the other on the train, james has been trying to catch his eye for the past 10 minutes.
He's got his head titled down slightly looking at a book, hair falling into his face and framing it.
James is about to get up and go sit next to him when marlene sits on the chair in-front of him in the booth, bringing her legs up and resting her feet in james' lap. She's got a shit eating grin on her face and james can't help but mirror it.
"Excited for Birmingham, jamie boy?" she asks, lounging back in her seat.
"How could i not be?" He reply's back, matching her tone.
He actually is quite thrilled to be going, Birmingham has the greatest nightlife in Britain.
That also makes it incredibly more difficult to find the unsub but james is james and has to find the light in any situation.
Marlene's now engrossed in her phone and james leans his head back on the chair, tilting it slightly and catching regulus' eye, finally.
He doesn't look away and neither does james, an unreadable expression regulus' face.
They all made a deal a while ago to never profile each other unless needed.
James is finding it rather difficult to stick to that deal right now.
Marlene kicks his shin and he turns his head back to her, why would sh-
"Go speak to him, you oaf." She snorts.
"Why would i- oaf?" James isn't sure what his face is doing but it's enough for marlene snort to turn into quiet laughter.
"Yes, now go. He looks so sad and lonely over there, use some of your potter charm" She retorts, wiggling her brows in a way james doesn't even want to question, before getting up and going back to bothering dorcas.
It's awkward, to say the least. Regulus has made no move to speak to him and james has no idea what to say. That's new. James has never really been speechless.
He clears his throat, causing the younger to look up at him and raise a brow.
"So, excited?"
Regulus furrows his brows slightly, closing his book. "About murders?"
"I-" James narrows his eyes at him, prick. "well, no. About going to Birmingham. Having your first case on the team" He continues, feeling his face break out into a smile.
"Ecstatic" is the short, sarcastic, reply he gets. Alright, can work with that.
James nods, searching his brain for any and all conversation starters.
"Have you ever been?" He asks
"No" Regulus responds, opening his book again and going down to reading it.
He hears a snicker and turns his head to where barty and evan sit, barty all but sitting on evan and evan having his arms resting on barty's legs. Both staring at him with sharp smiles, sharp judgmental smiles.
James swallows, ignoring them and looking back at regulus. Gaze travelling all over his face, he has a cluster of freckles near his ears and his hair goes slightly over his eyes in a way that makes james want to run his hands through it.
He doesn't even realise how long he's been looking at him until regulus clears his throat, james bringing his eyes up to meet his and smiling. Who needs embarrassment when he finally got his attention.
"Watcha reading?" James asks
"Piss off potter" is his reply with a snarl.
Before james can even think of a response for that remus walks down the aisle of their private coach on the train. Completely unbothered by the way the train slightly sways and stopping in the middle.
Sirius has been typing down on a laptop for the entire journey, most likely trying to deal with the press and not let the murder get out to the people yet and, honestly, it's the most quiet he's been, but even he lifts his head when remus starts speaking.
"Once the trains arrived at the station we're going to be taken straight to the scene so start packing up now" is all he says before he goes back to his seat at the far end opposite sirius.
The scene is..something. There's blood all over the rubbish and a long trail of it leading up the alley into the opening of the road.
James swallows down the bile and turns to speak with one of the nearby officers, smiling and reeling in the way the flustered officer gives him much more information than their at liberty to say.
People tended to get flustered around james, while some may find that endearing he just finds it useful and somewhat annoying.
They don't need to know that. Any advantage is an advantage.
Regulus on the other hand has glared and snarled at any person trying to speak with him, scoffed quietly when sirius started describing the obvious. It was how he sorted out his train of thought, regulus obviously didn't catch up on that.
The younger black mostly stayed quiet when they were there, eyes scanning the area and speaking only a few words about who was on scene and what security footage picked up.
Soon they were at the precinct. Cops never took liking to whenever they were there, treated as intruders as if they didn't ask for their help.
They took over one of the conference rooms, immediately sprawling out files and photos and beginning to piece together a profile.
"I mean, he's obviously insecure" Marlene states, leaning her hands on the table and looking down at a photo of the woman's wrists.
"The red marks around her wrists is a clear indication to them either being tied up or held."
Remus hums, nodding and looking down at an identical photo, when regulus speaks up.
"This marking here," he starts, pointing down at what seems to be a faded tattoo.
"It's a medusa tattoo, similar to the other victims" he finishes, looking up.
It dawns on them all, the meaning of a medusa tattoo is a survivor of sexual assault. Meaning this isn't the first time they got raped. James wants to throw up.
"Which means they are all connected in some way. What if they were all raped by the same person in the past? He decided to go for them again in retaliation to the fact that they moved on from him?"
- regulus' pov.
He noticed the tattoo on the others but didn't want to make the assumption until he was sure. He's sure now, what are the chances of a murderer happening to only find sa victims? He's clearly targeting them which means he either has a vendetta against someone he's previously raped or he has a vendetta against all of them.
He looks up once he's spoken, everyone's eyes on him making him want to shrivel away but he continues to look straight.
Barty's smiling, sliding over a £10 note to evan and evan placing it in his pocket.
"That is a good point" Dorcas says. She hasn't spoken much, regulus doesn't know how to feel about her. Though she seems to just stay to herself, except for that marlene girl, and focus on her work so she can't be too bad.
James is annoying, to say the least.
Well he's not, he's just a lot. Regulus eyed the way he charmed over the officer at the scene, saw the way his smile didn't crease his eyes or reach his ears. Saw how fake it was and how it was all simply just an act.
It was a ridiculously good act as well, he almost missed it. Assuming james was just unbothered by the death of the women and trying to get a possible number.
Everyone else seemed to either not notice or ignore it so he did the same, scanning around for any clues or mistakes the unsub could've made. To his disappointment he was left empty handed.
Until he noticed the tattoos, blood running cold and somehow still thrumming with anticipation. This is a link, a connection. Meaning they all had to be in something the same, meaning they were a step closer to finding their murderer.
They send the information through to peter, who stayed at the bau in londen, waiting for him to pull up all the women's records of possible mental institutions or filed sexual assault allegations involving them.
In that time, regulus has some visitors. Barty perches himself on the table in-front of where regulus is sat, smiling down at him with a look regulus doesn't even want to know about.
"So you're who they chose to replace frank," he gives regulus a once over, smirk never leaving his face. "interesting choice"
Regulus doesn't even know what to take from that, choosing to just snarl at him and barty puts his hands up in surrender with a laugh.
"Kidding, god. Anyways, just wanted to check out the newbie." Barty says, tongue flicking to the two piercings imbedded in his lips. Surprising that they're allowed, to be honest.
"Seems your not as much deadweight as i thought, with your little..idea over there"
He gestures wildly with his hands and regulus can pick up the small tattoo on his inner wrist, 'Jr' written in black scratchy ink.
"Are you done?" Regulus asks, though it's more rhetorical than an actual question.
That earns him another laugh and regulus wants to bash his head through the wall.
"Baby blacks got teeth" he reply's, snapping his teeth at regulus and laughing again.
Thankfully, before a murder is committed in the middle of a police station, barty leaves in search of evan.
Barty and evan, regulus can't figure out what's going on with them. They flirt, a lot. Constantly all over eachother and yet no one speaks of it. It's frowned upon to date co workers, no? Though remus doesn't seem to be bothered when they look 5 seconds away from a heated make out session.
Whatever. As long as they don't bother him it's not his business.
Said remus turns from the board with a sigh, rubbing at his eyes. He hadn't even realised what time it was, looking down at his watch and seeing it almost hitting 12.
"Alright, that's enough for today. Everyone pack up and meet at the garage in 10" Remus says before walking out, everyone immediately starting to put away their stuff.
Regulus takes the file with him as well.
He doesn't tend to sleep well on the first night at a place he's unfamiliar with anyways so may as well find something better to do rather then staring blankly at the wall.
They do all meet in the garage eventually, waiting on james and marlene as they race out the elevator to the car and then both look like kicked puppies when remus scolds them.
Regulus is put in a car with sirius, barty, james and dorcas. Evan, marlene and remus driving in a separate car to the hotel.
Luckily they chose dorcas to drive, he fears they wouldn't make it if the others did.
Though at the moment a crash sounds pleasant as he sits in between james and sirius, them bolting out gorillaz at the top of their lungs. Barty joins along, nodding his head vigorously to the beat and dorcas just looks forward and drives. He catches her eye in the rear view mirror and she gives him a 'what can you do' shrug.
Regulus has decided he likes dorcas.
They get to the hotel around the same time as the others, all bustling inside as an escape from the October wind.
Once they're at the desk they get their keys.
They're given 4 keys. 4 rooms. 8 people.
Oh for fucks sa-