Love
The doubles at the Indian Wells Masters are different. More fun. At least for Evan and Regulus, since they are the best players in their country and as a duo, they make a tremendous team.
This isn't as fun for those who face them. Obviously.
The Prewett brothers are among the few who give them a tough match in the quarterfinals. The twins had the advantage during the first set, taking advantage of the slow reaction from the French players. However, they completely declined in the second, and the third set was easily a fair and entertaining game.
"I'm so tired. I'm going to sleep for years, damn it!" Evan says as soon as they enter the locker room after the match.
"I know, it's been the longest three and a half hours of my life. It felt so long."
"We have tomorrow to rest while the other round of the round of 8 plays."
"In four days, we play against each other."
Remus interrupts them before Regulus can respond. "And you better start training now if you want a good result, Reg."
"God, Remus, you torture me."
Remus laughs heartily. "I'm kidding. You played a great game today, you too Evan! I just hope Reg beats you in four days."
“Wanna see how he plays against James this time.”
Regulus deliberately ignores their laughter and gets ready to leave the locker room and go rest. Certainly, it has been a tiring match and all he needs is to sleep for the rest of the afternoon and eat something.
As he leaves, he runs into James and Peter, who are on their way to their match. Regulus tries to ignore them completely, without success.
“Hey, Reg!” says James, as cheerful as always. Sometimes, Regulus wonders if there’s anything that can make him shine less. It even makes him angry.
“Potter. Pettigrew.”
“Don’t tell me you lost, love. Why so bitter?”
“I didn’t lose, Potter. Evan and I are the best in this tournament, please. Unlike you, I have reasons to believe I’m the best, without using my ego.”
“So, a bit tired, huh? You’re irritable, but not as much after winning.”
“I’m just tired. Get lost.”
James blows a mocking kiss at Reg as he leaves the place, and Peter gives him an apologetic look. Regulus can only hold back a small giggle.
He knows that in two days, if everything goes well today, Evan and he will play against James and Peter. And then they will be crowned doubles champions, because that's how things work. James and Peter make an awesome team; they both understand their roles and prioritize consistency as a method to win. However, Evan and he are a perfect duo. They know each other’s playing style, every mistake, and most importantly, they go all out, they forgive nothing, and their determination makes them powerful, victorious.
Even so, he is excited to see what surprises this match might bring.
When he gets to the hotel, the first thing he does is throw himself onto his bed, happy to finally have enough time to enjoy it. So he does.
•
James and Peter are well-known rivals. Manageable.
They wouldn't be difficult rivals if it weren't for the aggravating tension between James and Regulus. Doubles matches could even be taken as a hobby, a fun activity that allows you to learn about other players' techniques; but both of them are driven by an overwhelming desire to win, which is the main obstacle. Regulus hates losing and not being in control. James is more spontaneous, but he loves to irritate Regulus, to make him scream in every possible way.
Just like now.
Regulus knows that the journalists will ask him about this later, but he doesn't care because the fucking James Potter just made him lose 30 points. He can't do anything but shout, and the umpire is so scared that he doesn't even issue a warning. Meanwhile, James is having a blast, under the expectant gaze of the crowd, who can begin to sense Regulus's frustration.
Peter serves. And Regulus understands that they need to get their act together. On the return, he makes a good play against James with a strategic wrist maneuver. 15 points.
He leans slightly towards Evan and whispers, “Let me handle the serves. Don’t lose sight of the shots near the net; they’re tired and won’t jump.”
Evan nods. On the next serve, Regulus takes the balls, and his serve is the fastest of the match, receiving a strong ovation. He's angry, which is why the serves are faster and impossible to stop. James watches him attentively and piercingly, but Regulus can only smile smugly.
This is his thing. Intimidation.
He can see Remus sitting in a corner of the stands, with his sunglasses and cap on, as calm as ever. He trusts him. Because he knows they can win; they just need a few adjustments. On the other hand, Sirius, in the stands on the opposite side, being as dramatic as he is, has already lost his patience.
The second set, unfortunately for Evan and Regulus, goes to their opponents. Each pair has a set won; the tiebreaker remains.
When the referee blows the whistle to end the set, Regulus is pissed off. Really pissed off. And since they have to switch sides, he has to pass by James, brushing against his shoulder in an electrifying manner.
James looks at him with the most beautiful eyes in the world, and Regulus can’t help but feel strange because it’s supposed to be in these moments when he should hate him the most. Because they already have their usual meetups to like him a little and pretend that nothing more than that is happening. But this is different. It’s a new feeling opening in his heart that he tries to close immediately, without success.
“Love.”
“Don’t call me that.”
“Don’t be mad at me, love. It’s fun. I haven’t seen you check anything yet,” says James, laughing slightly, trying to erase the bitter expression on his partner’s face.
“If you make an out, you’ll pay for it,” declares Regulus threateningly.
When they reenter the court, the atmosphere is different. Regulus quickly lets Evan know. They both know that the Indian Wells doubles title will be theirs. They just need to strategically break the tie.
Then, Regulus remembers his mother, the receptions she taught him to weaken the opponent, the quick ones that no one ever notices but get ovations. And Walburga Black might have been a million things, but she certainly wasn’t a bad tennis player. So Regulus looks at Evan, and with a slight nod, Evan understands perfectly what he needs to say.
Then, he looks towards where his brother is, who looks at him expectantly, waiting for a reaction. When he stares at him for a few seconds, he knows he’s caught on. Perfectly, in fact, because Sirius can’t hold back from vocalizing a “you fuckin’ bastard,” which makes Regulus smile smugly.
Peter looks terrified of the serve Regulus is about to make, and he can tell. And indeed, it surpasses the previous speed record of the match because he has regained his composure and is determined to win.
And so they do. Soon, the title is theirs. Doubles champions.
•
Playing solo against James is entirely different. It provokes him more.
Tennis is like a relationship. That's what he's thought his whole life, but what James and he have is similar and yet completely different.
Regulus absolutely hated every aspect of James, and he was sure the feeling was mutual. The press didn't help, and the tennis world even less. After the rivalry between the last great player, Frank Longbottom, and one of the Malfoys, the competition kept looking for its next enemies on the court. Regulus was sure that would have made Sirius and James even better friends if they had been the ones to take that title. But it was Regulus who took his brother's place, and then everything turned sour.
He remembers the first times he faced James professionally, after the few times he'd seen him in juniors, when James was a spoiled and pretentious kid who only gave him curious and mocking looks while his friendship with Sirius deepened. In the professionals, he tried to do the same, with his angelic face that fooled everyone but Regulus, but he soon realized Regulus wasn't up for games. Because if Regulus had to make him sweat more in a match, he would. If they were playing for something like honor, Regulus would never make it easy for him.
Even so, the first victories went to the curly-haired one. Because no matter how hard he tried, Regulus didn't have the experience in the hectic world and the pressure it entailed. And his mother was furious most days, and Regulus tried not to think about what he would have to do to find motivation that wasn't fueled by his brother's injury, who no longer even spoke to him.
But that was easy. Because Regulus hated James's pretentious smile. He wanted to wipe it off his face. He wanted to end it. And that was precisely his motivation to knock him off the podium and crown himself champion.
Over time, things have changed a lot. It turns out that a certain part of the hate was unresolved sexual tension, having it all in front of him and not being able to truly have it. Sometimes, Regulus hates himself for that. For finding James as attractive as he is irritating and for having to think of a million ways to contain his urge to make him suffer with pleasure every time he gets close. It's not like he doesn't know James usually feels the same. He knows James wants him as much as he does, which is why this spontaneous idea they had a few years ago is perfect. He would be lying if he said he didn't use that to his advantage more often than necessary.
He wants to win this match. Because it's the final, and if he does, he would break the stupid tradition of James winning Indian Wells, and he also likes seeing people lose money. Plus, he didn't play against Evan for five long hours-because his best friend obviously didn't gift him a pass to the final-just to face James and not make him sigh a little.
That's why he sneaks into his locker room. Because he has a goal to fulfill, and he knows James won't really oppose it. He checks to make sure no one is lurking around and is pleased to see that Remus and Sirius are completely distracted, pretending that both are not fighting and are totally not in love too.
“You know, if you were a spy, you'd have been shot a couple of times or fired from your job by now.”
“Lucky for me I'm a tennis player and not a spy, then.”
James gives him one of those smiles that Regulus likes so much. “What are you doing here?”
“You don't want to see me?” he asks sarcastically, but with a slight pout. “I'll go.”
“No! No, stay. It just surprised me. What's up?”
“Can't I come to see you just because?”
“No, you're always scheming something in your head. What's going on?”
“Nothing. I wanted to come and wish you good luck,” he says with an innocent smile that James looks at incredulously. “You know, I haven't given you what you want in a long time, and you did a great job with Avery, exactly as I asked.”
James looks at him, puzzled. His eyes watch him expectantly, as if waiting for a sudden change in Regulus's attitude, but he has already decided what he wants to do.
“Reg?”
Regulus only has time to brush his lips against James's before he kneels completely, looking up into eyes as confused as they are hungry, eyes he knows very well are about to give in.
“What-“
“Fuck my mouth, James.”
James looks at him as if it's a dream come true. He lightly caresses his cheek and gently tugs at Regulus's curls, pulling his head back even more, looking at him intently. A small smile appears on his face. “Don't think I don't know what you're doing.”
“I don't see you complaining.”
“Oh, I'm not. I'm going to fuck your mouth because I want to, not because it's going to work for you. Because we both know, love, that this match is mine. Just like you are.”
Regulus moans a little at his words, as James runs a finger over his mouth for him to suck.
With the other hand, he lowers his sports shorts, and Regulus can't help but have his mouth water in anticipation, because James's cock drives him crazy.
James's expression softens then, setting aside his mocking tone for a more tender one. “Just give me a sign when you want to stop, I don't want to hurt you.” Regulus can't help but blush a little as he nods.
James is like that. He's a good person, among all the things he is. Regulus has never told him, but he's probably the best person he knows. And over the years, he knows they've grown fond of each other, even if he doesn't like to admit it. James has been asking for his consent since the moment he wanted to touch him for the first time, and Regulus knows that's the least anyone should do, but when James does it, it's different. It makes his chest tighten with his smile, destroying any negative emotion consuming him. Sometimes, Regulus likes to think that James does, in fact, care about him.
Without thinking too much, Regulus takes James's cock in his hands and runs his tongue from the base to the tip, under James's soft moans. Regulus could come just from hearing him.
“Fuck-“ Regulus makes gentle movements, driving James crazy. He knows James hates it when he teases him, but he hasn't forgotten his purpose.
When he finally decides to take him in his mouth, James moans audibly. He feels James grip his curls tighter, pulling his hair as he tries to simulate some gentle thrusts. Regulus can't fit all of James's cock in his mouth; it's simply too much, and just thinking about it makes his eyes water.
Even so, he becomes completely at James's mercy when James opens his eyes and looks at him. “I'm going to destroy you, Regulus Black.” And he hits the back of Regulus's throat, drawing a few tears from him.
“Fuck! You feel so fuckin' good, Reg.” James says as he thrusts harder, directly into his throat. Regulus feels like he could die from just the stimulation, from the grip on his hair, from the giggles mixed with moans. “God, you're so beautiful. Taking me all with your mouth. Because you feel so fuckin' empty without me, don't you? Good boy.”
Regulus cries as the pain mixes with pleasure, and he can only look at James while he destroys his mouth with his cock. It's an image James needs for the rest of his life. He comes just from seeing Regulus with his beautiful tearful gray eyes, his cheeks fully flushed, and his lips smeared with saliva and pre-cum. Regulus swallows it all, like the good boy he is.
James gently wipes the tears from Regulus's face, and Regulus feels like he might cry again. He helps him up and gives him a soft kiss on the lips before smiling smugly. “You know, love, I have a feeling that your little good luck act is on my side. Just like you.” Regulus gives him a weary look, to which James responds by widening his smile even more. “I'll win that trophy for you.”
In the end, the result of the match is inevitable. Regulus hates and loves James with his trophy and the arm around his waist, which the press doesn't miss.
•
James traces light caresses along his bare back. It's a sort of ritual he's adopted on the occasions when Regulus stays a while after sex.
Sex with his favorite person is great, god, it's spectacular all the time. It's just that there's something about the situation he doesn't like. The pain that grows in his chest when James tells him something he doesn't need to know but does anyway, or when he feels the awful urge to tell James everything, knowing he would listen, and still not doing it for fear of rejection.
Regulus knew what he was getting into from the moment he and James decided this might be a good idea. It really made sense. And Regulus promised himself it would just be this and nothing more, that he wouldn't risk his feelings or James's. Even so, he understands that both of them are aware that if there's a misstep, this could end very badly; but they choose to ignore that most of the time, because it's not easy to talk about. Even though it consumes his thoughts all the time.
Then there's also the matter of Las Vegas. The concentration of athletes that will happen in a few days, which he doesn’t want to attend because he knows much of his family will be there. He doesn’t like receiving useless reprimands considering he’s ranked number one in the world in tennis, but that won’t matter to his family if they think he needs to perfect something else.
He knows Sirius doesn’t want to go either. Partly for the same reason, although it’s one of the few occasions they get to see Andy and her family, because tournaments and personal matters keep them busy the rest of the year.
As for Remus, he doesn’t want to go either, because it means reuniting with a million ‘friends’ he simply doesn’t want to see. Regulus knows it's a perfect opportunity for Sirius and Remus to get too drunk and do something silly, confessing they’re crazy about each other, but Remus doesn’t seem to pick up on his fairly obvious hints.
But, in the end, it's only a matter of time before someone from his press team comes out to demand his presence, to improve his damn public image or to keep him relevant in sports columns. Regulus thinks it’s a useless strategy, as they’re not going to stop writing about him, obviously.
“Roger is an idiot, he only cares about the money.”
“He's a journalist, Reg, he wants to get paid. But what he does most in his day-to-day is try to save your ass.”
“Well, he does nothing then.”
James laughs because he knows it’s a lie. Roger might be an idiot, but at least his work, unlike others, doesn’t go against Regulus. “Yeah, well, have you forgotten the time we almost got caught at Wimbledon?”
“Your fault.”
“And in Paris?”
“Mine, but you caused it.”
“Sure. Turns out I was the one who started riding the other in the limo. Funny.”
“You didn’t oppose it.”
“How could I?”
Regulus blushes quite a bit at the response. James drives him crazy, for better and for worse. He feels a bit bad when, after the great sex they have or the conversations they share, he realizes they don't have a relationship. And that he can't go around proclaiming that James is his when he certainly isn't, no matter how much he'd like that. He doesn't allow himself to think that way about his lover because, at the end of the day, this is probably all they'll ever have. He prefers not to talk about it so he doesn't think about it too much and get upset.
So, he gets up slightly from the bed and heads to the bathroom to find something to put on and start heading to his room. He puts on some small shorts and, feeling a bit down from the previous thought, grabs and throws on one of James's red hoodies.
When he comes out, the sight of James on the bed is glorious. He almost wants to jump on him and never leave, but he convinces himself that this is for the best. Not getting even more attached to his person, just in case James soon finds someone he prefers over Regulus and decides to end this. Regulus can't even bear the thought of seeing James commit to someone else.
But before he can say goodbye, James speaks up and leaves him speechless. “Come to Las Vegas with me, love.”