Unprecedented
Regulus finally got a break, just when he was about to give up hope.
He crested the hill, emerging into the clearing, eyes sliding over the bench that he’d grown used to seeing empty—only this time, it wasn’t. He did a double take so quickly that he felt his neck crick.
“Ah, shit!” he muttered, massaging it with the pads of his fingers and trying for nonchalance.
There, sitting on the bench, eyes closed against the streaming light, was The Sunshine Boy, as Regulus had grown to think of him. Regulus paused a moment, allowing himself the chance to slow his breathing. He had gotten into better shape over the past few weeks, coming to think of the hiking trail as a respite from the insanity of a constant onslaught of bad news.
Regulus closed his eyes, took a steadying breath, and then walked across the clearing. His boots left a trail behind him in the overgrown grass, streaks of green following his path up to this pivotal moment. He slid on his mask, the comfort of a disguise falling into place.
“Hello,” he said, wincing slightly at the poshness of his voice. “Do you mind if I sit here?”
The Sunshine Boy’s eyes flew open, and he broke into a smile that made Regulus somewhat dizzy.
“Hey! It’s you again!”
Sunshine slid over eagerly, tugging his own sunshine mask back on—probably for the better, because Regulus certainly wouldn’t be able to concentrate if he was facing that blinding smile. It made him feel stupid, and he did not like feeling stupid. He sank down on somewhat shaky knees.
“So, I see you couldn’t stay away,” Sunshine said.
Regulus flushed—had he been so bloody obvious?
“Well, I—”
“Have you been doing a lot of hiking then?” Sunshine said, glancing down at Regulus’s boots, which were, admittedly, much more comfortable (he had taken Sirius’s suggestion about the oil, and bought liner socks and mole skin as well) and much less aesthetic.
“Yes, I have,” Regulus confessed. “Thank you for the suggestions.”
Sunshine’s eyes crinkled, and Regulus knew he was sharing that dazzling smile behind his mask. He felt himself smile in response, which was startling—he was not the sort who smiled easily.
“How have you been?” Sunshine asked.
“All right,” Regulus responded, fiddling with a loose thread at the hem of his shirt. “Much of the same, really.”
“It is getting a bit repetitive, isn’t it?”
“You’ve no idea. I picked an absolutely horrid time to move to a new town.”
Sunshine’s eyebrows dipped in the middle, a revelation settling there in his gentle eyes (golden brown, and lovely in the sunlight, Regulus admired).
“That’s awful,” he said.
“Well, it’s certainly not great.”
“Hey! Tell ya what,” Sunshine said, sitting up and snapping his fingers. “Let me give you my number, and then if you get bored and want to meet up for, I don’t know, a hike or a cup of coffee or something, or you just need to talk to someone before you go mad, you can talk to me.”
Regulus’s heart thudded in his chest.
“You want to give me your phone number and I don’t even know your name?” he said slowly.
“Oh geeze,” the other said, bringing his palm to his forehead. “That would help. I’m James.”
James. Such a simple name for someone who seemed so big, so magical—but it also suited him.
“Hello, James,” Regulus said formally. “It’s nice to officially meet you. I’m Regulus.”
Something flashed behind James’s eyes momentarily, but Regulus was used to people puzzling over his name, wondering if they had misheard somehow. He had lucked out compared to Sirius, who got a lot of “You don’t seem very Serious” jokes. Regulus might have killed them if he had to endure that.
James took Regulus’s proffered phone, plugging his number into it and then sending himself a text.
“Now I’ve got yours too,” he winked. “So what have you been doing to keep yourself occupied?”
“Well, reading a good bit. I got a puppy…”
“You got a puppy?!” James all but squealed, his eyes practically filled with hearts like he was a cartoon.
Regulus grinned.
“I did. Here.”
Regulus scrolled through his camera roll for a moment, offering a photo of Cosmic rushing past, one of Regulus’s shirts clutched in his mouth, barely more than a blur. He slid over to the next one, a close up of the puppy nestled into the crook of Regulus’s arm, sleeping. One more, looking up at Regulus with giant brown eyes.
“Oh. My. God.” James said. “That is unnecessarily adorable.”
“It is,” Regulus nodded. “I never fancied myself a dog person—or really a pet person—but then I got one, and here we are, buying him little shirts and toys at every opportunity.”
James laughed—it was warm, rich, and Regulus relished in it. They chatted a bit longer, touching lightly on music, movies, and James’s new obsession with baking, until the shadows began to grow long through the trees and Regulus remembered he still needed to hike back to his car.
“I know you probably live in this shoddy little cabin and can stay here all night, but I really must be going,” Regulus said as he rose.
James laughed again, and Regulus was pleased to have been the reason for it.
“Best be off then,” he said again.
James raised an arm to his forehead, a jaunty salute. Regulus couldn’t help noticing that he had rather nice forearms.
“I will see you soon,” James promised.
Regulus nodded.
“Be well,” James said, his eyes focused on Regulus.
Regulus practically floated back to his car.
*****
Regulus slid back into the bath. It was a far cry from the claw foot tub he was used to before he moved to this tiny place, but it still did the job. He’d taken to enjoying a bath every so often; something about the ritual of it made Regulus feel like he was practicing self-care, and that, in and of itself, settled his anxious mind temporarily. He would light a candle (today’s was a leftover from Christmas, juniper and pine and cashmere (whatever the fuck that smelled like)) and pour in an absurd amount of lavender and eucalyptus bath salts, filling the tub with scalding water that turned his pale ivory skin an angry shade of red.
Usually, Regulus was able to relax his mind, closing his eyes in the candlelight and only focusing on the sensations at hand—an exercise in mindfulness.
Today, though, no such luck.
His aching muscles protested, unwinding in the soothing heat of the water. This led his mind to think of the reason for their ache—all the hiking he had been doing. From there, he thought of the reason for the hiking. An easy presence, dark hair waving slightly over a bronzed forehead, the glint of golden glasses, friendly golden brown eyes, a laugh that filled Regulus up from the inside…
It was hardly a jump from there to those forearms—it should be illegal to wear short sleeves in public if your arms looked that good. Regulus imagined how it would feel to be held in those arms, to feel the rumble of James’s voice through his chest, to run his hands through that hair, learning that his mouth was as lovely as the rest of him.
Regulus’s imagination did the rest as he leaned his head against the wall, taking himself in hand and visualizing James’s mouth on him. He was not even embarrassed as he went over the edge, imagining James and calling his name into the candlelit bath.
*****
After showering quickly to clean up, Regulus wrapped himself in his coziest outsized sweats, put on his glasses, and made his way down to the couch, book in hand. Cosmic curled up between his legs and he opened War & Peace, but found himself reading the same paragraph several times, unable to stop thinking about James. He threw his head back, groaning. Cosmic lifted his head in concern, climbing up Regulus’s chest to lick his face and knock his glasses askew in the process.
“I’m fine, really,” Regulus said, patting the dog’s little head.
On the cushion beside him, his phone lit up, indicating another FaceTime call from Sirius. Regulus heaved himself forward, straightening out his glasses as he answered the call.
“Reggie!” Sirius’s voice boomed. “Skincare Sunday tomorrow?”
“You know, I could just as easily do my skincare at home.”
“Snuffles is lonely. You need to bring Cosmic Creepers by so that he gets socialized and isn’t an uncivil, antisocial little brute like you.”
Regulus rolled his eyes.
“Cosmic gets socialization at his puppy classes,” Regulus protested.
“Remus is making ramen,” Sirius said, wiggling his eyebrows. “With extra soy eggs.”
Regulus smiled in spite of himself.
“Very well then, we’ll be there.”
“Thank God,” Sirius said. “You’re giving us a reason to take a night off from DoorDashing.”
*****
Regulus had gotten through a couple of chapters when he noticed his phone light up with a new message. Regulus nearly dropped his phone.
James: The Westminster Dog show is on. Just thought I’d let you know, since you’re a dog lover now.
Regulus laughed out loud.
What channel?
James’s response was almost immediate.
James: It’s on ESPN.
The sports world must be desperate, Regulus replied.
James: It’s from two years ago. I’ve gotten quite sucked in, though—Fifi the Pomeranian stands a chance.
Her name is not Fifi, Regulus typed back, aghast.
James: Turn it on and see for yourself!
Regulus was unable to stop smiling, and he turned on his rarely-used television. The dog in question was indeed named Fifi. Soon Regulus got sucked in to watching the dog show—something he had never once done in his life—and texting back and forth with James the entire time.
James: Jennie looks like she is on the prowl.
Regulus assessed the Afghan Hound being led in a trot by her owner.
She’s recently divorced, hasn’t been out there since the 1980s, and missed that the hairstyles have changed drastically since then, he wrote, giggling to himself.
James: She probably sings Def Leppard songs at weekly karaoke and wears leopard print.
Regulus cackled. Yes, and different leopard patterns at that—at the same time.
Talk about unprecedented times.
Regulus never would have predicted that he would be sitting on his sofa in a new town, watching the bloody dogshow of all things, and texting with a handsome stranger he met onahike. The whole thing sounded rather a lot like a dream: “I was flying through space on a piece of toast, and then suddenly I was on a hike, and a man with a sunshine mask was there and we watched the dog show together.” He shook his head at himself.
Even before lockdown, Regulus was content—keen, even—to do his own thing. Back home, he’d had Barty, Evan, and Pandora, and now he had Sirius and Remus. That was generally okay, and he had accepted his lot in life was to just be. But now his mind was wandering at a rate far too fast for the rest of him to keep up with, creating a place where there could be more. It made the air feel sweeter, somehow, filled with possibilities.
*****
The next day, Regulus arrived at his brother’s house laden with skincare products, a squirming puppy, and a tray of brownies.
“Come on in!” Sirius smiled, holding back Snuffles, who was trying with all his might to reach into Regulus’s arms and pluck Cosmic Creepers from his grasp. Considering that Snuffles was an Irish Wolfhound, this was mildly alarming to Regulus.
“Snuffles, come here!” Remus called from somewhere within the house, and Snuffles bounded away.
Cosmic thrashed against Regulus, swinging his head around to smack him in the chin, causing Regulus to bite his lip.
“Fuck!” he hissed.
“Here, let me,” Sirius took the squirming puppy, unclipped the collar, and set him down to trot after Snuffles.
Regulus stumbled over the threshold, still holding a hand to his lip and gripping his bag and the tray of brownies in the other.
“Am I bleeding?”
“Let me see,” Sirius stepped up to him, assessing. “No, you drama queen, you’re fine.”
“Well no thanks to your bloody dog,” Regulus snapped.
They went through to the kitchen, where the dogs were wrestling across the floor. Snuffles was crouched down, barely lifting his paws to Cosmic, who was whipping over and around the larger dog’s head. The size difference was comical, and they laughed, all tension diffused.
Regulus and Sirius sat together at the table, going over wedding plans whilst wearing gold eye masks (Remus declined, insisting that the pot of ramen he was preparing was giving him enough of a facial).
“Have you heard back from the venue yet?” Regulus asked.
“No,” Sirius shook his head. “What are the chances the whole world closes down the day after our food tasting?”
“So you’re just postponed indefinitely?”
“Unfortunately, a lot of it is in limbo right now,” Sirius ran a hand through his hair, biting slightly at his lower lip.
“It’s okay though,” Remus added. “It gives us time to save up to do something we really want, maybe go on a great honeymoon.”
Remus and Sirius had recently discovered food delivery services and had been doing that on the side to make extra money for their wedding and honeymoon. Remus drove, and Sirius did the actual food running/delivering. It was so wholesome it made Regulus sick—or it would have, if he wasn’t a bit jealous of the whole endeavor, the idea of having someone so in your corner that even food delivery seemed fun.
It wasn’t as if they’d had a choice. Both brothers had left their family behind, unwilling to stay in their fucked up household a moment longer than was strictly necessary. Sirius had used the money from Uncle Alphard to send himself and then Regulus to college, and there hadn’t been much else left over after that.
Remus wasn’t exactly rolling in cash, either, so they were making the best life they could with one another, but they were happy. Regulus and Sirius knew, perhaps better than most, that wealth was not always a monetary thing, that being wealthy in love and happiness was vastly superior. The funds were still necessary for some things, though, and with Remus laid off indefinitely due to the pandemic, they were uncertain how long unemployment would last. Regulus was thankful, then, for his editing gig, for being able to work from home without fear of losing his job.
Over dinner—which was fantastic, and Remus had ensured each of them got three soy eggs, which Regulus ate greedily—talk turned to the news.
“Did you hear they’re working on a vaccine?” Remus asked.
“That sounds both exciting and worrisome,” Regulus said.
“Yes, it’s not like people are really taking it seriously,” Sirius ranted. “If they would have just agreed to stay home for two weeks and given it a chance to dissipate, maybe we could have curbed this thing instead of watching the death toll get higher every day.”
“Do you have any idea how often I see people leave a public restroom without washing their hands?” Regulus asked. “People don’t care.”
“I bet you actually sing ‘Happy Birthday’ when you wash your hands,” Sirius teased.
“I do not SING it!” Regulus said indignantly. “And anyway, you don’t?”
“’Course not,” Sirius said. “I know how to wash my hands without singing a bloody song. Not five years old, am I?”
Regulus seethed quietly, contemplating tossing a piece of bamboo into his brother’s silky, perfect hair.
“Do shut up,” he said instead. “I’m certain you kept me in your bubble just so you could mock me.”
“I’d never!” Sirius fluttered, pressing a hand to his chest theatrically.
Remus laughed.
“By the way, Reg,” Remus began, “you seem to be doing well.”
“I noticed that too,” Sirius said, giving Regulus a sidelong glance.
“Oh?” Regulus hummed.
“Yes,” Remus said. “You’ve got a bit of a glow.”
“It’s all the skincare, darling, it’s meant to have that effect,” Regulus drawled.
Sirius laughed along with Remus, getting up to clear the table for dessert.
“Have you been hiking?” Remus prompted.
“A bit,” Regulus admitted.
“Your brother and I have booked a campsite for next month,” Remus said.
“You two are going camping?” Regulus raised his brows incredulously.
“You don’t have to say it all like that,” Sirius scoffed. “Remus is quite outdoorsy.”
They were all three quiet, taking in the absolute absurdity of that statement, for in truth, none of them were what one would call “outdoorsy”.
Regulus couldn’t help but think that he, too, had noticed a bit of a glow over the past few days: eyes brighter, spots of color high on his cheeks, a small smile. He barely recognized himself. His mind would wander at various points, conjuring an image of a brown-eyed handsome man with untidy hair and glasses.
He spent the rest of the evening with Sirius and Remus, playing board games and laughing. Regulus and Sirius formed an alliance to take Remus out in Trouble, then nearly overturned the table in their efforts to outdo one another for the win. Remus, eyes wide with alarm, quietly sipped his wine, watching the dogs doze softly beside one another beneath aforementioned table.
Regulus left late, full of brownies and chicken ramen and wine, carrying a potted plant that Sirius had thrust upon him to brighten up his space, and a four pack of toilet paper.
“Pete’s been hoarding toilet paper for months now,” Sirius shrugged. “Figured it can’t hurt to have some extra.”
Regulus stared at him.
*****
It was only later, as Regulus slid between cool cotton sheets and lay staring at the ceiling, that he realized he hadn’t heard from James the entire day.