Aftermath
Regulus felt empty when he woke up, alone and splayed across his bed. His clothes felt tight against his skin, not the loose clothing he usually slept in. He sat up in the bed, looking in the tall mirror standing against the wall. He was still wearing his black crop-top and jeans that he had been wearing last night. His curls were lopsided, leaning almost entirely to the left side of his head. There were dark bags under his eyes, matching the exhausted expression on his face.
Right.
Regulus reached to the nightstand, snatching at his phone. There were dozens of texts from their band group chat, creatively titled ‘Gay Bitches From Hell’. The title was new, but it wasn’t particularly uncommon for them (mostly Barty) to change the group chat name, completely at random.
7:48
Regulus: Hi.
Barty Bitch: oml hes alive
Barty Bitch: good morning bitch
Barty Bitch: where tf were you last night?????
Barty Bitch: Evan and i were knocking on ur door for TWENTY FUCKING MINUTES
Regulus: I was out with someone. Can you guys come over to my room?
Annoying Roommate: I just woke up wth
Annoying Roommate: What’s wrong Reggie?
Regulus: Nothing’s wrong.
Regulus: Can you guys come over?
Panda: All of us?
Regulus: All of you.
Panda: Aww but I was sleeping :(
Panda: But okay <3
The Lesbian: I’ll be over in ten
The Lesbian: You want pastries? I’m getting coffee rn
Barty Bitch: yes pls!!!!!!!!!! Something salty
Annoying Roommate: Thanks Cas. Croissant please
Panda: Something with fruit<33
Panda: And a london fog, please
The Lesbian: Will do
The Lesbian: And an apple danish for you Reg?
Regulus: ...
Regulus: Yes. Thank you.
Regulus: Be here soon.
If there was one thing that Regulus liked about this hotel, it was the tea bags he found in the cabinet of the little kitchenette. He made himself some chai tea while he waited for his friends to arrive. About five minutes after he had texted the group chat, he heard furious knocking at his door.
“Regulus!” Barty’s muffled voice came through the door. Regulus set down his tea on the granite countertop before going to open the door.
“Hi,” Regulus said, swinging the door open. “Come in.” Regulus turned, going to pick his tea back up. He didn’t like the mug very much, but the tea made him feel calm.
“What’s up?” Evan asked, sitting down on the bed. Barty sat down next to him, gesturing for Regulus to sit with them.
“Um, can we wait for the others?” Regulus asked, shifting his grip on the white mug in his hands. “I just… I don’t know. I’m not sure how I feel right now. Um, something kind of weird happened.”
Barty’s gaze turned dark, unfocused. His fists were clenched at his sides, trembling violently. Evan looked calmer, more still, but there was something in his eyes, a burning. He looked fucking furious. Regulus just stared uncomfortably into his mug.
“Regulus,” Evan said softly. “Did… did something happen to you? Last night, when we couldn’t reach you?”
Regulus looked at him and shook his head. “No. Well, something sort of happened, but-”
“Did someone hurt you, Regulus?” Barty said furiously. It didn’t quite sound like a question.
Regulus shook his head. “No. No one hurt me. Just… please just wait until Pandora and Dorcas are here. I promise I’ll explain.”
Barty stilled for a moment, before nodding. He didn’t look any less furious. “Okay, Reg. Okay.”
They waited in silence until Dorcas arrived, carrying a bag of pastries. She was followed by Pandora, walking lightly as she sipped at her London Fog.
“Hi, Reggie,” Pandora said, giving Regulus a kiss on the cheek before sitting down on the bed next to Evan, who wrapped an affectionate arm around his sister. Dorcas passed around the requested pastries before stopping in front of Regulus, embracing him.
“Hey, Reg,” Dorcas said, pulling away to hand him his danish, wrapped in parchment paper. Regulus pulled back the parchment and took a small bite. He then rewrapped it and set it down on the counter.
“Regulus,” Barty said, that furious darkness still burning in his eyes.
“I know, I know,” Regulus said, looking out at his concerned looking friends. He supposed he hadn’t done much to ease their worrying. They didn’t have anything to be concerned about after all, it was just a date, just a kiss. But that alone was enough to scare Regulus. “So, um, last night I went on a date with a guy. He took me to a bar and we had some drinks, did some karaoke-”
“Who was the guy, Reg?” Barty asked quietly.
“What?”
“Who was the guy?” Barty repeated darkly. Regulus understood his concern, and the anxiety behind the question. Regulus hadn’t had the best luck with dating and many of the men he went out with had trouble respecting his boundaries. But James didn’t. James was kind, and respectful, and Barty had no reason to worry.
Regulus took a deep breath before saying, “James Potter.”
He could see anger flash through Barty’s eyes as the other man moved to stand up.
“Barty, no,” Evan muttered, pulling Barty gently back into his seat.
“What the fuck were you thinking, Regulus?” Barty asked angrily. “That asshole- you hate him! You always have! Did he force you? Did he take advantage of you-”
“No,” Regulus said coldly, moving forward. “Barty, stop. He was kind, and respectful, and all he did was kiss me goodnight.”
“He kissed you?” Barty asked, sounding horrified. “Did you give him consent-”
“For fucks sake, Barty, I kissed him first!”
The room was met with a sudden silence. Regulus finally was able to breathe. Barty looked shocked, but the tight, enraged expression slowly faded from his face. Suddenly, Barty stood up, hugging Regulus tightly.
“You couldn’t have just told me that?” Barty asked, crying slightly. Regulus chuckled, patting his friend on the back.
“I still don’t know how I feel about it,” Regulus said, leaning into Barty’s shoulder. “I should hate him, right? I was supposed to hate him. I did hate him.”
Dorcas placed a hand on Regulus’s shoulder. “You don’t have to know what to feel. If you like him, you like him. If you hate him, then he can fuck off out of your life.” Dorcas cracked him a smile. “Hell, we’ll make him fuck off, if that’s what you want.” Regulus shook his head.
“The weird thing is that I don’t want him to leave. That’s weird right?” Regulus said, chuckling a little sadly. Pandora shook her head.
“I don’t think it’s weird. I thought this would happen,” Pandora said with a daydreamy smile. “That’s why I wanted you to sit next to him on the plane.”
Regulus turned to her. “What?”
Pandora cocked her head to the side, staring at him with those startling blue eyes. “He seemed nice. I thought you’d like him.”
Regulus looked at her questioningly. “You thought I’d like the man that I constantly tell you about hating. Because you thought he seemed nice.” She nodded sweetly.
“Well I wasn’t wrong, was I? You two are a good match,” she said, smiling. Regulus chuckled.
“I wouldn’t say that,” Regulus said. “We’re absolute shit together. I’m a mess around him.”
Evan grinned. “Aw, cute. Everyone, our little Reggie has a crush on James Potter!”
Regulus glared at him. “Shut up, Evan.” Evan just chuckled.
“So,” Dorcas said. “Are you and James dating now?”
Regulus shrugged. “I guess. I don’t know. I think so?”
Barty looked at him, with a somewhat joking expression. “If he hurts you, can I kill him?” Regulus shook his head.
“He wouldn’t hurt me. He’s not the type.”
“But what if he does?”
“He won’t.”
“But what if he-”
“Barty.”
Barty chuckled as Evan chucked a pillow at his head, evidently trying to end the conversation. Maybe it was for Regulus’s sake, avoiding the protective best friend routine, at least for the moment.
Dorcas cleared her throat. “So, um, I hate to break the emotional moment, but we have a rehearsal to get to.”
Evan turned to her and nodded. “Right. Um, Reg, you want Barty and I to stay here and help you get ready? Cas, Panda, you two can head to rehearsal.”
“No, no,” Regulus said. “You guys can head to rehearsal. I’ll be ready in ten minutes.”
Evan nodded. “Yeah, okay, Reg. You actually have to hurry though. The Marauders’ agent is getting pissed at you for being late all the time.”
Regulus nodded before receiving hugs from both Barty and Pandora, who kissed Regulus on the cheek. Evan just waved goodbye, and Dorcas clapped him on the back, saying a happy goodbye before they left together.
Regulus liked to perform. He had liked it all his life. He liked being looked at with awe, and respect. If he had a psychologist, they would probably tell him that it was a reaction to his parents’ lack of affection towards him. To him, it wasn’t important what caused it. Nothing would change the joy it brought him to stand on a stage and sing his heart out.
Regulus stood just off stage, breathing deeply. The venue was thankfully warm enough for him to get away with the fishnet top and painted on leggings he had chosen out. Diamonds of his skin were visible through the netting, and his tattoos were on display. He rubbed at the flowers tattooed onto his left shoulder. Two Narcissus flowers, intertwined by the stem, one filled in with black ink, the other just an outline.
“Hey, Cissa,” he whispered into the void. He often did this before concerts, as though reaching out for help. Narcissa had been his favorite cousin his whole childhood. She was there at his first performance, and even though he never wanted to see her again, it made him feel comforted to think she was still there with him. “I miss you, y’know. Watch over me. Let this go well.” Regulus paused for a moment, breathing in deeply, before whispering, “Thank you.”
Regulus suddenly dropped his hand from his shoulder, hearing his cue. He plastered on a rockstar smile, walking out onto the stage.
“Hello, Ontario!” He yelled, followed by his friends. He watched out of the corner of his eye as Barty picked up his guitar. “The Marauders will be here in a couple minutes, but for now, we are Serpentine!”
“When we were young we were the ones
The kings and queens oh yeah, we ruled the world
We smoked cigarettes, man, no regrets
Wish I could relive every single word”
Regulus walked to Barty’s side as he sang, bumping shoulders with his best friend. Pandora was smiling softly. This was her favorite song, just for the emotion and love in the words.
“We've taken different paths
And traveled different roads
I know we'll always end up on the same one when we're old
And when you're in the trenches
And you're under fire I will cover you”
Regulus looked out at the audience, singing with all the emotion and affection he could muster. Evan and Barty, they were his world, his safety, the only thing he could count on. When his mother got angry, or his father got drunk, they were his safety, his lifeline. And when Regulus was disowned, Evan opened his door to him. Barty would’ve done the same if he could’ve. He knew that.
“If I was dying on my knees
You would be the one to rescue me
And if you were drowned at sea
I'd give you my lungs so you could breathe”
Regulus pressed two fingers to the tattoo of the snake, curling around his right shoulder. His fingers found the spot where all his bandmates’ initials were hidden in the ink. He had gotten it two weeks after he left home. They weren’t the first in the pattern, but they were the first that he had been proud to show.
“I've got you brother-er-er-er
I've got you brother-er-er-er
I've got you brother-er-er-er
I've got you brother-er-er-er”
Regulus smiled at Barty, removing his fingers from the tattoo to bump shoulders with Barty.
“Oh brother, we'll go deeper than the ink
Beneath the skin of our tattoos
Though we don't share the same blood
You're my brother and I love you that's the truth
We're living different lives
Heaven only knows
If we'll make it back with all our fingers and our toes
Five years, twenty years, come back
It will always be the same”
Barty leaned into the microphone to sing the second chorus with him.
“If I was dying on my knees
You would be the one to rescue me
And if you were drowned at sea
I'd give you my lungs so you could breathe
I've got you brother-er-er-er
I've got you brother-er-er-er”
Regulus grinned as he pulled away from the microphone, letting Barty sing this line on his own. His voice was deeper than Regulus’s, though not by much, as he belted out into the crowd.
“And if we hit on troubled water
I'll be the one to keep you warm and safe”
Regulus leaned in for the second part of the bridge to sing with Barty.
“And we'll be carrying each other
Until we say goodbye on our dying day”
Barty made eye contact with him, grinning as they sang the last few lines of the song, together.
“Because I've got you brother-er-er-er
I've got you brother-er-er-er
I've got you brother-er-er-er
I've got you brother-er-er-er
If I was dying on my knees
You would be the one to rescue me
And if you were drowned at sea
I'd give you my lungs so you could breathe
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
I've got you brother-er-er-er
I've got you brother-er-er-er”
Regulus breathed out, grinning, as he was met with roaring applause from the audience. He hugged Barty quickly, before walking into the middle of the stage. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw James watching him, awestruck. Regulus grinned.
“Thank you, Ontario! We appreciate it!” Regulus said into the mic, raising a hand to wave out at the audience. “We’ve got a couple more songs before the Marauders come out, so sit tight, and enjoy the music!”
After they ran through the last few songs on their list for the night, Serpentine walked off stage, waving happily at the audience. Regulus bumped into James’s shoulder with a smirk as he walked into the side of the stage.
“Good luck,” he whispered, as he walked further from the stage. James glanced at him, smiling warmly before walking onto the stage, grinning.
Regulus stayed for the show this time. He watched his brother sing, and he watched James sing, and he watched how they engaged with the audience. They were good. They were really, really good. He hadn’t expected that. James’s hands danced over the strings of his bright red guitar, and he looked beautiful, show lights shining onto brown skin. Sweat formed on his brow, glistening on his skin as he grinned. The show was long, two or three hours, and James never stopped grinning throughout it.
Once the show ended, and the Marauders were met with their final round of applause from their audience, James walked towards him, off the stage. He ran a hand through his messy, jet-black hair with a grin.
“Hey, love,” James murmured, wrapping a hand around his waist. “Like the show?”
Regulus smirked. “It was good, I guess. You were lovely.”
James beamed. “So were you. Absolutely gorgeous. Did you know how beautiful you look when you sing?”
Regulus felt his cheeks flush. “Trust me, I know, but maybe you should remind me more often.”
James chuckled. Regulus only smiled and kissed him softly on the lips.
“My room?” Regulus asked, leaned in close to James. He could feel his breath on his face.
“Sure, love,” James said softly. Regulus smiled and took his hand, gently tugging him out of the venue.