Normal
The next location on the tour was Washington D.C., close enough where it felt completely unnecessary to take a plane. Instead, Barty rented a van and decided to drive the members of Serpentine, while instruments would be carried in the plane. Pandora decided to label this a ‘road trip’, according to Regulus. James was a little disappointed that he wouldn’t get to spend more time with his boyfriend.
James didn’t mind taking the plane with the rest of the band, and Peter, but it felt a little… lacking without Regulus, with his music, and his small smiles, and his warmth as he leaned on James’s shoulder. At least it was a short ride, and he got a chance to work on the song he had started writing. Seeing the way Regulus wrote his lyrics so fervently really inspired him.
When the plane landed, James helped unload instruments. Then he rented a car for the sake of less awkward, cramped Uber drives.Then he went with Sirius and Remus to the local McDonalds for a late-night burger. Then he dropped Remus and Sirius at a hotel that was suspiciously not theirs, though James was too tired to question it. Finally, at a little before one in the morning, he arrived outside of Regulus’s hotel room, suitcase behind him. He didn’t see the point in using his own room again. He usually slept in Regulus’s anyway.
He raised his hand, pressing his knuckles against the wood, but he couldn’t seem to find the energy to pull back and knock. He leaned forward and sighed, pressing his forehead against the cold wood of the door. He heard a knock from the other side of the door, felt it vibrate against his skull.
“James?” he heard, slightly muffled through the door. Regulus sounded groggy, half-asleep.
“Hi, Reggie. Missed you,” James mumbled in response. He wasn’t sure if Regulus could hear him through the door.
“Do you… want to come in?” Regulus asked after a minute. James hummed in agreement, stepping away as Regulus slowly creaked the door open. He was wearing James’s shirt again, his curls falling against his neck. “Hi.”
James stepped forward, slumping down onto Regulus’s shoulder. He heard Regulus hum softly, brushing his lips against the side of James’s head.
“Missed you,” James mumbled into Regulus’s shoulder. In turn, Regulus raised a hand to stroke James’s hair.
“I know. I missed you too,” he said. He sounded so sweet and sleepy. “Come in. Shower. Then we can get some sleep. Together.”
James hummed in agreement, letting Regulus pull him into the room. He glanced back at James with the sweetest smile. James loved when he smiled like that. He was so cute, so pretty, the concept of beauty personified. James was half sure in his exhausted state that Regulus was a godly being, divinity on earth, and James was devoted, laying at the altar of his unearthly beauty. The affection he felt for this man had no end. He would do anything for him, without a doubt in his mind.
“I’ll take your suitcase,” Regulus said softly. “You just go shower.” Regulus gently pulled the suitcase from James’s grip, laying it down on the floor, unzipping it. He pulled out a t-shirt and joggers. “Here. Go shower.” James bent down and kissed him softly before going off to the bathroom.
He sat in the bathroom, waiting for his shower to heat up. He could hear Regulus shuffling around the room through the door, over the roar of the water. It reminded him that he wasn’t alone there. He was with Regulus. That made him smile softly, fondly.
James never told anyone other than Sirius how much he hated being alone. He had his own apartment, sure, and it was stocked with his things, but he spent most of his time at Sirius and Remus’s. There was something so dead about being alone, something quiet and rotting. The quiet always seemed to burn into him uncomfortably, leaving him restless and fidgety and unfocused. He supposed that was why it was so important to him that he made people happy, why he put every waking moment into making sure people liked him. He couldn’t stand the thought of being alone.
Regulus was different though. He still put so much thought into making Regulus smile, into making him happy, but he didn’t worry about Regulus leaving him alone. Regulus just seemed happy to have him around, and that was enough. He still hadn’t said that he loved James, but that was okay. He didn’t need him to love him, as long as he was still there. He just needed Regulus to be there.
The shower was, of course, hot enough once his train of thought had finished. He had gotten quite distracted. He wasn’t sure how long it had been. Shower thoughts, he supposed, were just like that.
After his shower, James slipped into the t-shirt and joggers. His hair dripped down onto his shoulders, The water cold through his shirt. He picked up his glasses from the bathroom counter, feeling the cold metal in his hands. He took a deep breath, opening the bathroom door and shutting off the lights.
James crawled into the bed, slipping in behind Regulus, who was curled up, facing away from the bathroom door. He wrapped his arm around Regulus’s waist, nuzzling into the crevice of his neck. Regulus groaned grumpily.
“Your hair is wet,” Regulus muttered. James could almost hear him pouting. He chuckled, leaning away to shake his hair like a wet dog. He heard Regulus laugh, raising his hand to protect him from the spray. He was so cute.
“Better?” James asked, leaning back in to nuzzle against his neck. Regulus hummed in approval. James could feel the vibrations against his lips. “I love you.” Regulus just hummed again.
James’s dreams, in general, always made him a little bit uncomfortable. They felt too real. This one didn’t really. It was tinted golden, a little blurred, like a filtered photo. It was a golden field of flowers. Buttercups maybe. James saw them a lot growing up. Regulus stood in the middle of the field, just far enough where James couldn’t see the slight hints of his face as he looked off into the distance. He was wearing an ancient greek chiton as he gazed off into the distant yellow sky.
This Regulus was wispy, almost translucent, blurred into the background. He looked back at James, smiling. “Come and get me” he said, his voice sounding filtered, like it had been said underwater. The Dream Regulus started running, the off-white of his chiton floating behind him. James ran, just as drawn to the Dream Regulus as he was to the real one. He ran until he got close enough to touch him, his fingers grazing the bare skin of Dream Regulus’s shoulder, and everything changed.
Regulus was more solid now, tinted green, surrounded by silver bubbles. A siren, he supposed. The golden filter had turned blue, like they were floating underwater. Regulus gently grabbed James’s wrist and pulled him close, kissing him. He felt cold. James felt limp and powerless in Dream Regulus’s grip. That was okay though, because it was Regulus, even if it wasn’t the real one, and James would do anything for Regulus.
Dream Regulus kissed him until James woke up, blinking gently. He was in the same position as when he had fallen asleep, his arm thrown over Regulus’s waist. Regulus had turned though, now facing James, still soundly asleep. He looked sweet, his face illuminated by morning sunlight, almost like a halo framing Regulus’s face.
James sat silently, laying in the same position, careful to not wake up Regulus. He was so lovely, his mouth set into a sleepy pout. How James loved this man. This beautiful, divine, lovely man. Every smile James could grant him, every laugh he could pull from his lips, they made this life worth living, allowing him worth.
James saw Regulus’s eyes flutter before opening, soft and adorable. He blinked a few times before leaning forward into James’s chest.
“Good morning,” Regulus mumbled into James’s chest, wrapping his arms around his neck. James smiled, kissing the top of Regulus’s head.
“Good morning,” James said in return, nuzzling into his hair.
It took them a while to get out of bed. It was too comfortable, warm and gentle, Regulus held close to James’s chest. Still, they had to get up eventually.
They changed together, James sitting with Regulus while he did his eyeliner, smudging it around his eyes. James brushed out his curls, tying them up, per Regulus’s request. Before they could go out for lunch in their mid-afternoon haze, Regulus pulled James down by his shoulders, attempting to smooth down his hair.
“It’s annoying,” he said, grumpily, but still fond. “Why won’t it go down?” James chuckled as Regulus continued running gentle fingers through his hair, trying to make it look neater. After a few minutes of trying without success, Regulus gave up with a sigh.
James usually had long honeymoon phases when he started a relationship. Months and months of being inseparable, smiling and clingy until it was too much and James was unnaturally desperate to stay in that euphoric state, far past when he should. There was no reason that Regulus should’ve been different, but he undoubtedly was. James could sit with him in complete silence, and his presence would be enough. He didn’t cling to Regulus, stuck in a state of talking constantly, locked next to him at every moment. It was just… peaceful, calm, like he could finally think, and breathe, and simply be. It was different, but in the best way.
James was going to take Regulus for fast food. It wasn’t a healthy or classy choice, but they didn’t need to be. It felt free, just two young people doing normal young people shit. That was good. That was fun.
Regulus sat in the passenger seat of James’s rental car, singing along to the radio happily. It was a classic rock station, the sort of music James’s dad often played growing up.
“Some people call me the space cowboy, yeah
Some call me the gangster of love”
Regulus sang with a joking grin, raising his eyebrows. James laughed as he drove, turning up the volume on the radio very slightly, encouraging him to keep singing.
“Some people call me Maurice”
The last part of the verse was only hummed, Regulus apparently not knowing the lyrics. James chuckled, leaning over to kiss his cheek.
“'Cause I'm a picker
I'm a grinner
I'm a lover
And I'm a sinner
I play my music in the sun
“I'm a joker
I'm a smoker
I'm a midnight toker
I sure don't want to hurt no one”
James grinned as they pulled into the McDonalds drive-thru, turning down the radio.
“What do you want, love?” James asked, turning to Regulus. Regulus smiled, humming quietly as he looked at the menu.
“Ten-piece nuggets, a quarter pounder with cheese, and a chocolate shake?” Regulus asked, smiling. James nodded.
James ordered for the both of them, going to window after window. After they grabbed their food, James parked them in the parking lot, climbing out of the car to sit outside, on top of the hood.
“Eat up, love,” James said, handing Regulus his chicken nuggets, which he took happily. James smiled and sipped the chocolate milkshake. Regulus glared at him.
“Excuse you,” Regulus said, sounding half-joking. “That’s my milkshake!” James chuckled.
“Well it’s good,” James said, taking another sip. Regulus snatched the milkshake out of his hand, sipping at it.
“Yeah, it is,” Regulus said. “That’s why it’s mine.” James chuckled, and Regulus smiled at him so softly.
They sat on the hood of the rental car in the McDonalds parking lot, eating their greasy fast food, chatting under the blue summer sky. James stole Regulus’s milkshake, Regulus stole James’s fries. In all truthfulness, it was really just them sharing. They ate in peace, finally real, finally normal. Just two people in love.
“I love you,” James said as they got back into the car, fast food boxes thrown away.
Regulus just smiled at him, fondness and affection in his gaze.