Regulus POV
James was coming home today. Not that it mattered. Regulus certainly didn’t care.
They hadn't actually talked for a year. A year in two days, if someone was keeping count. It was James’ stupid fault that they weren't talking, he was the one who got all in Regulus’ business, while he was drunk too. Who was James to tell Regulus what he could or couldn't do? Regulus wasn't his little brother, he had not control over what he did.
Maybe telling him he wasn't anything to him was harsh but... Regulus shouldn't have said that. He wasn't nothing to him, he was everything to him. However, Regulus would like to reiterate that he wasn’t in the right state of mind while this conversation was happening. If James had waited to talk to him the next morning maybe they could have had a calm rational conversation about Regulus’ habits. That’s what Regulus was expecting to happen. He had waited inside his house all day the next day for James to come over and talk to him about what happened. Then they could have both apologize and everything would have been fine. However that didn’t happen. It never happened and now they weren’t talking.
Going a year without talking to him was terrible.
During Christmas last year Regulus had mainly stayed at home alone, which was the definition of depressing. When Sirius had made him go to the Potter's, James and Regulus barely even looked at each other. Both Sirius and Mrs. Potter had asked what had happened but neither of them answered. Regulus thought it would have been easier when he was at school but it wasn't. Regulus found himself reaching for the telephone and half dialing James’ number almost every day. A year without James was like.... he definitely wasn't going to day sunshine, because that would be horrible and cheesy and completely accurate.
A year without James definitely fucking sucked.
Regulus had thought he was finally going to see him during the summer, and maybe they would make up but he had no such luck. After some strategic conversation maneuvering, he got Sirius to tell him that James had gotten a summer internship in New York. But he definitely was coming home today.
Sirius had been wary about the whole situation. Apparently neither of them were telling him what happened. Which Regulus was pretty grateful for, because if he thought that James’ reaction was bad, Regulus was fairly certain that Sirius’ reaction would be ten times worse. He had a nasty habit of being way to protective over Regulus while still being an asshole brother. Siblings really were the worst.
But James as definitely coming home today.There was no way he was going to miss Christmas with his mother, and Sirius was gone all this morning because he had said he would pick James up from the airport. Apparently James had stayed a few extra days into his break to help a professor out with something. So Regulus was sitting on the steps in front of their house. Not because in a few minutes, James was supposed to arrive and he wanted to see if he could see him for the first time in almost a year. But because Regulus... had nothing better to do.
The car was pulling around the corner. James was in it.
Regulus was going to be able to see James again. Even if it was from a distance, he would see his dark curly hair that was probably a mess from sitting in an airplane for several hours. The car was about to pass him, maybe he would be able to see him through the window. He could hear some shouting from inside the car but Regulus couldn't make out any of the words, then he saw the car abruptly stop right in front of his house where Regulus was sitting. James immediately climbed out of the car, ran up to Regulus, and wrapped his arms around him.
"I don't care if I'm not anything to you, you are so important to me and not being around you hurt an unimaginable amount. I'm not going to do this anymore." He said in one breath, still holding on to him. Regulus didn’t know what to say. He hadn’t imagened this would be James’ reaction to seeing him. Although maybe he should have. James had always been a way better person than Regulus.
"Oh." He breathed. "You're not nothing to me. I was drunk and hungover and I don't know, not me. But you are not nothing to me." He said quickly hugging him back. Sure he had been mad at James, but honestly, he had been way more mad at himself for saying those things to him that night.
"And I'm sorry for trying to control you. You- I'm not saying you should get drunk and sleep with random guys, cause I don't like thinking about that. But I don't have control over what you do." He said. “You’re so smart, and I should be able to trust that you can take care of yourself.”
"I applied to Columbia." He blurted. Regulus had been telling himself for the past few months he had only applied to the school that happened to be in the same city as James because it was such a great school. Which, now that James had forgiven him, he knew to be a complete lie.
"You what!?" He said with a huge grin as he pulled away so he could see him face.
"I was picking colleges and the Columbia pamphlet somehow kept on showing up and I really missed you so I applied. I think I was planning on mildly stalking you if we didn't make up." He said with now embarrassing red cheeks.
"Oh I probably would have stalked you too." He said with a small grin on his face.
"I never want to spend that long not talking to you ever again." Regulus said as he pulled him back into a hug.
"We never will. I promise." James said hugging him tighter.