It Went Smoother in His Head
Word has officially spread about the party, and there isn’t a single student who isn’t at least a little interested, except for Regulus Black. Of course.
James has been putting off inviting him as his date, because logically, when he asks Regulus right before the party like he plans to, he can’t say no, right? A moment of doubt floods through James. Regulus could (and would) say no, and James would have to respect that. It breaks his heart a little, but if that’s what he really wants, he can live with it.
Then, he shakes his head, and his smile returns. He’d say yes. James runs a hand through his hair, feeling nothing but nervous butterflies lingering in his stomach. He checks the map for Regulus’ name, scanning the halls and towers. Not there, not here, not… “Bingo.” His eyes land upon his name which seems to be hiding in the astronomy tower.
James leaves his dorm filled with optimism and joins the chaos downstairs. He sees Lily and Remus debating about which alcohol to put on the table and shakes his head. It was an inevitable event bound to happen when the two were both put in charge of the drinks.
Sirius, as always, is playing the music, turning his record player to an obnoxiously loud volume as they put up their finishing touches for the party.
He walks over to his best friend, hands rubbing together in his usual I’m-going-to-ask-out-Regulus way. Sirius pretends to hold onto his headphones, and dances about in a very DJ-like way, before laughing at his joke.
“I love the moves,” James comments, joining Sirius in his idiotic dancing for a minute. “I’ll be back in a few minutes!” he says over the loud music.
After repeating the sentence a few times, Sirius gives James a thumbs up. “Be back before nine! That’s when the party officially starts!” he calls after him.
James nods and sets his course for the astronomy tower. He knows from his few visits there that Regulus likes to look at the stars. James’ heart flutters a little bit at the thought, loving the way Regulus could seem so cold and intimidating, but deep down he was soft and sweet. He likes to look at the stars, for fuck’s sake. How could he be cold?
He enters the tower quietly, and spots familiar black curls. He’s leaning on the window, arms folded together while his head is tilted toward the sky.
James rocks back and forth on his toes. This is it. “So,” he begins, “what brings you here?”
Regulus turns his head at the voice, and for a moment, James thinks he isn’t going to reply. He looks back at the stars again and says so softly James almost doesn’t catch it, “Just… looking at the stars. You?”
James inhales sharply as his heart skips a beat or two. Or three. Or four. “Me too.”
He joins the boy by the window, letting the silence linger for a few seconds before he asks.
Regulus beats him to the question. “Whatever you’re going to ask me, the answer is no.” He watches as James clutches his heart and sighs dramatically. “God, you spend too much time with my brother.”
“You don’t even know what I was going to ask,” he argues. James hopes Regulus will hear him out because he really wants him to be his date. Or at least come to the party.
“I have a pretty good idea.”
He scratches the back of his head and huffs out a laugh. “Regulus, will you please be my date to the party tonight? The party wouldn’t be the same without you there.”
“Sorry, but the answer is no. When have I ever shown any interest in parties?”
James doesn’t give up as easily as he probably should’ve. “Can I try a different approach?” And when Regulus nods: “Please, please, please…” He gets down on his knees and puts his hands together in prayer. He begs Regulus until the boy tells him to stop, adding an empty threat just for emphasis.
“At least come to the party? It’ll be fun, I promise. There’ll be people-”
“You lost me.”
“Drinks?”
“Tempting, but I better not. I’ll see you around, Potter.”
And with that, Regulus leaves the astronomy tower, leaving James to wallow. He knew in the back of his mind that he wouldn’t come, but it didn’t make it hurt any less.
The walk back to the common room is unnecessarily long, as James took many wrong turns. He needed time to cheer himself up, not wanting to join the party in a dampened mood.
James enters the room, smiling at the crowd of people gathered. Sirius welcomes him with a warm embrace that James happily reciprocates. “No Regulus?” he asks.
James shakes his head. “Nope.” He pops the ‘p’, shoving his hands in his pockets.
“Oh.” Sirius gives him a sorrowful look. As if on cue, Remus joins them with a drink in hand. Sirius reaches for it, only to have it pulled out of his reach and handed to James.
“Not for you,” he taunts.
Sirius laughs and pats him on the back. “I knew that.”
James accepts the drink. He downs it quickly and shakes out his disappointment. Why was he disappointed? Regulus could say yes the next time. He didn't tell him, never, he just said no. It was just a no, which is basically a maybe, and that's almost a yes. James lets a genuine smile slide onto his face. “Alright, let’s get this party started!”