blue jeans
Regulus would never admit it but James Potter wasn’t all that bad. He was a good guy with a hero complex. A fucked up Jesus Christ. James Potter was one of the people that you would first think of when you need someone to pick you up from a party. But James Potter was also a dick. He was attractive and he knew it. He had an ego the size of the sun and the room presence of a Greek god. He turned heads without even trying and he fucking knew it.
Now, Regulus Black was in the passenger seat of James Potter's car, listening to a sucky song and lying to himself that he didn’t look over at James more than once. James sang along to the song as he drove with one hand on the steering wheel and the other on his thigh. After making their way onto the highway, James rolled down the windows and opened the sunlight. He looked over at Regulus then looked back at the road, “Here’s my phone, turn on what you want. Passwords 1981.” Regulus picked up James’ phone, entering in the password and opening it. “There’s no way you just gave me your password. How do you know I won’t sell it to one of your stalkers.” James just laughed and turned up the stereo as Regulus put on one of the songs on James’ liked. Dress by Taylor Swift filled up the car, James looked over at Regulus…”You like Taylor?” Regulus scoffed, “Are you actually surprised? I love Taylor Swift.” James raised an eyebrow, “Wow. Regulus Black is a swiftie that was not on my 2023 bingo card.” Regulus turned up the volume, “Well. Maybe you don’t know me as well as you thought.” James turned onto the beach, “You’d be surprised.”
“Why are we at the beach?” Regulus questioned. James pulled onto the sand and got out of the car, saying nothing. He then opened the trunk, closed it, and walked back to the passenger seat. Opening Regulus’ door he threw a book and towel at Regulus, “I hope you like picnics.” Regulus got out of the car, “I thought we were going to a book shop, James Potter you truly are an idiot.” James laughed, “Well if I told you I was bringing you to a picnic on the beach, you were sure to say no.” Regulus laughed, hiding his smile in his hands. “A picnic? Mr. Potter you’ve outdone yourself.” James sat down there with things beside his car, “So, Mr. Black, will you join me?” Regulus laughed again, crossing his arms in front of him. “What will the press say? What will Sirius say?” James put down, “All things we could deal with later, just enjoy the moment Regulus. I also didn’t hear a no?” Regulus threw down his things on the towel, “Fine. Remember that this is not a date though.” James took out the stuff from the basket and repeated, not a date.
James pulled out jam and butter on sourdough from the basket along with two Yoo-Hoo chocolate milks. Regulus looked at James in disbelief, “How did you know that was my favorite food. And these chocolate milks, I haven’t had them since I was little…how did you know?” James shrugged, “Told you you’d be surprised.” Regulus playfully shoved James, “I didn’t expect this much. How did you even find this out? I’ve never said it in any interview or anything.” “Well I could thank your friend Pandora Rosier for this information.” Regulus replied, “There’s no way you asked one of my friends?! James Potter! You stalker!”
“So…are the rumors true,” Regulus asked, taking a bite of the sandwich. “Well, there's lots of rumors because people just can’t seem to stop talking about me,” He joked.
If you had told either James or Regulus that they would be sitting on a beach eating jam and butter sandwiches while listening to Heroes by David Bowie and sharing their whole life stories, James wouldn’t believe you and Regulus would probably slap you in the face. Of course neither of them actually brought up the absurdity of the situation, they both just wanted some time for once. Time that James really wanted and time that Regulus really needed without knowing it. Time that would be short lived because the two of them had forgotten that they were famous even for a split second. And two famous people who are currently in heat for hooking up wouldn’t be able to go to the beach together for a picnic without someone calling the paps. Regulus had realized that they were being watched first. He didn’t look over but he instead pulled in James and whispered in his ear, “People are watching.” James just pulled away and was about to turn his head to look around when Regulus grabbed the side of his face to stop him from turning. James smiled and whispered, “This is gonna make for a good picture for the papers tomorrow.” Regulus smiled, “I know.” And before Regulus could even think he leaned in and kissed James Potter. Shit. That wasn’t supposed to happen. But it did. And now they were sure of being on the front papers tomorrow. Shit. James pulled away, putting his forehead against Regulus’.
“There’s something about you James. I don’t know what it is but one day I'll figure it out.”
I can live with that response.
James was trying to enjoy that moment but the only thing he could think about was.
What would Sirius say?
Well, he would figure that out in 1 hour when he and Regulus got back home. “Regulus? Sirius.” James said with a guilty look in his eye. “James. It’s okay. Sirius loves you, he would never hate you for something like this. If anything he’ll be mad for a little and then forgive you. If he knows you’re happy, he’ll be happy for you. You guys are like that with each other.”
James smiled at the bittersweet moment.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ──
James pulled up to the house holding onto Regulus’ hand like it was keeping him alive (it was). Regulus didn’t mind though, if he knew it would calm down James. “Okay. We should go in now.” James said, looking at the front door. “James, you've been staring at the front door for the past 20 minutes.” James looked down, “Sorry, didn’t realize.” Regulus sighed and got out of the car, walking over to James’ side, opening the door. “Come on.”
James and Regulus, hand in hand, walked up to the front door of the dimly lit house. “It’ll be okay.” James said under his breath. “Was that to me or to yourself?” Regulus asked. “Both,” James replied.
They opened the door, walking down the hallway, coming face to face with Remus and Sirius who were making dinner in the kitchen. Sirius dropped down what he was doing and left the room. Remus just looked at James and said, “You fucked up James.” Before walking out behind Sirius. James turned towards Regulus who was already walking down the hallway. “Regulus!” Regulus turned around, waiting for James to catch up with him. “James.” Regulus sighed. “Go get Sirius and apologize to him. Forget about me. I’m not going to be the reason why you and Sirius argue. I’m not going to break up the brother bond that you have with Sirius I never had. So, James. Forget about me. It was just a kiss anyway.”
Oh.
Oh.
That one hurt.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ──
I will love you till the end of time
I would wait a million years
Promise you'll remember that you're mine
Baby, can you see through the tears?
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ──
James hadn’t left his room since last night around 2:00 am, it was now 10:47 pm. Peter had brought him food every 3 hours just to make sure he was eating. James hadn’t even thanked him, something that was completely unusual. Every 5 hours Remus checked up on James, catching him up with how Sirius is doing. James wanted to ask about Regulus but knew it would make the situation worse. Eventually, though, Remus caught on.
“Regulus is fine, James. He and Sirius shared a few words but he’s doing okay from what I know.”
James just nodded. He wanted to see Regulus and try to explain to him that he wouldn’t be able to forget about him, but he needed to go and talk to Sirius, even if it was going to be the most difficult conversation of his life.
The article engraved in his head.
Regulus Black and James Potter?! America's next couple!
With a picture below the title of James and Regulus at the beach, kissing like there was no tomorrow.
Around 1:00 am, James left his room. He slowly made his way down the hall, praying that he wouldn’t wake anyone up.
He knocked on Sirius's door and heard a voice from the other side, “Peter, I already told you I didn’t take your jacket.” James knocked again. Sirius got up to go open the door. “Mate, it’s the middle of the night.” He said from the other side. Then the door opened.
“James.”
“Sirius.”
“Well, go ahead. Explain why.” Sirius crossed his arms in front of his chest, leaning against the doorway. “Explain why you would lie to me.”
James began, “Sirius, you know I love you. You’re my best friend and you’ve been my best friend since before we even met. I wouldn’t and couldn’t lose you if my life depended on it. I won’t sugar coat it…I fucked up. Big time. I crossed a boundary I shouldn’t have crossed and I broke unspoken promises. And your brother, for fucks sake Sirius, your brother. I won’t lie, I have feelings for him. But I want you to know that if you don’t want me to ever speak to him ever again, I’ll do it. We’ll have him move out and I’ll never, ever speak to him for as long as I live. And if you have me make that promise, I swear I’ll never break it. I can’t even explain how sorry I am. But not that I’m getting everything out in the open. I need to tell you that, that night on the boat. The night the photos of Regulus and I leaked. We weren’t drunk. We were just not thinking right. And I need to tell you that because I can’t lie to you Sirius. I can’t lie. When I lie to you a piece of my heart breaks because should trust me and you tell me everything and I keep something that big from you?! I was a real dick. And I just wanted to apologize. Because I can’t lose my only brother.”
“Why didn’t you tell me about you and Regulus?” Sirius sighed. “Did you think I'd be angry or upset? Did you think I would lash out at you for having feelings for someone? Even if that someone does happen to be my brother.”
“I was just so afraid I was going to have to choose. That you guys would make me choose one of you.”
“Choose?”
“Yeah, I was afraid I was going to have to choose sides. And I would choose you everytime but I would want to have to put up with me losing Regulus. And not only me losing him but you losing him. You and Regulus are finally in a decent place and I was the one to come along and fuck it all up.”
“James,” Sirius grabbed James by the shoulders, “Regulus and I are fine. I promise you. Yes, maybe I did give him a simple slightly mean lecture but other than that, we’re in a good place. And I want you to know that even if you do one day madly fall in love with my brother for some very odd reason. You’ll always be my best friend. And if he makes you happy, then that makes me happy.”
“Sirius,” James laughs, “I’m not even sure if he can tolerate me and I’m already asking for approval.”
“Well,” Sirius replied, “Hopefully one day you’ll find what you’re looking for. With him or maybe even with someone else. But I just need you to not feel like you have to choose. You can love multiple people at the same time, James. It’s not a sin.”