“How can he not tell we’re into him, we’ve been flirting with him for months,” Barty says exasperatedly, plopping down on the grass.
Regulus follows him down, grumbling out, “Don’t I know it.”
They’re starting one of their favorite pastimes; complaining about how utterly oblivious James Potter is. They’d been trying, and failing, to make their feelings known to James for months. It started this past summer, the one before their fifth year. Regulus had moved into the Potter Manor alongside his brother the year prior and finally decided that this summer was as good as ever to try and make his feelings known. And of course, Barty saw the opportunity for what it was as well, coming over more often that summer than he had the last. They’d been far more friendly to James than they had ever been and took every opportunity to touch, look at, or sit beside him. Regulus began reporting back to him about the books he read, explaining them in excited detail to James, who never seemed to mind if the soft smile on his face as he listened to Regulus was any indicator. Barty began showing James his art, explaining the different methods and materials and techniques he used, all of which James listened to with that soft smile on his face that he had when listening to Regulus. They began inviting James to places and to do things; to a game of quidditch in the backyard, to Diagon Alley to look at the shops, to the tranquil little stream hidden in the forest behind the Manor’s property, to play a game of Exploding Snap, to the shaded tree in the garden to read or draw or paint. Regulus started calling James ‘Jamie’ and Barty started calling him ‘pretty boy’ and he still remained utterly fucking oblivious.
They didn't stop trying when they went back to school for their fifth year-James’ sixth. No, they talked to him in passing in the halls, invited him to go to Hogsmeade with them, asked if he wanted to practice quidditch on the pitch with them, invited him to study with them in the library, continued talking to him about books and art, took every available opportunity to touch him or talk to him or compliment him or bloody look his way. And James? James remained painfully oblivious. At this point, the only way James would get the memo is if they bloody stood up on the Slytherin table in the Great Hall and loudly confessed their feelings for him. That's how painfully, utterly oblivious he was.
The big willow tree by the Black Lake was their main ‘complaining about how oblivious James Potter is’ spot. Regulus lays down on the grassy area, fully extending his body and lying fully on the ground. Barty remained sitting with his knees tucked to his chest.
“Yesterday I called him pretty boy and then said he had ‘beautiful eyes’ and still nothing,” Barty huffs.
“I literally held his hand the entire way to and from the library yesterday and he thought nothing of it, you do not get to complain. I win the ‘how oblivious is James Potter to your feelings’ competition,” Regulus mutters, looking up at the leaves hanging above him.
“Pretty boy.”
Regulus sighs. “Yes, that is who we are talking about.”
“No,” Barty hits Regulus’ side, “Pretty boy is right there.”
Regulus snaps up from his lying down position embarrassingly quick. Sure enough, there James is, walking aimlessly to the Lake a little ways away. True to Barty’s nickname for him he looks pretty; a loose, burgundy muggle t-shirt thats just on the right side of too-short, showing the smallest sliver of the dark skin of his stomach, grey sweatpants that should truly be criminal for him to wear because holy fuck they do things to Barty and Regulus, those same two gold rings on his right thumb and ring finger and that gold necklace with a deer pendant hanging from it. He looks good, effortlessly so, and Regulus and Barty just want to kiss him until his brain turns into mush and then kiss him some more. And then they want to resolidify his brain with gentle words and touches.
“Those pants should be criminal. I think he’s trying to torture us,” Regulus states.
“Yeah. Definitely torture,” Barty agrees.
“I bet if I complimented him about them, it would completely go over his head.”
“Well, let's see, why don't we?” Barty says, smirking.
Regulus shoots him his deadliest glare. “Barty, no.”
“Pretty boy!” Barty calls out.
James’ head turns their direction immediately. A smile forms on his face almost instantly. He begins walking to the willow tree Barty and Regulus are under, already close enough that he only has to walk several more steps to meet them.
“Hello Barty, Reggie!” James greets, stopping in front of them.
“Hi, Jamie,” Regulus replies back.
“Hi. Want to sit pretty boy?” Barty asks, nodding to the vacant spot between him and Regulus.
“Oh, sure!” James agrees easily, setting his book bag next to where Regulus and Barty put theirs by the side of the tree and taking a seat between the two boys.
“You’ve got ink on your hand,” Regulus says, picking up the offending hand.
“Oh,” James says, “I hadn't noticed.”
“Here,” Regulus says, licking his thumb and rubbing at the ink until it's no longer on James’ hand. “All gone.”
James gives him a grateful smile. “Thanks, Reggie.”
“You have nice hands. Pretty,” Barty says, running his fingers over the back of James’ other hand.
The consequential blush on James’ cheeks is less noticeable because of his darker skin but still there nonetheless. “Oh, uhh, thank you.”
“I agree with Barty; very pretty,” Regulus states. And oh if it isn't true. James’ hands are long and slender and the veins in them are more prominent from how much he grips his broom-pretty.
James’ blush deepens. “T-thanks,” James stutters out. He clears his throat before saying, “Anyway, how are you both? You have a test for Potions this Friday, right?”
“Yep,” Barty nods, “Reggie here is making us study and revise for it. Acting all teacherly.”
Regulus shoots Barty a glare, which immediately smoothes off of his face when James turns to look at him. “Are you a good teacher then?” James asks, eyebrow raised.
“Well-I…”
James laughs softly. “Relax, I doubt you could be anything but good. You're brilliant at Potions. Better than me for sure and I’m the son of a Potions Master.”
And now it's Regulus who’s blushing.
“And how are you, pretty boy?” Barty asks.
James’ smile looks a little more forced as he says, “‘M fine.”
“How are you really?” Regulus asks, seeing through the lie as easily as Barty did.
“I’m fine! Really,” James says.
“James,” Barty says. “We both know you well enough to know when you’re lying.”
James sighs, casting his gaze to the ground where he fiddles with a piece of grass. “Just stressed, I guess. I had a big test for Charms today and I’m worried that I’m going to get a bad score. I just-I want to become a Healer when I get out of school and to do that I need to get an Exceeds Expectations or an Outstanding on my NEWTs next year and if I fail this test then I’m already one step behind.”
“Hey, it's okay,” Regulus says gently. “It's over and done with now and all you can do is trust in yourself that you did a good job. Okay?”
James nods. “Yeah, I suppose you're right.”
“Maybe you should lay down. Relax for a bit,” Barty suggests.
“Oh. Yeah. I’m sorry, I just came over here and started ranting. I’ll leave you two be,” James says quickly, clearly taking the suggestion as Barty’s way of trying to get him to leave without telling him to leave.
Idiot, he thinks. Of course, Barty and Regulus would want to be alone. James is pretty sure they’re dating or at the very least like each other; which James can't blame them for because they’re both beautiful. And James doesn't imagine he’s much fun to talk to right now.
“Don’t apologize, we were happy to listen. And Barty meant here, with us,” Regulus is quick to correct.
James’ brows furrow just slightly in a way that Regulus and Barty find too cute. “Like…here in the grass?”
“Like…” Barty says and then gently pushes James backwards until James’ head is lying in Regulus’ lap. He then shifts James’ feet to settle them in Barty’s own lap. “-this.”
“Oh,” James says softly.
“Comfy?” Regulus asks, looking down at James fondly, brushing a few stray curls off of his forehead before carding his fingers through James’ dark brown hair. Merlin, he truly is beautiful.
“Mhm,” James hums quietly, eyes flitting shut at the sensation.
“Just relax, we’ve got you,” Barty assures softly, hand rubbing soothing circles into James’ ankle.
James is asleep in seconds.
✯
James wakes up to his face pressed against something warm and soft. His ankles are much the same, warmth wrapped around them. The warmth is nice against the slight cold of the November air. He sighs contentedly, pressing closer to the warmth.
“Is he awake?” a quiet voice that James is familiar with but can't quite place asks.
“Can't tell, his face is buried in my shirt,” another much closer voice says.
“Gods, he looks so cute,” the voice from before says, James’ sleep-muddled brain still not quite able to place it.
James still finds the grounds to blush despite still not thinking clearly enough to place the voice.
“Mhm,” the much closer voice agrees, hands back to carding through his hair from whenever they had stopped.
It's then that he remembers coming out to the Lake and coming over to talk with Regulus and Barty. And then he remembers Barty’s soft hand pushing him to lie his head in Regulus’ lap and putting James’ feet into his own. It's then that he realizes that the warmth wrapped around his ankles is Barty’s hands and that the soft, warmth pressed against his face is Regulus’ shirt and that the hand that is carding through his curls belongs to Regulus. Right, he fell asleep pretty much instantly after laying down on the two. Merlin, how long has he been asleep for?
James grumbles a bit about the fact that he is awake. The warmth is too good, too nice and he just wants to wrap himself up in it and let his eyes fall shut again. And maybe, just maybe, he doesn't want who the warmth belongs to, to let him go when they realize he’s awake.
But James’ grumble must’ve indicated that he was awake because a gentle voice that he can now place as Regulus’ says, “Jamie? Are you awake, love?”
Love.
James very valiantly stops himself from giggling like a giddy idiot at the pet name. It took him nearly a month to stop automatically blushing when Barty called him ‘pretty boy’ and he still, months later, had to fight not to every time the boy did. And now Regulus called him love. Are they trying to torture him? Or, more realistically, make him the color of the tomatoes in his mum’s garden? James pushes away his initial reaction to it either way. Barty and Regulus are merely being friendly with James and James’ foolish, fond heart is taking it out of context and making it out to be more than it is.
“Mmm,” James hums what he hopes they take as a ‘yes’ into Regulus’ shirt.
A hand on his ankle gives a soft squeeze. “Sleep alright?”
James lifts his head out of Regulus’ shirt for the sole reason of looking over at Barty. Regulus and Barty both have these beautiful, hypnotizing blue eyes that James just wants to dive into and never return, lost in the sea that is them. Whereas Regulus’ look like a storm, Barty’s look like the blue of the stream behind his house. James misses those summer days when the three of them went out to the stream, doing anything or nothing at all.
“Mhm. What time is it?” James asks, rubbing his eyes to fully clear the sleep from them.
“A little bit after six,” is Barty’s reply.
Oh.
That means he’d been asleep for at least an hour. He’d been asleep on them for an hour.
He sits up at a dizzying rate, guilt twisting in his gut. They’ve just been stuck with him laying on them. “Merlin, I’m sorry. I shouldn't have-You guys probably had things to do and I just fell asleep on you for an hour. I didn't mean to. I’m-”
And then there’s a ringed, pale hand on his shoulder and Regulus saying, “Don’t you dare apologize, love. We could have woken you up if we wanted or needed to.”
“Which we didn’t. We wanted you to rest, pretty boy. You deserved the break,” Barty says, thumb rubbing circles into his ankles again; his grip somehow didn't slip when James rather abruptly sat up.
James fails to stop the blush from spreading across his cheeks. He just got called love and prettyboy in the span of thirty seconds so he feels it's excusable. He’s going to have to tell the girls-his confidants about his helpless crush on the two boys on either side of him-about this later.
“O-okay. Well, thank you. Both of you. Though I am sorry I fell asleep, I rather like when I’m lucid and able to hang out with you two,” James says.
“Well,” Regulus drawls, “lucky for you, you can hang out with us whenever you want because we happen to like your company too.”
“Our dear Reggie here is correct for once,” Barty agrees.
“I'm always right you're just too arrogant to ever think you're wrong,” Regulus bites back.
“I don’t feel like I’m being the arrogant one right now.” Barty grins.
James doesn't quite manage to resist the urge to laugh, though he does succeed in making it a small, muffled thing.
“Cunt,” Regulus says, using the hand that was on James’ shoulder to hit Barty in his.
James catches it on its retreat, holding it in his own. “No need for violence, baby,” he teases.
Regulus’ hand goes tense in James’ hold for a second and James turns to see if maybe he said the wrong thing or upset him or something just to be met with a flushed Regulus, blush high on his cheeks.
Oh.
He hadn’t even realized he used the pet name until just now.
Before he can do something like apologize (he very much was about to) Barty says, “Are you hungry? Dinner’s still going on.”
James moves his gaze away from Regulus’ flushed face to look at Barty. “Oh, uhh, yeah. I skipped lunch so I probably should eat something.”
“You didn't eat lunch?” Regulus asks, brows furrowed in what James thinks is an adorable way.
“No. I was so worried about my test that I lost my appetite,” James explains.
“Gods, what are we going to do with you?” Barty jokingly reprimands. He lets go of James’ ankles, standing up and dusting off his pants. “Come on. Up you get, pretty boy.”
James dutifully stands up, consequently letting go of Regulus’ hand as he does, dusting off his own pants after he does. He’s very shameless about the fact that he would sit right back down if Barty told him to. God, Barty and Regulus, or both of them, could tell him to roll over and bark like a dog and he would.
No, he is not going to think into that more, thank you very much.
Regulus stands up next, dusting his own pants off as well. The three of them collect their bags from where they left them on the side of the tree. It's not a far walk to get back inside nor is it to get to the Great Hall and so within the next ten minutes they’ve arrived at their intended destination.
James stops after he walks through the door, watching Regulus and Barty immediately turn in the direction of the Slytherin table. Is he supposed to go with them? Do they want him to? They never explicitly said that they’d have dinner all together. Right, so he should just stop standing there like an idiot and staring after them and walk over to the Gryffindor table already.
Just when he’s about to go do that Regulus turns around, raises a brow at James, and says, “You coming, love?”
“I…didn't know if you wanted me to,” James admits, looking at the floor.
“Of course we wanted you to. We always want you around,” Barty says, grabbing James’ hand and giving a soft tug.
James can’t help but feel warm inside at the words, a smile tugging at his lips. “Okay,” he says softly. And then, because he doesn't want Regulus to feel left out, he holds his unoccupied hand out to him. Okay yes, he really actually just wanted to also hold Regulus’ hand. Regulus takes it.
He holds their hands all the way to the Slytherin table, letting go when they all sit down next to each other, James in the middle. Pandora and Dorcas sit across from the three of them, halting their conversation when the three of them sit down.
Pandora looks at Barty and Regulus with a look that James can't quite decipher before turning her gaze on him. “Hello, James,” she says, a soft smile on her face. James returns it.
“Hello, Pandora. And Dorcas,” James adds as an afterthought.
“Hello, James,” Dorcas greets back, looking confusingly smug (in James’ opinion).
“Don't start,” Regulus warns.
“I didn't even say anything,” Dorcas replies, unphased.
“Don’t,” Regulus says again.
Dorcas heaves a dramatic sigh. “Fine,” she relents.
James’ brows furrow in confusion, looking between the two of them. He’s about to ask one or both of them what that was about when Barty says, “Eat, James. Breakfast was hours ago, you must be hungry.”
And well, now that James thinks about it, he really is. So he obliges, looking through the options before adding what he decided seemed good onto his plate. Dinner goes along quite smoothly, with them either quietly eating or making amicable conversation. It's nice, good, and becomes even better when James sees they put out Treacle Tart for dessert-his favorite.
“Is everything alright, Pandora?” he asks because Pandora looks rather sad suddenly.
“Oh, I’m fine!” Pandora assures, gaining back some of her usual bright disposition. “Just a bit sad. Some third year took the last Treacle Tart.”
“Here, you can have mine,” James says, sliding the plate with said tart over to her.
“Oh, no, you don't have to-”
“It's fine, Pandora. Really,” James assures. Yes, he loves Treacle Tarts but he’d rather someone else have it if they really wanted it-he’d just get one the next time they were put out.
“Okay, Thank you,” Pandora says, smiling at him before, despite her initial reluctance, happily digging into the tart.
He smiles back at her before getting distracted by Regulus’ hand moving, which he quickly realizes is pushing a plate with a Treacle Tart that was presumably Regulus’ in front of him. James looks at Regulus with furrowed brows and Regulus merely looks at the tart then back at James.
“No, you should have it,” James protests when he realizes Regulus is offering up his tart for James to have. “It's your favorite and you never used to be able to back at…”
“It's your favorite too. And a Treacle Tart is just a Treacle Tart, I’ll be fine without it.”
“But-” James starts.
“No ‘buts’, love. Eat the tart,” Regulus says.
So James does, hoping the other four people at the table don't notice the blush on his cheeks (they definitely do). It's not long before they’re done with dessert and making their way out of the Great Hall. Pandora and Dorcas walk off ahead of them, talking in a hushed whisper. He, Regulus, and Barty stay a few feet back, walking at a slower pace.
“Do you want to come up to the dorm? We can hang out or work on schoolwork together or something,” Barty asks when they stop in front of the entrance to the dungeons.
As much as James would very much like to do that he still says, “Probably shouldn't. Sirius gets grumpy if we haven't seen each other in a while.”
Regulus makes a face at that. “Right. I forgot you two are sickeningly codependent.”
“I would like to protest and say that’s not true but that’d be a lie, so.”
“Come onnn, pretty boy, leave him to his own for a little bit longer,” Barty says and then genuinely fucking pouts at James.
He looks so fucking adorable doing it that James almost just gives in and agrees. But he knows that Sirius will genuinely be grumpy if he’s away too long; Regulus is right, they are sickeningly codependent. But he also wants to hang out with Barty and Regulus again soon so he says, “How about we meet up after classes tomorrow? Your last class is Charms, right?” Both boys nod. “Well, mine's Transfiguration, which is just right down the hall from Charms so we could meet in the middle?”
Regulus and Barty both agree that they’ll all meet up after classes end tomorrow. The two Slytherins go into their common room afterwards but not without a ‘Goodbye, love’ and a ‘Bye, pretty boy’. Needless to say, James is still blushing when he walks into the Gryffindor common room. He goes up to his dorm after a quick look around the room proves that none of his best friends are down there.
He’s barely walked into the room and set down his bag when Peter says, a teasing grin on his face, “Have fun with your boyfriends?”
“They’re not my boyfriends,” James says immediately. Gods, he wished they were.
Remus quirks a brow. “Are you sure about that?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Well, I just mean that we came to look for you and found you asleep on the two of them.”
“Ugh, don’t remind me,” Sirius says, dramatically flinging himself face down in James’ bed. “Do you seriously have a crush on my brother, Prongs?”
James cards a hand through the long curls. “I think you already know the answer to that, Pads.”
Sirius makes a disgusted noise but still moves to wrap himself around James in a cuddle.
“So they’re not your boyfriends but you want them to be?” Peter asks, though judging by his expression he already knows the answer.
James lets out a long exhale and says, “Gods, yes.”
✯
“So…” Dorcas says, putting her inkpot in her bag; they’d just finished with their last class of the day, Charms.
“No,” Regulus says tonelessly.
“What? I just want to know if you two are finally dating Loverboy or not.”
“You guys have been hanging out with him a lot,” Pandora adds.
Barty gives a dramatic sigh. “Sadly, no.”
“We’ve been flirting with him left, right, and center and he’s as oblivious as ever,” Regulus says.
“You know, maybe you guys should just…tell him how you feel,” Pandora says.
“Absolutely not,” they say at the same time.
“Well, why not?” Pandora asks.
“We both grew up in a household with parents whose relationships weren’t exactly exemplary. Of course, we don't know how to just…directly express our feelings,” Regulus supplies.
“While that's valid you can’t just expect him to know how you guys feel,” Dorcas points out. “For all you know, he likes you both back and is just too scared to tell you both as well.”
“Stop trying to make us express our feelings. We’re too emotionally constipated for that,” Regulus grumbles.
“Exactly!” Barty agrees, throwing his hands out.
“Fine. Do whatever you want. I’m going to go meet up with Marlene,” Dorcas says, putting her bag on her shoulder and walking away.
“Wait for me, I’m going to see Lily!” Pandora calls out, grabbing her own bag and following after the other girl.
“You know, I’d say I can’t believe that they got into relationships before us but…” Barty trails off, though it's not lost on either of him what he means.
“Yeah,” Regulus agrees.
They sling their own bags on their shoulders and leave the classroom. The hall is moderately packed with students leaving from their classes, though not as packed as it usually would be if classes were still going on. It doesn't take them long to find James in spite of the small crowd of students leaving their classes. And while Barty and Regulus are usually excited to see him, the moment is tainted by the fact that James is standing there talking to a girl. A girl who looks absolutely enamored by him.
And no, that's just simply not right. They, Regulus and Barty, are the ones supposed to be enamored by James, not some random girl. But no, they are not jealous. In fact, they’re feeling quite normal about this.
“Do you think if we murdered someone and then threw them in the Black Lake the giant squid would eat their body before they could be found?” Barty asks when the girl puts a hand on James’ arm, teeth grinding together as he speaks from how hard he’s clenching his jaw.
“Dunno. Worth a shot though,” Regulus says when the girl looks up at James with a too-happy smile.
The girl walks away soon after, though Barty’s and Regulus’ scowls stay in place. Okay, they’re really fucking jealous. They know they shouldn't be because James isn't dating them and also because if the girl was flirting with James then James was probably as oblivious to it as he’s always been, but that doesn't really stop them from being jealous anyway.
“Oh, hello! Sorry if you were standing here for a bit I didn't see you till now,” James says, finally noticing them standing across the way from him and making his way over.
James stops in front of them with his usual wide smile that both of the other boys are incredibly fond of, which falters when he notices the expressions on their faces. “What's wrong?” he asks.
“Nothing,” they both say at the same time.
James raises a disbelieving brow at them. “Your jaw is clenched, sweetheart,” James says, looking at Barty, “And your mouth has that little pinch in it that it always has when you get angry or annoyed, love,” James says, looking at Regulus now.
You know, suddenly they aren't all that mad anymore. And this definitely doesn't have anything to do with the pet names James just used. Definitely not. Except both of their cheeks flush red and Barty feels like he might just dissolve into a puddle on the floor at the way James called him sweetheart.
“It's nothing, just someone annoying from class. Was the girl you were talking to from Transfiguration, I don't think I’ve seen her around before,” Regulus says, aiming for curious and nonchalant.
“Oh, Eve? Yeah, we have Transfiguration together. We don’t really talk much though, it's kind of an in-passing type of thing.” James grimaces slightly, “I think she might’ve been flirting with me just now, actually.”
What the fuck?
So they flirt with James for months and James remains oblivious but a random girl does it for a minute and he notices. God, they’re going to get premature gray hairs and it's all going to be James ‘oblivious’ Potter’s fault.
“Are you fucking kidding?” Barty says incredulously.
James’ brows furrow. “What?”
Barty doesn't respond, just grabs James’ hand and starts dragging him away. Regulus follows, probably just as confused as James is right now because he has no clue what Barty’s doing either.
It doesn't take long for James and Regulus to realize that Barty is dragging them to the dungeons. They obediently follow as Barty leads them through the entrance and into the common room and then as Barty leads them up the stairs to the dorms. Regulus and James are barely through the door before Barty shuts it.
“Barty, what are you-” James starts, looking incredibly confused. Regulus feels the same.
“I flirt with you for months and you remain oblivious but some random girl you rarely talk to does it for a few minutes and you just catch on?” Barty huffs out, voice a bit breathless from how fast he dragged James, and consequently Regulus, away.
“What?” James asks, all wide eyes.
“I flirt with you, invite you to hang out all the time, find any excuse to touch you, call you prettyboy and she what, compliments your eyes and you catch onto the fact that she’s into you?” Barty carries on, leaving James’ question unanswered.
“What?” James repeats, looking dumbfounded.
“Bloody hell!” Barty says, running a hand through his hair. “I bloody fucking like you, James Potter. Have for a while.”
“You like me? Like you like like me?” James asks.
There’s something so hopeful and maybe a bit scared in James’ expression that has Barty softening. “Yes. I like like you, pretty boy,” Barty says softly.
“Oh,” James breathes out.
“Oh?” Barty asks, the first cracks of fear slipping into his features.
And then James’ face lights up like he’s really truly realizing what Barty just said for the first time. “Oh.”
“James, it's okay if you dont-” Barty starts because now it feels like he shouldn’t have said what he just fucking said. God, he’s an-
“I like you, too. A lot,” James confesses.
“Holy shit! Pandora was right,” Barty mutters mostly to himself, a giddy fucking smile breaking out on his face.
“But…” James starts. The smile falters on Barty’s face; ‘but’ is usually never a good thing. “I feel like you should know that I like Regulus, too. I like both of you. A lot.”
“What?” Regulus says. And now it's his turn to be all wide-eyed and shocked.
“I like you, too,” James says, looking right into Regulus’ eyes. “It's okay if you don't feel the same for me but I just thought I should be completely honest.”
“Feel the same for you?” Regulus says incredulously. “I’ve been flirting with you for months, too! Of course I feel the same.”
James grins so wide it probably has to hurt, though he doesn't seem to mind. “I really want to scream right now,” James confesses.
“Believe me, we both know the feeling,” Barty says. “But maybe instead we could…kiss?”
“Gods, yes,” James says.
Barty laughs softly, moving to stand in front of James. Barty cups James’ cheek with his hand, the cold metal of his rings causing James to shiver. James is a few inches taller than Barty, causing the latter to have to look up at him. He thinks that if Barty doesn't kiss him soon he might just get lost in those blue eyes. “Merlin, you really are a pretty boy.”
James flushes and says, “Shut up and kiss me, sweetheart.”
James’ lips are soft and warm and Barty’s imagination couldn't have done him justice even if it tried. James’ hands move to Barty’s waist, pulling him closer. Barty goes willingly, his other hand coming up to cup the back of James’ neck.
James had expected, especially since Barty’s seemed to have liked him for quite some time, that his kiss would be more frantic, all-consuming. But the way Barty kisses him is slow, soft, but no less all-consuming. It reminds him of the stream back home that reminds him so much of Barty’s eyes; the water moving downstream slow, unrushed, much like their kiss. The flick of Barty’s tongue against his lips has him letting out a soft, muted whine, though the way Barty grins confirms the fact that he heard. James opens his mouth to him, lets the caress of Barty’s tongue against his own muddle his mind and consume his thoughts.
They kiss until they’re breathless and then they kiss some more, pulling away when the lack of oxygen finally becomes too much. They both inhale shaky breaths, hearts thumping wildly in their chests.
Right as James thinks he’s got his breathing slightly under control there are hands on his waist, a body pressed to his back, and lips on the side of his neck. A full-body shiver runs through James when Regulus’ tongue flicks and glides against the skin of his neck.
“Can I kiss you, too, love?” Regulus asks, breath fanning out against James’ ear.
“You two could do whatever you want to me and I’d take it happily,” is James’ answer.
“We’ll take you up on that, love,” Regulus assures, nipping at James’ ear lightly.
Then the hands at his hips are turning him around until he’s facing Regulus now rather than Barty.
“Hi,” James breathes out, looking down at the younger boy-he’s shorter than James as well.
“Hi,” Regulus says back, looking up at him through his eyelashes. The stormy gray of his eyes is almost gone with how dilated his pupils are; much how Barty’s had been when he had looked at them. “I’m going to kiss you now,” Regulus announces.
“Okay.”
Regulus grabs his chin, tilts his face down, and kisses him. Regulus’ lips on him are not soft or slow. They’re eager, frantic in the way they move and meet with James’. It's just as all-consuming as Barty’s and just as mind-muddling. He’ll be a glob of mush on the floor by the time the day is over with the two of them kissing him like they are. The kiss reminds him of a storm that he associates with the gray-blue of Regulus’ eyes; the unrelentingness of it, how it sweeps you up, ropes you into its current. He's caught in the rumble of the storm and doesn't mind one bit.
Regulus’ hand trails from his chin to his throat and back into his messy curls, carding through the unkempt hair. A whimper is dragged out of him when Regulus’ hand pulls. Regulus happily swallows up the noise, tongue slipping past James’ lips and into his mouth.
Yup, this is how he dies. Cause of death: being thoroughly kissed by Barty Crouch Jr. and Regulus Black. He wouldn't mind one bit.
When the time to pull away from the kiss comes, because they do need oxygen despite what Regulus and Barty seem to think, Regulus uses his hold on James’ hair and tugs. This time his whimper is far more audible than the one before.
He’s thoroughly breathless and his eyes have grown a dazed look to them in the aftermath of being passed from Barty to Regulus; both who kiss all too good. And yet he still has a question on his mind.
“So, do you…?” he trails off, hoping they understand what he means.
“Oh. Yeah. We figured it out after we realized we liked you. I guess we were so caught up in trying to get your oblivious arse to notice we liked you to act on it or anything,” Barty answers.
“Really, flirting in the hopes that you would catch onto the fact that we liked you was a full-time job,” Regulus says.
James ignores the comment and instead says, “I think it's you two’s turn to kiss, then.”
“You just want to see the two of us suck face in front of you,” Barty points out.
“Maybe I do, sweetheart,” James admits, crowding closer into Barty’s space. “Just like I imagine you liked me and Regulus kissing.” James turns to Regulus, pulling him closer by his hand, “And you with me and Barty.”
“I think it's only fair that I get to see you two,” James says.
Barty and Regulus both turn their hungry gaze on James before turning to each other. The sight of them kissing is far too hot. No, that's a lie. It's not too hot, nothing about them like this is too anything. Incredibly hot, sure, but not too hot. Because that would mean James thought the two of them kissing was too much and James is definitely not of that opinion. Not at all. Kissing them is great but watching them kiss? God, James wants to kneel down at the altar that is them and worship. He can't describe the way he looks at them as anything but reverent.
“Gods that was hot,” James says when they pull away from each other.
Barty quirks a brow at him. “Yeah, pretty boy? A little bit of kissing get you randy?” he pointedly looks down at James' tented pants.
James flushes, cheeks heating up. He shrugs. “I guess so. I’ve wanted to do it for a while. Kiss you two, I mean. I just got…excited, I guess.”
“That's sweet. I think I’ll help you out,” Barty says, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
Barty drops to his knees in front of James, looking up at James with blown, lust-filled pupils, a lazy grin on his face.
“Mmm, I think I’ll help too,” Regulus says before dropping down next to Barty.
James groans. “God, you guys are going to be the death of me.”
“Good,” they both say at the same time.
That's the last thing either of them says for a while.
✯
James wakes up the next morning to sunlight streaming through green curtains and to himself tangled in a mess of limbs. His arm is numb where Regulus lays on it and Barty’s head is a solid weight on his chest. Their legs are so tangled together that it's hard to tell which ones belong to who. He smiles down at each of them in turn, admiring the way the morning sun looks on their skin. On his boyfriends skin. God, he's never going to get over the fact that he’s dating the two of them, that they’re his boyfriends.
It's a fresh thing, being their boyfriend, decided after they fell into a sweaty heap on Barty’s bed after a few not-so-innocent activities. We sucked your cock James and then you sucked ours, of course were boyfriends, James Regulus had said when James had asked if that's what they were. James hadn't stopped smiling about it until he’d fallen asleep that night.
Boyfriends. God he likes that. Boyfriends boyfriends boyfrien-
“What are you smiling about, pretty boy?” Barty asks from James' chest where he’s moved to look up at him.
“Thought about how we’re boyfriends,” James replies, smiling wider at the word boyfriend.
A wide smile stretches across Barty’s face. “Boyfriends,” he says, letting the words settle and imprint on his tongue, “My boyfriend. My pretty boy.”
James flushes. He’s sure he’ll never get tired of being called either. Or love; what Regulus calls him.
“Our boyfriend. Our pretty boy,” Regulus corrects, shifting up from James’ arm to burrow his face in James’ neck, leaving a soft kiss there.
James is smiling so wide now that it hurts his face a bit. He doesn't care.
Turns out nothing’s quite as good as being theirs.