meet me in the afterglow
katleen @cowboylikereg
okay i have floor seats at eras and i'm near the VIP tent you'll never guess who's here
6:35 PM - 8 Aug 23 - 69.6k views
678 Retweets 235 Quotes 95,6k Likes
kali 🏳️🌈 @jegulusisreal
replying to @cowboylikereg
don't say jegulus i'll die
betty (regulus's version) @moonandsaturn
replying to @jegulusisreal @cowboylikereg
my irl is there she just exchanged friendship bracelets with james potter
kali 🏳️🌈 @jegulusisreal
replying to @moonandsaturn @cowboylikereg
was regulus exchanging bracelets too 😭😭😭
betty (regulus's version) @moonandsaturn
replying to @jegulusisreal @cowboylikereg
he was shy 😭😭 james was doing the exchanging but regulus's arms were covered in bracelets and she said he was blushing the whole time
dorcas meadowes' burner @fruityrab
replying to @moonandsaturn @jegulusisreal @cowboylikereg
i'm dying he's so babygirl fr
rab is a mirrorball @crimsonriversisgay
replying to @cowboylikereg
you better update us all night or else
katleen @cowboylikereg
guys they came in holding hands it was precious i hope someone took photos 😭😭
7:55 PM - 8 Aug 23 - 109.6k views
798 Retweets 535 Quotes 67,6k Likes
#1 JAMES POTTER DEFENDER @takehimtobigsur
CAN SOMEONE CONFIRM JEGULUS WERE SLOW DANCING TO LOVER IN THE VIP TENT IM GOING TO SPONTANEOUSLY COMBUST
8:15 PM - 8 Aug 23 - 99.6k views
78 Retweets 25 Quotes 78,6k Likes
katleen @cowboylikereg
replying to @takehimtobigsur
THEY WERE 😭😭
rep TV NEXT @karmaismygf
yo I'm not in the jegulus fandom but im currently watching james potter dancing his ass off to love story while regulus black is dying of embarrassment those two are precious
8:45 PM - 8 Aug 23 - 167.5k views
128 Retweets 57 Quotes 87,8k Likes
#1 JAMES POTTER DEFENDER @takehimtobigsur
replying to @karmaismygf
this is the second best day of my life
katleen @cowboylikereg
REGULUS BLACK SPECIAL GUEST FOR SURPRISE SONGS???
10:50 PM - 8 Aug 23 - 196k views
456 Retweets 105 Quotes 105,8k Likes
kali 🏳️🌈 @jegulusisreal
replying to @cowboylikereg
SHUT TF UP
katleen @cowboylikereg
replying to @jegulusisreal
no kali it's real they're singing ruin the friendship 😭😭
rab is a mirrorball @crimsonriversisgay
replying to @cowboylikereg @jegulusisreal
stop it did he sing with he/him pronouns ???
katleen @cowboylikereg
replying to @crimsonriversisgay @jegulusisreal
YES!! he sang does HE know i wanna ruin our friendship does HE know i want to hold HIM in my arms does HE know when HE goes home with HER i wish HE'd kiss me in the dark 😭😭
#1 JAMES POTTER DEFENDER @takehimtobigsur
replying to @cowboylikereg crimsonriversisgay @jegulusisreal
i am not ready to hear all the re-recorded songs with he/him pronouns i fear I'll die
December 2024
Nantucket, MA
[7:35pm] has he heard from the academy yet
[7:35pm] No, but it's still early on the West Coast.
[7:35pm] you'll let me know either way??
[7:36pm] Sirius, you're on vacation with your boyfriend.
[7:36pm] Stop worrying about work and go have fun.
[7:36pm] <Image Attached>
[7:37pm] Is that Remus in a bathing suit?
[7:37pm] yes but don't tell him i sent that
[7:37pm] that was to show you i am having fun
[7:38pm] You're texting me about work. That's not having fun.
[7:38pm] my piña colada begs to differ
[7:38pm] james is my friend too not just a client
[7:38pm] im on edge in my best friend capacity not in my professional one
[7:39pm] We'll let you know when he gets the call.
[7:39pm] Go enjoy yourself now.
[7:39pm] brb im gonna have some hot steamy sex
[7:40pm] I am blocking your number.
The phone call comes about a half an hour later. Although they've tried to distract themselves by playing reruns of Killing Eve on the big screen, they've mostly just been sitting in silence, hands clutched together like their lives depend on it. James is practically curled up in Regulus’s lap and Reg's free hand is running through his hair soothingly.
When James’s phone buzzes, he sits up, nearly kicking the blanket off his legs down to the carpeted floor. Regulus’s heart is in his feet, but he still lifts James’s hand up to his lips to cover every inch with soft kisses as the other man lifts the phone up to his ear.
"Hi, yes, this is he," he breathes out, eyes fluttering shut, and he squeezes them shut as he listens to the voice on the other end of the call. Regulus’s eyes never leave James’s face as he watches his jaw muscles relax, and he's stroking his hand almost victoriously moments later, eager for him to end the call so they can celebrate properly.
"Thank you so much," James says, and the smile that's barely been curling his lips reaches the corners of his eyes too as they crinkle. "Thank you, it's truly an honor. Have a good evening."
As soon as he hangs up, Regulus pounces on him, throwing his arms around his neck and smooching him loudly on the mouth. The sudden movement causes them both to topple over in a pile of limbs and curls and blankets on the couch, both of them alternating between laughing and kissing.
"You got it," Regulus whispers against his lips, leaning forward to brush them together. "You got it, you got it, you got it!"
James cups his cheeks with his palms and tilts his head back to get a better view of Reg's face, cheeks flushed, eyes sparkling, mouth hanging slightly open. He may have just gotten an Oscar nomination but he thinks that this, right here—holding Regulus in his arms, in their home that they own together means more to him than any award could.
"I'm so proud of you," Regulus says, pressing their noses together. He feels like his heart could burst. Sometimes it's hard to remember what he was so afraid of, why he kept this little sliver of paradise away from himself. Before he realizes it, a sob escapes his lips and when he blinks, he discovers tears are prickling in his eyes.
"Hey," James whispers as he nuzzles his face in the crevice of his neck, body convulsing softly in tune with his sobs. James wraps his arms around him in a tight hug and helps him sit up. Then, gently, with just the tips of his thumbs, he wipes the tears away. "What's wrong?"
"C'est juste…je suis tellement heureuse," he murmurs, reverting to French, as usual, when his feelings get too big for him.
"Okay," James’s eyes soften, "happy tears I can work with."
"I love you so much," Regulus lifts his hand up to stroke James’s cheek. "I'll spend the rest of my life showing you how much you mean to me."
"Oh, love, but you already do."
Regulus shakes his head, running his thumb over James’s lips. "Not enough. Never enough."
"It is for me," he whispers, gazing lovingly into Reg's eyes. Regulus feels like the room’s run out of oxygen. This. He always wants to feel like this. Home.
They're interrupted by the buzzing of James’s phone again.
"Sirius," Regulus chuckles, then pats James’s cheek softly. "Don't keep him on his toes anymore, I'll go get the champagne."
When he returns, holding two champagne flutes by the stems and a bottle of Veuve he pulled out of the fridge in one hand, he leans in the doorframe and takes the sight in lovingly. James is sprawled on the couch, with his legs up in the air, crossed at the ankles, head hanging off the edge so that his glasses threaten to slip down his nose, and he's chatting to Sirius excitedly, phone pressed to his ear. The fairy lights on the ginormous Christmas tree in the corner flicker, casting their festive red-and-green glow over James. Through the large ceiling-to-floor window he can see flecks of white floating down from the sky, coating the already tall piles of snow with a fresh, crisp layer. The logs crackle softly in the fireplace.
Home, he thinks. I'm home.
"Your brother is hoarding the champagne," James announces loudly, scrambling up to his feet to take the bottle out of Reg's hands.
"Am not," he rolls his eyes as he exchanges the champagne and the flutes for James’s phone and watches him struggle with the cork as he's trying to pop it open.
"How does it feel being married to an Oscar nominee," Sirius yells from the other wnd of the line.
"I've been married to one for some time now," Regulus says primly. It was something they did without much noise and grandeur. A small ceremony for just their friends and family. No cameras, no media, no news coverage. Just a special moment they could have to themselves. "You can ask me in March how it feels to be married to an Oscar winner though."
He hears that bark his brother calls a laugh, as well as the faint sound of music.
"Sirius… is that the Macarena?"
"No," his brother says entirely too quickly for it to be true. Regulus throws his head back laughing.
"James, come here," he calls out, grinning as he takes a glassful of champagne from James. "My brother and Remus are doing the Macarena."
"No way!" James grins, as he pulls the phone away from Regulus's ear.
"Lies," Sirius is shouting, joined by Remus’s heated refutation in the background.
As he sips on his champagne, Regulus thinks that for the first time in his life, it actually tastes like success.
March 2025
Dolby Theater, Hollywood
"Are you ready?" He takes James’s hand in his and glances out of the limo window to see the crowds. Cameras flash on both sides of the red carpet and the hundreds of people lined up to see them cheer loudly. It never stops being surreal, the thud of applause, the excited faces, the hands reaching out to touch, to grab, to hold. In a moment, they'll step outside of the safe private bubble of this limousine backseat under the heat of the projectors and the hounding paparazzi.
"Baby, I was born ready," James tries to sound confident but his voice wavers. It's not rare that someone might get nominated twice in the same category and still not bring an award home. Regulus tells him it really isn't that big of a deal, that an Oscar doesn't make or break a great actor—look at Leo! — but it still feels like they're under constant scrutiny, ever since they came out. It's been nearly two years now and the world still waits with stilted breath for their careers to crumble, for their success to wilt. It matters whether he'll win tonight or not.
"I'll be right here with you," Regulus whispers, squeezing his hand.
When they step on the red carpet, hand in hand, the fans go wild. James looks at Reggie, brown eyes on blue-gray, and the rest of the world falls quiet. The rest of it doesn't matter. Hand in hand, smooth palm to calloused one, they've got everything they need.
When he walks up to the podium to give his acceptance speech, Regulus is the first person James thanks like he's always dreamed of doing.