Meet Me In The Pouring Rain
The second time James Potter met Regulus Black (by pure coincidence of course) was on a particularly rainy day. Both without umbrellas, they had stumbled across each other, and without exchanging a word, started laughing hysterically.
James thought that the world was brighter now that there was another who felt as much of a drowned rat as he currently did.
“Where’s your flat? I’ll take you home- it’s dangerous how slippery the floor is in this rain. And the traffic- the traffic is a menace.”
“It’s close from here actually; not even a 5 minute walk. I’ll be fine by myself, honestly.”
“Nonsense. What kind of a gentleman do you think I am?”, James grinned, and grabbed Regulus’s hand in the heat of the moment. Thankfully, he did not seem to want to let go, so they carried on like that, in silence.
James was about to walk straight past the road when Regulus tapped his shoulder with his free hand.
“This is my stop.”
He turned to see the most magnificently horrid building he had ever laid eyes on. Dark, gloomy, dead- it was straight out from a movie with a haunted house.
“T-this is your home?”
“That’s right. It’s been my family home for centuries. A bit rusty here and there but… I’ve never known anywhere else.”
He glanced at James, looking almost embarrassed. He forced a step forward, detaching their intertwined hands. Time stopped. The rain, however, didn’t.
For a split second James wondered if Regulus would invite him inside. After all, he had done the same the day of their first encounter. He would greatly like to see this ominous looking house; he hadn’t seen anything like it before.
Regulus seemed to have different plans. After a split second of hesitation, he lunged forward to kiss James on the cheek. The place stung like he had been slapped; contradictory to the soft lips that brushed against it.
James started, startled like a blind rabbit. His own surprise was reflected in Regulus’s eyes; asking himself whether he had actually done that, or if this was some fever dream.
“You kissed me.”, was all James managed, and Regulus was quick to retort as usual.
“It was on the cheek.”
“So it doesn’t mean anything, is what you’re saying.”
“I never said that!”, he shot back indignantly. Fire flashed in his stormy eyes.
“There was an implication… never mind. I’ll see you soon, Reg?”, James asked cautiously. Could it had been a kiss on the cheek of goodbye?
Visibly relaxing his features, Regulus nodded.
“Until then, my James Potter.”
The possessive nickname left James standing there in the pouring rain for a solid 10 minutes before he picked himself up to go back home.