chapter 15
A week later Regulus awoke with the most pounding headache in his forehead, a nasty but not awful bruise on his lower leg and the most adjetating grading shrill of a noise in his ear.
“Reggie for fucks sake your awake! Effie Monty Reggie’s awake,”
“Sirius what the fuck shut up,” Regulus whined trying to shut himself back into the coma.
“Absolutely not you’ve been dead for a week and now you’re not. We got to throw a ball. We got to celebrate,”
“Sirius I was just unconscious,”
“Just unconscious my ass James brought you in with a cracked head,”
James?
“James?
Oh.
James.
“James!” Regulus exclaimed, trying to urge himself out of the bed.
“Woah, woah calm down Reggie,” Sirius urged Regulus back on the bed, “he’s just gone for a walk he’ll be back soon,”
“No, I need to see him now,”
“Do you want me to send for him,”
“Yes, Sirius thank you,” Regulus laid back down semi-comfortably as Sirius left for the door. Before he made it out, he saw his brother turn back to him.
“Hey Regulus,”
“Yea,”
“mieux?”
“Oui Sirius beaucoup,”
“Bon, I’ll go get James now,”
-----
As Sirus closed the door behind him Lord and Lady Potter came in, in turn, “Oh darling thank god you’re ok,” coddled Lady Potter.
“I am alright thanking you ma’am. I apologize for the inconvenient I have surely caused, I assure you I meant no disrespect by my stupid stunt,”
“What are you talking about my boy,” asked Lord Potter.
“Well for one I’m sure you must have found it an inconvenience having the physician come in and out of your home this past week, as well as my unconscious body taking up a bed,”
“Regulus darling you were hurt, hurt people are supposed to be looked after, that’s all we were doing,” said Effie taking his hand in her own.
“And I am eternally grateful Effie,” he paused, “when I rode off, it was no disrespect towards you or Monty or James but-“
“Things just got a bit much, that’s ok darling we get it. Monty here takes the occasional stroll here and there when he needs to clear his head and you may leave to clear your thoughts whenever you feel fit, this is not a prison Regulus. However, just let someone know,”
“Yes, I believe the boys were in quite of a shock that morning,”
“And I am so, so sorry. Sirius knows this back from when we both lived in Grimmauld Palace but when things aren’t really going right with me, I cave in on myself. Isolate myself until I’ve fixed myself back up, usually it works,”
“But you don’t have to do that anymore love,” assured Effie, squeezing her hand. Regulus smiled and returned the gesture even though he knew this would be better said than done. A bit beyond the doorway he heard footsteps. James and his brother. They were getting closer, James’ getting quicker as they reached closer to the door, until he was standing at the doorway facing Regulus. Effie and Monty turned to see James then promptly left.
“Reg,” he sighed coming to sit in front of Regulus ingulfing the boy in a hug. Regulus let the guilt and fear fall away as he was taken by James’ arms. Let his mask fall for just a second.
“Hi Jamie,” James pressed soft kisses on the boy’s head, then forehead, cheeks, nose before finally kissing him softly on the lips.
“You’re here,”
“Yes James,” said Regulus bringing a hand to his face, “I’m here,” James sighed again falling back into Regulus.
“Good I’m glad, I’m so glad,” Regulus’ small smile quickly dropped as he felt small tears fall on his neck. He pushed himself back, catching James’ face in his hands and hurryingly wiped the tears.
“Mon amour Que s’est-il passé,”
“I’m sorry Reggie, I’m so, so sorry,”
“For what James, what happened,”
“I-I I was too- I couldn’t” just stuttered his tears taking over his control. Regulus dutifully followed suit and urged James onto his lap. Kissing his face, whispering soft words of compassion and encouragement as he ran his fingers through his hair.
“Shhh it’s ok baby, it’s ok. What happened amour, who’s getting the knife through their throat,”
“Me,” James spat out.
“Oh no we can’t have that. Why would I ever do that Jamie,”
“Because I was too late, I should have stayed with you that night. I should have gotten there quicker. I should have done something. But I was too late and I’m so sorry.”
“James I’m ok. I’m breathing,” Regulus moved James’ hand to be over his heart as he coached James to calmer breathing, “feel that. I’m ok love you were right on time. You saved me,”
“I-I I did,”
“Yes, James you did, you were wonderful,” he said pressing soft kisses on his face, cradling his face gently, as if James was the most precious stone to him. Unfortunately, the sweet moment was quickly ruined by Sirius “cockblock” Black coming in with his eyes closed, not to interrupt the snog fest but we have invites. James laughed as he turned to face Sirius.
“Who from padfoot?”
“Lily and Mary,” he said opening the invite, “Ms. Lily Rose Evans and Mary Jane McDonald has cordially invited all residence of Potter manor to their end of season ball this coming Saturday at the McDonald family home. Patiently awaiting your RSVP, Ms. Evans, and McDonald.”
“Lily and Mary are having a ball, how lovely, it be good to see her I haven’t seen Lily since our own ball,”
“Regulus seriously you just woke up from a coma, you can’t go to a ball,”
“Oh yes I can James besides I’m invited,”
“Regulus,” James warned.
“I’ll stay away from the drinks, and I’ll have you to keep me up right in dances,” he said smiling sweetly giving James a small innocent peck.
“Fine Sirius tell mama,”
“Joy a party,” Sirius said skipping off to Effie.
“He really is quite the show dog isn’t he,” said Regulus.
“Hey he’s your brother,”
“And your best friend,”
-----
Surprisingly enough, Regulus found the ball to be exactly what he needed, due to recent events the guest list was much smaller. Regulus had been couped up in the potter’s residence for a week since he awoke from his coma and as much as he hated people, he needed some interaction apart from James and his brother.
He kept to the corner of the room as he did with most balls and decided to partake in a bit of people watching. He saw Sirius with his musician Lupin he said the name was, keeping to a corner of their own. James was with his parents, and he saw Mary and Lily on the dance floor. He was happy for Lily, she deserved someone like Mary, someone who wouldn’t be ashamed of her. He also saw the ladies McKinnon and Meadows, friends of Lily who he’d seen before at balls, but they looked different today. They stood a little closer, smiled a little wider and he could feel that they felt just a little freer.
His quite activity was ruined quickly however at the hands of one James Potter, “Reggie come dance with me,”
“James the physician said I shouldn’t be doing anything that could possibly get me dizzy,”
“Regulus come on, I know the waltz is next and you’re dieing to go,” as much as he hates to admit it. He did, unlike Sirius he always had a love for such dance. He let out a sigh before taking James’ arm allowing himself to be taken to the dance floor,
“If anyone is to ask about this,” said Regulus geustring to himself and James.
“You just came back from a head injury and just needed someone to keep you on your feet,” James gave Regulus a wink a twinkle in his eye, Regulus felt like he could look at those eyes forever.
They danced through the waltz, paso doble and foxtrot before James whisked them away to get drinks. As Regulus stood by the table of refreshments nursing his drink, he noticed himself being pulled out onto the terrace.
“James,” he asked. It was a cold night, so he found himself standing close to James trying to preserve their shared body heat.
“can I tell you something,” James had a nervous, almost bashful look on his face.
“Of course,” Regulus was only slightly worried, “is everything ok?”
“I love you,”
“Oh.”
“Oh?”
Oh.
James said he loved him, how, why, how. How could James say that. Did he mean it? Was he expected to say it back. Regulus was not very good at this.
“It’s ok if you don’t feel the same Reg, I just wanted to let you know. I-I thought you should know,” and Oh, Regulus was going to have to kiss him right now, “Reg,” and so he did. He grabbed on to James’ waist and hurryingly shoved him against the wall, kissing him all over completely disregarding his physicians’ words of warning. As they pulled away Regulus let James rest their foreheads together as he sighed out Regulus’ name.
“I love you too James, and I think you should know that,”