James
James was alone when he went to the bar. He usually went with Remus or Sirius. He’d gone with Frank and Alice a few times, but they ended up talking about things he could never quite grasp, especially while drunk. He’d been missing Sirius, but he was with Remus in America for Remus’ book signing. Sighing as he walked in, he grinned at the sign up front. At least tonight would be interesting. It appeared that it was an open mic night, and anyone who wanted to would be able to sing. James wasn’t planning on singing, but he was looking forward to seeing what others had to offer. The lights in the pub were dimmed down, whether it was purposeful, James wasn’t quite sure. The rickety stage was usually home to one of a few local bands, but tonight it housed a shorter girl with pale skin and short blonde hair. Her voice was soft and scratchy in a way. She seemed like a very kind individual, so after she finished singing, James approached her.
“Erm, I’m James. I really loved your voice, thought it was quite beautiful truth be told.” She looked up at him quizzically, as if she was trying to decide what to do with him.
“Sorry, but I have a girlfriend.”
She said this very matter-of-factly, and it was so sudden that it took a second for James’ brain to catch up.
“No! Wait! I wasn’t- I mean I- I meant that…” he took a breath, and wondered why his brain wouldn’t work. “Men.” Her eyes went wide and she started laughing. “Sorry,” said James. “It’s been a few days since I had any human interaction and, well I thought you seemed like a nice person to drink with.” “Marlene. My name is Marlene , and you seem like a lovely person to drink with,” she said.
Just then another girl popped up over Marlene’s shoulder.
“Whose this?” She asked this almost accusingly. “‘M James. I promise I’m not flirting with, well I assume your girlfriend.” “Oh good, I was just making sure. I saw him over here and was planning to rescue you. I can still do that if you need, honey.” “No, James is gonna hang out with us tonight, ok?” “Perfect, I assume Reggie is going to love him.”
Marlene nodded and then dragged James over to get a drink. After they both had their hands full, they went to find Dorcas. She was seated next to the stage with a boy with dark brown fluffy hair. He seemed familiar, but James pushed the feeling away. When they went to sit back down, the boy was laughing at something Dorcas had said. When he went to go up for air, they made eye contact.
“James?”
‘Oh for Christ sake,’ James thought. Reggie? Regulus? The boy he’d been crushing on for nearly 4 years? When he’d said James’ name, he nearly melted on the spot. Why did his name sound so bloody lovely coming out of his mouth? His mouth. The perfect shade of pink. It was as if you had picked a rose and squeezed every last drop of its color out and painted it over Regulus’ lips. He was wearing black pants that had plenty of pockets and James wanted to know what was in each one. His shirt was a charcoal colored button-up, with most of them unbuttoned. They revealed a thin strip of skin that James had the urge to put his hand to. He was wearing a necklace with a serpent on it made of silver. James’ eyes wandered to his wrists and there was only one thought in his hopeless mind. Fuck. Regulus’ wrist had a few small bracelets, but that’s not what got James. No, what got James was his rings. There were a variety of silver bands, each with a different pattern.
His hands were veiny in just the right ways, and as he clenched and unclenched his fists, James was sure his autopilot for breathing switched off. James looked back at Regulus’s studying gaze. He was wearing makeup. Of course he was. He had black eyeliner winged over his eyelid. Dark eyeshadow coated his crease, and his inner corners were sparkly white. He had some form of lipgloss on, as they were very shiny. His eyes were a steel blue color, and his lashes fluttered gently. His eyebrows were sharp, as were all of his features. His nose was angular, and his ears were small with silver serpent earring studs. From memory, James conjured up a memory of Regulus’s teeth. They were perfectly white and straight, and they all aligned perfectly. His canines were slightly sharper than most peoples, but to James, that just made him more attractive. James couldn’t describe it, but Regulus smelt clean. Not a specific scent or anything, just clean. James realized about 10 seconds too late that he’d been staring.
“James. What the hell are you doing,” Reg asked. “Sorry my king,” James joked. “I didn’t realize you owned the bar.” “I don’t give a shit that you’re here, I mean why are you staring at me like a lovestruck fool?”
Oh. Well that James had 1000 answers to, none of which James could say obviously. “No reason.”
The girls giggled, clearly seeing James’ bright red face. He sighed and plopped himself next to Reggie and set himself in for a fun night. A few hours later, to his surprise, James was not drunk. Sure he’d had a few, but he was no longer interested in being drunk. The girls and Reggie, however, were a mess. He must have had a bad week or something because Reg never got drunk.
To be honest, there was probably a reason for that, as Reggie was a touchy drunk, but regularly he was not keen on touch. Regulus was messing with James’s shirt when he decided it would be a good idea to sing now. He walked up to the stage and requested a song that James knew quite well. The song in question was I wanna be yours. When he started singing, James swore he fell in love all over again.
His voice was husky and low. The lyrics seemed to linger in the air as he sang. The entire song Reggie did not break eye contact with James. The music stopped and James realized it was over. The room broke into a massive applause, and Reg stepped off of the stage. He was surrounded by people he didn’t know, and someone grabbed his arm.
“You sounded amazing. I’m Judah, and I think you’re pretty hot.”
Regulus tried to get away but he couldn’t. James saw a tall man with curly blonde hair whispering into Reg’s ear. James walked over and Reggie was trying to pull away.
“Get the fuck off of him,” James spat. “Excuse me?” “You heard me. Get. The. Fuck. Off.”
The man threw Reg off of him and he tumbled into James. They both sank to the floor and Reg looked like he was crying.
“Come on, love. Let’s get you home.”
James tugged Reggie up and they went to find Dorcas and Marlene. They were leaving at the same time, so they exchanged numbers and said they’d talk soon. James hailed a cab and got Regulus into the back of it. He said he had a headache, and then promptly laid his head down onto James’ thigh. James felt like his heart was going to simply explode. When he looked back down, his hands were in Reggie’s hair, just combing through. Reggie hummed, and James’ stomach flipped. They arrived at the apartment and James had resorted to simply carrying Regulus. When he went into the apartment, he dropped Regulus into the bathroom and then grabbed a set of clothes. When he got back, Reggie was splayed out on the floor. He made him drink some water and take some medicine for the headache. When Regulus threw up, James held his hair back. When he needed help changing, James felt guilty.
He got to see Regulus in a state of vulnerability, and Regulus wouldn’t even remember. He tried to change him as quickly as possible, trying not to look as he pulled the shirt over his head. Reggie shook his head.
“‘S too hot for a shirt,” he mumbled. ‘For fucks sake,’ James thought.
Regulus fumbled with the string on the borrowed sweatpants and James pulled the shirt over the boy's head. His eyes trailed quickly over his body. He had a built frame, and was quite fit. He had some freckles that trailed down his chest to his stomach. His hips dipped downward, and James had the urge to grab them and dance. He did not do this, though the urge was quite possibly one of the strongest urges he’d ever had. James dragged the shorter boy to the bed and laid him down.
He was leaving the bed when Reggie grabbed his wrist with a death grip.
“Where are you going?” “To the couch, love. You have the bed, ok?” He made a sound of discontent. “No. You sleep in the bed. Otherwise I’m walking home right now.”
James laughed. Regulus pulled the covers back and started to get up.
“Fine, fine!” He smiled and James grinned. He crawled in behind Regulus.
“Call me that again,” he whispered. “Call you what?” “The name you called me when you tried to go to the couch.” “Love?” “Yes.”
James didn’t know why he wanted it, but he indulged Reggie.
“Ok, love. Do you need anything else?”
Regulus shifted closer to James. He was facing him now, his face in James’s chest.
“My hair,” he said, muffled. James was confused for a minute before realizing what Reggie wanted. He softly raked his fingers through the tufts of his hair. It was smooth, and smelled like sandalwood. James wished he could stay in this lovely moment forever. James heard a storm start outside his window. A flash of lightning glimmered through the drapes. Regulus’s breathing grew deeper and his body became a little heavier.
“I love you,” said James.
It was a quiet confession. It almost seemed as though he was talking to just the stars.
The next morning, when it was still dark out, James felt Regulus wrapped around him. He felt bleary, and shifted a bit. He was like a koala in a way, all curled around James. He was clinging to him, like he needed James. Like James was his life source. His arms were wrapped around his chest, and James’ legs were in between his, almost intertwined. His hands were in Regulus’s hair, still subconsciously playing with a few silky strands.
He looked over to see it was 4 am, so he burrowed his head into the shorter boy's hair. He awoke again many hours later to the sun shining in his eyes. He turned to admire Regulus, when he realized the bed was empty. He quickly got up and threw on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. Tripping over some clutter, he opened his bedroom door to the glorious scent of breakfast. He wandered into the kitchen to see Regulus at the stove, making pancakes. With an apron on, but still no shirt underneath.
He walked over to the stove, surprised at Reg’s energy as he had been quite drunk the evening before. Regulus turned around and came incredibly close to James. His skin turned pink as he apologized.
“Sorry! I was just-” What had James been doing? “No! It’s fine,” Reg coughed. “I’m making breakfast. I thought it was the least I could do after last night.” “Lo-. Reg, you don’t have to do anything, just think of it as a sleepover, ok?”
He nodded, turning back to the stovetop. When he was finished cooking, he took two plates to the table. They faced each other, and James was worried that it might be awkward. He took a tentative bite and was blown away. They were just pancakes, but somehow they tasted like a delicacy. They were light and fluffy, with small blueberries in the center which added a slight acidic flavor. He couldn’t help it when he groaned as he took another bite.
“Reg, holy shit these are… I don’t even have the words. How did you even do this? OhmygodthisisthebestfoodI’veevertasted,” James said, stuttering a bit in pure shock.
The praise managed to get a small grin out of Regulus. They talked for an hour about how their lives were going. After some time, they had been sufficiently acquainted with each other. James had found out that Regulus was an employee at a small bookshop, and he enjoyed it very much. He likes cooking and occasionally writes. He has a few friends, all of which James knows from the bar and parties.
James was happy to get to know him a bit better, as they had drifted since they were younger. Sirius would try and bring him everywhere, and James and Reg used to hang out quite frequently, even once without Sirius. They finished eating and cleaned the kitchen together.
“Thank you so much for everything, but I really must be going so I’m not late for work. I’m serious, though, thank you so much.” James grinned slyly. “Sirius? But I thought you were Regulus. And really, it was no problem.”
Regulus flipped him off as he walked out. As soon as James shut the door, he slumped against it. What in Merlin’s name was he going to do about this horrendous crush on Regulus?