Chapter 4
James didn’t see Regulus again for the next couple of weeks. He had gone years without seeing the stoic little brother of his best friend and yet those few hours he had spent staring at him wrangling a dragon or within a cloud of flower petals was enough to light a flame beneath James Potter’s arse.
It was a friday night and James had barely made it to the purple front door of his flat when he could hear multiple voices from inside his flat. He opened the door with a twist and kicked off his shoes by one of the many bookshelves dotted around as he tried to peek down the hall where the kitchen and living room sat. His face lit up at the familiar sound of his friends. Entering the kitchen he was almost rugby tackled by Sirius.
“James James keep Marlene back she’s a psycho” Sirius slithered under James’ arm and held the sides of his long coat as if to use him as a shield against the laughing blonde who held her wand out with a wicked smile.
“Come here Black you made a bet”
Looking over Marlene’s shoulder and into the living room he found Dorcas on the arm of the sofa Remus was slumped in with Lily on the carpeted floor in front of the fire dishing out playing cards upon the coffee table. The kitchen to the side of him was alive with enchanted spoons and pans as it prepared for what appeared to be a party, a bottle pouring out wine and stirring up a Pimms.
“What did he do?” James stood between the two.
Sirius’ grip held on tighter.
“She said if I lost the last round of cards, she could make my hair pink”
Marlene tried to jump over James who was unmoving against the five foot something woman.
“And you lost”
“I said I didn’t want to play anymore. James hold her back she’s a crazy witch”
James managed to grab Marlene as she attempted to slip around him and held her hands to the side as she clawed for Sirius, the others behind them laughing.
“If you forfeited the game then you lost Pads” Sirius looked at James as if he’d shot him.
“Exactly now let me at him” Marlene tried to grab for Sirius who yelped.
“Okay okay. Marlene, why don’t you just change a bit of his hair?”
“Prongs?” Sirius gasped.
“It’s only fair”
“Fine” Marlene grumbled and James released her. The woman lifted her wand against Sirius’ head who looked as if he was about to be executed with his eyes closed and arms against his chest when a spell revealed a pastel purple streak in the front of his hair.
“Happy?” James asked the blonde.
“Perfect” She nodded and Sirius pushed past them both to the mirror in the hallway. Everyone tried not to smile too hard when Sirius waltzed back in as if it was a brilliant idea and ran his hands through his hair.
“I look rather dashing don’t I Moony?”
James took off his coat and looked over at the couch while everyone else fell back into conversation. He tried not to react when he noted Remus gulp when Sirius stood in front of him almost between his stretched legs. The two had been floating between a relationship for a while now. James recalled back to both times the two of them confessed to him their love for one and other but fear of ruining a friendship. James offered the advice that they tell each other but both had denied the idea at being the first to admit and potentially fuck up what they had. And so James had now been witness to almost eight months of the two of them being hopelessly in love and not doing anything about it. Not that this was new to James. He noticed the looks during Hogwarts both thinking no one saw the way they stared and he experienced first hand the pain both cried over at the thought of either in danger during the war. They always had that panicked look on their faces when the other was mentioned to be in danger during Order missions, the look you only made when the person you loved was inches from death and you could do nothing about it.
Many times he had thought to tell the other but after careful contemplation and raising the hypothetical circumstance to Rosier under the guise of ‘what would you do if two people you loved..’ he decided this was something they had to figure out on their own. Even if it was so painfully obvious to everyone but them.
“Are we having a party?” James looked away from the two men and toward the three women now at the breakfast bar pouring out glasses of red as the vinyl player in the corner span James’ Frankie Goes to Hollywood record.
“Just a little get together” Lily handed him a mason jar of fruit and mint swimming in Pimms as she turned his way.
“We are celebrating everyone’s various current life accomplishments and you being the ever so graceful host are allowing us to use your flat to do so”
“And your flat is the biggest” Dorcas interjected.
“Sirius suggested” Lily smiled when the click of the front door opened.
A chorus of hello’s rounded the room as Alice and Frank Longbottom walked in holding an eight-pack of beer and tray of some sort of pastries. The two of them worked in the Ministry with Frank alongside James in the Auror department and Alice an expert curse-breaker with Sirius.
“James-” Alice hugged him tightly “We brought beers and Frank has recently taken up baking Beignets so we thought we’d bring them too”
“Brilliant” James hugged back and did the same to Frank. “I better go get changed then I’m not exactly dressed for festivities” He was still wearing his Auror robes and stood among his friends dressed in cosy jumpers and jeans, he felt a tad over dressed.
“Who else is coming?” He leaned down to Remus who had walked over to open one of Frank’s beers.
“Just a few others” He wasn’t making eye contact which wasn’t unusual from Remus if you were Sirius Black, but James-
“Pandora and Xen I think” Remus took a sip of his beer “And a few others I don’t know probably”
James ignored the strange feeling under his skin and nodded along until he departed to his room. With the others down the hall, he left his door open as he changed into blue jeans and pulled off his suspenders and shirt.
The front door opened once again and James’ ears picked up the sweet tone of Pandora announcing her arrival. Sirius yelled back and they disappeared into the living room but a third voice followed.
Rosier?
James almost tripped over his messy room as he lent into the hallway. Evan had been around a few times before but hadn’t mentioned it at work today. He saw Rosier walk into the room at the opposite end of the hall and greet his other friends but the front door remained open. James was about to walk over to close it when he walked in.
Regulus was wearing dark corduroy trousers with a knitted jumper and beaten trainers, a bottle of wine in his fist. He closed the door behind him and as he did, James was revealed in the hallway, shirtless and completely still.
“Black?”
“Potter” James gulped when he saw Regulus look him up and down. He suddenly felt very self conscious in only his jeans.
“What are you doing here?”
Regulus was quiet and looked back to where their other friends had disappeared.
“Pandora invited me. Said Sirius would be fine with it”
The two brothers had made up quite a while ago, as best as people with their certain history could. It was a slow process and they still remained in the awkward post-apologies part of their relationship but with their friend groups meeting in the middle with the glue of Pandora and everyone’s mutual friendship with her, it made sense she would invite Evan and Regulus when given an open invite.
“Of course. Well they’re all in there”
Regulus nodded. James remained still right up until the Slytherin had moved into the living room with a shy hello, Dorcas snatching the wine bottle in his hand with a cheer when he did.
James stared a little longer before realising he was still standing without a top in the hallway and scuttled back into his room, quickly closing the door upon entrance.
He returned to his friends a little while later after pacing back and forth in his bedroom and standing in front of his mirror with his hands on his cheeks to cool down the flush that kissed them. When he entered the room he noticed the mood had already brightened as the music was turned louder and everyone spoke. Dorcas, Rosier and Sirius were attempting to build a card tower on the coffee stable until Remus blew it down with a smile causing the three to pile onto him on the couch. Lily and Alice were eating Franks Beignets behind the kitchen island with Marlene and Alice pouring drinks next to them. Xenophelius and Regulus were standing near the wall closest to James.
“Potter, Pandora told me you and Regulus worked together a few weeks ago on that dragon case I know you took” Xen was sipping a prossecco while Regulus nursed a glass of the red wine he brought.
“I-er-yes. It was that one Duke was talking about the other day” He could feel Regulus stood beside him staring as he gulped.
“Honestly, I don’t understand how he can do it aye Potter. I almost shat myself when someone brought a baby basalisk into the office that one time let alone work with dragons”
“They’re not so bad” Regulus’ smile was warm and light as he took a sip of wine. James clenched his jaw when his eyes caught the red wine stain of Regulus’ lips when he pulled back the glass in his hands. “They’re misunderstood really”
“Pan said you sat on one” The white blonde man laughed before accepting a grape from one of the bowls floating around the room.
“I-erm-yeah I had to wrangle it during the raid”
“Wrangle it? You made it your bitch” James laughed but choked on his voice when he did, his ears going bright red when he did.
Why would you say that? He screamed at himself in his head. He thought he might as well paint Regulus’ number one fan on his forehead.
“Just doing my job” Regulus made unexpected eye contact as the two of them listened to Xen ask more questions about the care a dragon needs, Regulus indulging him as James stood in front of the two. He had lost the two voices as he blankly stared off over his cup at Regulus’ hands. The man was holding the stem of his wine glass with one hand while he fiddled with a ring on his finger with the other. James studied the pale colour of the man's skin and the way it complemented the dark green of his jumper.
“James?”
“Sorry?”
Xenophelias smiled and repeated his question.
“What’s next at work?”
“Oh. I’m not sure. We just finished tracking a Hobgoblin who stole a key from Gringotts up to the Yorkshire Dales but other than that I should have a new assignment on Monday”
James managed to sink back into his cool and collected self as he told Xen and ignored the smile Regulus seemed to hide behind his glass after James stumbled a little when he started talking.
Xen told the two of them about starting as a herbology professor at Hogwarts prompted by James’ questions until Pandora popped up beside them.
“Xen I was just telling Sirius about you learning to play piano” The man took a gulp of his own drink and grabbed her hand.
“Oh yes I’ve been meaning to ask him a few questions about that really” The two of them quickly shuffled between the couch and joined Sirius by the fire in a conversation leaving James standing alone with Regulus.
“How’s the dragons?”
Regulus looked his way and swallowed a sigh, shuffling where he stood.
“They’re good”
James took a big swig of his drink hoping the alcohol would loosen him up a little.
“The Welsh did push me in again yesterday when I tried to clean her last few scars” He had a little smile on his face when he spoke and James mirrored the movement.
“She’ll be released back to Wales in the coming days hopefully” Regulus followed up and James nodded, his eyes completely focused on the rim of his glass, too nervous to look up and let himself blush once more under the gaze of the man.
“Come on, play us a song, Xen needs to know what a pro looks like” Alice begged from over the room. James looked and saw almost everyone had turned to Sirius who was being pushed toward the old piano the two of them had found left abandoned among a pile of furniture when they moved in. Sirius held up his hands and accepted Lily’s shove toward the bench. James smiled at what he knew was to come but his brows furrowed when he found Remus looking over at him through his friends, holding back a small knowing smile.
James took a step away from Regulus.
Sirius cracked his knuckles and cricked his neck before playing a few chords of Elton John’s Benny and The Jets. Everyone cheered and he held up his hands with a humble swipe of compliments.
“Stop it stop please”
“I always forget you can play” Lily spoke from her seat at the breakfast table and Sirius stood back up, taking a sip of his drink.
“The only good thing my parents forced upon me. And besides I can barely play. If anyone can, it’s my brother”
Sirius was a little tipsy and flushed as he waved his glass through his friends toward where Regulus seemed to try to sink into the wall next to James. Everyone looked his way and smiled expectantly until a small chant of Regulus pressured him into stepping through the living room and taking his brother's seat. With his back now facing James, the auror moved from the wall around to where Lily and Marlene sat smiling so he could at least see Regulus’ profile.
The man at the piano shook his hands and lay them on the white keys muttering an excuse of not being good because he hasn’t played in so long, but it was immediately ignored as he began playing.
While Sirius’ playing made everyone nod their heads and laugh, Regulus’ melody silenced everyone into an awe of admiration. The piece was classical and dramatic, his fingers a blur and they brushed over the piano, the sound belting into the air and his knee knocked with the movement of his foot pressing into the piano pedal. James was in just as much awe. He had been lucky enough to see Regulus ride a dragon, his face smiling wide. But to watch the man play the piano felt like a rare gift. The slytherin lost himself in the music, his body swaying with the tune as he lent into each chord - everyone else freezing where they sat at the pure talent radiating off him. James was enamoured. He knew he’d never seen and perhaps will never again bear witness to Regulus looking so free, so at one, so completely himself.
Regulus finished with his hands fluttering off the piano and resting on his lap.
“Yeh so that’s it” He forced a smile.
Everyone was quiet for a second later until a loud clap rounded the room, everyone astounded by his skills. Sirius was beaming beside Remus on the edge of the couch while Alice stood up for her applause, each person in the room completely flabbergasted by the pure talent of Regulus.
“Fucking hell Black. We’ve got a child prodigy here” Rosier scoffed and shook Regulus’ shoulders with a great smile.
“Piss off” Regulus was whispering through a blush as he nudged into his best friend who wrapped his arms over him.
“So talented” Rosier kissed his cheek with a loud smack as he laughed. Regulus did so too and James considered walking over and doing the same. His eyeline moved from regulus in an avoidance and toward Remus who was smiling his way now, far more obvious than before.
Everyone began moving again and James took his opportunity to crawl over the couch and to Remus’ side.
“Why are you staring at me like that Moons”
Remus smiled and looked at him.
“Staring? I didn’t know I was staring”
James shuffled next to him as they both watched the party.
“I could feel your beady little eyes all the way across the room”
“Surely you’d only know I was staring if you kept looking at me. Therefore you were doing the same”
“No” James nudged him. “Just every time I look over at you I find you looking first”
“I just find it funny”
“Find what funny?”
“You”
“Me” James was going to choke his friend.
“You around him”
James scoffed.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about him”
Remus made a loud obnoxious laugh.
“You’re hilarious”
“That’s a fake laugh”
Remus lent against James, face in a pulled smile of fake kindness.
“It was very real. You’re a funny guy”
James crossed his arms. “I am” He pouted.
“But you’re usually so-” Remus searched for the word “-outgoing” James waited for the but “But not around him”
“Who?”
Remus raised his eyebrow, the one with a scar going through it and James didn’t say anything else in fear of vomiting a confession of having a silly crush on his best friend's little brother.
“I noticed a few days after that dragon fight ring thing when Sirius brought up the fact that you worked with his little brother and didn’t mention a thing”
“Nothing unusual about that” James looked away from Moony’s prying smile and nudging knee.
“I swear you choked on your drink when he mentioned his brother”
“Is it a crime to choke on a drink now?”
“No” Remus was smiling. “But then you walked in before and I thought something was a little strange”
“You’re not calling me strange now are you Moony?” James tried to tease and avoid this conversation all together. But the growing smile on Remus' face told him he wasn’t coming out of this presentation of evidence unscathed.
“Now to everyone else, you just walked in. But to me-” Remus put his hand against his heart “I have a special little ability that allows me to pick up changes in people even if I don’t mean to”
James stared blankly.
“Such instance occurred when you walked in with your heart rate peculiarly spiked”
“I’m a fast heart rated person Moon”
Remus waved him off.
“I thought to myself, how odd. I wonder why? I thought you were scared or something had worried you. I was concerned you know”
James hummed, his face annoyed.
“Then I put a few pieces together and released just who came in before you, who you might have had a run in with and who you just so happened at that moment in time to be staring at”
“Remind me to never indulge in your Sherlock obsession again”
Remus stopped smirking in that vicious way he did and instead smiled softly.
“I’m teasing you James”
“Don’t tell Sirius” Remus fell a little more earnest.
“James I would never ou-”
“It’s not that that I care about you know that. It that fact that it’s him”
Remus nodded in sincerity at his close friend.
“Sirius wouldn’t care that it happened to be him”
“He won’t have to because nothing will ever happen Rem” James ignored Remus’ pitiful eyes. “It’s just a silly crush”
Remus nodded.
“And besides. If we should talk about either of the Black brothers it should be about you and-”
Remus smiled as the air between them lightened, he stood up and smacked James on the chest as he did.
“Nope”
James laughed and followed him up.
“Aw come on”
Remus was smiling and tried to escape over the coffee table Dorcas was sitting on the edge of.
“Piss off Prongs. I don’t want to hear it”
“Moons baby” James followed after him. He stepped over Dorcas who shoved him away when he blocked Sirius telling some story and followed Remus into the kitchen. He almost made it to the counter when Evan took an unexpected step back into him from where she was talking to Frank and knocked James’ drink down his front.
“Merlin I’m so sorry” Rosier held his hands in front of him but James waved him away smiling.
“Rosier don’t worry about it, you’re fine” James assured him with a laugh and left his drink in the kitchen as he walked to the bathroom halfway down the corridor.
His hand pushed in the door with his focus still down on the reddish slosh down his jumper when a slight movement in front of him had him freezing as he laid his eyes on Regulus. The man was leaning against the sink with his jumper on the side, his body twisted as he looked behind him at the mirror.
“Fuck I’m sorry” James averted his eyes.
Regulus looked up and took a step back, his hand grabbing his jumper as he did.
“Potter-”
James didn’t mean to step further into the bathroom but the angry cut on his shoulder pulled him in, his eyes wide and head looking for other injury.
“Bloody hell what happened?”
Regulus cleared his throat. “A dragon with venomous claws managed to nick me when we grabbed it from a drain in Paris last week”
“Merlin” James didn’t even think as he shut the door behind him and took a closer look at the cut. It stretched across Regulus’ shoulder blade and was luckily not as deep as he first thought.
“A healer took care of it but I need to reapply the healing spell every few hours for the next couple of days. Except it’s in a bit of a tricky place”
“Let me” James cursed his Gryffindor heroics as he spoke, immediately regretting it as Regulus stared.
“Er-okay-yeah”
James pulled his wand from where he’d shoved it halfway down his belt and stood behind Regulus who faced the mirror.
They were silent as James took a breath and held his it to the man’s skin. James had had his fair share of painful cuts with one or two being laced with poison and he knew the burning pain you felt when the wound healed as the magic melted the poison away from in your skin. He’d done this a thousand times before at work and during the war but stood behind a shirtless Regulus, the same Regulus he was just denying having a crush on, his heart raced a little.
“This might sting a-”
Regulus hissed out when James began and planted both hands on the sink in front of him. James gulped and avoided admiring the way his toned muscles moved as he arched his back.
“Sorry”
James looked in the mirror and found Regulus staring at him, his eyes were darker as he looked through his lashes, breathing through the pain.
“You’re fine” Regulus spoke against his clenched teeth. “The venom is just still-” James’ hand moved to hold Regulus still, his finger spreading over his shoulder to hold him- the spell requiring detail as it worked.
Regulus’ hand snapped behind him when he hissed and grabbed James’ thigh as the spell breathed over him. James wanted to melt into the floor. It was the second single most errotic thing he’d ever seen, the first having also been enacted by the man now squeezing the side of his leg.
Regulus pulled away as if burned and held his head down while James continued, neither of them talking.
“And you’re done”
He put his wand down and met Regulus' reflection in the mirror. He was standing straight and didn’t look half as tortured as moments before. Except now his cheeks were as pink as James noted his ears were.
“Thank you”
James nodded and looked away, suddenly nervous.
“Any time I’ve had my fair share of-”
“Why did you come in here?”
James swallowed.
“Oh Rosier spilt my drink down me” He waved at the splodge on his chest and attempted a smile. Regulus breathed in a sigh.
“Of course he did”
They were both waiting for the other to mention the strange way the air felt around them, Regulus now the shirtless one. James could almost laugh, they’d both seen each other half naked tonight and both circumstances would be ones Remus would laugh and tease him about.
“Well thanks again” Regulus pulled back on his jumper and when he did he somehow took just a small step forward when his eyes closed. Just a bit. But just enough for the two of them to realise there wasn’t much space left between them.
“I-” James was breathing heavily.
The sharp sound of a glass smashing in the living room out the door followed by a cheer of everyone seemed to pull the two of them apart in a sudden wash of cold. Neither of them made eye contact as Regulus walked toward the door quickly.
He pulled it open and both of them jumped when it revealed Remus just about to pull it open, his mouth in an ‘o’ as he froze with his hand where he was about to grab the door handle.
Regulus quickly sped past as toward the living room with an excuse me leaving James red faced and out of breath. Remus stood up straight and took in what he just witnessed before a shit eating smile took over his face. James didn’t even let him speak before he grabbed the sleeve of his jumper and yanked him in.
“Don’t even think of opening your mouth Moony”
Remus tried so hard to bite back his smile as James scrubbed the front of his jumper, turning his back to James as he went to piss.