[Some point at 1am]
“James?” Regulus whispers, staring at his husband who is currently curled up, sleeping inside Harry’s cot with him.
“Shhhhh,” James whispers
“James, what exactly are you doing?”
“Sleeping,” he replies as if it's obvious.
“Are we pretending this is normal?”
“Reg, he’s being quiet,” James says.
“Well he is sleeping.”
“No, he's being too quiet.”
“James, love, he’s sleeping,” Regulus says, trying to hide his smile.
“What if he just forgets how to breathe while sleeping? He's only been doing it a few weeks. It must be hard to multitask.”
“Love,” he says tenderly, trying not to laugh at his complete idiot of a husband, ‘I think he'll be alright, please let him sleep.”
“Maybe I should call Lily.”
“Darling, it's one o'clock in the morning, if you call lily she will walk to our house and choke you and then Mary will bring you back to life and kill you again. You can’t disrupt one of their few nights of sleep, or whatever,” he says, smiling at James.
“Ew,” James blurts out looking quite like Harry when he’s forced to eat vegetables, “don't say whatever, I don't want to think about that.”
“James.”
“Yes,” he replies, still completely oblivious, and Regulus has to fight the smile that’s threatening to appear on his face.
“She was your wife.”
“Yes, and don’t you think we both try to forget that everyday.”
“How exactly do you think Harry was-” But he's cut off by James literally jumping out of the cot and covering his mouth with his hands.
“Oh Merlin,” Regulus chokes out, his voice muffled by James’ hand, “Idiot, you're going to wake him up,” he says while trying, and failing, to move James’ hands.
After realising his annoying husband is actually stronger than him, he ends up licking the inside of his palm in an attempt to get him off.
“Oh please, do you really think I mind you licking me, please feel free to lick me anytime,” James says with a smirk on his face while attempting to wink at him.
Regulus narrows his eyes at him.
“What?” James says innocently, dropping his hands.
“Come on, lets just go to bed”
“But-”
“James,” Regulus says trying to assure him, “he’ll be fine, I guarantee you he can probably breathe better than you can.”
James grins at him, evidently reassured, but then his grin fades as the realisation hits him, “hey, wait, I don't know whether to be happy or sad about that.”
“Let's just go to bed idiot,” he said fondly, grabbing his husband and dragging him to bed.
[around 2am]
“Reg.”
“Ohh, Reggie,” a voice half sings out.
“Regulus.”
“Regulus Arcturus Potter.”
“Reggieeeeee.”
“My darling.”
“My sweetheart.”
“Oh love of mine-”
“JAMES,” Regulus finally breathes out.
“Hi,” he responds sweetly.
“James, I swear to Merlin it’s - it's 2am, someone better have died.”
“Do you think he's breathing?”
“James.”
“But he's so tiny, how do his little lungs work?”
“James, he's fine, please go back to sleep.” Regulus says sleepily. “Or let me sleep at least.”
“Fine,” he sighs.
“If you wake me up again, I will murder you.”
“and not in the way you like,” he huffs out.
“Goodnight Reg,” he whispers into the darkness, but Regulus’ eyes are already shut.
[3am]
“Hi.” Regulus opens his eyes to find his husband leaning over his face, beautiful brown eyes wide open and staring back into his.
“James - I -what the fuck.”
He sits up to look at him and sees James staring back at him, eyes shining, hair a tangled mess, a small smile resting on his face. He doesn't know whether to be mad or kiss him - Merlin, his husband is pretty.
“So,” James says, cutting off his thoughts, “I was doing some thinking-”
Reg groans loudly, “well that’s never a good sign.”
“I'm going to ignore that, but anyways,” he says cheerfully - too cheerfully for 3am - Regulus was going to kill this man one day. Or kiss him. Maybe both.
“You know baby giraffes,” he continues casually.
“James Potter, if that sentence ends with a joke, I will actually going to divorce you.”
James rolls his eyes - as if Regulus was being unreasonable
“ok, but do you think I’m taller than a baby giraffe?”
“I don't know what to say to you right now”
“Like, they are supposed to be tall, but they are babies. So am I smaller than a baby giraffe.”
“Wait, am I baby giraffes’ baby. Do you think they look at us and think, ‘aww, he's adorable’.”
“It's 3 o’clock James.”
“I know.”
“I don't think you understand the point, let me rephrase that. It’s 3 o’clock in the fucking morning James.”
“Yup,” he sings out.
“It's getting harder and harder to remember why I love you right now. Please go to sleep sweetheart we have a long day tomorrow,” he sighs
“Fine,” James huffs again, “goodnight meri jaan,” he says softly.
“There's not much of the night left James, please sleep.” He turns around to get more comfortable and within minutes James can hear him breathing softly
[sometime after 4am]
Regulus hears a thud and is suddenly sprinting out of bed - Harry being his first thought. But the second he gets up, he finds his 6”2 idiot of a husband on the floor, looking back up at him with wide eyes.
“Oops,” he says sheepishly gives Reg a goofy smile
And he is so exhausted and feeling, well, slightly murderous. if it was anyone else, really anyone, let's say they wouldn't live to wake Regulus up ever again - but it James.
His James.
His suraj.
His lovely husband.
Oh he's so lovely. Regulus hates how in love he is, but he can't help but smile softly at the beautiful boy staring up at him. How did he get so lucky? A few years ago he was so lost, recently disowned, fighting with Sirius, and so painfully alone it hurt. Now he has a family, a son, his brother, the best group of friends anyone could ever have and James.
James.
His childhood crush. His childhood love. His best friend. He was pure, unfiltered sunshine bottled up within the loveliest person and he had chosen Regulus.
He sees James shift and slowly start to get up.
“Um- in my defence, I was trying to reach the baby monitor to check on Harry because, well, he's being too silent again. Sorry love, i'll just go sleep in another room tonight.” he says looking unsure of himself, and so exhausted, as he turns around to walk out.
‘Idiot,’ Reg mutters under his breath, tone laced with affection. He grabs his wrist and leads a very confused James back to bed. He goes to lie down and opens his arm gesturing at his husband to join him. James stands there looking so lost and utterly confused. Regulus finds it adorable.
“Come here baby,” and James melts into him instantly, leaning forward and curling into him. Regulus shifts him so that he lies with his head on his chest and arms wrapped around his waist.
“I love you,” he whispers, gently stroking a hand through James' hair gently. He hears James hum in appreciation, and he sees his eyes fluttering shut.
“You're so tired baby, you need some sleep, give your brain a rest alright. I promise me and Harry will be right here when you wake up. You've been doing too much sweetheart. Let me take the morning shift, just sleep.”
“S’okay,” James mumbles, struggling to stop himself drifting into sleep as Reg continues to stroke his hair.
“It's not okay, I'm sorry, you've been doing too much.”
“I’ve not,” he huffs sleepily.
“Sleep baby,” Regulus whispers.
“Thank you.”
“Don't ever feel like you need to thank me, we do everything together okay?”
“Okay, I love you,” James says softly. And he thinks he hears Regulus mutter ‘idiot’ into the dark, followed by a small chuckle, and an ‘I love you too’ - but he's already drifting off happily in his husband's warm hands.