Craving

“Jesus fuck Regulus, your life is a soap opera.”

Pandora doesn’t really look as taken aback as her words seem to suggest when he finishes telling her everything that happened in the last couple of weeks. Regulus can only nod in response. She keeps looking at Regulus under her eyebrows as she takes a sip from her tea. It’s a rare, beautiful day in London and they are sitting at a small café trying to enjoy themselves. Pandora puts her cup down and examines Regulus’s face warily.

“How are you feeling?” She sounds soft like she is being intentionally delicate with him, and Regulus hates it. Regulus isn’t delicate; he isn’t something so fragile that people need to watch their every word around him. He wants to tell her that—no, he wants to shout at her—but instead of doing either of those things, he just swallows all of it down with his tea.

“I suppose, I don’t really know. It just doesn’t feel real.” Regulus’s voice is steady when he speaks as if to prove his vigour.

“And it probably won’t feel real until you see him.” She doesn’t say his name, maybe because the “him” in question is obvious, or maybe because Regulus’s friends have gotten used to tiptoeing around Sirius’s name for years now and old habits don’t die easy.

“I don’t know if I can, Pandora.” Regulus tries his very best to not show the chaos inside of him in his voice, but he isn’t sure if he succeeds.

“Well, you still have three weeks, right?”

“I talked to James two days ago, so a little less than three weeks now.” Regulus deflates. He doesn’t want this; for once, he actually wants and is trying to have a stress-free life. He gulps down the rest of his tea—it’s almost cold, so he makes a face at it—nothing is going right in his life at the moment.

“Let’s forget about you-know-who for a bit—”

“Fucking hell Dora, you can say his name. I’m not going to crumble to the ground the second I hear it, don’t worry.” Regulus interrupts her, probably more harshly than he ought to.

“Well,” she makes it a point to give him a stern look as she continues, “let’s forget about Sirius for a bit then.” She arches a brow at him as if to ask are you happy now? “Tell me about James fucking Potter, c’mon.” She sounds cheerful by the end of her sentence, the previous stone-cold look on her face nowhere to be found.

“What else is there to tell? He is the same prat he was in high school.” Regulus shrugs.

“Is he still hot, then?” She waggles her eyebrows at him. He can’t help but chuckle a little at her playful demeanour.

“Unfortunately, yes. Even more so.” He sighs. It doesn’t really matter how hot he is, there are so many hot people out there, but James has always been more. Regulus hates to admit it, but his good looks are just the cherry on top. Not that any of this matters to Regulus; James being hot or not is of no consequence to him.

“He was always yummy, wasn’t he? God, do you remember those rugby matches with those little shorts. No wonder you and Barty were so into rugby.” 

“Oi! Did you forget I played as well? I liked the game; little shorts were just a little treat on the side.” Regulus gives her an unimpressed look and tuts at her.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever, who cares?” She waves her hand as she says this. “So, James… he is single, you said?” She arches an eyebrow in question.

“Jesus, Pandora, please do not date James Potter; I don’t think I can bear it.” He huffs at her insinuation.

“What? No, no—I’m asking for you, baby.” She smirks.

“Ok, somehow that’s even worse. What the fuck, Dora?” Regulus asks, bewildered.

“Oh, c’mon, I remember when you had a crush on him in school. You can’t fool me, Black.” She looks so smug; Regulus wants to run.

“Oh my god, I most certainly did not. That’s ridiculous; you’re insane. I despised him, actually. He was so annoying—he is still so fucking annoying.” Regulus forces out in one breath.

“Hm, me thinks the lady doth protest too much.” She clicks her tongue at him.

“Even if that were true, which it absolutely is not, that sounds like the worst idea I’ve ever heard in my life. He is still my brother’s best friend, Dora. It’s not as if it can be a no-strings-attached sort of a deal; there are too many strings for that. Messy, just messy.” Regulus pauses for a beat. “Also, he’s straight.”

“First of all, we don’t know that. Bisexuality exists, you know. Secondly, the forbidden fruit aspect of it all… doesn’t that make it all the more irresistible?” She asks with a lewd smirk.

“No, it really does not. James Potter is nothing but trouble.” And Regulus needs to stay the fuck away.

“We need to stop meeting like this.” James has a puckish grin on his face as he puts his tray on the table and plumps down to the seat across from Regulus’s.

“Well, we could if you just left me alone,” Regulus suggests.

“Nah, I’m good. My life would be so colourless without you, Reggie.” He raises his eyebrows in an endearing manner—not to Regulus but to the general public, maybe. Regulus gives a humourless scoff at that.

“What do you want, Potter?” James laughs at his question. “And don’t call me that.”

“Regulus, I promise, I don’t want anything from you—except maybe a little bit of your time, so please stop asking me what I want. It makes me feel dirty.” He gives an exaggerated shiver to get his point across.

“What makes you think I have time to spare?” Regulus tries to keep his distance; he can’t afford to have a repeat of the library incident.

“Well… you’re not doing anything but eat at the moment, so I’m almost certain I’m not stealing your precious time away.” James sounds a bit put off; he should be put off.

 “Potter, I just want to eat my meal in peace.” He sounds tired because he is tired. Potentially seeing his brother in less than three weeks is really taking a toll on him, he can’t sleep very well, and he is exhausted mentally.

“Oh… ok—um, I just wanted to give you my number, in case you need anything, you know. I can help, I’d be happy to help Regulus.” Regulus sees him deflate in his seat, looking defeated, but he slips a piece of paper towards Regulus anyways.

“I also wanted to ask for yours, but I’m guessing that’s out of the question.” He chuckles a little at himself. “Sirius wanted your number too, but I told him you probably wouldn’t be up for it.” He is right; Regulus is not up for that.

“Yeah, like those two things are separate from each other.” Regulus’s voice is drenched in disdain.

“Uh… yeah, they are. If you gave me your number and told me not to give it to Sirius, I wouldn’t give it to him.” He says as he scratches the back of his head.

“Sure, Potter, whatever you say.” He raises his eyebrows at James, indicating that he doesn’t believe him.

“No, seriously! What would that get me? You’d hate me more than you already do and probably block Sirius’s number out of annoyance. Also, I just wouldn’t violate anyone’s privacy like that.” He looks a little desperate in his attempt to convince Regulus.

Regulus stares at him, probably more than he’s ever allowed himself to in these past weeks. James shifts uncomfortably in his seat, possibly feeling like he is under scrutiny—because he is. Regulus arches a brow and sticks his chin out a little—it’s what he has always done to make people feel smaller than him; it’s an armour of sorts.

“It doesn’t matter, either way, Potter, you’re not getting my number. And I don’t need yours.” Regulus says as he pushes the tiny piece of paper back to James.

“It can’t hurt, Regulus. Keep it just in case.” To Regulus’s surprise, he shrugs, picks his tray up, and gets up to leave.

“One way or another, it seems like we’ll be in each other’s lives… you don’t need to do this.” And he leaves without waiting for an answer.

Regulus is so aghast for a moment that he just watches him leave; when he gets his bearings back, he returns to the food in front of him and starts digging in angrily. Where did James Potter get off telling him that he will be in his life one way or another like Regulus doesn’t have a choice in the matter. Regulus doesn’t even know if he wants Sirius in his life, who the fuck is James to claim a space in his life so nonchalantly? He has always been the audacious sort, Regulus thinks. Classic rich boy entitlement, something Regulus is intimately familiar with—well, probably not so much anymore.

He finishes his food, and as he gets up to leave, he sees the small paper James left him, looks at it for a second or two, and suddenly grabs it to put it in his pocket. Better safe than sorry, he thinks.

Regulus doesn’t see James again during that week. It’s Friday, meaning it’s been four days since he gave in and added James’s number to his contacts. He hasn’t done anything else with it, of course, but he is constantly aware of it, like the ghost of that tiny piece of paper is still haunting his pocket. He has to admit to himself, he wants to talk to James for whatever absurd reason. He was kind of right, wasn’t he? If Sirius tries to see him, possibly wanting to rebuild their relationship—at least that’s the reason Regulus assumes—he will have to see James. Sirius and James have always been a package deal; maybe this way, he can get himself ready to see Sirius for the first time in years.

He can’t even think about that without finding himself on the edge of an anxiety attack. He’s been a nervous wreck since the library incident, and James did seem sincere in his offer. His friends are great—they basically saved his life, getting him out of under his parent’s claws—but, with Sirius, they aren’t much help. He can’t blame them—he doesn’t blame them. It’s an impossible situation to help with, and there is only one person he thinks that can be of any help outside of Sirius, and unfortunately, it’s James fucking Potter.

“Barty!” he yells.

“What?” he hears a shout back.

“Come here and convince me not to do something,” Regulus yells again while pacing back and forth in his tiny room.

“What you doin’, Reggie boy?” Barty sticks his head in from the ajar door and waggles his brows suggestively.

“Get in.” Barty can probably tell Regulus is actually nervous, so he gets in and closes the door.

“What’s up, babes?” He is leaning against the door now, and even though his tone is casual, he has a slightly worried expression on his face. All his friends have been wary of him since he ran into James Potter on his first day.

“I have James Potter’s number.” Regulus rushes out in one breath to prevent chickening out.

Barty gets off the door and starts walking toward him.

“Well, well, well, this is a bit of a plot twist Reg, you Casanova!” He grins at Regulus and claps his hands on either side of Regulus’s shoulders. “I had no idea you were trying to pull the Golden Boy of Gryffindor.”

Regulus scoffs at the mention of the incredibly weird and frankly fucking stupid tradition of schoolhouses in their fancy private school.

“Why the fuck does everyone think I want to fuck James Potter? I don’t!” He sounds like a petulant child; he is aware, unfortunately.

“Then why the fuck do you have his number? To chat?” Barty asks mockingly as he drops his hand from Regulus’s shoulders and goes to sit on the small sofa in Regulus’s room. Regulus also sits down on his bed, facing Barty.

“I think so…” He sounds unsure.

“You think so? What does that mean, Reg?” Barty looks and sounds incredulous.

“He just gave it to me during lunch… said I could use it if I need help or whatever.”

“Help with what exactly?”

“He didn’t specify.” Regulus focuses his gaze on his socks and feels more confused about what to do with every passing second.

“Ooh, like help with getting off?” Regulus snaps his gaze to Barty’s and sees the playful expression on his face.

“Quit it! It wasn’t anything like that; it was actually kind of solemn. I don’t think he is going to bother me for a while unless I go to him.”

“And you want him to bother you?” Barty sounds confused; it’s ok because Regulus is also definitely confused.

“No… I mean—I don’t know. No. It’s just… two weeks, Barty. Sirius is going to come back in two weeks, and I don’t know how to cope. I thought maybe James could help ease my worries a little; he is basically a proxy for Sirius.”

Barty is silent for a while after, he seems lost in thought before he finally speaks.

“It might be a good idea, Reg. I mean, I’m trying, but I don’t think I’m any help to you about this. James… he might help you get used to the idea of seeing Sirius, no?”

“That’s what I thought too, and it’s ok, you know, I don’t think anyone can really help with this; it’s such a mess. Um, so… what do I do? Text him?” Regulus is nervous all over again.

“I suppose.” Barty leans on his elbows as he puts them on his thighs, sits his head in his palms, and looks at Regulus expectantly.

“What do I say?” Regulus fishes out his phone from his back pocket as he speaks.

“I don’t know, hi?”

“Wow, that’s genius, Barty. I could’ve never come up with that on my own; thank you so much.” Regulus’s voice and face stay flat throughout his little performance; Barty throws a pillow at him.

“What the fuck do I know about texting your estranged brother’s best friend, you fuck.” Barty laughs at him, and Regulus joins him, laughing at the absurdness of the situation.

“Yeah, this is my first time too.” Regulus jokes with exaggerated faux nervousness on his face.

“And once again, it’s with me; I’m honoured, you know,” Barty smirks.

“You need to let that go,” Regulus says as he finds James’s number in his contact list and texts him. He still has no idea what to say, so he just stares at the empty message box.

“Never!” Barty gasps dramatically. “I took the ever-elusive Regulus Black’s virginity; my name will be on the history books.”

Regulus shakes his head at him with a smile on his face, thank fuck for Barty; otherwise, he would’ve been a nervous wreck on the floor by now.

“You didn’t take shit,” Regulus says in defiance, with no heat behind his words. Barty laughs at him and gets up from the sofa.

“Do you need me, or do you need me to leave you alone now?” He says as he comes to a stop in front of Regulus. Regulus looks up at him and murmurs, “The latter.” So, Barty leaves him with a kiss on his hair.

After ten minutes, Regulus is still looking at the empty message box and huffs in annoyance at himself. Fuck it, he thinks.

“Don’t give my number to Sirius.” He texts James and throws his phone onto his bed immediately after. He hears a buzz a minute or so later while he is busy burying his face in his hands. He throws himself onto his bed and grabs his phone.

“Of course, Reg, don’t worry about it.” For some reason, he reads the same simple text multiple times until there is another one from James.

“So, how about that coffee?”

“You’re very impatient, and I already told you I hate coffee.” Regulus shoots back. Fortunately, he doesn’t have to wait too long for a response.

“I thought that was just something you said to make me go away. Aren’t you a university student? How can you possibly hate coffee?” Then he adds a bunch of shocked face emojis. Of course, James Potter uses emojis; Regulus wouldn’t expect anything less.

“Well, that too, but it was true. I guess I just have superior tastebuds.” Regulus answers, and it feels playful; it feels good. He realizes he is smiling to himself while waiting for an answer from James. Just as he begins to worry about it, James writes back.

“Of course, that’s your takeaway (crying emoji).” Regulus doesn’t really know what to write back to that; luckily, he doesn’t have to worry for long. James Potter is a double texter. “What about tea then?”

Regulus thinks about his answer for a bit. Should he really meet up with James Potter? Is it actually a sane idea? He shakes his head to himself to help shake himself off his worries.

“Yes, tea is fine.” He writes simply.

“Well, try to sound less enthusiastic, Regulus; what will people think?” Regulus can tell he is being teased, and he does not care for it.

“Don’t push your luck, Potter.” He shoots back immediately.

“Fiiiiine. What about tomorrow, then?”

“Sure, when and where?” Regulus weirdly feels kind of giddy, but if anyone were to point it out, he would deny it vehemently. It doesn’t mean anything; he is just worried about meeting Sirius; James is his proxy, so he is worried about meeting him too. It’s that simple.

“You text like a sixty-year-old professor. I hope you know that. So clinical (puke emoji).” Oh, Regulus isn’t sure if he’ll be able to get through tomorrow without killing him; he forgot how annoying James was for a peaceful second there. “Around noon? We can meet at the campus; I know a nice little café nearby.” James adds after his little jab at Regulus.

“Fine.”

Regulus is waiting for James Potter in front of the entrance of their campus. He has been waiting for about twenty minutes, and with every passing minute, he is getting more and more pissed. James is fucking lucky it’s not a rainy day. While Regulus is trying to calm himself down, he feels a hand on his arm and turns to find James behind him. His hair is everywhere, and there is a flush to his cheeks like he ran here.

“I’m so sorry, Regulus. There was a series of unfortunate events that caused me to be a little late. You look mad, don’t be mad.” James gives him a pleading look, his hand still on Regulus’s arm. Regulus shakes it off.

“It’s fine, Potter. Let’s just go.” He says grumpily, very much implying that it’s not fine.

“Sure, uh—” He scratches the top of his head, which causes him to mess his hair up even more. “It’s this way.” He points to the street he came from with the hand that was just in his hair.

They walk in silence, Regulus following James’s lead. He watches James from the corner of his eyes; if he didn’t know any better, Regulus would say the most social butterfly to ever social butterfly-James Potter is nervous. He notices James is wearing his Gryffindor scarf tucked into his jacket.

“You can take the boy out of Gryffindor but can’t take the Gryffindor out of the boy, I guess.” He quirks an eyebrow at James when he turns his head to face him. James chuckles, dropping his gaze to the ground almost shyly.

“Yeah, it has absolutely nothing to do with the fact I’m too lazy to buy a new scarf when I already have a working one.” He finds Regulus’s gaze again for a second and then turns to look ahead.

“Jesus Potter, you know that’s worse, right?”

Is Regulus teasing him? Maybe. But he is only doing it to embarrass him; he can’t really waste an opportunity like this, can he? James only laughs in response. Oh yeah, Regulus forgot he actually doesn’t feel things like shame.

“It’s not like your opinion of me can get any lower, right?” James clearly means it as a joke, but Regulus doesn’t really know how to feel about it. While Regulus is lost in thought, trying to find an answer to give, James stops in front of a café.

“So, this is the place. It’s really cosy, that’s why I like it, but if you don’t like it, we can find somewhere else.” James gives him a bright smile as he opens the door.

James is right; this place is… cosy. It feels like a warm hug, and Regulus immediately likes it. He can like soft things, it’s possible. James says hi to a couple of people inside the café—see, social butterfly—and then goes to sit on one of the armchairs tucked away in the corner. Most people in the café can’t really see them very well from there, and Regulus wonders if that was a conscious choice; maybe he noticed Regulus’s fondness for recluse places. Regulus sits across from him.

“So, what do you think? Is it up to your standards?” He sounds cheery, like his usual self.

“Hm, sure, it’s nice.” Regulus mumbles.

“Well, I’m glad then. And uh— also, they have so many teas, I thought you might appreciate the variety.” James lets him know. He is being weirdly considerate; Regulus can’t figure out why.

“Um, yeah, thanks, Potter.”

James opens the menu on the table and puts it on the table in a way that allows both of them to peruse. They both lean forward to look at it, and Regulus can almost feel the heat coming off James’s skin. For a second, Regulus forgets what he was meant to do and stares at James’s hand on the edge of the page.

“Um, do you want me to turn the page? I think all the teas are on this one, though.” James asks, slightly turning his head towards Regulus.

“What? Uh… no, I’m still looking.” Regulus turns his gaze to James’s face for a second just to realize he is looking at Regulus with a curious expression and immediately turns it back to the menu. He feels himself flush under James’s gaze, so he tries his best to ignore it and focus on the teas. James finally turns his gaze back to the page a little after Regulus does.

There are a variety of herbal teas alongside a couple of different black teas, as James said. Regulus quickly finds one he thinks he’ll like and leans back down his armchair, pulling himself away from James’s heat. After a while, a young woman—probably in her early twenties—stops at their table with a notepad in her hand.

“Hello, what can I get—oh, hi James, haven’t seen you in a while here, doin’ alright?” She changes from what Regulus presumes is her customer voice to a much warmer and familiar tone when she spots James. Regulus notes that she wasn’t in when they first came in, so her reaction to James makes sense.

“Uh, yeah, Rory, I’m alright. I came last week with Remus, actually, but unlucky for us, you weren’t in. How’s it going for you? Your brother settling in alright?” James asks her in a cheerful, friendly, maybe even a little flirty tone. The girl—Rory—blushes a little; it seems no one is immune to the James Potter charm—well, except Regulus, of course.

“Yeah, yeah, he got adjusted to it all pretty quickly. Thanks for asking. Um, I’m alright too, just same old same old, you know. So, what can I get you guys?” She sounds bashful as she answers James’s questions. It seems like someone might have a crush, Regulus scoffs at the idea in his mind.

“I’ll take that tea with honey; you know the one I like.” James, honest to God, winks at her, and she just chuckles at his antics. According to the girl’s reaction, this is probably not the first time James has done something like that. After she writes down James’s order, she turns to Regulus expectantly.

“I’ll have winter mix with honey, as well.” She writes that down quickly before she speaks.

“Anything else?”

“No, that’ll be all,” Regulus says as James shakes his head no to her, she smiles at them before she leaves.

They’re quiet until their order arrives; no one’s willing to take the first step, it seems. The waitress from before sets their empty cups alongside two small teapots and two honey packets on the table. Tells them to “Enjoy!” and leaves them once again, all smiles while doing so. They wait a couple of silent minutes before pouring their teas into their cups and adding honey afterward. The silence isn’t as overbearing as Regulus expected it to be; however, it’s still slightly uncomfortable. It’s obvious neither of them knows where to start. Eventually, James takes the leap.

“So, how you’ve been? Have you settled in, to school, to the city and all?” James rushes out. Regulus can hear his nervousness slipping through the cracks. He can’t blame him; it’s all very nerve-racking for several reasons.

“It’s alright. I’ve had friends help me settle in; I’m quite comfortable, actually.” Regulus keeps his tone cool and calm.

“That’s great!” James seems genuinely happy for him, and Regulus can’t understand for the life of him why. “I’m glad you have people in the city. Your friends from Hogwarts, I’m assuming? Barty, Evan, and… uh, what was her name? Lovely blonde girl?”

“Yes, Barty, Evan, and Pandora. Although I don’t know if many people would describe Pandora as lovely.” Regulus is slightly bothered by James’s description of Pandora—out of protectiveness for Pandora, of course, not that she needs it.

“Oh? Well, she was always very nice to me.” James answers with a big smile. Why the fuck is he so damn happy, Regulus doesn’t understand.

“Hm, sure. So why did you want to meet up?” Regulus takes a sip from his tea and finds that it’s a lovely mixture.

“Just to hang out, see how you’re doing and all that. Why did you change your mind?” James also takes a sip and seems happy with his choice.

“Did you ask to meet up so you could report back to Sirius?” Regulus ignores James’s question as he spits out his answer coldly.

“No—what? No, Reg, I’m not going to tell Sirius anything if you don’t want me to.” James puts his hands up, palms facing Regulus as he speaks.

“So, Sirius doesn’t know you’re meeting with me right now?” Regulus arches a brow at him with displeasure.

“Um… he knows, but that doesn’t mean I’m doing his bidding. I’m not trying to spy on you just so I can report back to him or whatever you think I’m doing. I just wanted to talk to you, that’s all.” He seems a bit defeated by the end of his defence, shoulder slouching, eyes on his cup.

“Yeah, whatever. I don’t really care.” Regulus tries to brush the whole subject off, feeling uncomfortable.

“I’m not going to tell him anything, maybe other than you’re fine, so he doesn’t worry.” James tries to reassure him, but Regulus shrugs in response.

“So, he worries now, does he?” Regulus can’t help the venom in his voice.

“Yeah, of course, Reg, you’re his little brother.” Regulus scoffs at that.

“Huh, that so? Didn’t think he remembered that.” Regulus’s expression is cold, and his voice is distant.

“He never forgot,” James says with determination.

“Sure, James… I don’t really want to talk about this.”

“Yeah, of course, we can talk about whatever you want to talk about.” James gives him a small, tentative smile.

“I don’t think I want to see him,” Regulus mutters, eyes on his shoes.

“Reg…”

“No, I don’t think I can see him,” Regulus corrects.

“Why?” When Regulus directs his gaze back to James, he sees a gentle look in his eyes; it makes Regulus feel cut open.

“I don’t know what to expect.” He barely gets it out, throat tight.

“He just wants to talk to you.”

“About what?” Regulus snaps.

“Probably about everything, but I suspect he just wants to make things right. He misses you, you know.” Regulus struggles with James’s words; even without Sirius’s presence, this is already more difficult than Regulus can handle.

“I don’t actually know that.” Regulus mutters, looking at his shoes again, tea forgotten.

“Well, I’m telling you that he does, and I know me being a messenger of sorts is not really the best idea, nor can it be enough, but if you’re nervous about seeing him, you should know he misses you, you are important to him, maybe that’ll ease your worries until you speak to him.” James looks hopeful once Regulus finds the courage to look back at him.

“I don’t know if that’ll work, but… thanks, I guess. For trying, I mean.”

“Yeah, anytime, Reg.”

They’re silent while they drink their teas. It’s a slightly uncomfortable silence but not so much so that it makes Regulus want to crawl out of his skin like it would with any other stranger.

“Um, when did you come back?” James interrupts their silence unexpectantly. Regulus examines his face before answering, squinting his eyes at him.

“Come back to London?” Regulus asks to be certain, and James nods nervously like he is expecting Regulus to rip him a new one at any point, which is good; he should be uncomfortable prying.

“End of July.”

“Oh, that makes sense.” James seems thoughtful as he speaks.

“Oh, does it now?” Regulus retorts in a mocking voice. 

“Um…” James scratches his head. “I think so?” Regulus still doesn’t really understand why James is so wary of him, but he is certainly enjoying it.

“How come?” Regulus doesn’t let go because why would he? He is starting to have fun.

“I mean, you would have to come and settle in before the school year started, I’m assuming. Oh, oh, does that mean you have a flat? I mean, you can’t start staying in the dorms that early… I don’t think.” James says in one breath. “I mean, of course, you’re staying in your own flat. Pshh, can you imagine the Regulus Black in a dorm, sharing a fucking room?” He adds, laughing to himself.

Regulus can feel his anger boiling just under his skin, like James’s words are lighting him on fire.

“What the fuck do you know about the Regulus Black?” He says in an angry, cold voice. James’s face drops immediately, and he is frozen in his seat. His eyes are frantically searching Regulus’s face for a sign to show him how to react.

“I… I—fuck, Reg, I didn’t mean anything by it. I’m sorry.”

“What are you apologizing for, Potter? Do you even know? And I told you to not fucking call me that.” Regulus reaches for his wallet and drops some money on the table, he doesn’t remember the price of the tea but assumes the money would be enough to cover it.

“Reg—I mean Regulus, what are you doing, stop. I’m sorry for upsetting you. Ok, didn’t mean to.” James sounds frantic as Regulus starts collecting his things and gets up. James gets up with him. “Regulus, I swear I didn’t mean anything by it.” Regulus can see James’s hands reaching up to him.

“Don’t touch me.” He hisses and starts heading for the door. Regulus doesn’t know why he is reacting so severely to a joke—a joke that probably Barty has made before, but James Potter is not Barty, James Potter is not his friend, and he doesn’t get to make jokes about Regulus like he knows him. Regulus could’ve ended up in a dorm if things didn’t go according to their plans. Regulus could’ve ended up somewhere much fucking worse than a dorm room, and James Potter doesn’t know shit about shit—he certainly doesn’t know shit about Regulus.

“Regulus, wait.” He hears James calling after him, but he doesn’t stop, not even to say goodbye or thank you to the workers, which is bad manners he’ll definitely feel bad about later, but he doesn’t care right now; he needs to get the fuck away from James. He steps out of the comfortable warmth of the café to the pouring rain. “Fuck.” He mutters to himself, but he doesn’t stop.

A couple of minutes later, while he is basically power walking to the bus station, he feels a hand in his arm and whips around to face James fucking Potter. Regulus wants to punch his wet face, but he settles on snatching his arm from James’s grasp.

“Fuck off, Potter!” Regulus turns back and starts walking again, but this time James steps in front of him.

“Do you want a black eye, Potter?” He asks as he clenches his fists.

James lifts both his hand in surrender. “Fucking hell Regulus—just, I don’t know exactly what I said to piss you off this badly, but I— I’ll never speak again if you forgive me… that way, I won’t piss you off, huh?”

Regulus hates him and hates how charming he can be, even when Regulus threatens to punch him.

“Look, my flat is just around the corner, and we’re already drenched. You’ll get sick if you try to get home like this. Buses will be like hell; you use the bus, right?”

Regulus doesn’t know why he is still listening to him or why he nods at his question, but he’s already freezing, and he really can’t get sick right before the exams start, so he puts his determination to get away from James on pause for his health. 

“C’mon, let’s go and dry off. I promise I’ll keep my mouth shut.” James tilts his head in the direction of his flat, Regulus assumes.

"I doubt that." Regulus mutters as he starts following James to his flat.