Pas de Deux

My children were raised

you know they suddenly rise

they started slow long ago

head to toe healthy weathy and wise.

March 10th 2025

On Monday morning James was awoken by Sirius and Remus, who brought Buckbeak over for him to take care of. He spent the rest of the day playing with him, either giving Buckbeak an unholy amount of treats or taking him everywhere. Buckbeak was such a pleasure to be around, the most energetic yet polite dalmatian to ever exist. Sometime in the afternoon, Regulus sent a text on the group with everyone attending the class to let them know about their week off:

Hello everyone! The company will be performing Romeo and Juliet on the 14th. Since I’ll be dancing during opening night, I won’t be able to attend classes. Everyone is busy, so since I couldn’t find a replacement you will have time off from classes until the 19th! Unlike how he usually texted James, this time the message was correctly written.

On the 13th, Thursday, Sirius came to take Buckbeak back. James had gotten used to always having some sort of company in his flat, so he felt a little weird afterwards. 

He spent the rest of the day preparing to have Regulus over on Friday. He split the chores evenly, taking the brave decision to do the hardest stuff today.

James had to go out to buy groceries, a dreadful process from his perspective.  He started with the ingredients he needed to make muffins, which he promised Regulus. He picked out a few other things, just incase he decided to took later in the day.

Once home, James made his muffins, tasting the batter every once in a while and adjusting certain ingredients, eyeing everything instead of actually measuring. Once out of the oven, he added the frosting on the muffins, sending Regulus a picture to let him know he’s fully prepared.

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March 14th 2025

No one knew what plans James had for today, and he sort of considered that to be for the better. He woke at around 10, already having a full list of things he needed to do before attending Regulus’ performance today. 

The most obvious yet least exciting one was that James had to clean his flat. He didn’t necessarily hate cleaning or anything, it’s just that it was hard to get himself to actually start. As soon as he got out of bed he changed out of his pajamas (in an attempt at being productive) and he put on ABBA gold, a very danceable album, to listen to while he tidied up the living room. He wanted everything to be in order, since he invited Regulus over to watch Fantastic Mr. Fox. It had to be perfect, he actually wanted to have a fun time, and in order to do that he needed a very organised home. 

He started out by arranging some of the books he kept taking out for work, in the last couple of weeks he had random piles laying around, either dictionaries or classical literature. Once he dusted his bookshelf he placed the books back carefully, keeping the alphabetical and size order in mind. Afterwards he gathered some papers and documents that he again left around the living room where he did most of his work. James keeps a few folders for each client, with often mistakes that they make along with some preferences and terminology if it's needed. He gathered each paper, placing them back in order, before gathering all of the files and placing them in their designated drawer, under the television. Lastly, any t-shirts or hoodies that were laying around were gathered and dumped somewhere in his bedroom, where he would sort them out later if he had the time. 

The room was already looking a bit more neat, now he just cared about the aesthetics. He made sure all of his cute lamps were working, since he preferred atmospheric lights over the big bright one. Afterwards, he brought three fluffy blankets and a whole lot of pillows and he placed them strategically on the couch, to ensure a comfortable movie-watching experience. He made sure to bring out his plushies too, because they also deserve to watch a movie every once in a while. 

After the very exhausting tidying that James did, he took a little break to eat breakfast. He opted for his usual greek yoghurt with granola, taking a bit of time to check his phone as he ate. He saw a text from Regulus, so Prongs placed down his bowl of food to open the usual grammatically incorrect text that Regulus would send: 

theyre already making us rehearse on stage, cant wait to see you! he also sent a view once photo of himself, with the stage behind him. There were lots of dancers in costumes, everyone doing their own little thing. Only half of Regulus’ face was visible, he was smiling, his hand forming a small heart. James could tell that he was also wearing his costume, but too little of his body was visible for Prongs to actually understand anything. He took a moment to decide what to respond with. 

After careful consideration, he sent a selfie of himself, just like Regullus did, doing the same little heart with his hand. Behind him he made sure the pile of clothes he had thrown in his bed room was visible, just to show that he’s actually doing something

Cleaning my flat rn, can’t wait to see you either!!! he responded. 

After finishing whatever cleaning he had to do in his flat he made sure he had every ingredient needed for what he planned to make. He checked everything off of his list, which was quite unusual for James Potter given how he almost never had anything in his fridge. 

After doing a little bit of work and eating something, James decided it was a decent time to start getting ready, given how he still had a few other things that he wanted to do. At 4PM on the dot he started getting ready, beginning by quickly checking how things would go.

The show starts at 7:30 PM and he calculated it would probably end at around 10:30 PM, taking into consideration the time it would take Regulus to get changed to go back to James’ flat he estimated they would start watching the movie at midnight. 

His next issue was what could he possibly wear. He had never attended a ballet performance, but Prongs knew that people generally wore elegant attire to these sort of events. All of the work that he put into gathering all of his clothes together was for nothing, given how he scattered them all around his room again in search for a good outfit. 

He chose a silk button up, it wasn’t too long or too short either and it looked pretty nice on him, it also was right at the border between an effortless sort of elegance and a forced one. After making a mess in an attempt to find the perfect pair of pants to wear, James stumbled upon an old pair of black wide leg trousers, that paired perfectly with his shirt. They gave off a relaxed yet sophisticated look, exactly the vibe he was going for. He chose a belt that was the same color as the pants to not have too much contrast and the overall outfit was done.

For accessories James wore the watch Fleamont gave him for his 21st birthday. He had a few necklaces he wanted to wear so he undid two buttons from his shirt to have them sit nicely on his collar bones. For cologne he went with his all time favourite, his signature scent, Jazz Club by Maison Margiela. 

He ran his hands through his hair a few times until it sat just right, before walking out in the hallway to pick a jacket and a pair of shoes to tie the outfit together. He landed on Derby Dress Shoes along with a black leather jacket that he might have borrowed from Sirius. 

James Potter has forgotten that he looks this good. For a brief moment he actually just stared at himself in the mirror, amazed at the sight. He really needed to work on putting more effort into his outfits, giving how he could look like this every day if he wanted. 

Before leaving the house he grabbed his keys, wallet and phone, placing each in a designated pocket so he can actually remember where he left them. He left the house at 6, having one more errand to run before actually going to the theatre. 

James Potter was going to buy a small bouquet of flowers for Regulus, he simply couldn’t stop himself from doing it. He considered it a nice little gesture that was good manners. He got invited to a performance so it was only natural to buy flowers for the one performing. The only bad part was that he never actually asked Regulus what flowers he likes. He had this question in mind obviously, but he didn’t want to risk Regulus finding out, so Prongs had to use his critical thinking skills to figure out what Regulus might like best.

He walked to the nicest little flower shop, he was great friends with the old lady that worked there and she always sold the best flowers, having a very wide variety. 

“Hello!” He said as he walked in, carefully going down the steps that led to the flowers.

“James dear! How have you been? I haven’t seen you in so long!” An elderly woman greeted him, looking pleased to see him again.

“Busy, very busy.” James walked around, looking for some nice flowers that reminded him of Regulus “I need like a tiny-ish bouquet” 

“Going on a date aren’t you? I talked to your mum recently and she did say she thinks you’re dating someone!” she laughed

“Oh no it’s nothing like that!” James assured her “I’m going to a ballet performance in a bit, one of the dancers actually invited me, I feel like the least I can do is buy some flowers!” His face flushed.

“Alright alright,” she chuckled, “want anything in particular?”

“Well I’m not sure, these peonies are pretty tough” after walking around for a moment the only flowers in particular that really caught James’ eyes were some light blue peonies, the color reminded Prongs of Regulus’ eyes, they were more of a gray, however it still looked pretty similar.

“They really are pretty aren’t they! Take your time to choose some others. I'll let you know if they work together!” The lady took a few steps back, to let James look at the flowers in peace.

He searched for a moment before stumbling upon a very delicate looking light pink flower. It resembled roses but it looked more pure, he couldn’t quite explain how they made him feel. They were beautiful, and in a way James could felt that Regulus would like them.

“What are these called? I like these ones.” He pointed towards the small vase holding them.

“The Lisianthus? Oh they’re lovely! They will go really well with the peonies!” 

“Okay then, let’s settle for that! Add some wax flowers and greenery, it should be enough.” James actually liked the choice he had made, he had quite the artistic eye when it came to flowers.

“How many of each?” The woman asked while picking up a few, holding them together to see how they looked. 

“I’m not sure, I just want the bouquet to be fairly small, I’ll let you work your magic!” he said.

James watched the woman as she put together a few flowers, adding some greenery to make the bouquet more lively. She wrapped it in some transparent foil and tied it together with a white ribbon. He paid for the flowers, handling them carefully on his way to the theatre.

Once Prongs arrived, he completely blacked out. It was really crowded, so he chose to take his jacket with him instead of leaving it at the entrance to save some time at the end of the performance.

After a bit of looking around, James found his seat. It had a great view and luckily he had a lovely old lady sitting in front of him, who wasn't blocking his vision.

He read the little synopsis that was handed out, though he already knew the story of Romeo and Juliet from the inside and out, having studied it at uni. 

Prongs watched as the room filled with people, by the time the performance started the seats were already full. After three loud gongs, the curtain opened, revealing a beautiful scene that looked like a sort of bustling marketplace, filled with townspeople, merchants, and performers. After a little while, a sword fight broke out between two dancers, James assumed the characters were Capulet and Montague, based on the synopsis. Soon, Tybalt, Juliet’s cousin, was introduced. His movements displayed particular anger towards Montague. 

James just watched the scene unpack, mesmerised by how each character really added to the story, how the props and crops de ballet really made the show feel alive, as if you were really there watching it.

The story unraveled quickly. After the brawl between Montague and Capulet, a character which James assumed to be Prince Escalus stepped in to stop the whole ordeal. His presence was signaled by a very dramatic shift in the music, which James really enjoyed.

After Prince Escalus quieted everyone down, James’ eyes quickly drifted towards Romeo, who entered the stage with two other characters that Prongs didn’t figure out. 

Regulus was wearing a gorgeous light blue tunic, with silver embroidery. It was definitely a loose fit, making his movements appear more fluid. On stage he seemed like an entirely different person, embodying the role of the young dreaming Romeo that is longing for love perfectly. His flowy costume contrasted with the dark toned outfits that the street fighters wore, it really made him stand out. Instead of moving forcefully as the rest of the characters, he only performed gentle and fluid moves that conveyed the character’s longing for love. After a bit of dancing, his melancholy was teased by the characters that entered alongside him. 

James could barely bare to look anywhere else, every move Regulus did was soft and fluid, making him stand out. Not only that but he was dancing with such ease, it appeared as if he was floating.

After the first scene, the events moved on to the Capulet household, where Juliet was first introduced. Pandora, who James immediately recognised, stepped on the stage dressed in a flowing gown. Her dancing was full of energy, as Juliet played along with the other characters laughing and jumping playfully with delicate gestures. Her short solo seemed pure, portraying the innocence of young Juliet.

Scene three unfolded quickly, the infamous Capulet Ball. The guests arrive performing the very well known Dance of the Knights, which James had a very enjoyable time watching. Their powerful movements along with the gorgeous music made this scene really memorable. After a bit more dancing the scene focuses on Romeo and his friends, who sneak into the ball wearing masks, which soon unfolded into the first Pas de Deux.

As James watched this scene he sensed more of Regulus’ true personality in it. As Romeo follows Juliet around, their hands occasionally brushing against each other, the choreography Regulus was dancing was very grounded, full of longing gestures, as Pandora was continuing on with her floaty movements. The dancing progressed, their connection visibly deepening. Prongs couldn’t look away, this ballet was more than just dancing, the amount of acting and emotion that everyone on stage practiced was exquisite. 

Soon Tybalt recognizes Romeo as part of the Montagues, asking lord Capulet to expel him. After Capulet declined, Tybalt stormed off with sharp angry movements, leaving Romeo alone. 

The act ended with the Balcony Pas de Deux, which was by far James’ favourite.

Prongs knew this is where the first love declaration happens, and he was dying to see how the choreography would portray it. 

The scene started off with Romeo sneaking into the garden, looking for Juliet. She appears on the balcony, and soon the actual dancing starts. 

This Pas was full of sweeping lifts and small romantic gestures, along with hesitant yet passionate movements. James felt like this scene didn’t quite fit Regulus’ personality, as Prongs never considered him the type of person to be so in love with someone. Pandora however, from the little bit of her that James saw before the show, was very fit for the role of Juliet. She was delicate and pure, just like how James considered the character.

After a lot of effortless lifts and movements that slightly began to grow in intensity, both Romeo and Juliet stopped to look at each other for a brief moment. 

James noticed something, a slight change in Regulus’ acting. Although he still remained in character he appeared more nervous, as if he needed to do something that he didn’t want to do, and maybe that was the case, as the next move that followed was a passionate kiss between Juliet and Romeo. Juliet lifted herself on pointe as Romeo bent her over slightly, before they tore apart, Juliet ran back inside, leaving Romeo alone, yearning for more. 

Act two was danced back to back, without any sort of break. The second act happened back in the market again, where Romeo and his friends entered the scene. This time Regulus was wearing a darker tunic, a sort of navy blue colour with gold embroidery. His white tights contrasted deeply with the flowy shirt. 

 One of the companions, who James figured out was Mercutio, had a very exciting dance, with quick footwork and great jumps. 

Tybalt entered the scene once again, with the same aggressive demeanour from before. He requested to fight Romeo, who refused. Mercutio offered to fight instead, resulting in a quick duel, which left Mercutio wounded, who staggered and died. 

His death variation was devastating, actually saddening James. The following part really captivated him though, since Romeo, angered by the death of his friend, fought Tybalt, killing him with desperate flashy movements. James particularly liked this part because it suited Regulus’ personality more, the jumps and quick movements really brought out his sarcastic and fun personality. The scene ended with prince Escalus banishing Romeo.

The second scene was the balcony Pas de Deux, which James had already seen Regulus and Pandora dance during their rehearsal. This time it was different, both of them seemed more desperate for each other, the sorrow and passion that they portrayed was immaculate. 

James forgot to pay attention to the story for the rest of the second act and the beginning of the third. The dancers were so mesmerising that he couldn't really bare to think about anything else. What snapped him back to reality was Romeo’s Grieving solo, which James had watched Regulus perform a dozen of times.

The acting and emotion that Regulus displayed in the studio seemed to triple, this time his agonizing desplay of grief as he desperately ran around the stage messily with desperate, broken movements really made James feel something. He wasn’t sad or perhaps grieving along, he just felt empty inside, as if the story had given him a different perspective on love and sacrifice. The scene ended with Romeo drinking poison, collapsing right next to Juliet. 

The act ends with Juliet’s realization of what Romeo has done. Her final solo is filled with disbelief and despair, as she tries to wake Romeo. Once her solo ended Juliet stabbed herself with Romeo’s dagger. 

The curtain closed slowly, giving the audience a moment to reflect on the performance before the dancers took their bows. James found it emotionally exhausting, because he never anticipated the amount of emotion that could truly be portrayed through dance. Romeo and Juliet is a ballet filled with artistry instead of the usual jumps and turns that many ballets focus on. The story, music and choreography formed a devastating work of art.

After a shoty moment, the curtain opened again, this time the corps de ballet members were lined up, all of them walking together to bow as the audience cheered. The next ones to bow were the soloists, who got featured a bit more often. Last but not least, Regulus and Pandora stepped on stage holding hands, quickly and elegantly running to the middle, before they both took a deep bow, smiling towards the audience. After Pandora did her bow she turned to Regulus, laughing playfully and giving him a hug, before they both nodded once more, taking a few steps back so the choreographers could bow. Minerva was the first, along with two others which James had not seen before. 

The curtain closed as people began leaving the room, chatting about the performance. James ramined in his seat for a bit longer, thinking about where he should wait for Regulus. Luckily for him, Regulus was quick with a text: 

You can wait for me in the back, same place where we chat after practice, ill be quick i promise! he wrote.

James immediately stood up, leaving the room as quickly as he could. He took care of the flowers, just to be sure that they didn’t get damaged as he walked through the big crowd. James managed to make his way out of the theatre, and he circled around all the way to the back entrance, where he found a nice little place to stand while he waited for Regulus. Prongs took advantage of this wait to check the time, just to make sure his whole schedule and calculations were correct. The show ended at 10:16, since there was no break between act one and two, so they were running a bit early. 

After a few minutes a group of people left through the back, Prongs didn’t look up from his phone though, assuming Regulus wasn’t ready yet.

“James!” Regulus came running towards him with a smile on his face, hugging him quickly. 

A few people from the group that passed by them wistheled jokingly. James could have sworn that he saw Evan from the corner of his eye, but it was dark outside so he let it go.

Regulus rolled his eyes at them, before resorting his attention back to James.

“Sorry, my friends aren’t very polite.” he smiled, again “Did you like the show?” he looked up at James, visibly nervous. 

“Are you kidding? Of course, you were brilliant!” James  stepped a bit closer. “Oh actually, I went out and got you some flowers, it was the least I could do.” Prongs almost forgot about the bouquet he was holding. “I didn’t really know what you like so I just picked out whatever reminded me of you. I didn’t ask because I didn’t want to ruin the surprise” James’ face flushed, he could feel it. He hadn't bought flowers for someone in a really long time.

Regulus didn’t say anything, he picked up the bouquet with care, admiring each flower carefully. Afterwards, he looked back up at James, placing a hand on his face and tiptoeing to give him a kiss on the cheek. 

“Thank you.” he had a genuine smile on his face, the moonlight highlighting all of his features “And you guessed correctly, I really love peonies.” he chuckled lightly, taking one more look at the flowers. 

They stared at each other for a moment, before James broke the silence:

“Are you ready to go then?” 

Regulus nodded, walking beside James and looking at the sky. The moon and stars were shining brightly, not a single cloud was visible.

“Do you mind if I smoke?” Regulus pulled a crumpled cigarette packet from his jacket.

“You smoke?” James chuckled, the thought of Regulus as a smoker never having crossed his mind. “Go ahead.”

“Only on special occasions.” Regulus took out a cigarette, placing it between his lips and lighting it with ease. He inhaled deeply, then exhaled slowly, savoring the moment. “Do you smoke?” He turned his head to look at James.

“Nah. I promised Sirius I’d try it one day, though.” James smiled to himself. “Him and Remus have been trying to get me to give it a go since forever.”

“Well,” Regulus exhaled again, watching the smoke curl into the air, “wanna try it now?” He grinned, holding the cigarette out to James. 

Prons took a moment to decide. The only reason he hadn’t tried it yet was to not give Sirius the satisfaction. For Regulus, he could make an exception. 

“Alright, fuck it. We only live once.” James took it, pressing it gently to his lips.

He inhaled slowly, unsure of what to expect. A sharp burn crawled down his throat, but it wasn’t as bad as he thought. Regulus watched him closely, his gaze unwavering, which made James a bit anxious.

“So?” Regulus smirked. “Pretty impressive—you didn’t even cough.” 

James shrugged. “I don’t get the hype.” He handed Regulus his cigarette back.

“Fair.” Regulus nodded “I’m so tired I can’t wait to sit down” he sighed.

“Let’s make small talk so time will pass faster, ask me something!” James said.

“Well, what was your favourite part of the show?” Regulus looked at him while walking, the moonlight enhancing his features.

James had to think carefully. He liked the balcony Pas, it was the perfect portrayal of young love, but was it really his favourite? He figured that for now it was a good enough response.

“Probably the Balcony Pas, it matched the book alot. I studied the story in uni, I felt like the choreography portrayed the dreaming and poetic Romeo falling in love with young, playful Juliet just like the book did. Like how you had that light blue shirt to represent innocence and idealism but then in act two when Romeo was more mature and collected it switched to that deeper blue, which really shows how the relationship between them drifted from the usual teenage romance to a more erotic and passionate dynamic.” he analysed the ballet in his head quite a lot, as he explained Regulus’ face just lit up in shock. 

“I’ve never actually put this much thought into it, how did you figure so many things out already?” He looked at James dumbfounded. 

“I felt like it was pretty obvious” he giggled “Anyway, what’s your favourite part to perform?” 

“Oh definitely the fight with Tybalt! I love the choreography for it, it’s so quick and aggressive! It’s so refreshing to perform after all of those lifts and everything!” Regulus’ tone shifted, he sounded so excited while talking about it.

“Actually, I also thought you liked that part! I felt like I saw more of your personality while you were dancing it, the rest was performed well but I could tell it wasn’t really you” James remarked. “What about your least favourite?”

“I don’t think I have any variation I don’t like, Romeo and Juliet is actually one of my favourites to perform. Most of us actually consider it more than just a ballet, we all put a lot of effort into the show” 

James just nodded, busy with finding his keys. He opened the door to the apartment building, waiting for Regulus to walk in first, who insisted that they raced up the stairs. This time, the race ended in a tie, maybe because Regulus was tired already. On the sixth floor of the building, also the last, James unlocked the door to his flat, trying to stop his keys from making lots of noise so his neighbours won’t complain. 

“Finally! I’m so tired!” Regulus groaned, taking off his coat.

James took it, hanging it up.

“You better not fall asleep while watching the movie or else I’ll wake you up and have you watch it again from the start!” James threatened, taking his own jacket off. “Do you want a change of clothes? I can give you the ones from last time.” James offered.

“Shit I made a mental note to remember to bring one! Yes, sorry, I totally forgot!“ Regulus apologised, walking around the hallway anxiously, not really knowing what to do.

“Hold on, I'll bring it in a sec!” James took off his shoes, running to the living room to grab the clothes he had laid out specifically for Regulus. “Here you go!” he said.

“Thanks! I’ll go swap outfits now if that’s okay..!” Regulus pointed to the bathroom.

“Yeah go ahead, quick question though. Do you want tea or hot chocolate or anything? We’re running a bit early anyway since the show ended earlier than I calculated.” James’ glasses almost fell, he arranged them sloppily as he talked.

“Yes please, tea would be great!” Regulus smiled with his teeth, before heading to the bathroom to get changed. 

James first went into his bedroom to take off the elegant outfit he had wore to the show. For pajamas he chose to wear a grey t-shirt and shorts. He changed quickly, and he wasn’t patient enough to fold his clothes and place them back in the closet so he just rushed to the kitchen to boil the water for tea. 

He poured just enough into the kettle, turning it on to let it work its magic. Meanwhile, he picked out the tea leaves, thinking a lot about what new combinations he could try. He mixed the usual lychee flavour that Regulus requested with some ginger, that can help reduce muscle soreness. For himself he opted for Earl Grey, since he had not drank it in a while and the packets were getting old. Just as he was placing the leaves in the little fish mugs that constantly made him laugh, Regulus walked in the kitchen.

“Do you by some sort of divine intervention happen to own a hair tie” He was holding his hair back with one hand. “I want to wash my face since I had to put a little makeup on today and since I cut my hair it keeps getting in the way.” The shirt James gave him fit perfectly, it was a bit oversized but just the right amount.

“I have plenty actually, hold on.” James walked in the living room, taking out a little transparent bag from one of his bookshelves, which housed any item besides books. “Here” he handed Regulus a black elastic.

“Hell yes! Thank you!” Regulus smiled, running back to the bathroom to tie his hair up.

James put the bag back in the bookshelf after struggling to close it for a few moments. He walked back in the hallway to see Regulus looking in the mirror, trying to tie his hair up. He furrowed one brow slightly, looking visibly annoyed as tiny pieces kept falling.  James walked up to him, out of habit. 

“Here let me help.” he stood behind Regulus, handling his hair carefully.

“Oh please, as if you’d be any better at this” Regulus rolled his eyes but he didn’t pull away, he still let Prongs work his magic. 

“Do I need to remind you that your brother, who also happens to have long hair since he was like 12, is my best friend? I didn’t have a choice but to learn” James grinned proudly at Regulus who was looking at him through the mirror. 

James then directed his attention towards Regulus’ hair. It definitely was at an awkward length but there was nothing that James couldn’t achieve. He took a bit of time to admire his hair, it was pretty similar to Sirius’ except the curls were more defined and it definitely was less tangled. Prongs first tied as much as he could in the back, taking care to not hurt Regulus, then he twisted the front pieces to tuck them in. 

As he tucked in the first strand, he noticed something that he completely missed before. Regulus has one small tattoo behind each of his ears. On the left he has a semicolon, and on the right the NEDA symbol.

James knew the meaning of the both of them, but he decided to not ask anything. If Regulus will ever want to tell him what he went through he will when he feels ready. Whatever happened during those years when he disappeared must have been horrible. Prongs pretended not to see them, moving on to the other side to finish the ponytail. 

“There! It should stay in place for a while!” he smiled brightly, admiring his work. 

“Thanks.” Regulus blushed just enough for it to be visible.

Just then James remembered the kettle he had turned on not long ago. He nodded and he walked back to the kitchen, then he poured the water in the two mugs. He put them on a tray along with a few of the muffins he had made and he brought them into the living room, where Regulus was already waiting for Prongs. He was siting crossed legged, with a blanket over him. 

James set the tray down and he grabbed the remote, opening Disney+ to find the movie. There was one more thing he wanted to do, for which he needed a flashlight with a yellow-ish light. He shoved a very tiny one in his pocket, which he bought years ago specifically for when he watched the movie with anyone else. He sat down, covering himself in his favourite blanket. Regulus already grabbed a muffin from the tray, quickly biting out of it. 

“You have to pay a lot of attention in the beginning,  a lot of fun things happen.” James looked at Regulus as he clicked play. 

A few minutes in James prepared his flashlight, as Mr Fox. was saying one of his very famous lines: What’s wrong, you’re acting all skittish? Don’t worry, I’ve been lying for a living since before I could walk. The next line was what James waited for, he turned to Regulus, pointing the flashlight at him.

“By the way you look unbelievably beautiful tonight, you’re practically glowing.” He said it exactly like the movie did, lighting the flashlight up in the little pause that came afterwards. “Maybe it’s the lighting?” he smiled widely, trying to contain his laughter.

Regulus stared at him for a moment and his face flushed.

“What was that?” he also giggled “Do you really keep a light on you just to do that..?” his smile was so genuine it warmed James’ heart.

“Shh! Listen to this song now, it’s how I discovered The Beach Boys and it’s my all time favourite from them!” James pointed to the television as Heroes and Villains began to play: 

I've been in this town so long that back in the city

i've been taken for lost and gone

and unknown for a long long time

Fell in love years ago

with an innocent girl

from the spanish and indian home

home of the heroes and villains

He tapped his finger lightly on the beat, enjoying every second of the song. After it finished and the action continued, Regulus spoke again.

“I love the color scheme, it’s also pretty funny for a kid’s movie” He grabbed his cup of tea, still paying close attention to the movie. 

“Just wait, there’s definitely going to be parts of it that you’ll recognise.” James nodded.

After a not very long time, still in the beginning of the movie, a very infamous moment began. James absolutely had to quote it:

“I don’t want to live in a hole anymore, it makes me feel poor.” he watched Regulus’ expression as his face lit up in shock, realising he also knows this part.

“We are poor, but we're happy.” he said quietly, making sure he got the line correctly.

“Comme ci, comme ça, anyway, the views are better above ground.” he said, just like Mr. Fox did in the movie “Honey I’m seven non-fox years old now, my father died at seven in a half. I don’t want to live in a hole anymore, and I’m gonna do something about it.” He finished the quote, now directing his attention back to Regulus “I told you you’d know it!” 

“Fine, you win!” he lifted his hands up as if he admitted he was guilty.

For a while they just watched the movie, well, James actually watched Regulus as he watched the movie, since Prongs could already quote every single line from it. The characters were slowly introduced, and James watched Regulus’ reaction to every single one, to attempt to figure out who he would like best.

Not long after Regulus fidgeted in his seat a lot, trying to find a more comfortable position to stay in. James’ couch wasn’t exactly small but it wasn’t too big either, so he fully understood his discomfort. 

“D’you want to lie down?” James placed a pillow in his lap, watching  Regulus think about his idea.

He just nodded, tucking his hair behind his ear as best as he could. James paused the movie as Regulus laid down, just to make sure he wouldn’t miss a thing. Once they were both comfortable, which didn’t take long, James threw a blanket over Regulus again so he wouldn’t be cold, and he picked up the movie from where they left off.

Prongs held his head up with one hand which he placed on the armrest, and he subconsciously ran the other through Regulus’ hair without even realising. 

“I love how they say cuss instead of swearing, I should probably start doing that!” Regulus said.

“Whose your favourite so far?” James asked, since he couldn’t figure it out himself.

“Ash or Felicity. I sort of understand them both, you remind me of Kristofferson!” he chuckled softly. “Who do you like?” 

“Just wait, I’ll show you my favourite in a bit.” James nodded “I was told that before, about Kristofferson.” he looked down at Regulus affectionately. 

They watched the movie in silence until one of the last scenes that James was most excited for began. Mr Fox, Kylie, Ash and Kristoffereson were on a motorbike, stopping to look at a wolf after making a very narrow escape. 

Where’d he come from? Mr. Fox asked. Where’d you come from? What are you doing here? he said again, this time a bit louder. 

James pointed towards the screen just like Mr. Fox, reciting his favourite line of all time.

“Canis Lupus, Vulpes Vulpes.” he said, waiting for the scene to finish.

Mr Fox. came to the conclusion that the black wolf doesn’t speak english, latin or french. After their short interaction, the wolf still didn’t respond. Mr Fox chose to let himself be vulnerable, shouting about how he has a phobia of wolves. Afterwards, he wished the wolf luck, and as a response the wolf lifted his paw up. This little interaction meant the world to Prongs. 

He paused the movie because he considered explaining this moment to Regulus really important. 

“I’m not sure if I have a favorite character, but this is definitely my favourite scene.” he felt such a deep understanding for both Mr. Fox and the wolf “It has so much meaning. Throughout the film, Mr. Fox expresses a deep-seated fear of wolves. However, when he finally sees one in the wild, he doesn't react with fear but with awe and respect, he lets himself be vulnerable, even though up until this point that was what he feared the most, being vulnerable. This suggests the transformation that his character went through after everything that happened."He tried his best to word his explanation as correctly and easy to understand as possible. “This moment is an emotional turning point, it emphasizes on the themes of identity, acceptance, and the balance between civilization and nature, which is what the movie really is about. Mr. Fox comes to terms with who he is and he is.” he took a big breath before continuing, he was speaking so fast he needed to gasp for air “The fact that he in and the wolf never spoke really represents how us humans will always have empathy for each other, even though we cannot fully understand what the other is going through.” he exhaled, finishing his explanation.

Regulus didn’t respond, he just looked up at James with an undecipherable expression, probably admiration. Prongs waited for a moment, before starting the movie again so it could finish.

James admired the beautiful and meaningful ending, taking a bit of time to think about how much he really loves this movie. 

Regulus turned on his back to look up at him, Prongs couldn’t wait to hear his thoughts. James tucked a strand of Regulus’  hair behind his ear, so his face would be visible. 

“I had no idea what I was missing out on this whole time. You were right, this was the definition of art.” he looked at the ceiling while talking, not bearing to look James in the eye. “Can I stay like this for a bit longer?” he hugged the pillow on James’ lap tightly.

James nodded, stretching out a tad to grab his phone. 

“Do I follow you on insta? I don’t think I do” James scrolled through his following list trying to figure it out. 

“Gimme!” he reached for James’ phone, searching his account up “There!” he gave it back to him just as quickly.

Regulus hugged the end of the blanket while laying down, closing his eyes for a moment. James absent mindedly ran a hand through his hair again, resting it close to Regulus’ waist afterwards. 

James spent a few minutes looking at Regulus’ posts. He looked very professional in all of them, he posted either pictures taken before the show or from class. He had lots of likes and followers, the ballet community really loved him apparently. Regulus also had a private account for close friends, which James also followed. 

James dozed off after a while, without even realising. Regulus did the same, the both of them falling asleep on the couch. Perhaps their hangout was indeed fairly successful.