balancing act

December 21st

“First on the list,” James said after he had gathered all of them in the living room. It was before noon, and Regulus was hungover, and Sirius looked like he was too. “Getting a tree.”

Regulus noticed when he first left the bedroom that James had been busy. He had gotten out of bed early, leaving Regulus to sleep. What had he been doing? Rearranging his entire flat to make space for a Christmas tree.

“So early?” Sirius asked, rubbing his eyes.

“It’s the afternoon,” James told him, dropping his arms. He had a loose leaf sheet of paper, and Regulus tried to read what it said. From the looks of it, it was an itinerary. An itinerary. Every day James found a way to surprise Regulus, because he never seemed like the itinerary sort. It was too organized, too planned. And yet, here he was. “So go liven up for the day!”

Sirius and Remus went back into Sirius’ room, shutting the door, and Regulus stayed where he was on the couch, still just looking at James.

“What’s that?” he asked, just in case he saw it wrong.

James looked down at his hands, inspecting his own sheet of paper like he had forgotten what he put on it. “Oh, just a schedule, of sorts.”

Regulus blinked. “An itinerary,” he supplied.

James smiled easily and shrugged. “Yeah, I guess.”

And how could Regulus not kiss him for that? James seemed surprised, but he accepted it and kissed Regulus back eagerly. Regulus missed this too. He hates every day he has to spend away from James, and he feels good about this decision to stay for the week if this is how he gets to spend it.

“Do you want to talk about yesterday?” James asked when they pulled back, resting their foreheads together.

Did he? Regulus didn’t know. He hadn’t thought about it much since he and Sirius got back. He was distracted by James, and then by his warm bed, and then by this right here, right now. 

“Not yet.”

James nodded and pressed a kiss to Regulus’ temple, accepting it easily. “Okay. Go get ready then. And dress warm,” James said, pushing him away and toward the bathroom, not so subtly telling him that he needed a shower.

Regulus went, and he let his mind go blank for ten minutes while he tried to let himself accept all of this. He was working to let himself accept that he did deserve to wake up in James’ bed, and use his shower, and that he deserved to be loved and to love in return. Regulus was not undeserving.

Yesterday was… difficult. It just was. But he honestly feels better. They’ve got the guitar and about fifteen different bottles of wine, and that’s all they needed from the house. The rest of it is going to either get thrown away ro donated, but both Regulus and Sirius agreed that that was something they could hire somebody else to do. That house was cursed for them, neither wanted to spend longer than necessary there.

And so just like that, all of their ties with that house were gone. It was all done and cleaned up nicely, and Regulus felt good about it. Maybe he left the dark cloud at the front door, leaving it to exist in the foyer of 12 Grimmauld Place forever. And that was a good thing. Regulus deserved that.

What he didn’t deserve was to be subjected to his brother’s wardrobe.

“What the fuck is this?” Regulus asked when Sirius presented him with some options. 

Sirius rolled his eyes. “You are so ungrateful, you know?”

“Sorry I don’t want to dress like I just skinned an animal,” Regulus said. Sirius owned a lot of leather. Like an archaic amount.

“Most of it’s faux,” Sirius defended. 

“I’m not sure which is worse.”

Remus sighed, tired of pretending he wasn’t listening to their conversation. Regulus thought he was about to storm out of the room, but instead he went into the closet, the far end that was hidden by the door, and pulled out three of his jumpers.

“Moony!” Sirius said, clearly not pleased that his boyfriend was sharing clothes with his brother. Oh well, Sirius will get over it.

James popped his head into the room, and he had probably been eavesdropping the entire time too. “Reg,” he said in a stage whisper. “Pick the red one,” he said, referring to the red jumper that Remus had probably stolen off the body of some poor grandpa.

Sirius rolled his eyes. “This is the last time I try to help your style.”

“It’s my jumper,” Remus said, handing it to Regulus.

“Yeah well you look good in them,” Sirius mumbled.

“You wanted me to wear all leather!” Regulus said, literally unable to believe this right now.

“Wait, really?” James asked, eyes wider than they should have been.

Regulus groaned. “Don’t tell me you have a leather kink,” Regulus said, starting to walk out of Sirius’ room to go to James’.

He heard Sirius laugh. “Course he does. Leather is sexy!”

“I don’t have a leather kink,” James said, following him back.

He has had a smile on his face the entire morning, and it’s kind of endearing. 

“No?” Regulus asked, unconvinced and putting on all of the borrowed clothes he now had. He wasn’t going to complain about getting to wear one of Remus’ jumpers because they were genuinely so comfortable. They were the kind of soft that only comes with years of use and wear. It’s like wearing a giant hug. Plus, Remus smells good, so that was just a bonus. 

“I think I just have a Regulus Black kink.”

Regulus snorted. “You’re ridiculous.”

***

The Christmas Tree Farm was one of James’ absolute favorite places. He worked here one year while on break from school, and to this day he is still close with the owners. They’re a cute old couple that honestly let James get away with far too much while he was working here. He even got Sirius a job, although he quit after only three weeks because he didn’t like actually having to work.

Regulus’ eyes were sort of bouncing everywhere, and James wondered if he had ever done this before. Sirius never mentioned it, but it was more than likely that the Black family didn’t have family traditions like this. 

“Your cheeks are red,” James said to Regulus. They were waiting closer to the entrance for James’ parents, who said they were still just a couple minutes away.

Regulus looked up. “It’s like negative six,” he said, and James was so endeared that he had to lean down and give Regulus a small kiss. He was never going to be tired of being able to do that. He was free to do it, and even in public now. Although this didn’t really count as the ‘public’ considering how small of a business it was, but still. 

“You’re cute.”

Regulus was more red now than before, and he couldn’t blame it on the cold this time. “Shut up.”

James laughed just as he heard the sound of his father calling out to them. This was something that he did with them every single year since he was born, and he has never missed it. Normally they don’t wait this long, but things have been busy all around recently, and this was the first day they could all take the time. 

“So how do you pick a tree?” Regulus asked as they walked through the farm.

“You just pick the one that calls to you,” James explained. There was never any real rhyme or reason to how they decided. Last year, Sirius had found the fullest and most beautiful tree and decided it was the one they needed for their flat, and the year before that they picked a tree that was skinny and short and kind of sad all around, but James had felt like it needed them, so that was the tree they brought home. 

Regulus did not seem to like this way of choosing a tree though. “What does that even mean?”

James stopped and pointed at the closest tree. “What do you think of this?” he asked.

Regulus gave him a flat look. “I think it’s a tree. A tree that is identical to the other hundreds of trees around us.”

James only smiled. “That means it doesn’t call to you,” he said, moving on. They were trailing behind the group a little bit, but either nobody noticed or nobody minded. 

Regulus snorted. “Maybe that’s because trees don’t call.”

James nudged him. “Cheer up,” he said jokingly, a smile on his face. Regulus stopped, the look on his face meaning that he did not take it as such. “Reg, I was joking.”

He shook his head. “I don’t know how to do this.”

“Do what?”

“Enjoy Christmas. I don’t- I’ve… We didn’t do this kind of thing. and I don’t want to ruin it for you by being me-”

“Stop,” James said, taking a step forward.

“James-”

“Reg,” James said, a sappy look on his face. The group was long gone by this point, but James could still hear them chattering faintly. 

“I don’t want to ruin Christmas,” he said quietly. He was holding James’ eyes, looking between them.

“You couldn’t.”

“I could,” Regulus argued, because he loved arguing with James. James loved it too, it was always a little bit fun, even when they were mad at each other. Because they were mad at each other sometimes. It’s easy to get angry and frustrated when they’re only able to communicate by phone calls and sporadic texts.

“You literally couldn’t,” James said, putting his hands on Regulus’ cheeks. They were cold against James’ hands, and James would heat them up. “You being here is enough. You are enough. Okay? Just being able to see you and hold you is going to make Christmas.”

Regulus fought a smile, but James could feel it underneath his hands, and he just had to kiss him for it. He needed to feel the smile that was threatening to form, and he needed Regulus to let it.

He gasped into the kiss though, and James was powerless when Regulus deepened it, pulling James closer, his hands sliding under all of James’ winter clothes. His hands were cold against James’ torso, and James needed more, his own hands traveling into Regulus’ hair, gripping it to tilt his head up for better access.

That was the move that caused Regulus to pull back, breathing hard. “I- your parents,” he said, although he didn’t seem to care all that much because he just pulled James back in. James let out a small laugh, one that made Regulus squeeze the sides of his hips.

James didn’t want to pull away, not ever. But Regulus was right. This was not the time or the place for this, and they would come looking for them eventually.

“C’mon, ducky,” James said when Regulus protested ending their kiss. “We gotta find a tree.”

“To make out against?” Regulus asked with a small smile on his face, one that he reserved for moments like these, when he was trying to get James to do the opposite of what he was supposed to do. If Sirius was on the phone with James while they were in Spain, Regulus would distract him, make James hang up the phone before he even realized what was happening. Or if he was writing a song, maybe chewing on the cap of his pen, then Regulus would subtly and slowly draw his attention to him. It was adorable.

“You’re insatiable,” James said with a small tut.

Regulus only shrugged. “Yeah, so?”

James rolled his eyes and grabbed Regulus’ hand. “Come on,” he said, tugging once and getting Regulus to follow him to where he thinks his parents went. 

***

At first, Regulus thought James was an idiot. Trees don’t just ‘call’ to people. Or that’s what he thought anyway. He stopped abruptly, causing James to stop with him and eventually the others.

“This one,” he said, pointing at the ugliest tree in the whole lot. It was genuinely hideous. It was hardly a full tree, and it was barely taller than Regulus himself, but it caught his attention.

“Oh, you’re joking,” Sirius said, giving James a look. “That’s even uglier than the tree from a couple years ago.”

James was grinning though, and he didn’t really seem to care about Sirius’ opinion at the moment, which maybe made Regulus a bit too happy. He liked when he had James’ undivided attention, and if Sirius was around that wasn’t always the case.

“It’s calling?” James asked him.

Regulus couldn’t even deny it. It had literally called to him, and was perhaps the only tree that he’s even noticed this entire trip. They’ve been walking around for maybe half an hour, and the Potter’s already found their tree and were getting someone to get it all situated for them. “It is.”

James grinned wider and turned back to Sirius. “Please?” he asked him, because they both had to agree on a tree.

Sirius glared at Regulus. “I hate you, you know?”

Regulus smiled. “I know.”

“It kinda calls to me too,” Remus said, although Regulus could tell he only said it to get Sirius to agree faster, and it worked, because Sirius looked at Remus like he was the creator of the universe.

“Oh. It does?” Sirius asked, suddenly giving the tree a second glance, looking at it in a new light. He was embarrassingly easy. But then again, James was doing the exact same thing for Regulus.

Anyway, in the end that was the tree they brought home. Or… back to James’ and Sirius’ flat. It was the tree they chose and Regulus and Sirius watched while Remus and James did the hard work of tying it to the car, and then untying it and carrying it up the stairs. Regulus did hold the door open though, so that was something. 

They put the tree in the middle of the big window in the living room, and Sirius laughed when they all stepped back to look at it.

“That is the ugliest fucking tree we have ever had,” he said, looking at it with his arms crossed.

“Yeah,” James agreed with a nod and a smile. “It is.”

Sirius huffed out a laugh. “I’ll get the tinsel.”

“Tinsel?” Regulus asked, looking at Sirius like he had two heads.

“Tell me you know what tinsel is,” he said, stopping in his tracks.

“Obviously, I’m not an idiot. I just don’t understand why you own it.”

“It’s Christmas?”

Regulus hummed. “Fair enough.”

The four of them decorated the tree, another thing Regulus has absolutely never done before. This seems like it’s going to be a week full of things he has never done before.

———

“They tore apart Sirius’ room,” Regulus said when it was just him and James. It was well after dinner, and James was writing in his notebook and Regulus was on his computer working. He wasn’t supposed to work because he was technically on break, but he was halfway through a song with Marlene and he wanted to finish it sooner rather than later.

James looked up. “What?”

“It was torn apart.”

“I thought nobody went in there?”

Regulus shrugged. “Somebody did, apparently. Anyway, we drank a lot of wine after.”

“Is that why there’s like ten bottles in the kitchen?”

“Yeah,” Regulus said with a small laugh. “We stole it.”

James sat on the edge of the bed, pulling Regulus in so that he was standing in between his legs. Regulus looked down at him, getting a bit lost in his eyes. James was always good at that, grounding Regulus when he felt like he was going to lose his mind, and talking about this made him feel like he was going to lose his mind. It didn’t make sense, and Regulus didn’t like things that didn’t make sense.

James was probably the only thing that has ever made sense to Regulus, even when he was confusing or frustrating or sending mixed signals. James was always James.

“I’m proud of you, you know?”

Regulus isn’t used to hearing that, so he actually has no idea what to say. He just blinked at James, waiting for him to change the subject. Although that was admittedly wishful thinking on his part.

“I know it couldn’t have been easy to go back there, but you did it.”

“I had to get drunk to even open the door,” Regulus mumbled. That didn’t really sound like something that warranted James being proud of him.

“So? You still went, and that’s what mattered.”

This time, when Regulus blinked, a singular tear fell down his face. He hadn’t even noticed when his eyes started watering.

James, lovely and pure James, reached his hand up and wiped the tear away with his thumb, gently rubbing the spot over. “You’re so beautiful,” he said quietly, like it was a secret just for him. “And brave. And I love you, and I am proud of you,” James said again.

“I- I don’t know what to say,” Regulus admitted, because he could do that now. He could be open and honest with James without wanting to rip his hair out of his skull. It was an interesting development, but one that he had to come to terms with, because he was crying in front of his boyfriend for essentially the first time (save for their break-up in Chicago that wasn’t really a break-up) and he couldn’t stop it.

“You don’t need to say anything.”

And Regulus had to take his words for the truth, because James has only ever been honest with him, and that doesn’t scare him anymore.

James stands up, and Regulus lets himself be pulled into a full embrace, one where he’s sniffling into James’ shoulder and muttering broken sentences all while James strokes his hair, murmuring sweet nothings in his ear.

And then, the only clear thing Regulus says the rest of the night is a small “Thank you.” And he means it more than he’s meant anything.

***

December 22nd

“The market?”

“The Christmas market,” James corrected.

“I’ve never been,” Regulus told him, looking out the window. This was an obviously more crowded place than the tree farm they went to the day before, and it was full of people who were probably buying last minute gifts.

“Until today,” James corrected.

James loved the market. Most of the time he would visit much earlier in the season and watch the tree lighting, but this was the first time he’s been able to go. Sirius opted out, which meant Remus did too, but Regulus agreed to go with James with absolutely no argument. James got the feeling it was because he was still trying to appease James with this entire week. It was a bit ridiculous in James’ mind that Regulus thought he would ruin Christmas, and James was being serious when he said that Regulus being here was enough. It was crazy how fast James’ mood turned around when he found out that Regulus was staying at their flat.

“Okay, let's go,” Regulus said, stepping out of the car while James was still lost in his own head. He scrambled to follow after him, letting Regulus take the lead on how much PDA he wanted to share in a place like this. James would get recognized at some point, and then Regulus would by association, but most of the time people only paid attention to themselves.

They walked close, but they didn’t touch until Regulus pulled on James’ arm, stopping him. “Can we go there?” he asked, pointing at a jewelry stand. 

James was quiet while Regulus picked up a bunch of different things, none of it really seeming right. Before, James would have been talking almost nonstop, but he doesn’t really feel like he needs to. He’s comfortable enough around Regulus that he can let the silence stretch until he has something to say, and sometimes that’s hours, and sometimes it’s just a couple of minutes. But James likes it. He likes pausing and just looking at Regulus, or looking at the people walking by.

They’ve both been mostly quiet actually. Last night was a lot for Regulus in particular, and he didn’t really want to talk after his breakdown. Or… no he shouldn’t call it a breakdown. He was just sad, and James comforted him, and now they’re both acting a bit more gentle with each other and with the world around them.

“What did you get for Sirius?” Regulus asked, dragging James’ attention away from an elderly couple he saw walking by outside. They were holding hands and smiling, holding bags of goods. James always felt a lot of hope whenever he saw older people in love, and he always knew it would be him. He couldn’t wait until it was him and Regulus.

James smiled. “I’m not telling you that.”

“Yes, you are.”

“Cute, but no.”

Regulus sighed, putting down a necklace back where he found it. “You’re the worst.”

“You’re just trying to steal my idea.”

“So?” Regulus asked, wandering back out. And then he stopped dead in his tracks, eyes wide.

“What?” James asked.

“Your parents.”

James tilted his head, looking around. “What? Are they here?”

Regulus hit his arm lightly. “No. I- James I don’t have gifts for your parents,” he said, sounding genuinely distressed about this. It made James smile, just knowing that he was so worried about it.

“They aren’t picky.”

“That’s the problem,” Regulus groaned. “They’ll just smile and thank me for whatever I get them, even if they hate it.”

“They won’t hate it.”

“James, you absolutely need to help me here.”

“Reg-”

“No, seriously. Otherwise they’re getting scented candles in the shape of a giraffe.”

James laughed. “My dad would adore that, actually.”

Regulus groaned. “You are so unhelpful.”

“You’re being dramatic.”

Regulus pulled out his phone, hiding it from James’ view, which obviously made him insane because he didn’t know what he was hiding. “Who’re you texting?” James asked, because he was nosy.

“Remus.”

“Lupin?” James asked before he could stop himself. Like either of them would ever know another Remus.

Regulus looked up. “He’s such a bastard.”

James shrugged. “It’s Moony.”

Regulus looked annoyed, which meant it was time for James’ favorite trick. If there was one thing that made anybody instantly happier, it was hot cocoa. Regulus found them a table, unaware of what James was doing while he waited in the line. They were in a more secluded part of the market, which meant the line was shorter than it normally would have been.

“What’s this?” Regulus asked when James placed the styrofoam cup in front of him.

“An orgasm in a drink,” James said. This was his second favorite hot cocoa, losing only to the homemade kind that Effie makes. He already can’t wait for Christmas so he can have multiple mugs of it.

“All for the low, low price of four pounds,” Regulus mused, bringing the cup up to his lips.

James watched eagerly, perhaps a bit too eagerly. But he needed to see Regulus’ reaction.

“You’re staring,” Regulus said, the cup hovering.

“Try it.”

“It’s hot.”

“That sort of is the premise of hot cocoa.”

Regulus set the cup down, leveling his eyes with James’. “I think I’ll wait.”

James tried to fight a smile. “Is this your way of getting back at me?”

“Yes.”

“Lovely,” James said, taking a sip of his own and making a show of enjoying it. Regulus still wasn’t swayed, but James knew him well enough to know that he wouldn’t sit there and let it go cold.

And just like James knew he would, Regulus gave in and took a small sip, not letting any expression across his face. James could see it in his eyes though, he thought it was good.

Regulus actually ditched James for about an hour, going to go buy gifts that James was apparently not allowed to know about. He was fine with it though, and he walked around by himself, stopping in every little booth that seemed interesting. He had finished his Christmas shopping ages ago at this point. It was always something that he liked to get ahead on.

James found his way back to the jewelry stand, looking for one thing in particular. He saw Regulus eyeing it almost the whole time, but he never picked it up, and that told James that he really wanted it.

“I set it aside,” the shop owner said when they saw James looking around.

James looked up. “Hmm?”

“You’re looking for the ring that the pretty boy was eyeing, right?”

James smiled. “I- Yeah. I was.”

They nodded, pulling a box out from behind their makeshift counter. “I set it aside right after you guys left. Had a feeling one of you would be back.”

James paid for the ring, tipping a very generous amount with the cash he had on him. Somebody else would have picked it up if it wasn’t for the shop owner putting it to the side, so James was grateful.

It started snowing when James was on his way to where Regulus told him he was waiting, and James had to stop for a minute to appreciate how beautiful it was. There was a light dusting of snow on everything, and it was a rare bright day outside, which made the snow almost glow.

And then James had to stop again, because Regulus was standing there and outshining everything else. There was a light dusting of snow in his hair, and he had put his gloves back on while he waited, not fajcing the direction James was coming from.

“Hi, ducky,” James said, causing Regulus to turn around. He had a couple of bags hanging off of one arm.

He let out a sigh of relief. “Hi. Umm, hi,” he said twice.

James raised an eyebrow. “Everything alright?”

“Yeah.”

“Reg?” James said because he could tell when Regulus was lying.

“I’m fine,” he insisted. 

James didn’t say anything for a moment, simply taking in the way Regulus was holding himself. He was wound tight, and he kept twiddling his fingers, eyes a bit shifty. He was ready to leave, and of course he wouldn’t tell James about it.

James faked a yawn. “I think I’m ready to head back,” he said, because he could do this for Regulus. “Are you?”

“Yeah, let’s go.” Regulus moved forward and wound their arms together, the most open he has been about them so far today. It made James unnecessarily happy, and he had a smile frozen on his face the entire trip back home. 

***

Regulus’ eyes were watching the clock. 11:47pm.

James was fast asleep, Regulus had made sure to tire him out so that he could be alone. James would have left him alone if he would have asked, but he also would have been worried. This way James didn’t have to know, and Regulus could sit in the hideous rocking chair while the minutes ticked by.

At 11:49, Sirius’ door opened. At first, Regulus was worried it actually was Sirius, because he would be the type to come out and make him blow out candles at midnight. But then he saw that it was Remus, and he looked equally as surprised to see Regulus.

He shut Sirius’ door quietly. “Umm, hey,” he said, walking past and going into the kitchen. Regulus didn’t move, but he heard the cabinet open and close, and then he heard the tap running.

He had thought that if he stayed quiet then Remus would just move on, but after getting his glass of water he sat down on the couch.

“What?” Regulus asked at 11:51. He didn’t like the silence, it felt too heavy at that moment.

Remus shrugged. “It’s a communal space.”

“I- Okay,” Regulus said, curling in on himself even more and letting silence fall over them once again. He couldn’t exactly argue with Remus there, because he was right.

He kept watching the clock on the wall, the faint ticking sound the only noise that either of them could hear for a while.

“That clock is wrong, you know?” Remus said, apparently picking up on the fact that Regulus hadn’t looked away.

“By how much?”

“Don’t know.”

Regulus scoffed. “Liar.”

Remus smiled. “Yeah well, I’m still not telling.”

Regulus sighed, unraveling himself to a more normal sitting position. His phone was in James’ room, and apparently the clock was wrong by an unspecified amount, so there was no telling when it would actually be midnight. 

“Are you not gonna ask?” Regulsu asked. The clock said 11:53, Regulus ignored it now.

“No,” Remus said simply, and that was that.

Regulus appreciated it actually. They both knew that Remus knew that it was about to be Regulus’ twenty third birthday, but neither of them acknowledged it. Remus wasn’t going to make him talk about it, or even think about it, really.

“What did you end up getting the Potter’s?”

Regulus smiled. “I am absolutely not telling you that.” Remus wouldn’t tell him earlier, so Regulus won’t tell him now.

“Mm, that’s fair,” Remus agreed quietly. “My parents are coming too.”

“To the Potter’s?”

“Yeah. It was funny to watch Sirius fret over what to get them.”

“And James?”

“He bought his gifts literally months ago.”

Regulus rolled his eyes. “Of course he did.”

“You’re just going to tack your name onto his gift?”

“Oh I absolutely am,” Regulus said with a small laugh.

They talked about nothing for a little while, mostly books and how stupid both of their boyfriends were, and how impossible it was to shop for Sirius.

“Do you want wine?” Regulus asked.

Remus nodded. “I’ll get it.”

Regulus let him, and he stayed in the rocking chair, drinking wine and chatting with Remus until well past midnight, both the fake midnight on the clock and the real midnight that had passed some time ago.

***

December 23rd

Regulus blinked at the tray in front of him.

“Breakfast in bed?” he asked, although he was speaking more to himself. 

James was grinning, wearing sweatpants and an apron and nothing else. He looked like a regular housewife, honestly, and the sight was already making Regulus’ day ten times better.

“Well, more like lunch. But yeah.”

Regulus has never been delivered breakfast in bed, and it honestly feels so cliche that it makes his heart constrict a little, like it’s growing in size the more time he spends around James. 

Regulus slept in a little later than normal, and it was past noon by now. But he had stayed up late last night with Remus, and it was actually really helpful to not actually know when midnight was. He could have guessed, but he couldn’t be sure. It was already shaping up to be the best birthday he’s had in a long time.

“Did you know it’s your golden birthday?” James asked, eating breakfast with Regulus. He still hadn’t taken off the apron, and he looked a bit ridiculous. It was white and covered in oranges with orange accents. 

“My what?”

“Golden birthday.”

“What’s that?”

“You turn the age of your birthday,” James said, happy to be able to explain something to Regulus. Regulus has noticed that he likes doing that, he likes when he gets to prove himself helpful. “Twenty three.”

Regulus smiled a little. “Oh, that’s cute.”

James fussed over Regulus a little bit more after that, cleaning up and doting around him and giving him way too much attention. He really did not need his pillows fluffed that many times, and so he sat up completely.

“James,” Regulus said, making his voice impossibly innocent. 

James looked up. “Yeah?”

“Shower with me?”

James’ eyes widened, and Regulus knew that he would agree, and maybe he would finally stop walking on eggshells around him. Regulus didn’t like his birthday, but that did not mean that he was going to force himself to have a bad day.

“You- you want me to shower with you?” James asked after he cleared his throat.

“Mhm,” Regulus said, because he deserved a little treat on his birthday. “Come on,” Regulus said, patting James on the back to get him to follow along.

———

“Where’s Sirius?” James asked Remus. Remus was in the kitchen, doing the dishes that James had made in the morning.

Remus turned around and looked at the two of them, both with damp hair and a certain glow about them. “He said he was quote ‘traumatized’ when you two disappeared into the shower,” Remus said, and that made Regulus smile. Good. Sirius has done it to him enough times with Remus by now that it’s nice to get some turnaround. James was blushing a little, which was honestly quite endearing. “I texted him that it was safe to come back so…”

As if on cue the front door opened, and Sirius walked in with his hands over his eyes. “Are you decent?” he asked loudly and dramatically. Regulus rolled his eyes.

“James is sucking my dick right now, actually,” he said, and James openly gawked at him.

“I am not,” James defended.

Regulus shrugged as Sirius lifted his hand away from his eyes. “Well he should be,” Regulus mumbled, and he could see the light behind James’ eyes when Regulus said that, literally ready to drag him off at any moment.

Sirius cringed. “That’s enough, thanks.”

“It’s my birthday, you’re not allowed to be annoyed with me,” Regulus said.

Sirius gave him a look. “You hate your birthday.”

“And?”

Sirius smiled. “Well glad to see you’re in good spirits. We all have gifts.”

Regulus’ smug look dropped, because he explicitly said multiple times that he didn’t want anything for his birthday. “Oh you’re fucking joking,” he said, turning his head to look at James. He looked a little sheepish, and maybe a little guilty, but he wasn’t taking it back, which meant it was true.

It was still early enough in the day that Regulus could storm off for a while and not feel bad about it, so he went into James’ room and grabbed his shoes and car keys.

“Where are you going?” James asked, standing in the doorway.

Regulus grabbed his wallet last, just in case. “Just on a drive.” James wasn’t letting him out of the room though, standing as a block in the doorway. “What?”

James smiled down at him, his hand coming to rest on his cheek, rubbing it softly with his thumb. “I know you don’t like your birthday, and so please don’t be mad at me for the gifts. I just- well you deserve to be treated special on your birthday,” he said, and it was like he was actively melting Regulus with each word, chipping away at some of the ice he had frozen around himself on days like today. “And if you really, really don’t want birthday presents, well I can put them under the tree and you can open them on Christmas.”

James made it very hard to have a bad day. Regulus has always resigned himself to having bad birthdays, but James simply won’t let him.

Regulus kisses him, part because he wanted James to shut up and part because James looked pretty and he deserved to be kissed. He deserved so much, and Regulus was working to be worthy enough to give James everything.

“Reg,” James said softly when he pulled away. Regulus kissed him one more time, unable to help himself when James was right there. He would never get tired of just kissing James. 

“I just need a minute,” Regulus told him. He’s been working on his communication skills because he knows he has a tendency to shut down and not tell anybody what he’s thinking or feeling, and he’s trying to be better at that with James, because James is doing the same. Before, James would pretend like everything was always fine, and Regulus would get frustrated at him for it. And then Regulus realized it wasn’t fair that he was expecting honesty out of James when he was barely capable of it himself.

James nodded, resting his forehead against Regulus’. “Okay.”

“I will be back soon,” Regulus said, giving him one more kiss because James was just right there. “Okay?”

“Yeah, okay. See you soon.”

Regulus slips out of the flat just a couple of moments later, just needing to breathe. It’s all a bit overwhelming sometimes, just how good of a person James is, and Regulus has to remind himself that he isn’t undeserving, and that he didn’t trick James into loving him, even when sometimes he feels like he did.

***

Sirius was watching James closely, close enough that James noticed it.

“What?” he asked. He was trying to decorate the cake that Remus made, although even James could admit that he was doing a horrible job at it, but it would be the thought that counted, in the end.

Sirius turned his head, pretending like he hadn’t just been staring at James. “Nothing,” he said with a little hum, something he did when he was playing coy.

“Pads?”

And then Sirius gave in, turning around completely and leaning against the counter. His eyes were on the front door, probably waiting for whenever Regulus was about to come back. “You haven’t told him, have you?”

James’ stomach dropped, and he put down the piping bag, setting it on the counter. Regulus really could come back any minute, and they should not be having this conversation when he does. 

James was about to open his mouth when the door opened, causing him to freeze only to see that it was Dorcas, Barty, and Evan, all of them holding gifts. 

“Oh, hi,” James said, letting out a breath when he saw them.

“James,” Sirius said, a bit impatient.

James bit the inside of his cheek. “Umm, Evan!” he said, getting an idea. 

“Yeah?” he asked, setting down the wrapped gift on the table by the door.

“You’re good at art, right?”

He shrugged. “I mean a little.”

“Perfect! Can you draw a duck on this cake with frosting?”

“A duck?” Dorcas asked, unamused.

James smiled. “Yes.”

Evan shook his head a little, walking into the kitchen and washing her hands. “Oh this needs help,” he said, looking over at the cake. Barty followed behind him and laughed at the poorly written words and half an attempt at a duck.

“You can fix it?”

“Mhm. Outta my kitchen, Potter,” he said, pushing him along.

Sirius was waiting expectantly for James, but Barty stopped him first. “He’s with Pandora, by the way. She’ll bring him by when I tell her to.”

James smiled. “Okay, cool. Thanks.”

“He hates his birthday, you know?”

“I know. He loves his friends though,” James said, because at its barest this was just some friends hanging out, and even Regulus liked to do that. Plus, James got the feeling that Regulus already knew about this party. He hadn’t commented on the way Remus was guarding something behind him before he left, but he definitely noticed. Regulus always noticed.

Sirius was waiting in his room, and he did not look very happy with him, which was fair. James made a small little mistake.

The interview, the one with McGonagall, had been released at midnight, and James had kept it from Regulus. James really didn’t have to worry about him seeing it, Regulus was avoiding his phone like the plague today, and he hadn’t even brought it with him on his drive. And James had already asked all of Regulus’ friends to not mention it, because today wasn’t about James, today was about Regulus.

“He is going to be so mad at you,” Sirius said, letting out a breath and shaking his head.

“It’s his birthday,” James said. Sirius hasn’t said anything either. In fact, nobody has mentioned it all week, which has honestly been a bit of a blessing. James knew he should have told Regulus, because he would have wanted Regulus to tell him, but he couldn’t. James doesn’t want to complicate the week with the article, and they have been having such a good week so far already.

“It’s not even that. I mean you won’t talk to me about it either, or Remus, or Peter. I mean, we just told the whole world our story, our whole story, and nobody has spoken about it.”

“It’s not a good time. I mean it’s the holiday’s.”

“I know, but we can’t pretend it didn’t happen.”

James shrugged. “I don’t see why not.”

“He’s going to find out.”

“I will tell him tomorrow,” James said, brushing it off.

Sirius gave him a look. “You won’t actually, because you’ll feel like you’re ruining Christmas Eve, and then Christmas, and every day will be a good day that you don’t want to ruin.”

James sat down on the bed, sighing because Sirius was right. Regulus was going to want James to talk about it, and James didn’t know what he was going to say. “I’ll tell him tonight.”

Sirius gave him a look. “Really?”

“Yes, really. After everyone’s gone and it’s just us,” James said, and he meant it. He never should have tried to keep it from Regulus in the first place, and he felt guilty about that. But he was just going to have to get over it for now, because it was Regulus’ birthday and James was determined to make sure he had a good time.

———

“Hey, where’s the Chardonnay?” Sirius asked, looking through all of the wine bottles in the kitchen.

Regulus, who was sitting on the couch next to James and letting James put an arm around him, started laughing. His eyes went to Remus, who had a similar mischievous look in his eyes. 

“It’s gone,” Remus said, which made Regulus giggle more. He always got like this after a couple of drinks, and James thought it was sweet, the way everything could make him laugh. 

Sirius popped out of the kitchen. “You two drink wine together now?” And now James was wondering the same thing. When did they even have time to drink a whole bottle of wine?

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” Regulus said.

“I would,” James said, causing Regulus to look up at him. His cheeks were bright red and he was blinking a lot, a lazy smile on his face.

“Too bad.”

“Remus and Regulus affair!” Barty said, throwing his hands in the air and spilling a little bit of wine out of his glass.

Sirius raised an eyebrow at Remus, and James didn’t even need to look at Regulus to ask whether it was true or not.

“Moony?”

“You think I’m having an affair with your brother?” Remus asked.

“You wouldn’t be the first,” Sirius said, pointing at James.

Regulus rolled his eyes, sitting up more so that he was less curled into James. “We weren’t having an affair.”

“I’d have an affair with Remus,” Evan said with a shrug.

Barty looked at him closely for a minute before nodding. “Me too, actually.”

Sirius scoffed. “Unbelievable.”

“I would too,” Dorcas said after a long moment. Sirius glared at her. “It isn’t my fault your boyfriend’s hot.”

Sirius looked at Remus, sitting down next to him. “You’re unfair.”

“You’re being dramatic.”

Regulus eventually settled back into James, curling closer to him. James loved being close to Regulus, especially on occasions like this. Small group settings where they were just surrounded by friends and they didn’t have to worry about whether anybody would see them, and they didn’t have to be vigilant about the things they said or did. It was comfortable.

Pandora ended up bringing out the cake, which Regulus did indeed roll his eyes at, pretending he absolutely hated it. It was the first time James saw it since before Evan fixed it, and Regulus looked right at James as soon as he noticed the duck.

“Oh, you’re joking.”

James smiled at him. “Happy birthday, ducky,” he said quietly while everybody else was singing. Regulus was looking only at him, eyes so obviously full of love that it made James feel off balance, like he was teetering on the edge of a cliff and the look on Regulus’ face was enough to push him right off. James was fine with falling, he would stay in a free fall for the rest of his life if it meant Regulus always looked this happy. And he did look happy, which was all James wanted out of today.

***

Regulus was furious.

He normally avoided checking his phone on his birthday, and he hadn’t even picked it up all day, really. But he snuck off to the bathroom, and he was apparently trying to hurt himself because he opened his lock screen, hoping to see a message or phone call from his mother. He really shouldn’t have gotten his hopes up, and he shouldn’t have hoped in the first place.

It isn’t even like he wanted to have anything from his mother, and he knew this would only further prove what he already knew, that she didn’t care.

The lack of a birthday message from his mother is not what made him angry though. No, it was when he saw that he had a message from an unsaved number.

******8931: Hey, Regulus

It’s Edgar. I saw the article that came out today and I just wanted to reach out and tell you that I’m happy for you and James. No hard feelings <3

Regulus just blinked at the message for a couple of moments. He thought it was odd that Edgar, of all people, was reaching out to him. The tone seemed genuine, not at all like Edgar wasn’t being sincere. But what article? 

What article?

It took Regulus less than a minute to find out what Edgar was referring to.

The Marauders Tell All

December 23, 2022

Minerva McGonagall

Regulus took a deep breath, trying not to get angry. He wasn’t angry about the article, in fact, he wasn’t even going to read it yet. No, he was mad at James for not telling him. He had to have known. Something of this caliber, something that James had been nervous about, comes out and he doesn’t mention it? That’s unlikely. Which means he knew, and he didn’t want to tell Regulus. Probably because it was his birthday, which Regulus could sort of understand. Sort of.

Actually no, that’s fucking stupid. Regulus doesn’t understand that because today isn’t anything important. It’s not. It doesn’t need to be all about Regulus, and he was stupid for letting James act like it was. This article was something that was so obviously important to James, and Regulus remembered when James called him after it was over, telling him all about it.

So James should have told him, he shouldn’t have kept it from him. Especially not when Regulus has been trying so hard to communicate just in general. He’s been trying for James, because of James. And what? James is just hiding things and letting Regulus be the only vulnerable one. If he’s honest, it makes him feel like shit, and Regulus knows it’s a little bit on him for letting James get away with it.

There was a knock at the door, one that had Regulus almost dropping his phone. He had completely zoned out in front of the mirror.

“Reg? You good?” 

This was Dorcas, and Regulus was not the slightest bit surprised that she was the one who came to check on him. She was very observant, so Regulus being gone for over five minutes definitely caught her attention.

He opened the door, not even thinking about what he was going to do or say, which left him looking a bit stupid, stuttering over his words for a moment.

“Y-yeah. Yeah. I’m good,” he said a bit more firmly, and that was how he decided what path he was going to take. He was going to lie. Regulus has always been good at lying, at pretending everything was fine even when it wasn’t.

She raised an eyebrow. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. Just needed a minute, you know?” If there was one thing that Regulus could always fall back on, it was his inability to be normal in social situations, and how quickly his social battery died. Nobody ever asked for further explanation on that.

Even Dorcas seemed to buy it, and she eased up on him. “Yeah, I know.”

James was sitting in the exact same spot he was when Regulus left, although he was leaning forward a bit more while he was talking with Barty about something. Regulus’ ears weren’t quite working yet, and he was still just focused on James.

James lied to him, yes. And Regulus was angry about that, yes. But…

But.

Well it was James. And his cheeks were red, and he did so much for Regulus today that it was almost easy to pretend he wasn’t upset. And maybe he was blinded by love, but Regulus didn’t have the energy for a fight at that moment, because James was so fucking good. He was good, and it was Regulus’ birthday, so he didn't want to be mad at him just yet.

“What are we talking about?” Regulus asked, sitting back down in the same seat he was before. Not the exact same, he kept some space between him and James this time. If James noticed he didn’t say anything, probably chalking it up to Regulus simply being Regulus.

James was smiling. “Barty’s wedding.”

Evan rolled his eyes. “They’re discussing it in Spanish,” he said, sounding distressed. “My wedding is being discussed in a language I don’t understand.”

Barty shrugged. “Learn Spanish,” he said simply, and Regulus couldn’t argue with that.

“Teach it to me,” Evan argued. 

Barty didn’t grow up speaking Spanish in the way that James did; he learned it in school, which was probably the only thing that Barty learned in school. Still, James had to keep repeating himself when Barty didn’t understand right away, which was kind of endearing. 

Regulus loved to listen to James speak Spanish. Whether it be when he was on the phone with his parents or when he was mumbling to himself, Regulus loved it. They were talking about Barty’s future wedding dress, and Regulus was actually very surprised that Barty chose to speak to James about it. He hadn’t realized they were actually that good of friends.

“Okay,” Barty said without argument. “We start tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow is Christmas Eve,” James said, like he was surprised people could do more than one thing on important days. Regulus bit his tongue to not say something stupid like that, but oh how he really wanted to. 

“No time like the present.”

Slowly, and carefully, Regulus started hinting that he was tired. It took almost an hour to get everyone to leave, which Regulus did not feel guilty about. It was very rare that he decided to spend time with his friends on his birthday, and they were all giving him a bit of a break with everything at the moment.

James stood at the door with Regulus while they were saying goodbye to Barty and Evan.

“Hablaremos mas de tu boda luego, si?”

Barty nodded. “Mhm. Talk to Regulus about December 27th.”

Regulus rolled his eyes, which made Barty smile at him, silently asking him to invite James along. Regulus would, so long as James lived that long. “I’ll tell him,” Regulus said.

“What the fuck is December 27th?” Evan asked.

Barty whirled around, starting to usher Evan out of the flat. “Bye, night, toodles! Happy birthday Reggie!” he blew kisses at them before shutting the door behind them, and then everything was silent.

With nobody around to act as a buffer, Regulus probably wouldn’t be able to hold it in any longer, his anger that is.

James turned back to Regulus with a smile on his face, opening his mouth to say something. It was almost midnight, which meant Regulus’ birthday was almost over, which meant James was going to have to talk to him.

His smile dropped a little when he saw Regulus’ face. “What?”

“What?” Regulus repeated, his voice barely a breath as he really tried not to overreact. But really? Really?

“I- I’m sorry?”

“Do you even know what you’re apologizing for?”

“I- No. No, not really. Did something happen?”

Regulus bites his tongue, almost hard enough to draw blood. “Did something happen?” Regulus asked, probably too loud considering Sirius and Remus were just in the living room. Regulus has heard them argue often enough that he doesn’t feel bad though. 

James seemed to finally understand that Regulus was angry with him, although he still hadn’t fully put the pieces together.

“I’m sorry if it was too much. I- I just wanted you to know you have people, and you should be with those people on your-”

“James,” Regulus interrupted. Because that wasn’t what he was talking about in the slightest. 

James closed his mouth. “What happened?”

Regulus ran a hand through his hair. “You haven’t been fair.”

“Fair?”

“I- You expect all of this communication from me, and all of this stupid fucking honesty, and fine. Whatever. I will give you whatever you want. But- I- You can’t take and take with no give.”

“What?”

“I feel like a fucking idiot, James. I feel so stupid and like you just want me to give myself over to you while you lose nothing.”

“Reg. I- I’m so lost here.”

“I saw the article.”

James stops cold, and Regulus is fuming. He’s fuming because with each word he says the more true it all seems. James just wanted a project, somebody he could fix. Well Regulus doesn’t need any fixing. He doesn’t.

“Reg-”

“What is this for you?” Regulus interrupted, taking a step back from James.

“What?”

Regulus struggled to keep his voice stable. “What is this for you?” he said again, gesturing in between them.

“I- You know what this is.”

“Do I?”

“Don’t do that. Don’t pretend like you aren’t fully aware of- of how much I love you. That isn’t fair.”

“Fair? It’s not fair? You- you kept this from me. This is big. You know that this is big. I- You ask me to tell you what I’m thinking, and you comfort me when things are hard, and I open up around you, and fine. Fine. Whatever. You love me. Fantastic!”

“Reg-”

“No. No. Admit that you were wrong. Because I feel-” Regulus cut himself off. “Just admit it.” Regulus just needs James to admit that he made a mistake here, because he feels like he’s going to go insane.

“I’m sorry,” James said, and he sounds like he means it. He sounds so fucking sincere that it makes Regulus want to rip his hair out.

“I know.”

“I just- I don’t know how- or I didn’t want-”

“Didn’t want… what? Didn’t want to ruin my birthday?” Regulus supplied, because he has a pretty clear idea of what James’ thought process was.

“I- Yeah. Yeah, pretty much.”

Regulus rubbed his eyes. “I am your boyfriend.”

“I know.”

“So- so you’re supposed to tell me these things. Not only because I’m involved, but also because it’s something that is hard for you. And I know it was, so don’t bother lying.”

“I know,” James repeated.

“So you haven’t been fair. You expect things from me that you won’t give in return. And I don’t like it.”

“I know.”

“Say something else! Literally anything else. Because I already know that you know James, you’re not stupid.”

And James isn’t stupid. Sometimes he does stupid things, but he is so socially aware and intelligent, and he always knows what to do. It’s infuriating- and actually stupid hot, but that is absolutely not the point right now. It’s not the point and yet Regulus keeps getting a bit distracted because James is holding such heavy eye contact with him, and he’s not afraid of Regulus. He isn’t afraid of his glare, or of his anger. He isn’t backing down like most people would, like most people have. He’s owning it.

***

James wants to turn back time. He wants to go back and tell Regulus about when he found out the interview release date. He wants to go back to when he never made this mistake so that Regulus wouldn’t be so angry at him. Because Regulus is angry, and he has every right to be. 

He’s right, James has not been fair. He loves when Regulus is vulnerable with him, it makes James feel trusted and loved, and it wasn’t fair that James hasn’t been giving that in return.

“I’m sorry, and I know you know that. And- and I’m not used to this, to letting myself be… not okay.”

“Neither am I,” Regulus points out, and James supposes that’s true. “But you’re still supposed to try.”

“Reg-”

“I don’t need you to be okay all of the time, James. I am here for you just as much as you are here for me. I know you aren’t perfect, and I don’t need you to pretend like everything is always fine. I’m not someone you need to protect.”

“Well that’s not true,” James said, unable to help himself. He was trying to not be argumentative right now because Regulus was already angry. It’s not like they haven’t fought before, or like they haven’t made mistakes before, but this one seemed to really set Regulus off, and James understood why. He truly did. But that does not mean that Regulus isn’t somebody that James wouldn’t give his life to protect. It’s in his nature to protect and care.

“I’m not Sirius.”

“I know you’re not. I know that. But I care about you, and I love you, and I worry about you, and your safety, and I want you to be protected. I want to wrap you up in miles of bubble wrap and let nothing touch you ever again.”

Regulus raised an eyebrow, clearly not expecting that. “You don’t think that’s a bit over-protective?”

“Over-protective would be if I actually did that. I would also shut you in a room and keep you safe from everything.” Regulus barely managed to suppress a smile, but James saw it peek through in the corners of his mouth. “I made a mistake. I was wrong, okay? I do know that, and I feel guilty, and I am sorry. This- I wanted you to have a good day, and so I pushed away everything I was thinking and everything I was feeling because I thought it would be better.”

“You were wrong.”

James smiled a little. “And I was wrong. I- I know I should have told you, and I regret trying to hide it in the first place.”

“Good,” Regulus said with a small head nod. He was so fucking beautiful, even when he was yelling at James. “Good.” And then he was stepping forward and pulling James into a kiss. It was rough and messy, not like the sweet and slow kisses from earlier in the day. No, this one was anger and passion and yearning. They were yearning.

Regulus bit James’ bottom lip, and it was probably a bit harder than it should have been, but it made James practically melt, because yes. Yes. Yes. Bite, consume, destroy. Whatever Regulus wanted, James would let him have.

“God I fucking hate you,” Regulus said, lips attaching to James’ neck, biting and sucking there. James put his hands on the counter behind him to stable himself. 

“No you don’t,” James managed to say. 

“No, I don’t,” Regulus agreed, connecting their lips once more, like he was greedy for it, for James. And God if that didn’t make James’ head spin, the reminder that Regulus wanted him, actively and passionately. Regulus wanted him and it was insane and it was wonderful. It was everything. He was everything.

———

Regulus was trailing nonsense patterns on James’ skin, his breath fanning against James’ stomach every couple of seconds. He looked so pretty, long eyelashes and pouty lips and fluffy hair.

“The article came out,” James said.

Regulus looked up and seemed to realize what James was doing right away. “Oh?” he asked, and that was his way of giving James a second chance, a chance to do it the right way.

“I- I’m scared, I think. Or nervous. Or both.”

Regulus sat up, giving his full attention to James now. “Yeah?”

“We said a lot in the interview,” James said, and that was when it all came falling out of his mouth, because Regulus didn’t need him to be strong right now. Regulus was here to hold James up while he was falling, to catch him before the hard landing but still letting him feel what it was like to fall; to feel. He was letting James feel everything. “I mean we exposed Slytherin Records completely, and we all came out. Like properly. All of us. I- I mean I told the whole world I’m demisexual.”

Regulus’ eyes widened, because if there was anybody who knew about James’ struggle with that part of his identity, it was him. It was Regulus who helped James recognize that there wasn’t something wrong with him, and that he wasn’t abnormal or different. He was just James; to Regulus he was always just James.

“You did?” he said, and James could have sworn that he sounded proud.

“You didn’t read it?” James asked. He just sort of assumed that he would have read it when he found out about it.

Regulus shrugged. “I wanted you to tell me about it first.”

And so that was exactly what James did. He told Regulus all about it, and all about how he was feeling, which was mostly nervous for the public’s reaction, for Snape’s reaction. What they did was… well it was going to make them a lot of enemies. Nobody liked when people told the truth, especially not when the truth was as dirty and scandalous as theirs.

Well, nobody except for Regulus, who was suddenly doting on James and being very sweet to him about the whole thing. 

“Hey,” James said, getting Regulus’ attention again.

“Yeah?”

“The things I said about us… was that okay? Were you okay with that?” James asked. Regulus had previously given him express permission to say literally whatever he wanted about the state of their relationship. James had left it mostly up to interpretation, taking a much more subtle route than Sirius and Remus did. Still, he wanted to make sure Regulus was still okay with everything. James wasn’t the only one involved in this relationship.

“I told you to-”

“I know what you told me,” James interrupted. “I just… wanted to see what you were thinking.”

“Oh,” Regulus said, like he hadn’t really realized that. “I- I approve?”

“That sounded like a question.”

“I meant it when I said it didn’t matter to me what you said.”

“I know. But what did you think of what I said?”

Regulus waited for a moment. “I liked it. I- I mean it was… a good thing. You said it well. Or… You said the right thing. Not that there was a wrong thing, but it was good. Yeah. Good.”

James was beaming. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. Can I go to bed now?”

“Did I tire you out?” James asked with an eyebrow raise, causing Regulus to roll his eyes.

“You wish.”

“Really? Because you look pretty boneless to me.”

Regulus lifted his head to look at James properly. “You do not want to start this.”

James smiled, because Regulus was right and James was exhausted. “Goodnight, Regulus. Happy birthday.”

Regulus scoffed. “Not my birthday anymore.”

“Hush.”

James wrapped an arm around Regulus’ torso, and they both fell asleep quickly and easily, comforted by the warmth they gave each other through the night.