Chapter 19
The last week of the summer passed in a blur. Currently they were in Diagon Alley. Jem talking with James as Regulus held onto his hand. Sirius and Remus had wandered off and Peter was talking with Fleamont.
"Euphemia." Regulus tensed at the voice of his mother's sharp and cruel, on instinct curling tighter to Jem who just lifted his arm letting Regulus slip under it while talking with James, yet to notice Walburga. "So you've taken both my sons from me."
"I'm pretty sure they left you of their own will, Walburga." Then Jem tuned in, a slight nudge had Regulus behind him and with James on his other side who easily fell into conversation now pulling Regulus' attention away from the two women. The two brothers seemed to have this sort of language. This knowledge between them. If Jem did one thing James would do something that would compliment it and vice versa.
"Come on," Regulus looked wide eyed at James, "Don't just stand there staring, try to move your feet."
"But-"
"Jem and mom are more than enough to piss people off. Take a look." Regulus glanced back and for a moment he was stunned at what he saw, he'd managed to forget the Potters are Pure Bloods but the way Jem held himself a step behind Euphemia screamed of his heritage, his chin lifted, shoulders back, spine straight, hands tucked lazily into his pockets.
"My mother-"
"Won't be a problem. Come on. Let's go see where Pads dragged Moony off too."
Class was boring. Night was...interesting.
Jem seemed less and less inclined to spend time in the Gryffindor dorms without his brother and the Marauders but the Slytherin dorms opened him with wide arms after realizing it made their Prefect more relaxed. Regulus ran a hand down Jem's chest, they'd gotten out of having their two morning classes so it was sleep in until Jem decided he was done being unproductive, the wolf had made him a tad more restless these days but he was adapting.
Currently they were sharing lazy kisses and breath, Regulus' fingertips tracing scars he could reach, smiling at the feel of the cool metal grazing the roof of his mouth as Jem allowed himself to be turned.
Laying on his back and holding onto Regulus' hips, chasing his lips to pull him into another kiss. Jem seemed content to lay on his back as long as Regulus' lips were on his, fair enough though. Remus warned there was a chance Jem wouldn't allow a lot of things he seemed more than happy to do. The wolf was a constant presence and it can get overwhelming, influencing ideas and thoughts.
Jem's thoughts currently seemed to be on a one track sort of thing, kisses and laughs, okay so two track. Regulus pulled away and Jem dropped down onto the pillows after a soft minute of protest. There was a moment of clear agitation at finding himself pinned before Jem realized it was Regulus and he relaxed once again, a curious expression painting his features.
"I think...I think I love you."
A warm smile, "How did you figure that out?"
"You tell me first."
"I knew I loved you the day everything I did starting having the added question of will this keep him safe?"
"Really?"
"Yes." Regulus grinned leaning forward to gift him another kiss as if in reward for the truth.
"Say it, please."
"I love you." Regulus bit his lip as if trying to hide his smile. Jem sat up running his fingertips along Regulus' arms, "I love you Regulus Black." He smiled a mix between happy and some unreasonable sense of sadness which Jem caught onto the moment a tear fell down his cheek. A tear Jem promptly kissed away, "I love you." Warm hands framed his face, thumbs rubbing in terribly soothing motions over his cheekbones, that's when Regulus openly started crying. "Happy or sad?"
"What?"
"Happy or sad?"
"Happy and sad." Jem's lips pulled into a soft welcoming smile. "I love you."
"I should hope so." Regulus leaned forward resting his forehead against Jem's. Taking a moment to just sit and breathe, "Are you gonna cry if I say it again?"
"Maybe."
He could feel Jem smile, "I love you, so, so much, Regulus Black. Do you know how amazing and wonderful and smart and beautiful and-" Regulus laid his hand over Jem's mouth.
"I love you too." Jem's hands were gentle as they pulled Regulus' from his mouth.
"My saint, my lover, my savior, my cathedral." The words were quiet as they rolled off his tongue. "And Merlin do you put me on my knees."
"Pretty words."
"Meaningful words."
"Mine?"
Jem purred lazily as if this was exactly where he wanted to be until the end of time, "Yours."
"How are you going to pass your owls if you don't go to any of your classes?"
"I do go. To one of them."
"Yes, I'm sure Minnie is oh so grateful you chose her class to go to."
"Of course she is."
"Speaking of Minnie's class..." Jem looked up from his notebook, lazily spinning the pencil as if he were thinking. "You know how you guys became animagi for Remus, so he was never alone?" Jem nodded, "Transfiguration it's a similar concept, no?"
"It is, that's how we figured it out. We might've also stolen a good number of books from Minnie but that's semi unrelated." Jem yawned shifted his weight around so he was more comfortably situated on the couch, legs stretched over Regulus' thighs, relaxed enough that he didn't mind the other rubbing circles into the tense muscle of his legs.
"I was thinking-"
"We were thinking." Barty corrected jumping over the back of his chair to sit as Evan settled down in his lap. "He can't have all the credit."
"Okay, we were thinking, what if we could do the same for you?"
Jem paused writing mid-word, looking at the three Slytherins watching him with guarded expressions. "You...you would do that? For me?"
"Of course we would," Evan piped up this time. "Well Regulus will probably do it no matter what you say. But we thought it was smarter to ask first. Yes?"
"You could get hurt."
"So could you. But wouldn't you rather not being alone?"
"Why...why even consider doing this for me?"
"Because you're our friend. And friends are there for each other." Barty then grinned while hugging Evan, "Plus I thought we could be like the Marauders 2.0 and you guys got some pretty cool nicknames."
"You guys are lying to me."
"Yeah, we actually started the process thingy thing and we'll be ready to come bother you by the first full moon of this year."
"Thingy thing? That was like a month of torture for us."
"It's worth it, right?"
"Yeah, it was." Jem had this soft sad smile on his face. "Thank you." Barty and Evan grinned while Regulus led Jem into a soft kiss.
"So this is us?"
"This is us."