for the wicked
Regulus woke up to a thunderstorm and a boy in his bed.
Well, not his bed.
Matters had progressed with James. Keeping the blush from rising to his cheeks at dinner had been a nearly impossible task. Regulus had to consciously avert his eyes from James’s mouth ever since James rushed them out of the maintenance closet when he heard Lily whinging about smelling smoke from down the hall. Later that night, their continuation of the afternoon’s activities had only grown more intense, but no less thrilling.
Rain beat itself against the window of the captain’s quarters. Regulus turned over on his side, over to James.
It was delightful, to be able to admire him openly. To trace the path of his curls against his cheek, the arch of his shoulder, his neck, his mouth. Everything so soft and solid and entirely Regulus’s to look at. But guilt pierced the flush of desperation in his sternum. Regulus had gone to James for information, for the truth, and somehow fallen so much further than he intended. It felt wrong, for such a desirable happening to come from Regulus’s rotten plan, but that was the way the cards had fallen this time.
Unexpectedly, Regulus remembered all times he was resistant to James’s advances, his pleas to stay and live and be. Now, with James’s arm thrown over his chest and the tender swaying of the ship, Regulus would have rather died than let go.
“Reg.” James mumbled abruptly, mashing his face into the pillow.
I am here, Regulus wanted to say, I am here now, I will be here tomorrow, I will be here, with you, as long as you will have me.
But Regulus did not say any of those things. Instead he reached over and took James’s hand in his own, palm to palm, pulse to pulse, and whispered.
“Never let me go.”
The thankless sun rose another morning and James was gone.
No rest for the wicked, read the note left for Regulus, Don’t be mad. I wanted to stay. X
Regulus tucked the note into his pocket as he dressed and attempted to greet the day with a good attitude.
Last night’s storm had tapered off into a gloomy dawn, clouds clogging up the slate grey sky and refusing to part. The deck was miserably damp and pebbled with shallow puddles of tepid water. Peter was notably absent from his perch. As the rain started to pick up again, Remus ushered Regulus below deck. In the hallway, Remus shook his head doggishly, dispelling the drops from his hair.
“I just came to look for you. Christ, Regulus,” he said, “I didn’t see you come down after dinner. I thought you’d bloody slept out in the storm.”
Remus patted down Regulus’s clothes, pulled at his hair, and sighed.
“But you seem dry as can be,” professed Remus, a bit warily.
“Yeah yeah,” Regulus said, trying to drop the subject, “Where is everyone? The deck’s bare.”
“Holed up in the galley,” answered Remus, “The weather bullied poor Lady Lily off course. It’s too late to try and reconnect with our marks.”
“So we’re turning around?”
“Not quite. We’ll ride this one out and hope we don’t drift too far west.”
“We’ve reached the Celtic Sea?”
“Yup, farther than James’s has ever managed to get us.” Remus walked down the hall, “He seems to think this storm is a blessing in disguise. If the winds are in our favor, we’ll get pushed further north, towards the shore.”
“Towards Narcissa’s Revenge.” said Regulus.
“That’s the theory.”
Remus and Regulus burst into the galley.
All eight of Lady Lily’s crew were squeezed in her belly. Lily sat on the floor against the countertop, Mary in the circle of her arms. Peter slouched in a chair, dozing off. Marlene and Padfoot seemed to be engaged in a riveting game of Who Can Stab The Other With A Fork First, Marlene precariously balancing her chair and egging him on quietly.
James was spread full-out across the countertop like a corpse on a slab. He shot up at the sound of the galley door opening and slamming shut.
“Regulus, our lucky star,” he greeted, though his tone suggested he meant it as his lucky star. He pretended to cry with relief, “And Moony, you bloody fantastic navigator you!”
James leapt up and threw himself into Remus’s arms, Remus slow to catch him. Then James took Remus’s face in his hands and kissed him on both cheeks, loud and smacking. He repeated the gesture with Regulus and scrabbled back up onto the countertop. He looked over the lethargic crew.
“This is momentous fortune for us!” he declared, “We’re close. I can fucking feel it,” James became violently esctatic, jabbing his finger in Regulus’s direction, “All we need is you, Reg. You know what Narcissa’s Revenge looks like-”
“I already told you, I didn’t even know Malfoy owned a ship, much less operated one.”
“Whatever, but you know what Narcissa looks like, right? You're cousin, not the ship”
“So?”
“So!” James leapt down from the counter, “Any respectable ship has a figurehead beneath the bowsprit.”
“A what?”
“A big fancy statue! Pretty lady! Huge tits! A figurehead!” James was wild, throwing his hands about, “Lady Lily has a figurehead of our dear Lily.”
“Hey now!” Lily interjected, “My figurehead is the exception, not the rule. Not everybody has tits so great and fine as mine,” Lily tossed her hair and Mary nodded enthusiastically.
James swatted at the air as if to ward off Lily’s playful egotism and continued.
“Malfoy named the damn ship after her. Narcissa’s Revenge will one hundred percent have a carving of your cousin’s likeness on the prow. You can spot it.”
“Not in this storm, he can’t.” Lily pointed out. Mary snapped her fingers in agreement.
“We can’t wait any longer. The storm can give us some cover, give us the benefit of surprising them. Marls!”
Marlene yelped at attention. She immediately lost at Forks, Padfoot taking the opportunity to viciously poke at her arm. Marlene quickly disarmed him of his utensil.
“Present!” she called out.
“How are our defenses?”
“Good as ever, Jamesy.”
“Cannons?”
“Firing fine last I checked.”
“Perfect,” James whipped around to Mary, “And unless I’m a complete and total bloody idiot, Mary girl, I believe all our rations can last us till the end of the month?”
“If you piglets start eating less,” Mary deadpanned.
“We can do that!” promised James, pacing back and forth.
“I take it you want us to start battle prep?” Remus proposed.
“Yes,” James nodded, “Now’s the time to be ready at any moment. Marlene, I want all of our cannons locked and loaded on deck once the rain clears. Mary and Lily, I’d like to take a look at our ledgers and see what needs tightening up. Peter,” James knelt at Peter’s feet and woke him with a sharp pat to the face, “I’m going to need you to surrender the crow’s nest buddy.”
“What?” exclaimed Peter, “Why?”
“Because Padfoot and Regulus are going to keep watch for our ghost ship and you need to be on deck to relay the signal. Got it?”
Remus’s face tightened with panic, “James, do you really think that’s such a good idea? Let me go with Reg.”
“No, Moony,” said James firmly. He rose again and stopped in front of Remus, grabbing him by the neck and pressing their foreheads together, “I need my navigator. I need you by my side.”
James broke away and spoke to the crew as a whole.
“I can’t do without you all. You’ve trusted me to get you this far,” James spoke earnestly, “Trust me to take us a little bit farther.”
As soon as James dismissed the crew to their duties, Remus pulled him aside, nearly throwing him into the nearest cabin and shutting the door.
“Are you goddamn insane?” demanded Remus, “And I actually want an answer.”
James tried to shove past him, but Remus stopped with a push of his own.
“Putting Sirius and Regulus on watch together? In the crow’s nest? What the fuck were you thinking?”
“Moony-”
“It’s too soon James. I won’t let you.”
“I’m not asking for your permission!” James shouted, “I’m your captain, Remus. You chose me to be your captain. So let me be your captain.”
James reached over across Remus’s body and unsheathed his sabre. He held it up for Remus to see, his grip fierce, his gaze proud and pleading.
“You chose Lady Lily to be your home. Help me defend her. Help me make this ship and this crew, stronger. I don’t need to be the best that ever sailed. I just need us to stick together,” James offered Remus his blade. Remus closed his hands over James’s on the hilt.
“I want you to temper me. God knows I need it. But do not fight me on this one. I know you love Sirius,” James gasped, choked with endearment, “And I know you want him to be safe. But Regulus deserves the truth. I owe that to him.”
Remus did not meet James’s eyes. Softly, he spoke.
“You’ve fallen for him, haven’t you?” Remus finally looked up, “Regulus.”
James’s confidence buckled. Had he been so obvious?
“I didn’t mean for it to happen,” James started, “I mean, I did. I have. I mean…I never dreamed it would actually happen, Moony. I could never have imagined it would all happen like this. But I’m sure as hell not sorry it did,” James inhaled and tightened his grip on the sabre.
“This is a losing game, James,” Remus warned.
“We’re both biased here. I know that. Regulus needs the truth. He needs to see his brother again.”
“And if Sirius can’t handle it?” Remus’s voice cracked.
“Then we will know there was nothing else we could do,” James decided, “There is no other way.”
Remus closed his eyes. His heart was being pulled in two different directions, stretched like saltwater taffy. He wasn’t sure how long he could take it until it simply snapped.
“James.”
“Hm?”
“I proposed to Sirius.”
James pulled back from his friend, his face splitting into a warm grin. Remus couldn’t help but mirror him.
“Did you really?” asked James softly.
“I did. And he said yes.”
“Well of fucking course he did, Moony, that’s-”
“James, listen to me,” Remus interrupted. James closed his mouth, “I will only agree to this plan on one condition.”
“Name it.”
“I want you to be the one to marry us,” Remus said, “Here. On Lady Lily. You have to promise me that if I put all my faith in you, you will see to it that you and Sirius and I will all live to see the day.”
“Remus-”
“Don’t bullshit me, Prongs. I don’t need one of your speeches. I need your word that you will keep us alive.”
James fixed Remus’s gaze, “You have my word.”
James released the sabre. Remus let it clatter to the floor, throwing his arms around his dearest friend in the world, his captain.
James returned the embrace with equal ferity. His tears fell freely onto Remus’s shirt.
“My best friends are getting married.” James sniffed, and Remus chuckled hopefully.