James didn’t intend to make it a habit of getting coffee at obscene hours of the night. But when a 24 hour coffee shop opened nearby, and Sirius claimed that his brother (who was a barista working at the shop) made the best coffee in the world, he knew he had to go at some point. He sighed, running his fingers through his unruly hair as he stared at his laptop screen. The clock in the bottom right corner of his screen read 1:14 AM. James stared at the document open on his computer, the words blurring together and becoming gibberish in his eyes. He had an essay due tomorrow; or, well, later that day, and he had pushed it off until the last minute like he always did. The energy drinks he had drank earlier had finally worn off, making him feel like he was going to fall asleep at any point.
He turned to look out his window, spotting the coffee shop that Sirius had told him about. James immediately stood up, pulling his shoes on and tugging a hoodie over his head. He grabbed his wallet and quickly left his flat, pushing the button in the elevator that took him to the lobby. After a short elevator ride and an uneventful walk to the shop, he opened the door of the warmly lit cafe. He walked inside, eyes wandering around to look at the large amount of plants sitting in pots by the counter, or hanging from the ceiling. The café was warm and inviting, lit up with soft warm lights rather than the large fluorescent lighting others were. At the counter stood an employee, their back to James as they fiddled with some piece of equipment James didn’t recognize. He was wearing a dark green hoodie, his hair pulled back into a bun on the crown of his head. James wandered further into the shop, coming up to the counter to look at the menu.
“Stupid bloody machine,” The employee grumbled, running his fingers through his hair. James let out a quiet laugh, making the barista turn around quickly. “Oh, sorry,” He said, cheeks flushing red. “I didn’t hear you come in. What can I get started for you?” He said, wiping his hands off on his apron and walking up to the register.
James laughed again, looking at the barista. “You’re fine, mate,” He said. “Uh, I’ve never been here before. What do you recommend?” He asked.
“I normally get a, uh, honey oat-milk latte,” The barista said. “After we brew the espresso, we add honey into it and mix it together, then add oat milk on top.”
James nodded. “So you’re an oat milk person?” James inquired.
He nodded, chuckling a little. “Yeah. Dairy allergy. Also, regular milk just tastes like crap to me.” He said, smiling a bit.
“I get that, my best mate has a dairy allergy too,” James said. “I’ll get a large honey oat-milk latte, then. Per the barista’s recommendation.”
The barista nodded, tapping the order into the register. “Your name for the order?” He asked.
“James,” He responded.
The barista furrowed his brow, looking at James. “Is your last name Potter?” He asked.
James looked equally as confused, looking back at the barista. “Uh…yeah.”
“Oh my god,” The barista said, laughing. “Sirius is my brother. I’m Regulus.”
James’ eyes widened, a laugh leaving his lips. “My god, I don’t know how I didn’t pick up on that, you guys look so similar!” James exclaimed.
Regulus laughed, shaking his head. “Yeah, I thought you looked familiar but I didn’t want to lead the conversation with asking if you knew my brother,” He said. “Since you’re Sirius’ friend, the drink is on the house. You can pick up your order at the end of the counter.” Regulus said, smiling at James.
“Are you sure? I can pay for my drink.” James said.
Regulus waved him off, sending the order through. “Yes, I’m sure. I got stuck with the graveyard shift, so I’m gonna give out free drinks to people if I want,” He said, laughing.
The café was silent for a few moments as Regulus grabbed a cup, scribbling something on it with a black pen and beginning to make his drink. James noticed that there was quiet music playing; Taylor Swift. He recognized it from all the times Lily and Mary would play her at parties. He couldn’t pinpoint the song, though; he recognized it, but didn’t know Taylor well enough to put a name to the song.
“What song is this?” He suddenly asked, watching as Regulus pulled the shot of espresso.
Regulus furrowed his brow, listening to the song for a moment. “It’s Willow, from her album called Evermore. Do you listen to Taylor?” He asked, mixing the honey in with the espresso.
James shook his head, pushing his glasses up on his nose and sliding onto the barstool beside him. “Sometimes. My friends listen to her a lot, though.” He said.
“Sounds like your friends have good taste,” Regulus noted.
James chuckled. “Very true.”
Another minute of silence passed as Regulus finished the drink, pouring the drink into the plastic cup on the counter. “Here you are,” Regulus said, handing the drink to James. “It was nice talking to you. Have fun with…whatever you’re doing that requires a coffee at nearly 2 in the morning.” He said and smiled.
James grinned brightly, taking the drink from Regulus’ hand.
Their fingers brushed slightly. James flushed.
“Essay for school,” He said, grabbing a straw. He unwrapped it and stuck it in the cup, taking a long drink. “Christ, this is good. You have good taste.”
Regulus chuckled, cheeks flushing pink. “Thanks. Good luck on your essay, James.” He said, giving James a small smile.
“Thanks. Have fun with the rest of your shift.” James said, before he left the shop.
It was only when James got home, when he was halfway done with the drink, that he noticed the smiley face drawn next to his name, and he smiled.
•••
James went back to the coffee shop, which he had learned was called Ursa Major Roasters, the next night. And at least twice a week after that. His order never changed; he always ordered the honey oat-milk latte Regulus recommended. James started going earlier in the night after he learned that Regulus’ shift started at 8pm, rather than wandering in as late as he had the first time. He’d stay for a few hours; working on homework, talking with Regulus. Sirius had joined them a few times, happy that his brother and best friend had become friends.
It was one of those nights where James had ended up staying way later than he thought he would. James had arrived to the café at around 8:15, and it was going on midnight. He yawned from his place at the bar, typing away on his laptop as he desperately tried to finish the assignment he was working on. He loved being a History major, but the amount of essays he had to write on old, decaying historical documents made his brain feel like it had been fried.
Regulus was behind the counter, pulling out the last of the ceramic mugs from the sink and placing them on the drying rack. He looked over at James, raising an eyebrow with a smirk. “Tired?” He asked, wiping his hands off on the towel beside him.
James looked up from the screen, staring at Regulus. He was wearing a black t-shirt and jeans, his brown apron tied around his waist. His long black hair was tied back in a bun, a few stray pieces falling into his eyes. Regulus’ arms were littered with small tattoos; a snake wrapping around his bicep, peeking out from the bottom of his sleeve catching James’ eye immediately. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him without a sweater on , James thought. He nodded, pulling his glasses off his face and rubbing his eyes. “Yeah,” He said, yawning again. “I think I might need another coffee.” James mumbled.
Regulus laughed, shaking his head. “Coming right up, darling.” Regulus said, grabbing a cup from the register.
James chose to ignore the flush that covered his cheeks.
A moment of silence passed before James spoke up again. “So,” He said, shutting his laptop. “Tattoos, huh?”
Regulus poured the grounds into the espresso basket, packing them down and slotting it back into the machine to pull the shot. “Yeah,” Regulus said, running his fingers over his arm. “I have quite a few. I tried to keep track, but I’ve lost count at this point.”
“Which one is your favorite?” James asked curiously.
Regulus thought for a few minutes before pointing to his left arm, right above the inside of his elbow. Inked there was a pair of dice, reading “Devils Roll The Dice” along the top. “I got this one matching with my friend Pandora. Hers is the same, but it says ‘Angels Roll Their Eyes’, since Cruel Summer is our favorite Taylor Swift song.” Regulus said.
James smiled, looking at the tattoo. “Big fan of Taylor Swift, eh?” He noted.
Regulus shrugged, nodding. “Yeah, both of us are. I also have a couple snake tattoos,” He said, pulling the sleeve of his shirt up to give James a better view of the snake on his bicep. “And I have two constellation tattoos, one on each wrist.” He said, showing James his wrists.
James furrowed his brow as he looked at the ink on Regulus’ wrists. “What constellations are they?”
“Leo and Canis Major. Leo has the Regulus star in it, and Canis Major has the Sirius star in it,” He said. “My family is big on astronomical names.”
“I gathered that,” James said, laughing.
Regulus turned back to the espresso, pouring it into another glass and mixing the honey into it. “Do you have any tattoos?” Regulus asked.
James shook his head. “Nah,” He said. “Low pain tolerance.”
Regulus chuckled. “I get it, I used numbing cream when I first started getting tattooed. Eventually, I built up the tolerance.” He said, scooping some ice into the cup and pouring the espresso in. He topped it off with the oat milk, drizzling some honey on the top in the shape of a star. He slid it across the counter to James, who grabbed it eagerly.
“You’re a life saver, you know that?” James said, taking a long drink from the cup.
Regulus shrugged, smiling. “It’s literally my job, but thank you.” He said, before turning around to greet the customers that had walked into the café. James smiled as he watched Regulus work, his stomach warm. Whether his heart was beating so fast was because of the way Regulus occasionally looked at him while he made the drinks, or the copious amount of coffee he had consumed in the past four hours, he couldn’t tell, and didn’t want to know.
James left around an hour later, another coffee in his hand for the next morning; without ice in it, since Regulus swore that watered down coffee was worse than no coffee at all. It wasn’t until James pulled himself out of bed, groggy and sleepy, that he noticed Regulus’ phone number scribbled onto the side of the plastic cup, with another smiley face underneath it.
•••
james: is this rwg?
reg: ??
reg: oh is this james lol
james: yrs :) huiii
reg: hi james
reg: are you good lmao
james: yeahhfh
james: don’r have mt glasses on yet
reg: go put them on dumbass
james: that wasn’t very nice regulus
reg: i’m so sorry jamesie
reg: how will i ever regain your trust after i’ve treated you so poorly
james: mmmm
james: my brain can’t thing of anything right now
james: also did you call me jamesie :D
reg: i did
reg: cute nickname for a cute guy
james: dkjshfldkjs
james: it’s too early to be flirted with
reg: it’s noon
james: too early
james: unfprtiunately i have to go get ready for class
reg: did you take your glasses off again
james: no unfortunately i’m just that stupod
james: stypid
james: STUPID
reg: thanks for hammering that point home jamesie
reg: have fun in class xx
james: can’t believe i got TWO kisses from a cute barista
james: best day ever
james: alright have a good day xxxxxxxx
reg: you too, cutie
•••
james: are you working tonight :P
james: reggieeeeeee
james: pls im desperate
reg: i could’ve told you that
reg: sorry tho i was in the shower
james: haha without me ;)
james: sorry that was gross
reg: SHDJHSJ
reg: shut the fuck up
reg: but yeah i am working tn
james: great i’ll see you at eight :D xx
james: or whatever time you start xxxxx
reg: LMAO
reg: i work at eight dw
reg: see you tonight x
james: only one kiss…heartbroken
james: changing my relationship status to “it’s complicated”
reg: shut up or i won’t make you coffee tonight
james: shutting up. see you tonight cutie
reg: yeah yeah see you tonight handsome
•••
james: lily
james: he called me handsome
james: im gonna pass out
lily: my god if you don’t ask him out soon
lily: i’ll kill you before sirius does
•••
The first time James saw Regulus outside of the café, he nearly didn’t recognize him. Sirius had decided to throw a huge party to celebrate the end of finals, and the beginning of the winter holidays. James arrived to the party about an hour late- curse his Greek Mythology professor for holding their class so late, with a bottle of vodka in his hand as an apology. He and Regulus had been talking back and forth for a few weeks at this point; but both of them had been to busy with school and work to ever hang outside of the café.
He looked down at his outfit; it was simple, really. Red t-shirt shirt, blue jeans, red converse. He had abandoned his hoodie at his flat before he left for his friend’s house. He walked up to Sirius’ flat, knocking on the door and waiting for a few moments. Sirius swung his door open, grinning brightly at James and ushering him inside. “You can leave that in the kitchen, mate,” Sirius said, and James nodded.
He made his way towards the kitchen, waving at Mary and Lily as he did. Taylor Swift was playing; more specifically Blank Space from 1989, so he knew that they were in charge of the music. He sighed as he walked into the kitchen, spotting a good place to set the vodka down.
“James?” He heard someone ask as he sat the bottle on the kitchen counter. He turned around and saw Regulus leaning up against the kitchen island across from him, some kind of bottled alcoholic seltzer drink in his hand. He was wearing a sparkly black jacket, with no shirt underneath, James realized, which gave him a view of the tattoos covering his chest and abdomen. He had on black trousers and a pair of beat up, dark red Docs. Regulus’ hair was down, coming just under his chin, and his eyes were coated in a layer of black eyeliner, layered necklaces dangling from his neck.
If Regulus saw the way that James did a double take, he didn’t say anything.
“Holy shit, Reg,” James laughed, smiling at him. “I didn’t recognize you. You look incredible, I feel very underdressed now.” He said, running a hand through his hair.
Regulus laughed. “Yeah, Sirius kind of forced me to come. You look great, though,” He said, taking a drink from his bottle. James noticed the way the rings on his fingers glinted in the warm lighting of the kitchen, chewing on his bottom lip. “What’d you bring?”
James looked back at the bottle, reading the label. “Smirnoff,” He said. “Cheapest shit I could get at Tesco.” He said, laughing.
Regulus giggled. “Makes sense.” He said.
“So,” James said, standing next to Regulus. “I guess you can’t make me a coffee then, huh?” He teased, making Regulus laugh again. James liked making Regulus laugh. His laugh was like honey, he thought. It was sweet, smooth, gentle, but stuck to his heart.
“Is that all I’m good for, then? Free coffee?” Regulus asked jokingly.
James nodded, moving to grab a beer from the fridge. “Free coffee and free wifi, darling,” He said, popping the cap off and taking a drink. “Though, you’re quite easy on the eyes outside of Ursa Major.”
“Oi! Prongs! Stop hitting on my little brother!” Sirius exclaimed as he walked into the kitchen, grabbing a plastic cup and pouring some of the vodka James had brought into it. James rolled his eyes, taking a drink from his beer. “S’not my fault your brother looks nice in this outfit.” James responded.
Regulus laughed, shaking his head. “Stop making decisions for me, Siri,” He said. “If James wants to hit on me, I’ll flirt back. Just to make you uncomfortable.” He teased. James’ cheeks flushed dark red.
Sirius groaned, scrunching his nose up. “Don’t deflower my brother, James.”
Regulus quirked an eyebrow up at his brother. “Sirius, the flowers haven’t been in tact since 4th year.” Regulus remarked, taking another drink from his bottle.
James immediately laughed, while Sirius grimaced in disgust and went to go find Remus.
“He always does that when he sees people hit on me,” Regulus said, pushing himself up so he was sitting on the counter. “Call it being overprotective. I don’t mind the flirting, though. You’re easy on the eyes all the time.”
James flushed again, looking up at Regulus. “I do like your outfit, by the way.”
It was Regulus’ turn to flush, as he looked down at his outfit. “My friend Dorcas picked it out for me since I didn’t know what to wear. I would have preferred to wear a shirt, but she said she was looking out for me and hoped I’d get laid.” He said, rolling his eyes.
“Did she now?” James asked, sitting on the counter next to Regulus. “Has it worked?”
“I don’t think so,” Regulus said, taking another drink. “Most people here seem to already have dates. I, clearly, do not.”
James raised an eyebrow at Regulus. “Now that I refuse to believe.”
“Well, it’s true,” Regulus said.
“You’re not dating anyone, then?” James asked.
Regulus shook his head. “Nah,” He said. “Too busy, I suppose.”
James looked back at Regulus for a few moments, taking another drink of his beer. The way Regulus was staring at him, in the homely golden glow of the lighting in Sirius’ kitchen made his heart lurch, almost as if he had a shot of adrenaline pumped deep into his soul. “I mean, I would date you.” James said, his mouth working faster than his brain. He couldn’t tell if it was because of the beer or not.
Regulus nearly choked on his drink, wiping his lips off with his hand. “Good lord, James,” He laughed.
“What? It’s true!” James exclaimed, laughing along with him.
Regulus rolled his eyes. “Yeah, right. You could pull someone way cooler than me.”
“Reg, I walked into the kitchen and nearly passed out when I saw you,” James exclaimed. “You’re, like, the coolest person I know. Cooler than Pads. But, don’t tell him I said that.”
“Alright, I won’t,” Regulus said, laughing. “Are you serious, though?” He asked, turning to look at James. He looked back at Regulus, nodding slowly. “Yeah, if you’re interested. I…I’d like to take you on a date. Preferably not at the café.” James said, which made Regulus laugh.
Regulus looked down at his bottle, fidgeting with it for a few moments. “I think I am interested, James,” He said quietly. “I wouldn’t mind going on a date with you.” He said, moving his head to look back up at James.
“Really?” James asked.
“Yeah. Really,” He said, laughing. “We can figure out the specifics later, preferably where Sirius can’t hear us.” He grinned.
James grinned back, nudging Regulus’ shoulder with his own. “Can’t believe I’m taking the Regulus Black on a date.”
“Right, shut up before I take back my interest.”
“Shutting up, Reg.”