setting moon
⚠️TW: Mention of drugs, Bad decisions, ⚠️
"We were written in the stars."
-Unknown
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The scrawny, unknown boy proved to be anything but. In all but a split second that Peter had spent fiddling with his hands and trying to provide an explanation. He had grabbed James and rushed out of the apartment leaving him to puke into the houseplant that lay outside.
Poised eyebrows and skeptical looks vanished in a second as the mysterious boy held back James' hair whispering comfort into his ear as he leaned back exhausted and defeated.
"I presume this is James?" They said after the sobs began to quieten, their echoes becoming fainter in the empty hallways. The said person lay unmoving his breathing steady but face paler than usual. "He seems to be taking it much worse than Lily did...she was much calmer about the entire thing." The boy continued a frown playing on his lips.
"You know Lily?" Peter questioned slightly confused. He didn't need an answer however for the blush that colored the younger's face was more than enough. "She's my roommate. I'm Regulus, Regulus Black," he mumbled sticking out his hand for a handshake while precariously balancing James on one shoulder.
Dutifully accepting his hand Peter cocked his head to the side. Lily had never mentioned a roommate or anyone else except Dorcas, Marlene, and Mary. Hesitant and slightly dazed from the lack of sleep Peter did nothing but follow the mystery that was Regulus Black into his apartment as he hefted James through the door and into the other room.
Ten minutes later the awkward atmosphere had vanished replaced by easy chatting and two cups of tea being balanced on the couch for lack of better space. Peter quite likes the gentle smiles and quiet laughter of the boy in front of him. He slips into conversation with ease, something he's rarely been able to do with others.
The feeling is odd, the comfort rare.
It pushes him to extend his welcome, plead to let James sleep in the next room only for a night, and allow him to take the couch.
"We're both exhausted just for a few more hours until dawn then we'll be out of your hair. Do you really wanna wake James up and have a sobbing hungover mess on your arms for the rest of the night?"
"You can stay," Regulus whispers readily, shocking both Peter and himself with the quick agreement. "I'll get the extra blankets for the couch."
Truthfully the raven-haired boy enjoys the company and admittedly longs for it.
Meeting people proves to be more difficult than he'd expected especially with his constant stuttering and lack of experience in the area of socializing. Having...strict parents had its consequences and the buzz of conversation and the sheer amount of people often gathered outside classrooms and on the grounds left Regulus far out of his depths.
Peter seemed to be slightly different, the type of person who enjoyed deep questions and brushed off the small talk with the intent of spilling all his secrets to this painfully shy boy. Regulus took slight comfort in the ever-constant string of words that spilled out of the excited boy. He wondered if Peter enjoyed talking to him as well.
He wondered if they could be friends.
.....
A tangle of limbs and messy hair lay on the bed in Remus' room. Each boy had melted into the other both in desperate need of some comfort and the other simply too tired to let go of his lover.
Sirius could hear the steady breathing of his boyfriend and resisted the urge to shake the peacefulness out of his lover. His heart raced a million miles per minute as the scenes from this evening rushed through his head over and over a broken record refusing to move from the discordant tune.
Arguments and screams were no stranger to Sirius. They'd followed him like shadows throughout his childhood lurking around his house. He'd seen his parents, relatives, brother even himself fight mercilessly.
They screamed insults they never meant. Said words that weren't supposed to be said.
But that had been fine for their bonds grew without love. For Sirius seeing two people fall out of love when they seemed to be swimming in it weeks back left him petrified for the future that seemed to be anything but guaranteed
Remus had been arguing with him lately, criticizing the mess he often made in the apartment and grumbling about the lack of chores Sirius helped with.
Slowly untangling himself from his lover's arms the overthinking boy chewed on his lip ready to scrub every corner of the apartment a hundred times over if it meant keeping Remus' love,
......
Dawn crept at the windows of the venue but the rays of light were barely visible through the harshness of the neon residing in every corner. Music continued to blast from speakers that rivaled the height of most present there. People danced with strangers, substances and memories clouding their minds. Their bodies were eager to press against others to forget the pains that haunt the days and immerse themselves in the beauty of the night.
Lily had strayed away from Dorcas and Marlene who had taken to shoving each other's tongues down their throats while people cheered them on. She found herself staring further and further away from the quieter outskirts and into the livelier parts of the party.
She held a joint in her hand while someone had shoved it into her lips nearly an hour ago. The people around her blurred into senseless shapes and the lights blinded her despite her eyes having adjusted to them within minutes of her arrival. Voices whispered in her ear blurring the tones and words together into unintelligible murmurs that sent shivers up her spine.
A more sensible part of her argued that disappearing from the two people she actually trusted was an unwise decision but the desperation to rid herself of all the deer moments she held with the only person she had truly loved pushed her further from her friends.
Lily pushed herself into the waiting hands of the man a couple of inches away who seemed more than glad to grab her. Minutes turned into hours and she gathered enough courage - and stupidity - to bring her lips to the ones waiting.
As the sun rose with light harsher than usual, Lily with swollen lips and desperate eyes was whisked away by a stranger allowing the moon with its soft rays to set on a once treasured relationship.
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