For my pretty boy
“Reg! Reggie! Regulus!”, came shouting from the hallway before Regulus could even see anyone. Not even two seconds later the door burst open, James Potter storming into the room out of breath.
“You came running?”, Regulus asked calmly without raising his head from the book he was just reading. The other boy, almost sprinting, came closer to the sofa keeping his hand behind his back.
“I got something for you!”, he said while smiling, looking way too adorable for his own good. Regulus sighed quietly and finally closed the book. “I swear if this is another one of your and Sirius bloody pranks I’m going to send Effie an owl and cut off all Sirius hair while he’s sleeping”
“Okay I didn’t expect that”, James murmured, which led to Regulus giving him the dead glare. “No this isn’t a prank! But if you want to cut off Sirius hair, I will happily help with-”
“What is it James?” Regulus cut him off. He was getting inpatient with him. Not because he was angry, no. It has been a really stressful day and all Regulus wanted was to read his book and maybe cuddle a little bit on the sofa with James, without any other stressful situations. Regulus loved James very much, more than anything. Sometimes the boy just had way too much energy, even for his own good.
“So I got you a gift. And before you get nervous, no it isn’t anything bad and no Pads has nothing to do with it”, James reassured and sat next to his boyfriend on the sofa. His other hand still behind his back.
“You sure?”
“Okay yeah Sirius may have helped me pick it, but like I said it isn’t anything bad. I’m sure you’re going to love it!” James said and the same smile formed back to his face. Regulus would have wanted to attack his face with kisses and squeeze his handsome, but cute face with both of his hands, but he didn’t. Instead he just shook his head, but couldn’t help but smile himself too.
James pressed a quick kiss to his lips. “Okay I need you to close your eyes” Regulus lifted his eyebrows and looked at the dark haired boy.
“Don’t you trust me?”
“Sometimes I feel like I shouldn’t”
“Just close your bloody eyes Black”, James said and covered his eyes with his hands. Regulus chuckled, but closed his eyes. “Are they closed?”
“Yes!” Regulus laughed and the hands were pulled away from his face. For a couple of seconds nothing happened, but then he felt fingers on his hair and something gold touched his scalp. Then the fingers moved to fix Regulus' messy mop of curls and moved them around a bit.
“There! You can open your eyes now”
He opened his eyes slowly and the first thing he saw was James' face. Only a couple of centimeters away from his own. He touched his hair, but didn’t find anything wrong. Then his hands touched something small and hard on his hair. His face crunched up a bit, which made James laugh.
“What is it?” Regulus asked and watched James with a confused look. “Go and see Reggie”, James urged and swung his head to the mirror's direction. He got up from the sofa and walked closer to the mirror. And in his hair there was a small blue hair clip. It kept some of the hair away from his face, and you could actually see a part of his forehead.
Regulus was shocked. He of course has seen a hair clip before, but only on girls. And he thought that it looked pretty, it looked good in his hair. He liked the way it kept a part of his hair away from his face. He liked the way it stood out of his black hair. He liked it because it was something he had never had. It was a simple little thing, but somehow it made Regulus' insides twist.
“You like it?” James, who had come up behind him and now had his hands around Regulus' waist asked.
Regulus woke up from his thoughts and made eye contact with James through the mirror. “What’s wrong? You don’t like it? I’m sorry love I can take it off”, James said panicking and spun Regulus around in his arms. He was about to take the hair clip off when Regulus fingers took a hold of his wrist.
“No”, he just said. James' hand stopped and their eyes met. “No, I do like it. It just”, Regulus tried to form the right words to describe what he was feeling. “It looks very nice. I think, I think it suits me”, he said and felt how his cheeks burned.
James smiled and brought his hands to Regulus' cheeks. “You don’t have to be embarrassed. I think it looks very good on you, very handsome”, James told him and it only made his cheeks burn more.
“Thank you”, Regulus said in a small voice. James looked at him and caressed his cheekbone with his thumb. A little wrinkle formed on his forehead, between his eyebrows. “What is it then?”
Regulus looked down to their feet and James moved his own foot over his socked toes. That made Regulus' lips curve into a small smile. The thing he was worrying about was stupid he knew that, but he couldn’t help with the thought inside his head.
“Mother she, she wouldn’t approve this. She would tell that I look ridiculous and girly”
It was quiet for a while, until he heard James inhale before talking. “Regulus?” he asked and brought Regulus’ face up to meet his gaze. “Is your mother somewhere here?”
Regulus shook his head no. “Is she going to be here?” Regulus shook his head again.
“That’s right. Your childhood is in the past now, okay? You’re not there anymore, you’re here with me in our own flat. And I promise you, you won’t have to be scared to be yourself ever again, or feel ashamed because of who you are. And you know why that is?”
“No”
“That is because you have me, and you have Sirius, and you have my parents and many other people. And all of us are never going to be nothing less than proud of you. Proud of the person you have become. Your mother was a terrible person and she did you and your brother wrong, so wrong. But we have overcome her and that toxic place you had to call home. So please my love don’t ever think what someone else will think of you if that thing makes you feel better of yourself”
In that moment tears were falling down Regulus' cheeks. James wiped the tears aways and brought his hands to Regulus' hair. He kissed the top of his head before wrapping his arms around the boy standing in front of him.
“I’m so proud of you”, he whispered to Regulus' hair.
They stayed there for a while just standing next to the huge bookshelf filled with books. They only let go of each other when Regulus’ breathing had calmed down.
“Thank you”, Regulus said and what felt like a hundred time since he got home James smiled.
“You’re so beautiful”, he murmured and kissed Regulus forehead first, then his still wet cheeks and finally his lips. The kiss was tender and if Regulus could he would have stayed in that specific moment forever.
“Thank you, for the hair clip this time”, Regulus said after breaking a part from the kiss. “I love you”
“Of course. Anything for my pretty boy”
James took a hold of his hand and led him to the sofa, before laying down and pulling Regulus on top of him.
“I love you too”