zeppazariel

Regulus thinks it's unfair, really, that the world focuses so much on the heartbreak that family can give you, or a lover, but not so much a friend

You know, upon reflection, this might not be a route I want to go down with you," Remus says mildly.

Regulus smiles. It's thin. "Smart man."

"Talking to you is always a bit like playing chess."

"You love chess."

"Oh, shut up." Remus looks away, but his lips twitch.

"Sharing secrets, humiliating each other—we have a beautiful friendship." Remus gives him a satisfied, crooked grin and raises his latte, eyes bright with humor.

"Sometimes I contemplate killing you to free myself from it," Regulus muses.

"Oh, do put me out of my misery, please," Remus retorts, rolling his eyes.

"Sharing secrets, humiliating each other—we have a beautiful friendship." Remus gives him a satisfied, crooked grin and raises his latte, eyes bright with humor.

"Sometimes I contemplate killing you to free myself from it," Regulus muses.

"Oh, do put me out of my misery, please," Remus retorts, rolling his eyes.

"Sharing secrets, humiliating each other—we have a beautiful friendship." Remus gives him a satisfied, crooked grin and raises his latte, eyes bright with humor.

"Sometimes I contemplate killing you to free myself from it," Regulus muses.

"Oh, do put me out of my misery, please," Remus retorts, rolling his eyes.

Regulus narrows his eyes. "Like who?"

"Like him," Remus says, pointing towards the front of the shop, his lips twitching in amusement. "He's literally been standing there for twenty minutes, just waiting for us to open the shop so he can come in and talk to you."

"Absolutely not," Regulus says sharply. "I wouldn't shag him, even if he was the last person in the world."

"Oh, don't be mean, Regulus. He's so sweet, though," Remus tells him, his voice softening. "He likes you quite a bit, and I can tell that you—"

"Don't finish that sentence, Lupin."

"Just give it some thought, yeah? I think he'd be good for you. The kind to your rude. The truth to your lies. The—"

"I'm not entertaining this," Regulus snaps.

James' gaze flicks up to him, startled. "Wait, how'd you know I wanted a muffin today?"

Endless responses fly through his mind, one of them being the simple and elusive but nonetheless true I'm observant, except what falls out of his mouth is the unexpected and much more honest, "You're wearing blue."

"Regulus," James says, just staring at him.

"When you wear blue, you get a blueberry muffin. Every time," Regulus explains, wishing desperately that he wasn't currently chained to the open draw of James' gaze.

"Regulus," James repeats, softer this time, bracing one hand on top of the counter while the other lifts up until he can brush his fingers right above Regulus' eyebrow, the touch faint and gentle near the sweep of his hair by his temple. He's staring right at Regulus with this tiny smile that's a secret just for them, and Regulus is rendered absolutely useless, frozen in place, not breathing again. "You're lovely, did you know?"

"I'm really not," Regulus manages to say, once he gets his wits about him again, hating how winded he sounds

You—you're just—" James blows out a deep breath and sort of deflates, dropping his head down on his arm as he gazes up at Regulus. "You are just so lovely."

Regulus heaves a sigh and drops James' hand, standing up straight again. His heart feels like a bird in a cage, determined to break free from captivity. "You're ridiculous."

"Oh, sure." James gives him a slow smile, still practically lying on the counter, staring at Regulus with blown pupils, because they apparently grew double in size when Regulus pinned him down to the counter. His hair is a mess around his head, and his glasses are a bit smooshed against his cheek, and if anyone is lovely in this world, it's him. "Go out with me anyway."

"What?" Regulus blurts out, because as much as James has teased, as much as he has flirted, he hasn't outright asked.

James pops up to half-height, propping his elbows on the counter and dropping his face in his own hands, staring at Regulus with pinched eyebrows and a hopeful tilt at the corners of his smile. "Go out with me, Regulus."

"I've just nearly broken your hand," Regulus says faintly.

"I know." James' smile grows some more, and his eyes sparkle with delight. "So, will you?"

"Yes," Remus announces, abruptly sliding in beside Regulus with a smooth smile, "he would love to. Pick him up tomorrow after his shift.

He'd just come in from a storm, seeking shelter, and one look at Regulus made him feel like he'd come across yet another one, but the kind you chase after. It was like Regulus cast out a lure, just a hook on some fishing line, unwittingly aiming to catch the corner of James' mouth, except James swallowed the hook whole.

James has been chasing the storm ever since, the hook buried in his heart only wedging in deeper, tugging relentlessly.

Sometimes, James thinks about how they're all made up of atoms and space matter bled from creation, and he thinks that he and Sirius are made up of the same. Soul-deep content to be together again.