#definitely not projecting my own driving feelings onto remus

[madefortherain]

hiii! Having Thoughts sooo what are ddtk remus and sirius up to today? 👀💕

hello!! thank you sm for the ask! i’m putting the full ramble under a cut bc i… well, i wrote you a whole essay lmaooo, but in short: ddtk remus and sirius are doing very well, and are as sickeningly in love as ever!! <3

they’ve officially moved in together, sirius asked remus about it on new year’s eve (right after the end of extra kisses) since they were spending more nights together at either one of their flats than they were alone, and there was, subsequently, an abundance of giddy gushing about & to one another, and champagne-drunk sloppy making out about it all. they spent ages looking for a flat that works for both of them—somewhere still close to sirius’ work and (what is now just) james and reg’s flat, but also close to a train station for remus to get where he needs to go (because while he has his license, and sirius has said he’s welcome to use the car whenever he likes, remus just generally doesn’t love driving and prefers taking public transport, reading a book/listening to music on the commute). the place is smaller than sirius’ old place with james and reg, but bigger than remus’ old single bedroom flat, and it doesn’t look like much at first, but they spend many weekends going furniture shopping and decorating the place and it turns into a really beautiful home.

remus graduated from his teaching degree!! around a year after he and sirius officially started dating, and sirius made sure james, regulus, marlene, and dorcas all came to his graduation ceremony, and lily, mary, and peter were there too, of course. sirius cheered far too loudly when remus’ name was called and he got his degree, and they went out for a big dinner all together to celebrate. when he first starts teaching, sirius insists on referring to him as professor lupin for an entire week straight until remus threatens to never call him sweetheart again if he doesn’t stop (he would never actually do that and they both know it, but sirius pretends to take this threat v seriously).

remus also resigned from flourish & chocs and all his coworkers threw him a big farewell party where everyone got far too drunk and remus definitely drunk texted sirius very sappy messages in the middle of it and was extremely clingy when sirius picked him up and he was slightly mortified about it all the next day, but sirius adored every part of it. and! arthur told remus he’ll always give him the staff discount even though he’s not working there anymore.

it took a little for remus to find a school he was comfortable working at, but now he loves all his students and he’s even managed to make some friends with some other staff. he’s everyone’s favourite teacher even though all the kids thought he was a bit odd at first with his clothes that look like their grandfathers’ and his crutch and his general quiet air, but they all very quickly became taken with his passion for history and teaching it in an interesting way, they learn so much more from him than they ever have before, he’s always so kind and patient when someone doesn’t understand or has questions or is struggling. he’s that one teacher that never ever yells, but the look on his face when he’s disappointed with you makes you feel so awful you never want to let him down again. he’s the sort everyone starts going to for advice and remus doesn’t understand how he’s ended up in this position where kids are coming to him about friendship issues and personal struggles—even kids he’s never taught before who’ve just heard that he listens—but he gets a bit weepy when he thinks about it too long.

remus still does sirius’ hair every week (bc sirius is one of those people who can get away with washing their hair once a week and it still looks perfect 6 days after washing it), but nowadays they’ll shower together and remus will do the entire thing for him including shampooing and conditioning and maybe even hair masking if sirius wants. in turn, remus lets sirius wash his hair with his fancy shampoo and lather them both in his expensive body wash that smells so much like sirius that it always makes it remus’ favourite shower of the week (even though he could use the body wash any day, it’s not the same if he does it himself). right before wash day, when it doesn’t matter about keeping sirius’ curl pattern in tact, the two of them can be found curled up on the couch with some game show on that remus cares far too much about (he’s yelling out answers at the tv) and sirius only watches because remus loves it (though he often gets rather invested and contributes answers too, turning it into a competition between them), sirius’ face smushed into remus’ chest and remus raking his fingers through sirius’ hair, giving him nice scalp scratches the way sirius loves so much. when they start properly sharing a bathroom in the new flat, sirius discovers that remus uses one of those 3-in-1 body wash, shampoo, and conditioner things for his hair and he’s like !! remus !! but you spend so long on my curls what are you doing !! and remus just shrugs and says he doesn’t particularly care to do anything more elaborate, so long as his hair is clean that’s all that matters, he wouldn’t enjoy doing it for his hair the way he does sirius’. sirius buys them both silk pillowcases though, so at least remus’ curls are semi-looked after during sleep, and they get a bit of proper care when sirius gets his hands on them in their weekly shared shower.

sirius asks remus one night, after a year or so of working at this school he really likes, what all his students think of sirius and remus is like,,, “wdym??” and sirius is like “i mean surely you talk about me,” and remus is like “erm. well. like. indirectly? i mean, they know i have a partner, but not anything about you” and sirius is (half) outraged to learn that remus has not, in fact, endlessly gushed about him to all his students. so, to rectify this, sirius shows up unannounced to remus’ classroom one day with a Very Important Document that remus forgot at home!! (he did not forget anything) (the document is a little note (love letter) that sirius wrote for remus). so sirius sweeps in all whispered “sorry to disrupt!! sorry, sorry, but moons, my angel, you left this at home and i know you need it today!!” and being very polite and apologetic as he pops in to hand remus the folder, highly aware that the entire classroom of students are staring at him, so he makes sure to give remus a quick kiss on the cheek and a “see you at home” as he leaves, and remus is bombarded with questions like “SIR!! SIR, WHO IS THAT? WHAT DID HE CALL YOU, SIR? SIR, HE KISSED YOUR CHEEK!! SIR, IS THAT YOUR HUSBAND?!” and remus (blushing like mad of course) is externally like “erm. no, that’s… that’s my boyfriend” and tries to move the class back to history rather than himself while internally he’s like “husband?? oh…oh…” and thus, a seed is planted. but of course these kids are like 15 and it’s the last period of the day and there’s no way they’re focusing on history anymore not when they’re so busy trying to wring every last piece of information out of their professor and his boyfriend (“how long have you been dating, sir?” “sir, why haven’t you proposed yet?” “are you waiting for him to propose, sir?” “sir, he’s fit”). sirius is THRILLED to hear about the havoc he caused (though remus leaves out the husband details) and remus pretends to be annoyed for a tiny bit, but he’s secretly very proud for people to know that sirius is his boyfriend, and he keeps the note sirius gave to him in his desk drawer and takes it out to read all the time at work with a sappy little smile on his face.

UM so yeah, now remus is doing secret ring research and fretting over how smoothly he can get down on one knee with his leg and enlisting lily’s help to plan the most perfect proposal ever, all the while sirius is secretly doing the same with james <3

MWAH :3

[ambersky0319]

Me projecting through Dukexiety? Never. Anyway, uh, Vi's secret bf Remus who Virgil's parents think is just his friend gets invited to a movie with Virgil and his family. But Vi is outwardly a good, rule-abiding kid and Re? Definitely not. But because of the theater being so crowded, Re and Vi sit away from Virgil's family and Vi doesn't panic too much at his parents and Re's first meeting. The movie is nice, but Virgil can't focus too well on it, not when Remus is leaning in for a kiss. -H anon

Hope you enjoy! This was a lot of fun to write!!

Masterpost 

——————————-

Virgil was almost panicking as his parents drove down the foreign neighborhood, watching the houses for the address Remus had given them. Virgil had asked Remus, his boyfriend of almost a year now, if he had wanted to go to the movies. He had said yes, but that his parents couldn’t drive since they were going to be helping the elementary school make sure the kindergarten play went well.

Remus’s parents, however, knew about Virgil and Remus being together. Virgil’s parents did not. And Virgil wanted to keep it that way for the time being, not ready to come out to his parents yet.

His dad honked, beaming as he looked at Virgil through the mirror. “You alright kid?”

Virgil forced the best smile he could. “Yeah Dad. Fine.” Virgil glanced to the side as he saw Remus finally leaving the house. He shouted something back inside, presumably an insult at Roman, before closing the door and walking briskly to the car.

Virgil was surprised to see Remus wearing a band t-shirt and just jeans, and he winked at Virgil slightly. Normally, Remus wore crop tops and extremely short shorts, often with fishnets and knee-high boots. Virgil was grateful he toned it down for today, though.

“Mr. and Mrs. Shay,” Remus greeted as he slipped into the seat beside Virgil. Remus held a polite smile. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you!” Virgil almost burst out laughing, he sounded so much like Roman right now. Perhaps Remus had asked for lessons on behaving in front of your boyfriend’s parents.

Virgil’s mom smiled, glancing over her shoulder as Remus buckled in. “I’m surprised we haven’t met you sooner, normally Virgil introduces us to his friends not long after meeting them.”

Remus shrugged. “Thank you for taking us to the movies, by the way.”

“It’s not a problem!” Virgil’s dad exclaimed as he pulled out of the neighborhood and onto the main road. Virgil relaxed in his seat. He didn’t take Remus’s hand, which was close to him, but he laced their pinkies as he listened to his parents ask Remus all sorts of things.

The movie they were seeing had only recently come out, and so the theatre was almost packed already. Virgil half expected his parents to find some way to sit near him and Remus, but to his surprise they sat much closer to the front. Not that Virgil was complaining.

After getting their food and drinks, they made their way into the theatre they needed to and found their seats.

“Your parents are really nice,” Remus stated as the previews began. He spared a glance at Virgil, smiling as Virgil looked away in embarrassment.

“Wish they knew about us, though. Then maybe you wouldn’t have had to refrain from completely being yourself.” Virgil mumbled, though Remus still heard. He took Virgil’s hand and squeezed it lightly.

“Hey, none of that. If you’re unsure how they’ll react, don’t make yourself feel guilty over it. Besides, I’m an actor, as good as Roman! I can pretend, babe.” Virgil turned his hand in Remus’s to interlace their fingers, still feeling a bit apologetic.

“You’re sure you’re okay with it?”

Remus grinned, his signature smile a comfort to Virgil. “For you, Vee, anything.”

The lights dimmed further, and a hush fell over everyone as the movie began.

Virgil was enjoying the movie, his guilt and his worry over how his parents thought of Remus subsiding. The movie itself was okay, a horror movie with a relatively weak plot and not as much gore for Virgil’s liking. But that made it very easy to follow, especially when Virgil was suddenly getting quite distracted.

He had caught Remus’s gaze a few moments earlier, and a blush creeped up his cheeks as Remus leaned into his personal space. He didn’t get uncomfortably close, leaving room for Virgil to pull away if he wanted.

Virgil glanced at the people around them. Some had fallen asleep, and the rest were eagerly looking at the massive screen below. Taking a shaky breath, Virgil turned back to Remus and closed the gap. Remus grinned into the kiss, tracing his fingers over Virgil’s own hand slowly, sending shivers down Virgil’s spine.

They pulled apart and Remus shuffled slightly so he could rest his head against Virgil’s shoulder. Virgil laughed silently,  maneuvering his arm to wrap around Remus’s waist as his attention turned back to the movie, just as the nerdy kid kicked the bucket.

——————————-

Taglists

Just ask if you wish to be added, removed, or tagged/not tagged in certain content! (Pssst- Make sure to specify!)

TS Taglist

@treasureofpriam @theloveliestsweetspongy @tacochippy @anderswrites @romanknite @0beansprout0 @random-fandom-dragon @daflangstlairde @princerhubarb @that-one-ts-artist @heyitsmeimjustkindahere @aromanticandaromatic @deliciouslycrookedme @batpinkstudentpersona @avocados26 @fandomloverangel @red-eyes88 @adarkgreensoul @analogicallythinking @thatreallyawkwardpotato @insanegoldie2 @gothams-lil-sweet-potato-pie @alexkittycat1 @len-art-trash @faithyfander @an-absolute-failure @lexilucacia @o-hello-its-me @fearthesmolpotato @moxiety-my-love @thatonenerdphotographer @diadems-arewornon-capita @morrogirl9024 @thefandomnerd15 @sulphur-and-honey @aroaceagenderfluid @yalltookmyurlideas @brain-iak @theoneandonlydork @sidesareathing @surohsopsisofclouds @demigodbookdragon @too-many-fandoms89 @a-soul-among-the-stars @croftersgamer @thenaiads @theyluna-womoon @logic-with-a-pinch-of-deceit @willowaudreykeyes @nafsbluebery @stopitanxiety @deceitnotyeet @underthesea73 @jackscareington @askrae-the-fander @enby-ralsei @stinkyboiremus69 @cas-is-a-hunter @catolicabuena 

[marsupials-of-mars]

It Surfaces on the First Freeze of Winter (Pt 1)

Pairs: Logince, Intrulogical(?) angst TW: Drowning, Remus, body horror(?) Out of what must be pity (and a deal that Roman must look for a job), Logan decides to accompany his eccentric roommate Roman out on a quest to find an elusive, cephalopod-seeming cryptid. Though as unforeseen events unfold, he finds his own future becoming murkier and murkier, not unlike the waters he finds himself wading through more often than he'd first anticipated.

secret santa for @dorkoverse

Logan paged through the large hardcover book on his lap. Despite its formidable construction, it clearly wasn't as old or rare as Roman was making it out to be. Artistic, sure, but fake nonetheless. He examined picture after picture. Fascinating specimens. True affronts to science and known physics, but extremely detailed and well designed. "Stop flipping through! I bookmarked it for a reason!" Roman swatted Logan's hands away and forcefully reopened the book to the page marked with a sticky note. "SEE?!" He pointed to a series of dates down the side of the page. "It's tonight! Perfect half moon, first freeze of winter!" "Anyone could calculate the date of a half moon." Logan looked up at his roommate in relative disinterest. "Not everyone can calculate the first freeze of the year from centuries proir! And in FLORIDA no less! This is SPECIFIC!" Logan rolled his eyes. "For the last time, I highly doubt this Barnes and Noble book is centuries old." Roman's face flared red. "I did NOT get it at BARNES AND NOBLE! I told you, I found it on a quest through dangerous and unknown territory!" "A trip to the library would be unknown territory to you I suppose..." Logan mumbled and continued to examine the creature's design. Clearly cephalopod inspired, a writhing mass of tentacles erupting from a swamp-like environment and separate studies of suction cup markings, a beak, bite marks and digestive fluids on partially eaten fish. Nothing about the page portrayed the author's credibility, their art style was clearly not that of a scientific mind; more of a fascinated and creative artist, An "adventurer" like Roman it seemed. A true researcher would take time to map known proportions of the creature, analyze the bite marks to determine jaw shape and hunting behaviors, observe and develop an objective understanding of the creature as a species. They wouldn't treat the find as some legend or campfire story and leave little hints and dates to intrigue their readers, they wouldn't spend valuable time drawing cattails and algae in the moonlight if they had proper view of their specimen. That was why Logan didn't read the book with any form of sincerity, or believe Roman's stories about an adventuring scientist who sounded suspiciously like the author of Journey to the Center of the Earth, and/or Stanford Pines. He was starting to believe that Roman had printed out pages off those cryptid conspiracy forums he often explored with Virgil to illustrate and bind them as if they were an ancient book, in order to make Logan more susceptible to the suggestion as well as quell his skepticism. Logan paused. He looked back at the drawings. They did look more like Roman's art style now that the thought had crossed his mind. A knowing smile stretched across his face. He looked back up at Roman. "Wow... I'm impressed, this was quite the project, and it turned out so well!" Roman raised a brow. "What are you on about now?" "That's why we were out of coffee wasn't it?!" Logan brought the book to his nose. Sure enough; "You coffee stained each page by hand... incredible." Roman flushed and grabbed the book to hug it to his chest. "I did not! This is a very important real book and was written by one real person!" Logan rested his chin on clasped hands and raised his eyebrows in smug victory. Roman pouted. "FINE! But I'll have you know that all of those drawings are based on real captured footage!" "Uh huh. How long did this take you?" Roman sighed. "A year or so. Not in a row. Just whenever I saw something important." "Have you thought of a career in bookbinding? This is truly impressive." Roman seemed to forget his disappointment and puffed out his chest. "Oh, I know. A career like that would be too easy for me though..." "Clearly, I often fail to remember that you prefer doing magnificent and perilous tasks sin payment upon your odd aversion toward tangible profit." "I'll find a job eventually, quit with the pressure!" "Are you pressured? You certainly don't seem to be too stressed or apologetic regarding your half of the rent." "I need a job that speaks to me okay?! A friend would understand that." Logan rolled his eyes but decided to let it slide for the moment. He was still curious about the general point of everything. "So what was your purpose of showing me this?" Roman lit up with excitement. "Oh yeah! Because we, you and me Logan..." "That is what the pronoun 'we' would situationally entail." "Shush! WE are going on a-" "Please, for the love of Charles Darwin, do NOT say quest!" "QUEST!" Roman produced two pairs of galoshes from seemingly nowhere. "Why?!" "I told you Sir Issac No-fun, it surfaces tonight! And it's hardly far, it's a floridian legend! We need to be there! So I can prove to you that this stuff is real! And finally make a discovery!" "Well by definition you wouldn't be making a discovery if true footage and accounts of this creature already exist." "You know what I mean, I want to see it with my own eyes as clear as day, earn my title as a great adventurer, have my name in history books!" "Articles and textbooks most likely, not many history books state species discoveries." "Can you maybe like? Not correct me for one moment? And let me have this?" Roman stubbornly pulled on his galoshes. Logan rolled his eyes. He looked at his watch, then pulled out his planner. Unfortunately, he had nothing scheduled for that night or early the next morning, giving him no truthful excuse for refusing, and without that he couldn't morally decline when faced with such excitement from his roommate. He sighed. "If you promise to at least get an interview for a job by the end of the month, I will acquiesce to your request." Roman thought a moment. He nodded. "Deal." "Fantastic. Give me a moment to get my coat." Within a few minutes to get ready, and a few more minutes to pinpoint a location, they were in the car. It was a little further than Logan would have preferred to drive that night, but surprisingly close considering the rest of the sprawling legends in Roman's book of fantastic beasts, a mere forty-five minutes. It was already six, so Logan prepared himself for a late night considering the potential time they'd spend searching for the specimen. After all, according to the page, the creature had been first reported twenty years prior and had only had four sightings since, and no specific directions were given to sighting locations other than the mention of a forest containing multiple acres of swampland. And of course, Logan wasn't really concerned about how much time it would take to FIND the alleged beast; he was more dreading how long Roman would persist in trekking through swamps before giving up. "Just to be clear, I'm setting a time limit of midnight. At midnight we turn back and go home no matter what." "But-!" "No buts, I'm entertaining this far past my comfort level already. If you deny me that I'm driving back myself and leaving you there." Roman groaned. "Fine. Just wait until I get my license, then you'll be sorry..." "Falsehood, I think I'll rather enjoy the free time I'll gain not having to taxi you from place to place." "You can just say you hate me." Roman huffed dramatically. "Alright. I hate you." Logan drawled as he turned onto the highway. Roman gasped. "Wow... I thought you were a friend." "I'm a monster who pays your rent, cooks you food, and drives you to parties. I clearly despise you." Roman pouted. He pulled out his phone and plugged it into the dash. Beyonce started to shake the car. Logan yanked the cord out and plugged in his own phone, resuming his podcast on the fascinating reverse evolution of whales. Roman whined. "Hush. I'm spending my night wading through a poorly lit swamp for you, you're going to let me have this." Roman was relatively quiet the rest of the drive, which would have made Logan feel the slightest bit bad about his behavior if not factoring in how exhausted he was with Roman already. As it stood he relished the silence. As he drove down down the highway, he watched the sun touch down on the horizon, the sky flaring a warm dandelion yellow in a matter of minutes. As beautiful as it was, it meant the dark was coming fast. Logan was already dreading the glare on his glasses from the reflection of his LED flashlight off the swamp. He began to regret agreeing to this escapade. "Woah..." a breathy exclamation from the passengers seat brought Logan out of his frustration. "The sky is so pretty." Roman spoke for the first time in twenty minutes. Logan looked over. His neck was craned out the window, soft golden light bathing his face and flitting through his hair. His eyes were closed and his lips were slightly upturned in pure bliss. For a moment he looked much less obnoxious than he did twenty minutes prior. "Yeah..." Logan agreed. "It'll be gone in a few minutes, and then the dark will be exceedingly frustrating to navigate." Except, he didn't say that second part. His prior pessimism seemed to have quickly dissipated, and he no longer felt the need to. It confused him, but it was a welcome development that carried him through the rest of the drive.

[anakins-27th-lightsaber]

So I found you and the jegulas ship by accident and after a couple of your wonderful fics, I am now in love. Would you mind ever so terribly writing a jegulas fic with a jealous James?? The reason why he is jealous is up to you, but preferably they could currently be in a relationship. As long as they have some kisses at the end😉😉 thank you so much love, keep writing, you're amazing❤️❤️❤️ (also hope I'm not asking too much or anything, take your time with this 😁😁💜💜)

Thank you, that’s lovely, and so are you! Here’s a little drabble for you, hope you like it💚❤

Invidia

For the first time in a while, James was feeling alright, and he had finally been able to forget about all his troubles. He was sitting by the window in the library, with the warm, red autumn sunlight dancing on his skin, and tickling his nose so he had to wrinkle it and sniff.The pale Slytherin boy who was sitting beside him briefly glanced at him, one eyebrow raised in concentration, then went back to absorbing all the contents of the leather bound book he was reading, a tiny smile curling his lips now.James was trying his very hardest to remain remotely quiet. He had so much energy and he was finding it hard to concentrate today, even with Regulus around him. The younger Black brother had turned out to be an ideal partner in crime when it came to sitting calmly together, just reading, without it being awkward; James had never had anything the like with anyone before. With Sirius, Peter, and even Remus, shutting up for more than two minutes in a row made him uncomfortable. Regulus was different, although he wouldn’t know how. Huffing in impatience, unable to focus on his potions book any longer, the Gryffindor let his gaze wander, and it stopped upon the other boy. Fascinating, he was; his red pouting mouth, his ever-raised left eyebrow, the noble, royal air surrounding him, and still, innocent, adorable little things about him that softened his character entirely, like the loose strand of hair that he would always forget about when putting his hair up into the tiny bun he had liked to wear lately, the curly baby hairs at his ears, and, above all, his tiny pale freckles that he might not even be aware of. Or the knowledge his stiff posh accent had been softened by a lisp when he was a child. At least Sirius said so, claiming it traumatised his ears forever, which would cause his younger brother to roll his eyes and shoot back. He was so witty, sharp tongued - and James wanted to know him better; he was perfectly aware the little boy he’d helped smuggle into the Gryffindors’ dormitory at Christmas in their second year, that little boy had grown up. Grown up, most likely, to be an amazing person.“Oi”, he whispered, “Reggie. You got some spare time later? Sitting by the lake, or going for a little broomstick race? I bet you can’t beat me -”“I would”, Regulus breathed, “but I’m helping out a classmate with her astronomy project -”“Oh, so it’s a girl”, James wiggled his brows knowingly, unable to figure out why something inside him had started to sting a bit.Regulus gave him a deadpan expression. “She’s likeable, you know”, he shrugged. “You’ve seen her with me before, she used to tutor me in history until I got the hang of it. Scottish? Red curls?”James swallowed. “Um, dunno. Is she - pretty?”“Most people think so.”“And - you?” “Can’t deny it”, the Slytherin smirked.“That’s cool”, James nodded. “And - her name? What’s her name?”“Um, Marianne. Leicester. She’s a Slytherin, too. I’m sure you’ve seen her before.”“I guess”, James pressed through his teeth, not knowing why he was suddenly feeling so nauseous, but he chose to ignore it. “I’m happy for you.”Regulus smiled, making his barely visible freckles dance. “Me, too”, he said.For some reason, this felt like a punch in the gut to James. Performed by someone with quite a nice right hook.

*

James Potter had never seen this Marianne girl before, he could have sworn, but suddenly, she seemed to be all around him. And boy, Regulus hadn’t been exaggerating, she really was good looking, with a bouncing, curly ponytail, porcelain skin, and her chestnut coloured eyes were just so - so awake. She was captivating. And she even began haunting his dreams, with Regulus Black, who was, so adorably, half a foot shorter than her, snogging her stupid, and it was driving James round the edge, and he was as cross as two sticks whenever they popped up in his mind. He couldn’t concentrate on anything and failed his potions paper he had attempted to study for, and he had no idea why.To Sirius, the matter was quite simple. “She’s fucking bomb”, he drawled, underlining his statement by slamming his fist onto the table. “But don’t worry about Reg, mate. She’s way out of his league.”‘But what if he likes her’, James would have blurted if he hadn’t realised what he would have been saying before it was too late. And that was weird. He tried to convince himself the reason why he was hoping Regulus wasn’t falling for her was that he didn’t want him hurt. Which was sort of true, just - not like that. All he wanted was to protect his best mate’s sibling, wasn’t it? Wasn’t it?!

*

“You okay?”, came a hushed voice from his right. James didn’t turn to look at the Slytherin boy, just shook his head nervously, tipping over his inkwell in the process because he’d accidentally moved his elbow. He forced himself to face Regulus’s little frown, which was cute beyond all measure. The latter cleaned up James’s mess with a flick of his wand and raised his eyebrow.“What is it?”“How’s it going with Marianne?”, James asked, and he hadn’t wanted to make it sound pointed at all, but it came out pretty aggressively.Regulus looked a bit taken aback. “Well - she’s a good friend, as you might have figured out, as we keep hanging out-”“Sure, 'friend’”, James repeated sharply.“Yeah”, the Slytherin hissed, “my best friend, actually. She’s a very bright witch and has a gifted mind and I genuinely enjoy spending time with her. Any questions?”“So why’re you not spending any time with me? Am I just the idiot you study with?”, he shot back more heatedly than intended. Something had been painfully sweltering inside him for quite a while, and now he was prepared to release the flame, and although it was giving him a bit of a bad conscience, it felt relieving.“Oh yes, indeed, you are an idiot. You’re the only person whose presence I even tolerate when you’re around me while I’m studying. You don’t even know me enough to know how much that means -”“How am I supposed to get to know you when you’re spending all your time around perfect little Marianne?”, James seethed.The two boys glared at each other for a while, each determinedly trying to not even blink; it was childish, but somehow necessary.Until at once, Regulus’s glare was replaced with a suave grin. “Wait a minute”, he said slowly. “You are jealous.”“I’m not!”, James blurted out, catching a disapproving look from Madame Pince.“Oh yes, you are. You’re into Marianne, aren’t you?”“I’m not!”, James hissed.“Oh yeah. Totally, you totally are.”“I hate that girl!”The younger one frowned. “Pfft, sure. You haven’t even spoken to her. Been busy trying to kill me with your glares -”“They weren’t meant for you!”, James spat. “You’re really cool! You’re an adorable little muffin, how would I be mad at you -?”He was taken off track when Regulus snorted and tried not to burst out laughing. “You’re so ridiculous, James. But I’ve got you figured out.” And at that, he slammed his book shut and strutted off.“No, you haven’t!”, the Gryffindor called after him.All he got from Regulus in response was a smug look over his shoulder.And all he knew was, he definitely wasn’t jealous of the younger boy to get to hang around with Marianne. For a spilt second, the thought crossed his mind that he was just disappointed because Regulus might like her and she was a girl - which was enough to help him figure out why he’d been so obsessed with the Slytherin, and why he really liked his best friend’s little brother that much - and it all suddenly made sense, although he couldn’t really believe it, because he’d figured out his own emotions and it had been so simple, and yet - it was so hard. Still - now he knew. And it was making him feel all queasy.

*

When James headed off to make his way down to the library the next day, hoping to find Reg there, the boy was already waiting in front of the Fat Lady’s portrait, beaming at him, and he hadn’t brought any books. He responded to James’s puzzled look with a slight nod of his head, indicating the Gryffindor to follow him.“We’re going to the lake - unless you’re eager to be beaten in a broomstick race?”, he panted running down the staircase in front of James.“Maybe later”, the latter smiled. “For now, I need to relax -”“Quite out of shape for a future star chaser, aren’t you?”“Oh, shut it!”, James laughed, clutching at his stinging hip.They made their way down to the tall old oak tree beside the Black Lake, where Regulus spread out his coat on the ground and let himself fall onto it, inviting James to do the same.“I didn’t realise how desperately you wanted to spend some time with me”, the younger one mumbled, a soft blush tinting his white cheeks. “You’ve got so many friends and I’m just-”“You’re great”, James cut him off. “You’re special. You’re the only person I can be quiet and calm around and just not talk without it being awkward. It’s comfortable. Even though I love talking, and I like talking to you. But we don’t talk when we’re studying. Which is alright -”, he quickly added, “- but I’d love doing something else time after time. Because you’re way more to me than just someone I study around.”Regulus huffed. “Is that why you’re jealous of my friend?”“That”, the older boy huffed, “and another thing.”“You know”, the Slytherin said quietly, “I’m not even - that into girls. Perhaps just a bit. I don’t know. The only thing I’m sure of is - your presence is something I like being in. Quite like being in.”“What kind of 'quite’? Does it mean kind of, or rather, or very?”“It means quite”, Regulus said slowly. “Sorry if that surpasses the capacity of your single brain cell.”James laughed and shoved him playfully. “Shut it, you idiot!”“You shut it”, Reg laughed.“No, you shut it -”“How do I shut you up?”James wiggled his brows. “Oh, there is a way”, he smiled. “We’d both not be able to talk too much.”“Does it include lots of physical contact and kissing?”“If you want it to?”“Good”, Regulus grinned, “because I’m a bit cold. Since we’re sitting on my coat.”“It’s keeping our arses warm”, James argued jokingly.“Which is equally important, of course.”The Gryffindor chuckled, loosening his red and gold scarf a bit and starting to drape it around the Slytherin. “May I?”Regulus just smiled, and as they were both wrapped in James’s scarf, lips touched, and Regulus’s lips were soft and red and his breath was warm, and his body, pressed against James’s, fit like a missing puzzle piece under the faint warmth of the tender autumn sun.