#how jegulus got together

[here-for-a-good-time-hopefully]

Regulus has accidentally poisoned James before and then completely freaked out (going so far as to have a crisis of consciousness)

But what he forgets is that James is a Marauder and has ingested and lived through most if not all of the common and uncommon poisons in Europe and India, and he’s currently making his way through the rest of the world

Also james’ dad would occasionally forget which water glass or mug contained a rare potion so safe to say James is practically invincible (spoke too soon)

Anyway no one can convince me otherwise that this isn’t how regulus ended up admitting his feelings while believing James was straight up dying

[bloodbruise]

just. james cursing out anyone who is afraid of his and reg's pit bull at the dog park. voice loud enough for the other pet owners to hear, he's going on and on about how, "just because she's a pit doesn't mean she's aggressive. the only ones who are, end up that way because of pendejos who mistreat them."

regulus is stood by his side, patting his arm, trying to hold back a giggle (because this happens every other time). his voice is gentle, "i know, james," trying to be calming, "but what can we do? sometimes its better to—"

but james is not listening, still barreling on, "i mean, dios mío, look at her love, how could anyone ever see her sweet face and think our girl is mean?"

and the dog is sitting there, just smiling dopily up at them (undoubtedly because james has the ball in his hand and is waving it throughout the air like a loon). and honestly, regulus cant help but sport the same love-dumb smile. because as ridiculous as james is, his heart is so, so big. overflowing with love and fierce protectiveness over his family, their family.

it makes warmth flood through regulus' chest, there's affection soft in his eyes and he's nodding, "yeah, yeah, you're right." he grabs the ball with one hand and drops the other around james' waist, and giving him a quick kiss and a smile. "c'mon, she'll have more fun with the two of us anyways."

[pearlynia]

Me when I'm half way through a jegulus fic and everyone is happy and healthy but there's still like 15 chapters left:

[calamitoustide]

you wanna see some band au fluff...

“I figured we can’t actually go out anywhere,” James says. “Even if we—if I could I’d get recognized and it would ruin the whole thing. So I thought we could have a little date inside.” He adds quietly, “If you wanted to call it that.” 

Regulus blinks, his mouth falling open but no words come out. There’s too many of them, it’s all too much. He takes James’ face in his hands instead, dragging him in for a kiss. James makes a surprise sound but opens himself up for him. He lets himself be pulled wherever Regulus wants to take him. He puts his hands on Regulus’ waist, absent-mindedly dipping his fingers up his shirt to reach skin. Regulus is the first to pull away and when he does James is back to smiling at him. 

“So, you like it then?” James teases. 

Regulus rolls his eyes, “It’s okay.” 

“Just okay?” 

Regulus hums, settling himself back against the cushions, he grabs the bowl of popcorn, “What are we watching?” 

“That’s it?” James questions. “No, thank you? No, I can't live without you and your brilliant plans? No, James, I love you so much marry me right now?” 

Regulus blinks, biting back a smile, “You’re alright.” 

James gapes, “You know what never mind,” he moves to stand, “I’ll go find someone else who will actually appreciate my romantic gestures a—“ 

Before he can finish Regulus reaches up, digging his nails into his arm, “Don’t you fucking dare.” 

[my-castles-crumbling]

letter - Jegulus Microfic - background wolfstar - @into-the-jeggyverse - word count: 363

“So, boys,” Euphemia Potter said one night at the dinner table during the start of the holidays, “how was the first part of term? Anything eventful happen?”

Sirius and James exchanged glances. “Erm, no…” James answered, trying to keep his expression neutral. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust his parents–not at all! He just knew they might not approve of all of his adventures. 

Sirius piped up. “You know us, just…really focused on classes.”

“Sure, sure,” Fleamont nodded from next to his wife. “Of course. It’s only…” He tilted his head to the side, like he was confused.

“Yes, it’s the strangest thing. I got a letter from Minerva McGonagall. You know how she’s a dear friend,” Euphemia said lightly.

James froze, keeping his eyes on his food. There were a million things McGonagall could have written to his mother about. How much trouble was he in?

“Yes, well. She wrote about how she keeps finding the two of you in broom closets together all around the school,” she continued, tone still light. “Do you know anything about that?”

But now James was actually confused. He looked at Sirius again, and back to his mother. “Erm..honestly, I don’t,” he answered awkwardly.

“Oh, boys, you know we accept you for who you are, don’t you?” Euphemia asked, eyes wide. “It’s really alright.”

“No, you don’t get it,” Sirius said, face red. “I’m dating Remus. We got together in September! So yeah, I’m bent, but not for James! That’s gross! Er, sorry, Prongs…”

“Nah, same here,” James mumbled, also turning red.

Fleamont, however, wrinkled his face in confusion. “Then why did McGonagall say that James was all over the castle with ‘Mister Bl-’ ow!”

Even though Euphemia elbowed him in the side to shut him up, it was too late. Slowly, dawning comprehension spread across Sirius’s face as James melted lower and lower into his chair, trying to avoid the mess in front of him. 

It was only then that Regulus, who had been sitting silently by Sirius’s side and enjoying the meal, finally spoke up. “Fuck,” he murmured, biting his lip and smirking a bit at James. “Guess that’s one way to tell them.

[jamessluttythighs]

head - jegulus - @stag-microfic - word count: 284 - 13 September

“You know Prongs this is the first Sunday in ages that I think you’ve slept in,” Remus remarked, popping his head through the curtains of James’ four-poster.

James froze in place. Regulus’ eyes snapped open. Fear gripping both of them. James moved his lips away from where he was painting Regulus’ neck purple. Barely coherent, Regulus tried to sit up but could only manage lifting up into his elbows. Shifting into gear, James sprang up on the bed - almost as though he was electrocuted.

“Moony! It’s not what it looks like! I was just … uh”

A smirk crept across Remus’ face. “Oh really Prongs? I’d love you to enlighten me as to what you were doing?”

“Um well”

“Cause it looks like you were defiling Pads’ little brother, is what it looks like”

Regulus cleared his throat, “Remus, listen I don’t know about defiling,” he mused.

Remus laughed. James immediately pulled him into the surrounding of the curtains.

“Don’t, you’ll wake Pads!” James whisper-shouted.

“I would love to see what story you spin for him,” Remus cackled, holding his stomach, “how many nights have you spent here Reg?”

It was Regulus’ turn to smirk. “The past three nights,” he replied smugly.

“Oh don’t think you’re so slick, I just thought Prongs was just having a good wank on Friday.”

Regulus’ cheeks burned red, pushing James, he whispered furiously, “I thought you said you were good at silencing charms.”

“I am”

“He’s shit at them.”

The three of them whipped around to see Sirius, sleep still in his eyes.

“You don’t have to look so dumbfounded, I’ve known since you first got together. I read James’ diary”

Sirius left the three of them speechless.

[ecstarry]

@jegulus-microfic / rank / 705 words / game of truth or dare goes wrong, or not?

“Trust me Sirius, you will regret this,” Regulus whispered in his brother’s ears as everyone around them cheered for the next game. 

“I’m your big brother, I will never regret embarrassing you.” Sirius took Regulus by the shoulders and made him sit on a chair in the middle of the circle. It was the first party where both Sirius’ group of friends and Regulus’ were hanging out, it was Dorcas and Marlene’s idea now that they were dating. 

“The game is really easy, you take a drop of veritaserum, and someone gets to ask a question. Got it?” Everyone around the room hummed in confirmation as Regulus drank his dose of the potion. His eyes met James’ across the room, his boyfriend tried to conceal his nervousness with a smile. If their friends were smarter, Regulus was sure they would’ve picked up on their relationship by now, without the need of a veritaserum. 

First, they went through the normal round of questions just to make sure that the potion was working. No more than three questions in and Sirius decided it was time for the actual fun.

“Do I actually embarrass you, Reggie?” Sirius teased, but he was clearly eager for the answer. 

“No, you’re my favorite person and I love you.” A round of loud ‘awwws’ echoed in the room. “Oh shut up, and just ask another question,” Regulus blurted out. 

He immediately regretted it as he saw Barty’s mind clearly plotting something. 

“Okay, I have one. Dear Regulus, would you be so kind as to rank your best kisses?”

“Ew! NO!” Sirius quickly protested. 

From the corner of his eye, Regulus could tell how the question made James' heart race. This was not how they had planned to tell everyone they were dating. 

“Shhh! I want to know,” Remus insisted.

“I don’t! Knowing you two kissed when you did perfect rounds together is all the information I need about the matter!” Sirius was hysterical. 

“Just answer the question Reg, start with the third place,” Barty instructed. 

Regulus tried to fight the truth, this truly was the last way he wanted his brother and friends to know he had been dating Gryffindor’s golden boy. He once again searched for James’ eyes, and James was already looking at him, so lovingly. His boyfriend mouthed the words ‘it’s okay’, so Regulus took a deep breath and answered. 

“Fine. Third place would be Evan.”

“Quite the kisser you are too, love.” Evan blew him a kiss in response and everyone started laughing and commenting. 

“Shhh, I want to know who is in second place,” Dorcas intercepted. 

“Sirius, don’t hate me,” Regulus said as he closed his eyes and fought once more the words that were about to come out. “Second one is Rem-”

“I’M LEAVING!” Sirius announced loudly as he got up. 

“Sirius, don’t be dramatic, don’t you want to know who is actually first?” Remus said, trying to distract him. 

“Don’t worry, it’s me,” Barty said with an immense amount of confidence. 

“Ugh, it couldn’t get worse I guess,” Sirius mumbled as he sat on Remus’ lap. “If you say James I will fucking kill you, Regulus.”

Regulus' eyes widened and a violent blush crept from his neck towards his cheeks, without thinking he snapped his head towards James who was the same shade of crimson as him. Fuck. His reaction had been too noticeable. Everyone around had caught it, especially Sirius. 

“Regulus! Say right now that James does not have the first place in your fucking kissing list!”

Silence. 

“He does…”

The room erupted in a million loud voices laughing, screaming and questions aimed at both him and James. 

When did this happen!? 

How am I not on your list!?

Are you dating!?

Or are you fucking!?

Regulus began feeling dizzy and overwhelmed, he got up the chair to try to breathe but felt his legs falter. He felt familiar hands, calloused hands, warm hands steady him. James.

“It’s okay, baby,” James assured him as his arms wrapped around Regulus’ waist. 

James’ voice brought him back to reality, he saw Sirius approaching and couldn’t help the words that left his mouth with a laugh, “I told you so.”

They never played with veritaserum again.

more microfics here

[oh-phoenixx]

"Purple" - Jegulus microfic @into-the-jeggyverse - 405 words

-

Regulus loved his boyfriend with his entire heart. Really, he did. But James could not sit still for the life of him. 

Regulus had been too busy for a proper date, so James suggested that they study in the library together. However, James’s version of studying seemed quite different from Regulus’s. For example, Regulus had his nose buried in Advanced Potion-Making, doing research for his Potions essay; James, on the other hand, was reading something called Spider-Man that a muggleborn in his year had brought him. He kept trying to show Regulus how cool it was, as neither had heard of a “comic” before then. 

After finishing the comic, James sat back with a sigh, periodically letting out bored groans, which Regulus ignored for as long as he could. 

James groaned once again and Regulus couldn’t do it anymore. “What do you want, James?” He asked through gritted teeth.

“I’m so bored, Reggie,” James whined. 

Regulus rolled his eyes and got a pen out of his bag, handing it to James along with a piece of parchment. “Draw something.���

This seemed to work, and Regulus got back to his reading. After a few minutes, though, James grabbed his arm gently and Regulus felt something cold dragging along his skin. His head snapped towards James’s hands, finding that he was doodling on Regulus’s arm. His first instinct was to protest, to pull his arm away and snap at James. But seeing the happy look on James’s face (and realising that, at last, Regulus was provided the silence that he needed), he let him continue with a sigh. 

By the time Regulus had finished with his reading and had made all the necessary notes to complete his essay, the entirety of his arm was covered in purple ink; suns, stars, stick-men, James’s own initials (with hearts all around them, of course), and other little doodles coating his skin. 

“Bit arrogant of you to put your initials all over my arm, don’t you think?” Regulus pointed out with no real conviction. He would have those initials tattooed if James wanted. 

James just shrugged, kissing his arm gently and then taking his bag for him as they stood up. “You can wash it off if you like.”

They left the library hand in hand. Regulus didn’t wash the ink away, and was actually quite upset when it came off in the shower. At least he knew how to shut James up now.

[alwaysanundertone]

Day 29: edging | Jegulus

“No, Y/N, that’s not the correct answer.” You huffed, pouting. You loved the fact that you were younger than your two boyfriends most of the time, you loved how protective they got, you loved being the centre of their attention; what you didn’t love was being tutored by them. They were the most amazing partners in the world most of the time, but when it came to prepare you for a test, they became unsufferable. It surely didn’t help that your attention span was the one of a ten years old when it came to studying.

“Jamie, please, I’m so tired” You made him puppy eyes, knowing that Regulus wouldn’t let you relax until you finished all of your work.

“No, baby, you have to finish this.”

“But I already know everything, it’s not fair!”

Regulus raised a brow at you, making you slightly panic: he wasn’t the one to raise his voice, his calmness was way more intimidating. “Okay, baby, if you’re so sure about it, we will play a game. We’re going to test you on all the material we’ve taught you today. At the end, you will be edged for each mistake you made”

You widened your eyes, knowing that you’ve royally fucked it up. You mumbled something, but they both ignored you, getting started on discussing together the question they would have asked you.

“Reggie, you’re right, maybe we should go over the material once again, just to be sure?” Your voice sounded dangerously close to begging, but you would have done anything to not participate in that sick game.

“Come on now, love, you insisted you knew everything. Don’t underestimate your knowledge! It’s just a little test, now be quiet and stay still” You huffed, trying to steal some glances at the notes they had splayed in front of them, only for James to cover them up, winking at you.

You sat there for a while, gnawing at your lower lip, cursing yourself for behaving like a brat. You knew what the consequences were, so why did you insist on making them mad?

“Okay, baby, are you ready?”

“No, I made a mistake, can we just start over-“

“Which plant produces Stinksap?” James winked at you. You tried to search for the answer, knowing damn well it was all for nothing, your mind blank.

“V-Venomous tentacula? No, no wait it’s Mandrake? No-”

“The answer is incorrect, it was Mimbulus Mimbletonia. Next”

“I was about to say that! You interrupted me, fucking-“

“If you were to heal some wounds, which plant would you use?” Regulus was sporting a blank expression, and you knew you were royally fucked.

“Wormwood” You were sure about this, a 100%. It wasn’t one chance in hell it was wrong, you knew this one-

“It’s Dittany” James gave you a pitiful expression, you huffed your cheeks, straightening up a bit: if you were going to loose this sick game, you would have least kept your pride doing so.

“I give up, please, stop asking questions” They had already tested you on four questions, and you only got one right. They exchanged a pointed look.

“Okay, we’re going to stop here. Now we will teach you a lesson, and tomorrow you will sit down and behave, you will be studying for this test because there is no chance in hell you’re going to fail this, I refuse to be perceived as someone who doesn’t know how to properly tutor just because you’re behaving like a brat.” Regulus raised a brow at you as you were going to reply, actively shutting you up. “Now, take off all of your clothes and lay down on the bed”

You scrambled to do so, knowing it wasn’t the time to question Regulus. Once you were sprawled on the bed like he instructed, they both circled you. James’s hand circled your neck, squeezing softly, while your other partner held a rabbit vibrator in his hand.

“We will edge you for three times, baby. You aren’t allowed to come if we don’t say so, so don’t even try to disobey us, understood?”

“Understood” As soon as you said the word, Regulus head disappeared between your thighs. You felt his warm lips on your knee, tracing your inner thigh with his warm tongue, making you shiver from head to toe. He reached your mound, leaving an open-mouthed kiss on top of your panties, making you gasp.

James chuckled, nipping at your earlobe. “Love, I think you should hold back a bit” You refrained from whining, not wanting to worsen the situation you were in.

Regulus calloused fingers took off your panties, smirking at your wetness. He entered you with his index finger, slowly pulling it out afterwards, entering you once again.

“Look how wet she is, do you love being punished, darling?” You shook your head, eyes closed, as you tried your best to hold back, to not be affected by your boyfriend’s ministrations. “No? Then why are you this wet, love?”

You bit back a bratty remark, you had a hate-love relationship with your punishment. Yes, they could be really fun, and you usually enjoyed the aftercare, but it was really hard for you to be soft and pliant, and they knew this all too well.

He teased your clit with his thumb, meanwhile James started kissing you, his movement slow and calculated, making your head spin with the stimulation.

As you were about to come, they stopped any movement, making you whine.

“That’s one, love, you did so good” Reggie kissed your thigh, it was impossible for you to stay mad at him when he behaved like this.

He lowered his head on your core, making you gasp, as he started to stimulate you once again. “Fuck, Regulus”

James opened your shirt, his fingers working the buttons quickly, then opening the frontal clasp of your bra. “You’re so gorgeous” He breathed out, looking mesmerized.

“You see ‘em… fuck” You crossed your eyes as Regulus sucked on your clit. “Everyday”

“They’re always so pretty” He sucked on your nipple as Regulus sped up the rhythm of his sucking. You looked down, admiring how his black curls created a sinful contrast with your skin; he raised his gaze, winking at you.

In the back on your mind you knew that you weren’t allowed to come, problem was that you didn’t care anymore. You wished they forgot about the punishment, but obviously, they didn’t.

As soon as they heard the changing of the tone of your moans, they stopped altogether, making you whine.

“Please, fuck, just let me come” Your clit felt almost raw, you felt on the verge of crying.

“No, honey, we said you were going to be edged three times and that’s what’s going to happen. If you behave we might let you finish afterwards”

He positioned the rabbit vibrator inside of you with one swift thrust, James kept on sucking and nipping at your nipples: it took you an embarrassingly short amount of time for you to be on the verge of coming.

When they didn’t let you come once again, you sniffled. You actually felt the urge to cry, to let out all of the frustration you built up over this punishment.

James softened his gaze, and so did Regulus. “You were so good for us, honey, we’re going to make you come now, okay?”

You nodded, Regulus started fingering you once again, this time his movements were much softer. James massaged your breasts in his hands, his thumb flicking your nipple here and then, keeping his movements gentle and controlled.

In no time you reached your peak, and as you exploded around your boyfriend fingers, they sweet talked you through it.

Once you came down from your high, they moved like a well-oiled machine, cleaning you up while simultaneously praising you, trying their best to keep you as grounded as possible.

taglist: @consciouscarrot @sxmnc @peterparkerspersonalplaything @riaaavm @iamawkwardandshy @eeviee4 @mysterialee @famouscrusadeluminary @el1smells @rishofkf @mooonyxoxo @happymaeday @yourfiendlyneighbourspiderman @whyshouldihaveanam3 @amazing-bobinsky @barnesandmetal @just-here-for-ff @remussbitch @sammyreid

[twelveyearsofit]

under pressure

word count: 3.8k

summary: You can’t seem to get away from the Marauders and their hopeless flirting. After turning them down continually, the four of you get paired up for a Potions project. With the help of a messy dorm room and a record player, you find out you may have more in common than you thought.

content: poly!marauders x slytherin!reader, just a bit of language, kind of enemies to lovers maybe?, a tiny mention of jegulus tehe, grumpy x sunshine trope, idk i think that’s it?? lmk if there’s anything else!

authors notes: here it finally is!! sooo sorry it took me so long to post this, life has been crazy recently! also i know that under pressure isn’t exactly time accurate for when they were at hogwarts but just go along with it ily! i’m probably gonna make this a series so if you have any ideas or suggestions please leave a comment or request! anyways pretty please lmk what you think!! enjoy lovies!

──────────── ☾ ────────────

Another day of trying to fend off the Marauders with a fucking stick. You weren’t known for being particularly warm to anyone, let alone to the three boys who terrorized your house-mates daily, even though you always seemed to escape their pranks untouched. Unfortunately, your cold demeanor never deterred them from trying to charm you. Each of them, in their own way, had attempted to catch your attention, only to find your wit and icy demeanor an insurmountable wall. Every attempt was more vexing than the last, and you were growing more perturbed by the sight of them every day. It did, however, brighten your day a little, in some sick way, seeing their faces when you turned them down.

James was the first to try. Armed with his trademark confidence and lopsided grin, he cornered you outside the Potions classroom one afternoon, leaning casually against the doorframe.

“Hey angel,” he greeted, running a hand through his perpetually messy hair. “Fancy seeing you here.”

“We have class together, Potter,” you replied flatly, brushing past him and into the classroom.

Unbothered, he followed you, sliding into the seat next to yours despite the scowl you shot his way. “You know, I’ve been thinking…”

“That sounds dangerous.”

He laughed, undeterred by the jab you threw at him. “You’re funny. I like that. So, how about this—you, me, Remus, Sirius, a butterbeer in Hogsmeade this weekend?”

You didn’t even look up from your parchment. “I’d rather spend the weekend brewing Bubotuber pus.”

“Come on,” he said, leaning closer. “You’ll be missing out on the best date of your life.”

You leaned away automatically before finally meeting his gaze, your expression blank. “And you’ll be missing out on your dignity if you don’t leave me alone.”

James blinked, momentarily stunned, before letting out a bark of laughter. “Alright, angel. I like a challenge.”

“Good,” you said, turning back to your work. “Because you’re not getting anything else.”

He nodded with brows raised, “I’m aware.”

You spent the rest of class dodging his looks and ignoring his sickeningly sweet comments, gathering your books and hurrying out as soon as class was over, successfully avoiding any more hopeless persuading from James.

Sirius Black was the next to suffer. He prided himself on his charm. He’d never met a girl he couldn’t win over—until you.

It started in the library, where you were seated alone at a table, engrossed in a particularly dense-looking book. Sirius slid into the seat across from you, his signature smirk firmly in place.

“Hey there, gorgeous,” he drawled, propping his chin on his hand.

You rolled your eyes internally and didn’t look up. “Black.”

“Studying hard, I see. Not that you need to. I bet you’re brilliant at everything.”

“Flattery won’t get you anywhere,” you said, turning a page.

He grinned. “I’ve got other tricks up my sleeve.”

“I doubt that.”

His smirk faltered for a split second, but he recovered quickly. “Alright, love. What would it take to get you to have dinner with me?”

“An entirely different personality,” you said, still not looking up. You knew that statement was mostly true, or maybe, deep down, you were trying to convince yourself more than him.

He let out an exaggerated gasp. “You wound me.”

“Not yet,” you muttered, scribbling something in the margins of your book.

Sirius leaned back in his chair, clearly torn between frustration and amusement. “You’re playing hard to get.”

“No,” you said, finally meeting his eyes with a deadpan expression. “Try impossible.”

For once, Sirius had no response. He dragged in a breath, knowing he was losing momentum the longer he stayed silent. He sided with giving the table a quick tap as he got up and reluctantly walked away, mentally kicking himself for being off his game.

Remus Lupin was the final victim. He was subtler in his approach. He wasn’t one for grand gestures or flashy lines; instead, he opted for quiet conversation and shared study sessions. You were virtually looking over your shoulder every five seconds, knowing he would be trying his hand with you at some point. You avoided all three boys as much as you could, turning heel and leaving if you saw them coming your way in the corridor or entering the room you were in. Of course, your luck ran out.

He found you in the greenhouse one afternoon, tending to a particularly finicky Venomous Tentacula.

“Need a hand?” he offered, stepping carefully around the plant, his hands in his pockets.

You glanced at him, brow raised. “Not from you,” You paused, taking in the calm air around him, and against your better judgement, spoke again. “What would you know about Venomous Tentaculas?”

“Not much, but enough to know not to touch it,” he said with a small smile.

Your lips twitched, but you didn’t smile back. “I’m fine, thanks.”

He leaned against the workbench, watching you carefully prune the plant. “You’re good at this.”

“Obviously.” You kept an eye on him out of your peripherals, apprehensive, surprised he wasn’t trying to get in a spare word wherever he can, like James and Sirius did.

He chuckled softly. “I was being polite.”

“Well, don’t,” you said, setting down your shears and brushing dirt off your hands, turning to face him. “It’s unnecessary.”

Remus hesitated, then said, “You know, you don’t have to be so guarded all the time.”

Your eyes narrowed. “And you don’t have to waste your time trying to psychoanalyze me.”

“I wasn’t—”

“Yes, you were,” you scoffed, cutting him off. “And for the record, I don’t need your pity or your approval. So, if you’re done, I have actual work to do.”

Remus sighed, pushing off the workbench. “Alright, dove. I’ll leave you to it.”

And there’s another dreaded pet name. “Good idea.”

As he walked away, he glanced back over his shoulder. You were already focused on the plant again, seeming as if he hadn’t been there at all. When you heard the door shut behind Remus as he left, you let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding. He was the most tolerable out of the three, giving you space when you asked for it, leaving when you wanted. He was calmer than the others, a quality you appreciated. You shake the thought out of your head and pick up the shears once more.

The boys reconvened in the Gryffindor common room that evening, nursing their bruised egos.

“She’s impossible,” James declared, flopping onto the couch.

“Completely heartless,” Sirius agreed, though his tone was more impressed than frustrated.

“I told you,” Remus said calmly, sipping his tea. “She’s not interested.”

James sat up, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Or maybe… she just doesn’t know us well enough yet.”

Sirius grinned. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

Remus sighed. “This can’t possibly end well.”

But he didn’t stop them from planning their next move.

Within two weeks, their plan was in motion. The three boys were so dedicated that they spared time out of their precious weekend and stayed after Potions one day, ambushing Slughorn. Somehow, pretty easily in fact, they managed to convince him to make the four of you partners for the new project. Sirius put it under the guise of needing your “brilliant brain and knowledge” because he and James were “trying to be better students”. As if.

The next week, Slughorn announced the groups for the project. You sighed and narrowed your eyes at the three boys, knowing that somehow, this was their doing. If it was one thing, they were persistent. If only they put that effort into their schoolwork.You hoped you could just get this over with as soon as possible, you would even do all the work yourself to avoid being stuck in a room with them. You hurried out of class that day, annoyed. You shoved through the boys as they had tried to make their way to you as soon as you were dismissed.

You sat at your usual spot in the library, a fortress of books surrounding you, quill scratching furiously across parchment, trying to possibly finish the project without having any contact with the three menaces seated across the library. You could hear them whispering just a few tables away, their presence proving to be an irritating hum in the back of your mind. Sirius laughed, low and rich, and you refused to look up.

“Hey, angel,” James called, sliding into the seat across from you. You resisted the urge to roll your eyes and instead flipped the page of your textbook. “Since we’re all partners for the Potions project, we thought we’d… collaborate.”

“I don’t recall asking for collaboration,” you replied dryly, not sparing him a glance.

“That’s the thing about group projects,” Sirius chimed in, plopping into the chair beside you, a roguish grin plastered on his face. “It doesn’t require your approval.”

You raised a brow, scooting your chair away from him slightly. “I didn’t realize Gryffindors believed in forcing unwilling participants into things. Aren’t you supposed to be noble or something?”

Remus, the most tolerable of the trio, slid into the seat on your other side, carrying a stack of books. “You’re right, dove,” he said smoothly, voice calm and measured. “But unfortunately for you, Slughorn paired us up.”

Your jaw clenched. Sluggy and his infuriating belief in “Inter-House unity.”

“Fine,” you said sharply. “But don’t expect me to do all the work while you three mess around.” In truth, you were happy to do all the work if it meant you could escape this conversation.

“We wouldn’t dream of it,” James said, eyes sparkling behind his glasses.

The next evening, you found yourself in the Gryffindor dormitory, an unfamiliar space that smelled of old parchment, broom polish, faintly of Sirius’ cologne, and something you can only describe as teenage boys. You had practically begged to meet anywhere else, their dormitory being the last place you wanted to end up. Coincidentally, every option you came up with seemed to be taken. Your dorm-mates were using your dorm for their own projects, and were firm on their stance of “no boys, especially not those ones.” The library had a suspiciously timed incident of smoke bombs exploding, and all the students had to vacate until it was aired out. It had Marauders written all over it. Your house-mates would rather die than have three Gryffindors in their common room, so you didn’t even suggest it. As a last resort, you tried to coax them into working in their common room, but, once again, the answer was no. The rest of their in-house friend group decided to work right in front of the fireplace. The girl who introduced herself as Marlene definitely had a glint in her eyes, as if she was in on it. You just couldn’t win.

Reluctantly, you followed them up the stairs to work in their dorm. The room was, oddly enough, exactly what you expected. The space that was tidy with stacks of books on the floor next to the bed had to belong to Remus. Fitting. James’ and Sirius’ beds seemed to blend together, the only telling factors being the Quidditch posters by James’ bed and the record player and band posters by Sirius’. Also fitting. You knew most of the bands on Sirius’ posters. Surprised, you shook your head slightly. You couldn’t have anything in common with these boys, could you? The fourth bed, which you learned belonged to Peter, one of the boys in the group holed up in the common room, was a mix of tidy and messy, with a half-played game of chess sitting on the blanket.

There were clothes strewn on the floor between James’ and Sirius’ beds, both of the boys scrambling to pick them up and throw them out of sight as you walked in. They looked at you like they hoped you hadn’t seen it. You had. Remus scoffed a chuckle, which you somewhat appreciated, but didn’t let it show.

Now here you were, perched awkwardly on the edge of Remus’ bed, the cleanest place in the room, with your arms crossed, as the boys arranged their notes across the floor. The Gryffindor dormitory felt strangely foreign to you, with its warm tones and cozy chaos. It was nothing like the pristine coldness of the Slytherin common room, where everything was sharp edges and muted colors. Here, the atmosphere was alive, buzzing with an energy you couldn’t entirely place—and didn’t trust.

“So,” Sirius began, lounging on a pillow in his usual carefree manner, “any brilliant ideas, gorgeous?”

“I have several,” you replied, not acknowledging the irksome pet name, “but I doubt you’d appreciate the brilliance.”

James smirked. “Why so cold, angel? We’re charming, aren’t we?”

You snorted. “You’re persistent. That’s not the same thing.”

Sirius grinned, leaning forward. “I bet we’ll grow on you.”

You ignored him, focusing instead on the pile of notes on the bed in front of you. That was, until Sirius got up and began rifling through a stack of records near his bed. You rolled your eyes.

This was supposed to be about the project.

At least, that’s what you told yourself when you agreed to meet them here instead of putting your foot down and insisting on the library or another neutral space, or perhaps even working together on another day entirely. But you weren't naive—you knew better. The Marauders had been relentless in their attempts to worm their way into your life, and you had been equally relentless in shutting them down.

“You know,” James said, glancing up from his notes with an infuriating grin, “it’s not every day we let a Slytherin into our sacred quarters.”

Sirius spoke over his shoulder as he searched through the records. “Even Regulus hasn’t seen it.” You glance at Remus as he tries to catch your attention.

He mouthed, “His brother.” to you. You roll your eyes and mouth back, “I know that. House-mates, remember?”

James responded to Sirius aloud, “...Right, yeah.” You narrowed your eyes slightly, knowing his response was suspicious, but not pushing further. None of your business.

“Oh, I’m honored,” you replied to James’ initial comment, deadpanned.

Remus shot James a look. “Don’t mind him. He’s been insufferable since he got that Outstanding in Charms.”

“Not insufferable,” James protested, recovering and tossing a quill at Remus. “Confident.”

“Arrogant.” You corrected without missing a beat.

James clutched his chest as if you’d wounded him. “You wound me, love.”

“No,” you said, inspecting your nails. “But I’m considering it.”

From the corner of the room, Sirius laughed, his voice rich and warm. “I like her. She’s got bite.”

“Wouldn’t you like to know, Black?,” you muttered, side-eyeing him as he turned around with a record in hand. You immediately kicked yourself mentally for saying something that could be misconstrued as flirting.

Sirius’ eyes lit up. “In fact I would, doll. You offering?” Sirius said, flashing you a grin. You rolled your eyes, your silence being response enough. He took the record out of its sleeve.

“What are you doing?” you asked, brow furrowing.

“Setting the mood,” he said with a wink, sliding the record onto the turntable. Moments later, the opening notes of a familiar song filled the room. The unmistakable opening notes of Under Pressure by Queen and David Bowie graced your ears.

Your quill paused mid-sentence.

You didn’t mean to react, but the music stirred something in you—an instinctive recognition, a fondness you couldn’t quite mask. Maybe you could have something in common with them after all. Your lips twitched, just barely, and though you fought to remain impassive, your lips began to move slightly to mouth the words of the song. Anyone looking would probably just assume you were just talking to yourself to figure out your assignment. Unfortunately, you had no such luck.

Remus was watching you from his place on the floor, leaning against Sirius’ bed. A small smirk formed on his face as you continued reading a Potions book, still mouthing the words to the song. He scoffed a small chuckle and shook his head, not having expected you, of all people, to listen to Queen or Bowie.

The small noise caught Sirius’ attention and his eyes flicked to Remus. He followed his gaze to you, and he caught it immediately. His dark eyes lit up like fireworks. “Wait a minute.”

You looked at him sharply. “What?”

“You like Queen,” he said, his voice brimming with something close to awe.

“It’s just a song,” you replied, tone clipped, feigning indifference, but the words didn’t carry much weight.

James and Remus exchanged a glance, both clearly intrigued.

“Oh, no, no, no,” Sirius said, practically bounding over to you, his excitement spilling over. “This isn’t ‘just a song.’ This is Queen. This is brilliance. This is art. And you, my darling—” he pointed at you dramatically, “—you know it.”

You opened your mouth to retort, but before you could, Sirius flopped onto the bed beside you, far too close for comfort. Remus chided him for messing up his blanket, a scold he hadn’t extended to you when you sat down. You leaned away from Sirius slightly, but made no effort to actually move.

“Admit it,” he said, leaning in with a conspiratorial grin. “You’ve got good taste.”

Your lips twitched again, and this time you couldn’t quite stop the ghost of a smile from appearing. “You’re ridiculous.”

“And you’re avoiding the question,” he shot back, his grin widening.

“It’s just a song,” you said stiffly, though your body language had betrayed you.

“No, no, this is monumental,” Sirius declared, rolling dramatically onto his side and throwing his arms in the air. “I knew you had taste!”

Remus took this as an opportunity to chime in. “Queen’s one of his favorite bands.”

“They’re the best band,” Sirius corrected. “And now I know you have some semblance of a soul.”

You rolled your eyes, but didn’t pull away when Sirius leaned closer, his energy almost contagious. “Don’t get ahead of yourself, Black,” you said, but your lips twitched upward ever so slightly.

James, not one to miss an opportunity, tossed you another question. “Alright, love. What’s your favorite Queen song?”

You gave him a deadpan look. “I’m not playing your little games, Potter.”

“Fine.” he looked away for a moment, before turning back with a hopeful smile. “Queen or Bowie?”

Remus, ever the observant one, chimed in gently after a moment. “It’s alright, you know. You can like Queen and still pretend you don’t tolerate us.”

You rolled your eyes but didn’t deny it. The music played on, filling the room with its familiar rhythm, and for the first time that evening, for the first time with them, you felt yourself softening—just a fraction.

You hesitated, eyes flickering to Sirius, whose expression was a mix of hope and anticipation. He was grinning like he’d just won the Quidditch Cup. You scoff in resignation. “...Both. But I’m partial to Queen.”

Sirius let out a triumphant laugh, throwing his arms into the air. “I fucking knew it! She’s got taste!”

“Congratulations,” you said dryly. “You’ve discovered that I enjoy good music. What a revelation.”

“It is,” Sirius insisted, still grinning. “You’ve officially earned a pass in my book.”

You raised an eyebrow. “A pass for what?”

“For being tolerable,” he said jokingly, as if it were obvious.

“Oh, how generous of you.”

Remus chuckled softly. “You’ll have to forgive him, dove. He doesn’t know how to behave like a normal person.”

“I can see that.” You snickered dryly, appreciating the semblance of alliance you seemed to have formed with Remus.

Sirius leaned back on his elbows, watching you with an expression that was almost smug. “See, gorgeous? You’ve got more in common with us than you think.”

“Now I wouldn’t go that far,” you shot back, though the edge in your voice was noticeably duller. Sirius looked back at you deadpanned, but that smirk seemed to be glued to his face.

“Fine,” you muttered. “I like Queen. Happy?”

“Ecstatic,” Sirius said, beaming.

For the first time, you didn’t feel entirely out of place with them.

James, sensing the shift, tossed you a chocolate frog from his nightstand. “You’ve somehow found common ground with Sirius. That means you’re officially one of us now.”

You caught it, unwrapping it slowly. You raised your brows at him. “One of you? A kind offer, but no.”

Sirius threw an arm around your shoulders, grinning like a madman. The contact was uncomfortable, but you made no effort to pull away completely. Remus chimed in this time. “Sirius is the most judgemental out of all of us. You get in with him? You passed.” He shrugged at you as if his statement was absolute.

James leaned forward with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “You know, angel, we might just have to keep you around.”

You scoffed. “Please don’t.”

“Too late,” Sirius said, his grin practically splitting his face. “You’re one of us now, whether you like it or not.” He leaned towards you and placed a dramatic kiss on your cheek. This time, you leaned away, furrowing your brows at him, wiping your face with your hand.

“Watch yourself, Black. You want to keep those lips? Keep them off me.” You shot at him.

Sirius gave you the infuriatingly enticing smirk that seems to be consistently plastered to his face. “Whatever you say, doll. But soon enough, you’ll be begging for our lips on you,” He shot a wink at you.

You rolled your eyes in response, popping the chocolate frog into your mouth. You glance at the other two boys, who seem to agree with Sirius. “In your dreams, Black.”

Sirius got up from the bed, scurrying to his corner, “Oh, believe me, we see you plenty in our dreams, gorgeous.”

For the first time, you don’t have a response.

Before you could wallow in the feeling of being speechless, Sirius came back with a thick stack of records and tossed them down on the bed next to you, earning him another scold from Remus about getting floor germs on his bed. You chuckle and share a look with him, shaking your head at Sirius’ antics. Sirius began to shuffle through his albums, questioning you about every band he knew of, as he tried to find another similarity between you. James chimed in every so often, commenting on one of the few bands or songs he knew of, only to get brushed off by Sirius as he was awaiting your input. Remus looked on from the floor, periodically trying to continue to work on the project. After a while, all of your schoolwork layed forgotten on the floor. As the music played on and the boys pulled you into their banter, you found yourself relaxing—just a little. Maybe they weren’t as insufferable as you thought.

Not that you’d ever admit it.

────── ☾ ──────

[maladaptivewriting]

since the tiktok ban, i've been seeing a lot of stuff where people blame americans for jegulus and i can't stop thinking about it. i don't know why people feel this way, but i am prepared to make an argument. so please allow me to make my case.

[also this is completely based on generalizations. i know americans that hate jegulus and love jily, and i know british people who hate jily and love jegulus]

so i've never been a jily girl. even years before i found jegulus, i never cared about that ship. i straight up didn't even know that people wrote fics about them specifically. (i actually still don't know if people do write fics about only them because i would never seek out something like that).

originally, i'd thought it was just because i only cared about the golden trio characters and occasionally sirius and remus, but the more i got into the marauders era, the more i realized that james and lily together were the standouts, i just really didn't care for them.

it got to the point where i only read fics that referenced jily if they were extremely background to the story (which they almost always were bc there is just not that much to say about them) or preferably if both of them were already dead and it was just remus, sirius, and harry who remained.

shortly after i really started getting into the fandom and writing for jegulus, i spoke to someone who hated jegulus and loved jily, and i told them that i'd always felt like james and lily were on the road to divorce before they died. this person was SCANDALIZED. they could not understand why'd said that.

now granted, this person was in their early twenties and in my experience, if you haven't lived long enough to see a lot of your friends go through divorces, then the idea that james and lily might divorce may seem crazy.

however, and this is where the american thing really comes in, i realized after this conversation why i felt that there was no way that james and lily were going to make it and that was specifically because of growing up a conservative christian bible belt ass place.

do you know how many couples i knew in high school who started dating their senior year even though they seemingly had nothing in common, had sex one time and didn't use protection because sex education is extremely limited down there, got pregnant, and had to have shotgun wedding?

so. fucking. many.

do you know how many of them are still married?

only one.

so when i see jily, two characters who have nothing in common beyond being gryffindors, get together, have a kid, and get married (not necessarily in that order) all within like two years, i know that the odds are not in their favor. those two aren't staying together. don't play with me.

now i don't know how people feel about young marriages in other parts of the world, especially in the uk, but i've spoken to a lot of americans, especially ones from the south, and so many of them have had the exact same experiences with their peers. i just can't help but wonder if that lends itself to less people being interested in jily.

i have other arguments to this, like that jily is not as entertaining as almost every other ship that james or lily could be involved in and americans being partial to entertainment above all else, or the american (and christian) obsession with the concept of redemption and self sacrifice making regulus a more compelling character than one that lived and died good (lily and james), but this was the one i wanted to focus on today.

[almostdecaffeinatedfun]

Home - Jegulus microfic - @into-the-jeggyverse - 456 words

Regulus was pacing his room at Grimmauld place in stuffy robes that his parents had forced him to wear. He had got back from yet another pureblood party and immediately checked in with James through their matching quills. 

James had charmed them together so that one would convey what the other quill wrote. He had sent the message over two hours ago but there hadn’t been any response from James. To say that Regulus was worried would be the understatement of the year.

Suddenly, the quill twitched in his hand. Regulus immediately set it down on a piece of parchment waiting for this exact purpose. The quill slowly spelled out in James’ familiar scrawl, “Look out the window.”

Regulus moved like lightning to the only window in his room, next to the bookshelves. He could see nothing outside that was out of the ordinary. After a few minutes of searching, he found a small quill close to the ground hovering awkwardly in midair. He recognized that quill from his table.

Regulus was internally panicking. If the quill was outside his house, its owner had to be nearby. After thoroughly looking around again, he decided that he had to do something about it, however crazy it made him. He went outside to remove the quill before someone found it hovering there.

As he reached the quill and plucked it out of mid-air, he felt a hand close around his wrist but there was nothing there. “What?” Regulus whispered, looking around for any sign of James other than the feeling on his wrist. 

“Hey, it’s just me. Don’t worry,” said James’ voice in front of him, although Regulus could only see his breath frosting around his mouth. There was absolutely no visible sign that James was there. But James was definitely there when he shouldn’t be. Even Regulus shouldn’t be here. Regulus stopped himself from imagining all the disastrous outcomes this could have by trying to figure out what was happening.

“James? What are you doing here? Someone is going to find you,” Regulus whispered, wondering how insane he looked whispering to himself in the middle of the night although no one was around to see it.

“I’m taking you with me,” James whispered back in a hurry. Before Regulus had a chance to query what James meant, they were apparating away. 

Regulus landed on a soft lawn with overgrown weeds surrounding him. James suddenly appeared out of thin air next to him, grinning from ear to ear like a baby. 

“Welcome home,” James exclaimed cheerfully, pointing to a huge manor that Regulus recognized from James’ baby pictures. Regulus didn’t bother telling James that he had been already home the moment he felt James’ hand on his skin.

[psychoticallykind]

In A Minute

"Shine" - Jegulus Microfic - @into-the-jeggyverse - 392 words

--------------------------------------------------------------

"What's the purpose of these again?"

"They're for nighttime!" James looked up at him from his crouched position. "See, they're reflective, so when your - um, when someone drives up, the lights will shine back at them and help direct them safely to the house."

"My brother," Regulus grumbled. "You were about to say that they're for when my brother drives up. Because he hit the fence last week, and now I'm out in the cold because of his mistake."

"You can go inside if you want," James offered.

Regulus rolled his eyes. "And leave you to suffer? Because of him? How is that fair?" He huffed, waving his hand at James's place on the ground. "You're already doing all the work."

James stood up and pulled him into a hug, his back against James's chest. James was warm, and Regulus melted into him. "You can go inside if you want, I'll be okay for a few minutes. And you've been very helpful."

"I handed you a little reflective sign from the bag." Regulus made a face James couldn't see. "That's not actually helpful."

"It was very helpful, and you handed me loads of reflective signs. Now we're on the last ones, and we're just about back to the house." James rocked them a little bit, tightening his hold. Regulus loved it when he did that - added tight pressure. It made him feel safe.

Even outside, freezing to death because his idiot brother couldn't drive.

"We're almost done?"

"Just about, love," James hummed. "Three more, and then we can go inside and make some hot chocolate. Or you can go in and start making it now, and I can finish up out here."

The warmth of inside was tempting. But James was outside, and James was the important bit here.

He'd freeze for hours to watch James smile in triumph every time he got one of those little signs in the ground. To hold his hand as they walked down the driveway. To talk about anything that came up, casual and easy.

To just exist together. That was enough.

"I guess three isn't so bad." Regulus held James's arms where they were crossed over his waist, keeping them there. "In a minute."

James's laugh was bright and fond, and Regulus instinctively smiled at the sound.

"Sure." James kissed his shoulder. "In a minute."

[ultravioletbrit]

“bag” - Jegulus microfic - @into-the-jeggyverse - 506 words

James is at the front of the queue and the person before him has just finished paying for their items.

“Have a nice day.” Says the most beautiful voice James has ever heard.

The other person leaves and James freezes because that beautiful voice belongs to the most beautiful man. He’s gorgeous. He has stunning pale, blue eyes that almost look silver and they’re staring directly at James and James feels like—

“Sir?” There’s that voice again. “Sir?... Sir?” … Oh, the voice is talking to him.

“Oh!... Sorry… I erm…” James steps forward. “Here’s my… yes… my erm…” James puts his items on the counter, but he stumbles and drops the toothpaste. “Shit… sorry…erm…” He picks it up and hands it to the man.

The man reaches out his hand and… it’s lovely. Slender and elegant with long graceful fingers; James wonders briefly if he might play the piano or—”

“Sir?” The man chuckles and James realizes they’re both holding the toothpaste because James never let go.  

“Sorry…” James quickly drops his hand. “I didn’t mean… erm… I… sorry”

“That’s alright, Sir.” The man sounds very amused. “How will you be paying today?”

“Oh… ehh… yes… erm… here.” James hands over his credit card.

The man takes his card and smiles at James when they make eye contact. “Thank you, Sir.”

That smile, those eyes… and if he calls James ‘Sir’ one more time, James might literally melt through the floor and—

“Would you like a bag, Sir?”

“God, damn it.” James sighs… he definitely didn’t mean to say that out loud.

“Sorry?” The man tries to stifle his laughter.  

“No!... I didn’t mean… erm… what?”

“A bag. I asked if you’d like your items in a bag?”

“Oh… erm… sure… a bag… that’s erm… yes… bag… please.” James fumbles and the man doesn’t hold back his laughter.

James groans and drops his head in embarrassment which only makes the man chuckle more. James lifts his head slightly and makes eye contact with him. His laughter fades into a soft smile and they stare at each other for a moment. James sighs softly and thinks, he’s already made a fool of himself, what’s he got to lose?

“Erm… would you… do you maybe… erm… is—"

“Would you like to get coffee next door in about half an hour?” The man interrupts.

“Huh?”

The man chuckles again. “I have a break in half an hour. Do you want to get coffee with me? And maybe, potentially string together enough words to make a full sentence.” He smirks.

James sighs and drops his head. He’s usually much better at this but this man completely stupefied him. James takes a deep breath to pull himself together and looks back up.

“I’m sorry about that.” James tells him. “I’d love to get coffee with you.” James smiles brightly.

“Well look at that; two sentences already. We’re off to a good start.” They both chuckle. “I’m Regulus.” He holds out his hand.

“James.” He shakes his hand.

“I’ll see you in half an hour, James.”

[my-castles-crumbling]

Activity - November 13 - jegulus - @stag-microfic - word count: 218

“...and it can do all sorts of things!” James exclaimed, happily waving his wrist around as he went on. “Send text messages, display photos, even track your heart rate!”

“Why would you want to track your heart rate?” Sirius asked, tilting his head to the side and frowning.

“Dunno, but I can!” James grinned, tapping his watch and showing his best friend a graph. “See? You can see how my heart’s been all day long!”

But Sirius was immediately concerned by a noticable incline in James’s otherwise-steady numbers. “Did you have a bloody heart attack earlier or something?”

“No,” James frowned, turning his wrist to examine the graph. “I didn’t even-” but he cut off his own words, turning bright red. “Oh.”

“Let me see that again,” Sirius mumbled, grabbing James’s wrist and looking closer. “It shot up at eleven this morning! Right before I got back! When you and Regulus were…were alone…” His eyes glazed over as he put the pieces together.

Taking a deep, steadying breath, Sirius gave James a death glare. 

“Please tell me you and Regulus were fucking exercising or something, Prongs,” Sirius said, his voice low and threatening. 

“We were definitely doing some vigorous activity,” James said with a sheepish grin.

“Oh, ew!” Sirius whined, stuffing his head into a nearby couch pillow.

[bloodbruise]

@jegulus-microfic | april 7: regret | 2,011 words | NSFW

sometimes your best friend's brother is so hot you just have to jerk off about it.

Fucked. 

That’s what James was—completely and irrevocably fucked.

He couldn't claim ignorance; he'd seen it coming from a mile away. The change had been gradual, an ever-present whisper he failed to quiet. The subtle shift from looking at Regulus and seeing Sirius’ younger brother to looking at him and seeing Regulus. His continued presence at his and Sirius’ place had casual conversation turning into inside jokes, quips and jabs traded back and forth–James loved it when Regulus was a little mean to him. It turned into movie nights and visits at Regulus' job. 

All of it was fuel to a slowly kindling fire.

So, really, he had no one else but himself to blame when he got burned. Scorched, actually. 

It was a casual favor–helping Regulus move because Sirius had gotten held up at work. It was supposed to be nothing, just helping out a friend, something he would do for anyone in his life. Something he did without a second thought because that was James’ Thing. But, he really should have thought it through. Because watching Regulus, who was usually so impeccably composed, now disheveled and glistening with sweat, was an exercise in restraint. James’ mind was in a tailspin, fixated on lithe muscles moving beneath skin, flush from exertion high on his cheeks, messy hair pushed back and curls barely controlled by a headband.

James had been so normal about it all, truly, given the circumstances. Silently commending himself on his raw unadulterated strength for not jumping Regulus right then and there– he was playing it so cool. But everything teetered on the edge of collapse when Regulus, busy trying to put his couch back together, asked James to fetch the other screwdriver from the box beside his bed. 

To James’ credit, there were a lot of boxes there, so he naturally went with the one closest to the headboard. And later, when Sirius chewed him out for wanting to fuck his younger brother, he would blame it on that fucking screwdriver. Because when he lifted the lid, the contents inside hit him like a physical blow. The room spun. He was going to fucking faint. 

Inside the box was... Christ. It was overwhelming. Toys, lots of them, lined up all pretty and careless and innocent. Like they weren't going to kill him right on the spot. His eyes caught on the purple one, how thick it was. His mind oscillated between stupor, awe, and undeniable arousal, only snapped back to reality by Regulus' voice, muffled from down the hall.

“James? Did you find it?” 

In a panic, he slammed the lid shut and scrambled for another box. “Uh-huh, yeah,” he called back, nodding to himself, still dazed. “Found it, found it.”

With the screwdriver finally in hand, James re-entered the living room, his cheeks flushed and a strained smile on his lips. He passed it over to Regulus and awkwardly clasped his hands in front of him, attempting to conceal the evident bulge in his pants. He had intended to stay, they had planned for dinner afterwards–Regulus’ treat for his help. But now, his thoughts were a vortex, endlessly spiraling around Regulus and those toys and–.  

Voice too high and a little thready, he hastily blurted, “Okay, we got all the boxes, right? Yeah, okay, all set,” thumb jerking towards the door, “I forgot- I actually have to go, yeah.” Nodding to himself. He was aware that he probably looked insane, but staying was not an option. Not when every thought was a hazard. So he just stumbled through a weak excuse, pointedly ignoring the puzzled look on Regulus’ face, and rushed home. His grip flexing hard on the steering wheel and music blasting the entire time, because he was sure if he let his mind wander he would veer off the side of the road and crash his car.

It was only in the safety of his own room that he allowed himself to unravel. He twists the doorknob, pulling on it to ensure that it’s locked. His mind going straight back to that box, to Regulus, and his imagination runs. 

Fully clothed, pants a mess–precum everywhere– he shoves them down. Just far enough so he can get a hand around himself, not even bothering to move to the bed. He knows the intimate details of what the inside of Regulus’ bedroom looks like. So there’s a crystal clear image that he can’t shake. Regulus, legs spread wide and fucking himself—his head thrown back, hips twitching up and opening so sweetly around a toy. There was something so erotic about the thought of Regulus coming home, maybe even from James’ place, and taking care of himself. Stuffing himself full until he was crying out and shaking with it.

Was it drawn out–slow? Did he take his time and open himself up with his fingers first? Or was he usually too worked up and eager to wait, just sinking down and reveling in the burn? Did he ever use a vibrator at the same time? It was delicious, the idea of Regulus being pleasure-drunk by his own hand. James knew if it was him, he would be insatiable, would force one more and another one please, baby out of Regulus until he was sobbing. James needed to see it, thought he might die without it. 

A whimper rips from his throat at the mere thought of it– picturing himself at the foot of Regulus’ bed, content to just watch, to be so good for him. His movements become more frantic, hand working over himself faster. He pulls up his shirt and bites down on the fabric, head falling back against the door. In his mind, he wonders if Regulus would chide him for being bad, when James would finally break and scramble over to him. If he would let out a noise of protest when he pushes Regulus’ hand away and takes over, gripping the base and fucking him. He imagines how he would react when James crowds into his space, licking into his mouth and swallowing down his moans.

James is close when he thinks about Regulus’ eyes half shut and rolling back, body arching against him. How he would feel under his palm if he dragged it down the plane of his chest, if he raked his fingers through the hair under his belly button. Fuck. The thought of what it would feel like to touch between his legs, feel him wet and warm and dripping on his fingers. He’s almost there, movements getting more urgent. He starts circling his thumb over his sensitive tip with every upstroke. Has to grab at his own throat to ground himself, squeezing for just a little pressure because his body is feeling so good that it's floating up, up, up.

When James finally breaks, its with a weak, breathless, “ah- fuck R- Reg.” He makes a mess of himself. Back arching off the door, coming in ropes across his chest and dripping sloppily over his hand. He stays there for a while, slumped against the door, twitching with aftershocks. It’s only after his breath returns to its regular pattern that he moves, grimacing slightly as he sheds the rest of his clothes in a crumpled heap.

Nevermind the guilt of jerking off to his best friend’s brother, his own friend–his mind was reeling. James had convinced himself that it would help, to get it out of his system and be done with it. Deep down, though, he knew that wasn't possible. He knew that indulging himself would only pull him deeper into his spiral of obsession with Regulus. It was a little fucked up, but he couldn't find it in himself to regret it.

Exhausted, he collapsed onto the bed, a groan escaping him. The images and thoughts of Regulus were still there, but they were shifting. Had he ever used them on anyone else? What would it be like if he used them on James?

Against the mattress, James let out a heady moan. His forehead was slick with sweat, hair clinging to his skin. He found himself rocking hips involuntarily, pushing his spent cock into the bed. God, would Regulus top him? Fuck him with his strap and tell him he takes him so well. Oh, would he make him suck on it too? The overstimulation from the lack of respite was deliciously painful. He bit down on the sheets, grinding against them as he reached out clumsily and fumbled for the lube in the bedside table.

This second time was just as desperate. Lube in hand, James coated his fingers. So messy–glistening on his hand the same way he imagined it would look after pulling it from Regulus’ cunt. He drew his knees up under himself, breath picking up again and chest heaving against the mattress. His glasses askew and head turned to the side, he was looking back as best as he could at where his fingers were circling his hole.

He eased one finger in. He didn't feel nearly full enough but there's a slight burn– a reminder that he hasn’t done this in so long. He wishes Regulus were here to stroke his cheek, his neck. For him to press down on where James’ hand is inside of himself and tell him, “You can take more baby, I know you can. Need it, hm?”

James is gasping with the thought, mouth open and drooling a bit. He can’t bring himself to care though. He briefly pulls his finger out, swiping hastily at his stomach where his cum hasn't dried and mixing it with the lube before he’s pushing back in, another alongside it. 

“Christ” he swears to himself. It’s a little clumsy, an awkward angle. His own fingers are a little too thick to move them fluently. He thinks it wouldn’t be like that with Regulus. In his mind, Regulus would work his fingers inside him with the same poise and deadly precision that he does everything else. He’d probably talk him through it too, breath hot against his ear as he teased James for being so needy, for wanting to be filled. It would have James on the edge in minutes, and that thought alone is so hot that James can't even feel shameful about it.

He shifts, pushing up on one arm and arches his back, so he can drive his fingers deeper. He slips in another finger. He’s so– so worked up, body so warm. Sweat beads on his neck, trailing down and pooling where his back curves. Both of his arms ache with the strain, but he’s too far gone to notice. Too caught up in the slide of his fingers, lost to the thought that even three of them were still not as thick as the purple toy in Regulus’ room. He’s pretty sure he’s making noise, he can't really tell though. Everything’s gone a bit fuzzy from the pleasure. 

He knows he’s loud when he comes though. He finds the spot that has him going weak, almost buckling the arm that's holding him up. It’s overwhelming, he focuses on a few hard presses of his fingers right there and he's coming. A broken sob wracking his body as he gives into it,  writhing against the feeling, ruining himself even more. He draws it out as long as he can, fingers moving relentlessly until his nerves sing with raw sensitivity. He slips them out before collapsing into the mattress, just breathing.

He can't help but laugh at himself-–thinks it's a little pathetic. That one accidental peek into a box has left him lying here, covered in his own sweat and spend. And yet, his mind is still running over the possibilities. A constant loop of Regulus and toys and straps. A low whine escapes him at the idea of going another round, his cock already twitching at the mere thought.

And through the haze of it all, the pleasure and the embarrassment and the Regulus, he can only make sense of one thing: 

He is so utterly fucked.