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[where-is-vivian]

Worth The Risk?

from @jegulus-microfic's prompt, risky (805 words)

“Oh, fuck,” James rolls on his bed, hiding his eyes in the crook of his elbow. He locks his phone, that’s still in his hand, and he groans. Though he has a downward smile on his lips threatening to grow more. His cheeks burn him. “Fuuuuck.”

“James.”

James takes his arm off his face to look at Peter staring at him from his desk chair. His roommate is always reading sociology books at his desk; at the beginning of the year, James thought he was always working, doing his homeworks and all, but no, turns out he’s almost never working for school in fact, and that he spends all his time reading these books or playing Solitaire.

“You’re being dramatic,” Peter adds without deigning to give him a look.

Don’t worry. Peter is a nice guy. He’s actually pretty chill, and he’s nice to be around. He’s just pragmatic. He doesn’t get James’ love crises. He keeps pretending that he is a fatalist, and that what happens was bound to happen anyway.

James sighs, and sits up on his bed. But unlike Peter, he’s unable to stay still for too long. So quickly, James stands up, throwing his phone on his bed, and he starts pacing in their shared bedroom. Hands on his hips, then behind him, then fidgeting together, then back on his hips. Then back on his eyes.

“Aaargh,” James lets out, and he’s thankful Peter never seems annoyed by his antics. He just keeps reading peacefully. “Why is he taking so long to answer?”

Peter doesn’t answer.

“Do you think he’s busy?” James is starting to be scared. “Oh god, what if he’s busy.”

He shouldn’t have sent that text.

“But it’s already 7 pm. No one is busy at 7 pm.”

“James, people can be busy at any hour. And at 7 pm, unlike the both of us, many people are just doing their homeworks,” Peter calmly states, without lifting his eyes from his book.

James whines in frustration. He paces a bit more.

“What if he hates me? What if he refuses? How am I supposed to face him after that? We literally have 3 classes together… Oh no!” James stops his pacing briefly before accelerating. “What if he tells Sirius?”

Sirius is his big brother. James’ best friend. James doesn’t know how he would react if he knew about James’ crush for his little brother.

“I completely forgot to tell Sirius! It’s too late now… Oh no…”

“James, can you please, sit and stop panicking? This is just a text.”

James blinks at Peter. “Pete, this is not just a text. This is The Text.”

Peter turns around, to meet James’ gaze, and rolls his eyes at him. “You’re being even more dramatic than Sirius. This is fine. Regulus gave you his number himself. Honestly, he’s been thirsting over you for weeks, and everytime you speak in our mandatory maths class, he’s looking at you with stars in his eyes,” Peter starts to enumerate, looking up at the ceiling, sitting back in his chair. Now that he isn’t reading anymore, he’s giving James his full attention. “The other day he asked if you were into blokes, by any means, and then he mindlessly asked if you were dating anyone. He was less discreet than a backhoe,” James stares at Peter while he’s monologuing, enumerating all of this as if it’s proving a point. “He even bought the only book he’s seen you with— which, by the way, is probably the only book I’ve seen you with, ever.”

“Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Seas?” James asks, unsure.

“Yes. That one. Not that good of a book, to be fair.”

James snorts, but his smile threatens to be back on his lips. “It was a good book.”

“Regulus bought it, and he managed to finish it before you. The fool.”

Honestly, it isn’t hard to finish reading a book before James. He’s rather slow. But he didn’t know Regulus bought it too. Maybe it is a coincidence.

“That doesn’t mean anything. It’s just a coincidence.”

Peter raises his eyebrows at him, giving him a look that more or less means: Are you kidding me right now?

“What?” James shrugs. “That’s true. It’s probably not that meaningf—”

In the corner of his eyes, James sees his phone light up. And he hears it vibrating. He literally jumps on it, under the amused look of Peter. He unlocks it nervously, to see his conversation with Regulus appearing.

James: hi, it’s James, from maths class :) i wanted to know if you were free tonight? i think you’re cool, and i’d like to know you better

James: so if you’re free some time, tell me

Regulus: Hi James. Thanks. I am free tonight, and yes, I think it would be nice to hang out sometime.