Drabble: James notices Y/N’s started wearing glasses and finds himself a little bit distracted.
James, as usual, couldn’t seem to stop going on about Lily. Even on this warm, Friday afternoon, as he and his friends walk through the corridors, looking for something to do, he rambles on.
“We get it, James,” Remus chuckles, “we’ve heard this about a billion times.”
“I would say this specific spiel is more like half a billion,” Sirius chuckles, slinging his arm over James’ shoulder as he nudges him, “he has a wide range of Lily-related topics he likes to bore us with after all,” Sirius laughs.
James pushes Sirius off of him, “I’m in love ok, let me be.”
“Ever one for the dramatics, prongs,” Remus chides, laughing along with Sirius.
Peter, dragging on behind them pipes up finally, “why are we just wandering around? I’m bored.”
Looking back at the whining boy Sirius rolls his eyes, “go find something to do then. We’re not here to put on a show.”
Peter huffs and turns away, starting to lag behind the group once again.
“Hey Y/N,” he yells suddenly, running off and out into the courtyard, over to where their friend is sitting reading a textbook. They look up and smile at the boy running towards them.
James feels his jaw drop without him even realising, looking over at their friend talking to Peter, admiring them. The way their legs cross over each other, the way they run their hand through their hair to smooth it out, the way they lean back and laugh at something Peter said.
And to top it off, those glasses. Oh, those glasses. James has never seen them wear them before, but the frames sit perfectly on their nose, framing their face, and for some reason, James can’t help but stare as his mind wanders.
Not for the first time he thought about kissing Y/N, laughing as his own glasses bump theirs as they lean in, imagining those beautiful eyes looking up at him, magnified by the lenses.
He’s yanked back into reality by a hand pulling at the back of his collar, turning to see himself centimeters away from a brick wall in front of him.
“Merlin mate, watch where you’re walking.”
He can’t even focus on Sirius’s comment, all he can bring himself to do is turn back to watch Y/N talk, marveling at the way they take their glasses off and rest them on top of their head.
Summary: After your family abandons you for falling in love with Regulus, the two of you are on your own until it comes time to deflect to the other side. Now that certain secrets are out and you are forced to be under James’ watchful gaze it’s time to determine if family ties can ever be once again fully mended.
It was another Tuesday. Another order meeting that so many members felt was becoming pointless. It felt as if they were getting nowhere and Voldemort was getting more ahead with each passing day.
“We have some good news for once.”
Moody grumbled as everyone took their seats. No one dared to say anything for a moment as “good news” did not happen often. It seemed bad news was all that any member of the order was entitled to. Dorcas had been killed a week before and was laid to rest the day before the current meeting.
“Do I dare ask what kind of good news are being privy to?”
Sirius asked. He didn’t want to bury another childhood friend. Hell, he didn’t want to bury anybody but funeral and burial seemed like just another occurrence….and he hated it. Moody nodded curtly as he leaned back in his chair.
“It seems Voldemort is taking up some darker magic than we expected…”
“Well, that sure is some good news.”
James grumbled from his place beside Lily. Moody shot him a dark look before continuing.
“If you lot can keep your opinions to yourself for a moment that would be great. As I was saying, Voldemort has apparently taken up making Horcruxes.”
No one in the order made a pleased as punch face upon hearing this information. Sirius leaned back in his chair muttering a quiet “fuck.” He wasn’t sure how Moody considered this good news but here they were.
“With this knowledge, we at least have a method of getting on upon him. I currently have someone working on tracking and a method of destroying the shit.”
Moody continued. James poked a hand up. He wasn’t about to interrupt Moody twice in one night and get hexed.
“How exactly do we know this is happening and who is working on this?”
Moody leaned back in his chair. He knew the next few moments were going to be some of the tensest moments in some time.
“We have someone from Voldemort’s side on our side now.”
No one dared say anything for a moment. Someone deflecting from the death eaters was unheard of. No one was brave enough to. It would have been suicide.
“Dare I ask who it is?”
Marlene commented. Moody stood up and walked to the door. The room was silent as the grave until the moment Regulus Black stepped in with you at his side. James, Sirius, and Lily’s mouths dropped. This was the last thing they EVER expected to happen! The last time that James had spoken to you was the night that you told him that you loved Regulus and were marrying him. After one hell of an argument, James said that he would never speak to you again and you replied with a “fine if that is what you want.” Now here you stood looking just as you had the last time that James laid eyes on you.
“How can we trust them?”
Marlene snapped. Moody turned to the nervous-looking young woman.
“Because I don’t think if Regulus handing over a Horcrux would have happened.”
“He gave you one?”
Sirius commented. He was surprised that his own voice worked. Seeing his little brother in the same room was a bundle of emotions. Sirius was going between furious, heartbroken, and thrilled.
“Yes, I gave him one.”
Regulus said in his neat as a pin eerily calm voice. Moody motioned to the chairs at the table as Regulus wrapped one hand around yours and limped to the seats. Sirius watched quietly a moment before curiosity got the better of him.
“What happened to you?”
Regulus’ cold eyes rolled up to his brother. This would be the first time that the two brothers had spoken in years.
“I almost had my leg ripped off by an inferi trying to get the Horcrux. I don’t recommend it.”
Sirius sat back in his chair as the realization that Regulus was the one that discovered the Horcrux hit home. It wasn’t just him learning information. Regulus had put the puzzle together and gone after the cursed item himself.
You sat quietly at Regulus’ side. When stepping into the room, you glanced at your older brother for a brief moment before looking away. Seeing James was yet another painful reminder of being abandoned because you fell in love with the wrong boy.
“Why would you want to help us?”
Marlene asked, genuinely curious. It had been no secret to the order that Regulus Black was a death eater. In fact, it was information that nearly sent Sirius around the twist when he found out. It had taken James, Remus, and Lily to convince him to not go after his brother and shake some sense into him.
“Because you lot have no idea what you are dealing with nor do you know what you are getting yourselves into. Right now, everyone is grabbing something of value and heading for the hills. If you want to stop Voldemort then this is the way….this is the only way. You can believe what I’m telling you or don’t…it will be your funeral.”
Regulus commented as James turned to you.
“Y/n, is he telling the truth?”
“We wouldn’t be here if he wasn’t.”
You replied. It felt strange talking to James. Hearing him say your name was thrilling yet painful at the same time. It made you feel, if even for a brief moment, as you had as a child. You had an older brother who loved you and wanted to see you do well in life.
“I don’t know why you would bother asking me though. I’m as bad as he is…in your eyes.”
You added. Regulus’ eyes flickered to you. The two of you were in agreement that neither party wanted to be involved with the order. Neither of you wanted to deal with the questioning and judgmental gazes but this was the only choice that you had. This was the only way to get rid of a madman that no one would have the knowledge of knowing how to kill.
James meanwhile ran a hand over his face.
“That’s not true.”
Regulus turned his attention to James. He would have been fine with going over and kicking James in the face or hexing him to kingdom come. Regulus had been the one that cared for you the past few years. He had been the one to see you go through inner hell because your family wanted nothing to do with you any longer. It had all been him. Now here sat big-headed James-fucking-Potter acting as if he were some typical older brother and was talking to you as if it were any other day.
James wasn’t there when you didn’t get an invitation to his and Lily’s wedding. He wasn’t there when you read the birth announcement in the Daily Prophet about their kid’s birth and cried for days. That was all Regulus. He was going to make god damn sure that James never hurt you again.
“Denial at its finest.”
Regulus commented. James turned to Regulus.
“What are you talking about, Black?”
Regulus shrugged before sneering at James.
“Denial is not just a river in Egypt, Potter. You haven’t spoken to your sister in years. None of you have. You call yourself friends? None of you have had anything to do with Y/n from the moment that she agreed to marry me. If you were any kind of brother, you would have dealt with it because I make your sister happy. With friends like the lot of you who honestly needs enemies.”
You wrapped your hand around Regulus’. The last thing that you wanted for him at the moment was to get too worked up. Since the incident with the inferi, Regulus’ had been permanently injured. His legs had never healed properly and he seemed weakened by the position that he was forced to drink. Since the incident, you had taken it upon yourself to care for him. Regulus had cared for you when you had no one; now it was your time to be the good wife and make sure he was well cared for in return.
James meanwhile was staring at the two of you with wide eyes. He wanted to make a comment. James wanted to call Regulus a sister stealing git who turned her to the dark side but he didn’t. Partially because Lily was squeezing his hand so tightly that he was about to lose circulation and also if he wanted to make any progress with you smarting off to your husband would probably be a shitty way to start.
“Okay, let’s just stop. We are all on the same side. Yeah, we have questions but insulting each other is getting nowhere.”
Remus commented from his place at Sirius’ side. Sirius had seemingly forgotten about his ability to speak as he stared at Regulus.
“He’s right. I don’t have the ambition to listen to family drama.”
Moody grumbled before continuing the meeting as if nothing happened. As far as Moody was concerned, the lot of you could work out your own issues when he was no longer there.
Once the meeting was over Moody turned to Remus.
“Sirius and yourself are to keep an eye on them.”
Regulus raised an eyebrow as Remus shrugged. Remus was not about to argue with Moody. It would get him nowhere.
“Keep an eye on us?”
Moody nodded coldly.
“You heard me right. I’m not saying that we don’t trust you but we don’t trust you. You have to earn that. The Horcrux is a good place to start but you both have a long way to go.”
Regulus clenched his jaw as all of the order members minus James, Lily, Remus, Sirius, and yourself sat at the table. Moody turned on his way to the door.
“Fix your shit and get over it. We don’t have time for family drama.”
No one said a word for a few moments. It was as if everyone was just waiting for someone else to say a word. Finally, Sirius decided to say something.
“So the inferi tried to turn you into a pretzel?”
Regulus raised an eyebrow. He wanted to say that he was happy to see his older brother but he wasn’t. Regulus was still bitter at Sirius for choosing the Potters over him. Leaving him in the horror house known as Grimmauld Place with expectations that Regulus never wanted was a poor way to be left.
“Something like that.”
Regulus replied. A silence fell over the room again.
“How’s mum and dad?”
Sirius asked. Regulus rolled his eyes for the 100th time.
“Mum is insane as always and dad is dead.”
“You seem so bothered.”
James muttered. Regulus turned to James with a dark look.
“We don’t all have lovely cozy relationships with our parents, Potter. Some of us have to deal with abuse and unfortunate abandonment. When dad had his heart attack that was another peaceful moment for me.”
Sirius winced. He knew that Regulus and Orion never had a great relationship. Regulus was the son that Orion never wanted and Orion was the father that Regulus was forced to deal with.
“What happened to him?”
Sirius asked. He had never heard exactly what happened to his father. There was an obituary (Where Sirius of course wasn’t mentioned) but no cause of death listed.
“He had a heart attack playing golf.”
Regulus replied. He couldn’t help but smirk at the look of confusion on his elder brother’s face. This was probably the last thing that Sirius ever expected to hear. In Regulus’ mind, Sirius was probably expecting Walbruga to poison him. That’s what Regulus would have thought would be the cause of Orion Black’s death if he wasn’t involved with the family any longer.
“I’m sorry but golf? Like muggle golf? Dad did realize that was a muggle thing right?”
Sirius question, feeling beyond confused. Regulus again nodded as if this was no weird conversation. To Regulus, this was just facts.
“I can’t say why he was investing time in that hobby. Mother thinks it has something to do with some skirt he was chasing. Anyway, there was a swan that dad thought looked at him weird….”
Sirius couldn’t help it but he started laughing interrupting Regulus.
“Merlin help me…a swan? What?”
Regulus blinked coldly.
“Yes, a swan. Apparently, it honked at him and dad decided to whack it with the golf club except his plan backfired. He had a heart attack and the swan lived.”
Sirius couldn’t help the laughter that came out of him. This was possibly the funniest thing that he had heard in some time. Even with Regulus, being as inanimate as inanimate could be, it was the funniest thing that Sirius had heard.
“Damn, all of those years mum spent trying to kill him and he was offed by a swan.”
Regulus wished that he could have laughed. He wished that he could have said that he found it amusing (because it was) but he couldn’t. Regulus couldn’t bring himself to show too much emotion around the people in front of him. Maybe in time, when he learned to trust them, he could but for now, all of his walls were up.
“We would like to be shown to a room. While this conversation has been amusing, Y/n and I are both tired.”
Lily got up quickly.
“We have a guest room upstairs. Dinner should be ready in an hour or so.”
Your heart ached to look at Lily and hear her voice. She had been the sister-in-law that you had always wanted. Hearing her talk brought back the same old wounds as hearing James and Sirius’ voices.
“Thank you.”
You replied as Regulus stood up. Neither of you said another word before leaving the room. Maybe in the coming months, you would find a way to heal old wounds but today was not that day.
The moment the bedroom door closed behind you, Regulus limped to the bed and sat down. You moved to sit beside him.
“Well, here we are.”
You said, keeping your voice down.
“Yes, here we are. Do you hate this as badly as I do? I feel like all of their eyes are upon us like a herd of wild jackals and we are the prey.”
You moved to sit on Regulus’ lap. Snuggling your face against his shoulder, you wanted to disagree. You wanted to say that they were just being careful and everything would smooth out but you couldn’t. Neither of you knew how long this feeling of “being under the microscope” would last. It could be a week, a month, a year, or even the rest of eternity.
“I hate it too, Reggie. I suppose we should get used to being looked at the way we were because it isn’t going to stop until they trust us.”
“Which could be the 12th of never.”
Regulus grumbled. He was again quiet a moment before focusing his attention on your pretty face. Regulus hated seeing you look so down and depressed. He hated it even more that he was the cause you were this way. If he hadn’t agreed to be a death eater, you would never had lost contact with your family. You would never have had to feel so alone and abandoned…but here the two of you were.
“Do you regret it?”
He asked. You frowned turning to look at your husband curiously.
“Regret coming here? We didn’t really have a…”
“No, Y/n. Do you ever regret marrying me? You could have had something different. Your family would have never done you the way that they did.”
You quickly leaned forward and pressed your lips to Regulus’ silencing him for a moment. When you leaned back he gave you a small smile that he reserved only for you.
“Regulus, I regret nothing. I married you because I love you. I’m exactly where I want to be…well maybe not in this room being judged by our siblings but I’m with you. If I didn’t want to marry you then I would have said no. As far as my family…I suppose it shows that the Potters aren’t so damn perfect after all. They made their choice just as I made mine….and I don’t regret anything.”
Regulus nodded before leaning forward and kissing you again.
“I’m sure all of this will end up alright…somehow. Your safety is worth being stuck in a house full of idiots that I despise. Maybe it doesn’t have to be so horrible. We’ll keep to ourselves and mind our own business.”
You moved to make sure the door was locked before pulling your dress over your head to change.
“Minding our own business is a great idea. Let’s see how long it takes one of us to go off on the lot of them. I say a day.”
Regulus raised an eyebrow before smirking.
“You are more generous than I am, love. I say an hour.”
You moved to join Regulus back on the bed.
“At least we have each other.”
Regulus wrapped a hand around yours and squeezed gently.
Request: hey there love! i’d like to request a Hufflepuff! reader x regulus story where Regulus and the reader are dating but Reg keeps it as a secret because he doesn’t want it “ruining his reputation” The rest is up to you.
You thought miserably as you plopped down in front of James and Sirius. Both boys looked up at you curiously. Over the past few months, both boys had noticed a change in your usually sunny disposition. You had gone from happy-go-lucky to moody and grumpy with little to no explanation of what was going on.
James gave Sirius a shrug. He was half considering bringing the subject up to Remus whenever he got out of the hospital. As your older brother, Remus probably had an idea about what was bothering you.
Sirius gave James a grin before speaking.
“Don’t you look like a ray of absolute sunshine this morning?”
You barely looked up when Sirius made a sarcastic comment. In fact, you didn’t comment at all. Neither James nor Sirius would understand what you were dealing with anyway. Why would they? Neither of your brother’s friends had to hide their relationship or feel like some dirty secret. No, that was all you. You were the one that was being treated as if you weren’t good enough.
Glancing across the grass, your eyes locked on Regulus who was quietly talking to Evan Rosier and Barty Crouch Jr. It took all you had not to march up to your boyfriend of a year and end it all…but you wouldn’t. You loved Regulus and that was what led to your current position.
A year ago you agreed to be Regulus’ girlfriend. You had been crushing on Regulus for ages and now that he wanted to be your boyfriend you were over the moon. The only thing was it came with a catch. Regulus wanted to keep it secret. He didn’t want word getting out that he had a girlfriend. He had his “precious reputation” to protect and somehow you would ruin that.
If I had any kind of spine I would have told him to shove off but no…I was so desperate for love and attention I made this stupid agreement.
Request: hey there love! i’d like to request a Hufflepuff! reader x regulus story where Regulus and the reader are dating but Reg keeps it as a secret because he doesn’t want it “ruining his reputation” The rest is up to you.
You thought miserably as you plopped down in front of James and Sirius. Both boys looked up at you curiously. Over the past few months, both boys had noticed a change in your usually sunny disposition. You had gone from happy-go-lucky to moody and grumpy with little to no explanation of what was going on.
James gave Sirius a shrug. He was half considering bringing the subject up to Remus whenever he got out of the hospital. As your older brother, Remus probably had an idea about what was bothering you.
Sirius gave James a grin before speaking.
“Don’t you look like a ray of absolute sunshine this morning?”
You barely looked up when Sirius made a sarcastic comment. In fact, you didn’t comment at all. Neither James nor Sirius would understand what you were dealing with anyway. Why would they? Neither of your brother’s friends had to hide their relationship or feel like some dirty secret. No, that was all you. You were the one that was being treated as if you weren’t good enough.
Glancing across the grass, your eyes locked on Regulus who was quietly talking to Evan Rosier and Barty Crouch Jr. It took all you had not to march up to your boyfriend of a year and end it all…but you wouldn’t. You loved Regulus and that was what led to your current position.
A year ago you agreed to be Regulus’ girlfriend. You had been crushing on Regulus for ages and now that he wanted to be your boyfriend you were over the moon. The only thing was it came with a catch. Regulus wanted to keep it secret. He didn’t want word getting out that he had a girlfriend. He had his “precious reputation” to protect and somehow you would ruin that.
If I had any kind of spine I would have told him to shove off but no…I was so desperate for love and attention I made this stupid agreement.
You grumbled in your mind. It didn’t matter how much you loved Regulus…at the moment you were ready to end things and go about your business.
“Hello…earth to sunshine…come in sunshine.”
Sirius’ obnoxious voice pulled you from your mind.
“Would you hush already?”
You snapped. Sirius and James both blinked awkwardly as they stared at you. It wasn’t often when you kicked off but here lately you were doing it a lot.
“Um…sorry? What has your knickers in such a twist? You are acting just like my grumpy brother over there.”
Sirius commented. You sighed and turned back to Sirius.
“I’m just not in the mood, okay?”
James decided to come in. He gave Sirius a look that said “my turn.”
“Want to tell us what is bothering you so bad? It’s not often that you see Hufflepuffs so grumpy and snapping. Is it because Remus is in the hospital? He’ll be out in a day or two.”
“It isn’t about Remus.”
You replied, coldly. James scratches his head as Lily sits down. She automatically realizes that you are in a hell of a mood. Lily had noticed, just like James and Sirius, that you were awfully moody lately.
“Y/n, are you okay? We are all really worried about you.”
“Just forget it.”
You grumbled before standing up and walking off. At the moment, you wanted to be somewhere by yourself. In your haste, you didn’t notice Regulus, Evan, and Barty all watching with curious expressions on their faces.
“Would you look at that? The little ball of happy sunshine is in a mood again.”
Evan commented with a chuckle. Barty quickly came in.
“She snapped on Flitwick the other day.”
“Too bad she is suddenly so moody. I was about to ask her on a date. Now I don’t think I even want to. I’m moody enough without help.”
Evan said as he moved to lie backward in the grass. Regulus, meanwhile, was staying silent. He knew exactly why you were moody. You were pissed at him…not that he blamed you. On the last date, you had mentioned actually going public with the relationship and Regulus said no.
“At least you know yourself. I’ll see you lot later.”
Regulus commented before getting up and going in the opposite direction of you. He had an idea where you were headed but didn’t want to raise anyone’s suspicions.
Walking into the forest, Regulus only had to walk a few feet before seeing you sitting with a book open on your lap.
“I owe you for yelling at my brother. He looked totally stunned.”
You looked up from your book. Regulus stood a few feet away. You decided to take a few moments to respond. Instead, you only looked at your boyfriend.
Damn him and his perfect jaw line.
You thought before deciding to speak.
“Why are you here Regulus?”
Regulus let his bag fall to the ground before crossing his arms in that annoying way that made him look superior to all.
“I saw your little nasty scene back there and as your boyfriend, I wanted to make sure that you were okay.”
You snorted. “Your boyfriend” funny way to put what the two of you were. At the moment, you couldn’t help but think about how much you “gave” to this relationship. In one year, you kept a massive secret from your brother and all of your friends. You respected all of Regulus’ boundaries. To you, Regulus was just some guy that you got to meet in secret to spend time with, snog, and sometimes hold hands with. He hated being touched and everything was on his terms. That you were totally fine with. If Regulus was uncomfortable with sex, holding hands, and kissing then you could respect his boundaries until he was comfortable. The key phrase was you did everything.
Regulus never initiated dates. It was always you setting up everything and slipping him the notes. He didn’t notice when you were upset. In fact, he didn’t seem to care at all. You had to tell him how upset you were before he would acknowledge any pain you were feeling about whatever the subject of misery was. Regulus would then dismiss whatever you were upset about with an “I’m sure it isn’t as bad as it seems.”
Maybe I need to talk to him?
You thought. The relationship seemed to be you giving and Regulus just taking. Something needed to be “given” in your favor.
“Boyfriend…right.”
You commented before getting up and starting to walk away. Regulus reached out and grabbed your arm to stop you then promptly let you go.
“What’s with you? Are you still mad about our relationship?”
Regulus asked, his voice becoming colder by the second. You sighed. It was now or never. You needed to let him know how you felt because he clearly wasn’t going to figure it out on his own.
“I don’t think that we really have one.”
Regulus looked a bit confused. To him, the relationship was perfect. He had you all to himself for periods each day. Regulus didn’t have to worry about his neurotic mother getting involved and throwing a fit over your half-blood status. Regulus could keep his reputation for the purebloods but have a safe place with you.
“Yes, we do. We don’t shove it in other people’s faces and be obnoxious about it.”
“I’m not allowed to tell anyone about it.”
You replied. Regulus again looked confused.
“I don’t understand why you want everyone to know so badly. One person finds out and it will be like wildfire. People will be expecting things that neither of us wants…why deal with all of that?”
You stood silently a moment making Regulus question if you heard him.
“You don’t want anyone to know because my blood status is an embarrassment to you. Just like me having a brother that is a werewolf would be an embarrassment for you. The great Regulus Black dating some filthy half-blood with a werewolf brother…how scandalous would that be? Let’s face it, Regulus we are both just wasting our time with all of this. Nothing will come of it anyway. We will graduate and you will marry some pureblood girl…and to hell with whatever happens to me.”
Regulus’ face was livid.
“You know nothing of what will happen in the future.”
“It’s kind of obvious, Regulus. Look at your family. Do you think your mother will ever be accepting of me? No. You won’t do anything to displease her.”
“That’s not true.”
Regulus said in a soft voice. You snorted, laughing bitterly for a moment.
“Yes, it is! That is all you do! You do nothing but please her. If it wasn’t true then you wouldn’t have kept me as some dirty secret for a year. We wouldn’t have to be acting like your brother and snogging in the hallways. I would have respected your boundaries until you were comfortable approaching them. We could have been just like we are now but no. You won’t do it because your family won’t approve. I’ll never be good enough for you or them. I’ll see you around.”
You moved to walk past Regulus again and again he reached for your hand.
“Y/n, please… it’s not what you think.”
“Stop lying to me and yourself, Regulus. We both deserve better than that. Now as I said…I’ll see you around. Good luck with whatever pureblood princess you end up with.”
This time Regulus didn’t stop you. He stood looking like the lost puppy that had been kicked too many times and now did not know how to reciprocate love watching as your form grew smaller and smaller in the thick woods.
You knew that you would probably regret your decision when you cooled off but at the same time, you also deserved better. No one deserved to be someone’s dirty secret because they didn’t know how to tell their family about them. You deserved better and for once you needed to think about yourself.
Taking a breath you stopped and leaned against a heavy tree. You partially were listening to see if Regulus was trying to catch up with you. As expected, you heard silence. No birds, no trees moving in the wind…just complete and utter bone-chilling silence.
Summary: After four years of living abroad with a new life, Regulus has to return to London to war that he doesn’t want to be in. The life that he has built after a horrible childhood is threatened. Now its time to fight back or lose it all.
When the door opened, the breath once again caught in Regulus’ chest. What was going to say to Sirius? Their conversations had been very limited. It was mostly Sirius begging Regulus to come home and Regulus saying no. Now they were going to be living in the same house together for the first time since they were teenagers and Regulus had no idea what they were going to talk about.
Part of him hoped Sirius wouldn’t bring up their childhood because that was the last damn thing that Regulus wanted to talk about. Another part of him did. The still bitter and angry part that Regulus kept under lock and key wanted to tell Sirius how angry (and heartbroken) he was that Sirius chose to leave. Regulus wanted to tell Sirius how much it hurt him to see his older brother living his best life with James Potter.
Sirius acted as if Regulus no longer existed after the night he left. He would walk right past Regulus as if he were just another face in the crowd. Sirius acted as if Regulus wasn’t the person that he sat trembling with huddled in a closet when their mother was on a warpath and looking for a punching bag. None of that seemed to matter anymore. Regulus was nothing to Sirius and that was how Regulus saw himself…nothing.
I’m not the person that I used to be nor is he…I need to give him a chance.
Summary:songfic inspired by “Moonlight on the River “by Mac Demarco.November 1981.
Pairing:Sirius Black x Male Reader
Key:(Y/N)- your name, (L/N)- last name
Word Count:1300
⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅
I’d say, see you next time, if I thought there were a next time Easy conversation, ain’t exactly where we’re at It’s so strange, deciding, how I feel about you It ain’t like, I ain’t used, to going on without you I’m home, with moonlight on the river, saying my goodbyes I’m home, there’s moonlight on the river, everybody dies I’m home, with moonlight on the river, saying my goodbyes I’m home, there’s moonlight on the river, everybody dies
⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅
The cold autumn night nipped at your nose as you searched. You hadn’t seen Sirius in two days and you were getting worried. Remus was resting as it was your turn to search. You felt dumb for letting him leave that night. You weren’t even sure what he was doing, rumors had started that he was the one who did it. It made your head spin as you cast a small warming spell on your hands, it was so cold.
You reached your door coming back from a fruitless mission to find him, but you noticed a hooded figure waiting at the door. As you got closer you noticed it was Sirius’s sleep deprived face, he looked like he hadn’t slept in the whole 72 hours since he left that morning. Your chest hurt as you approached him, the soft streetlight reflected on his face, stubble sat on his face unshaved, his hair greasy and unkept. It was hard to control yourself, you wanted to scream and shout at him for abandoning you until your voice was lost, yet you wanted to hug and kiss his face softly and cry.
He turned towards you, finally noticing you walking towards. He looked as if he wasn’t there anymore. He wasn’t your Sirius anymore. The man who stood in front of you was a shell of his former self. You almost failed to see the man you knew behind it. It felt too long ago that he was smiling, his hair blowing in the late summer air.
He was trying to say something to you, but your ears were ringing. You couldn’t focus on the words coming from his lips as you stared at them. He was going on about Wormtail, Prongs, secrets, how little time was left and explosions , but all your mind did was wonder to seeing him holding little Harry in his arms making little paper figures dance in the air. You took a step forward, trying to get a better look at who he had become. Maybe he was always this, you thought to yourself. How could you have not seen it?
As if it was an open, warm invitation, Sirius also took a step forward, closing the gap between you, his eyes searching for anything in yours. Anything that could make him believe you trusted him.
“Please don’t come any closer.” You said softly, your voices wavering. Your mind was on an unsteady balance, teetering on the end of caution. You crossed your arms, crawling into yourself. He looked hurt by this.
“You have to trust me.” He said as if he hadn’t been on the run since that night. He looked guilty enough. He looked terrible. You felt awful inside unable to trust the man who held you so sweetly in his arms not even a week ago.
“Did you-” You choked out as your eyes burned. It wasn’t really a question and Sirius had no real answer for it either. He just stood in silence, turning his back away from you. He couldn’t bear to look at you. You both knew what this was. You could feel your throat straining as you tried your best to repress a sob.
“I did something bad. I know.” He admitted guiltily, his eyes failing to meet you. “Something truly awful.” He laughed sadly. His shoulders trembled as he spoke to you. “Something I know you can never forgive me for.” Your eyes widen.
“Sirius, you’re scaring me.” You replied shakily, taking a step back. His voice ripped through his throat as he spoke like he’d been screaming for days.
“Please believe I didn’t mean for it to get here.” He cried out desperately. Couldn’t he just leave you out of something for once. Couldn’t he just die with his friends? Why did he have to be here? Now?
“He was our friend. They were our friends, Sirius.” You were horrified, he killed your friends. You started taking a few steps away from him, he followed the steps until you were backed up against your front door.
“Please believe me.” He begged you, his eyes lit up by the soft streetlight. His facial expressions were desperate for you to say anything he could cling to. He was scared.
“I don’t know w-what to believe.” Tears were freely falling down your face, your throat burned as you spoke, closing and opening as you sobbed, scared.
You screamed for Remus, praying he could hear you. Please don’t be asleep, you thought. You had found Sirius and yet now confronted with him. You were scared. You screamed once more trying to get anyone’s attention. Anyone.
“I’m sorry I did this to you.” He choked out, you looked into his eyes, tears falling down his cheeks. You heard people apparating around you as Sirius graced your memory with one more sad smile. The last sad smile.
“I love you, (Y/N). I hope you can trust me again one day, my dear.” That last thing he said to you, you screamed bloody murder as he got dragged away from you by aurors, but he just let it happen.
“Sirius Black was arrested on suspicion of use in black magic and the betrayal leading to murder of one James and Lily Potter who died earlier this week. The Boy who Lived’s location is yet to be revealed if it ever will. Later Sirius Black was found at the residence of his former (Y/N) (L/N) and known lycanthrope Remus Lupin. They-“ Your stomach felt ill as Remus read the paper to you, you couldn’t bring yourself to even look at it yet.
“Did they have to mention my lycanthropy?” Remus sighed as he read the news. You were still in shock, the cuppa in your hands shaking slightly as you listened.
“Black will be sent to Azkaban without trial being charged for misuse of magic, an account of conspiracy against the ministry and one account of first degree murder for the case of three victims…” Remus fell silent at the end, closing the pages of news. “It’s not that interesting anyway. That was all they had on him. The rest is about Harry.”
“Harry…” You said, looking at your uneaten toast. Your stomach curled further thinking about that poor boy. You missed him. You were supposed to have a birthday party today, Sirius’s birthday. Tears started to fall down your face as you stared harder at your toast. His gift was still underneath your bed. It felt trivial to cry over something like this, thinking about your favourite person in a cold cell on his birthday. The person who murdered and betrayed your other favourite people.
Remus looked like he was barely holding it together either, holding most of himself together trying to help you. You heard a soft tremble of sobs coming from the other side of the breakfast nook. You looked up at him, his head down as tears fell onto the pages of the Daily Prophet.
“He really can’t stay out of trouble.” He said it as if Sirius got caught sneaking cigarettes into the school again. “On his birthday no less. He’s always been for the drama. That bastard.” Remus looked up to meet your eyes, his face distorted in anger and sadness. You couldn’t help crying too, the walls you both put up came crashing down.
Remus was suddenly on the floor in front of you, his head in your lap as he cried violently. You pulled his head up to look at you, wiping the tears on his face, bringing yourself down to him as you hugged him. You buried your face in his shoulder, him doing the same as you both cried until you couldn’t do anything, but tremble in each other’s arms. The last two Marauders, left alone together.
Y/N is crouched over the toilet in the back of the local dive bar. She’s doing her best to keep her balance but between the high heels, the alcohol she consumed and the small surface of the toilet seat, she knows it’s only a matter of time before her foot lands in something she doesn’t want to think about. She’s staring at the screen of her phone, an unknown number glaringly white against the black drop of her dial page. The girl who had been in the bathroom when she rushed in had taken one look at her face and understood the situation and offered this number, stating that it’s a group of guys from uni that are happy to offer their protection to anyone who feels unsafe after the sun goes down.
I don’t need anyone to save me,she thinks but then, her traitorous mind supplies her with images of the man who’s probably waiting for her outside the women’s bathroom. Her thumb quickly presses the green icon.
——-
“James, mate, wake up.”
With a groan, the man in questions stirs, trying to ignore his best friend. He opens one eye, attempting to focus on his surroundings but failing because of the dark and lack of glasses. “What do you want, Remus?”
The other man rolls his eyes, pulling the covers away from James’ body and ignoring the boy’s protests. “Our services are needed.”
Those words make all protests and bad mood evaporate. James sits up immediately, reaching for his glasses and slipping them on. “How long ago?”
Remus smiles at the protective tone his friend’s voice takes whenever this happens. He’s proud of how much James has grown since he’s met him at the tender age of eleven. “Not long, maybe five minutes. I’d go myself but Sirius is pretty sick and you know how he gets…” they share a knowing smirk, pictures of a sick and pouty Sirius filling their minds. “I’d ask Pete but he’s out on a date so that leaves you.”
James is out of bed before Remus finishes speaking, gathering the cleanest clothes he can find littered around his floor. “Where are they?”
“She’s at the Three Broomsticks. Her name is Y/N and she’s locked in one of the stalls of the women’s washroom.” Remus presses on their communal phone’s screen and turns it towards James, “Y/N is the one with the y/c/h and black top. The guy might still be right outside the door of the bathroom. You can either text or call her, hers is the last number that called.”
James nods, pocketing the phone and heading towards the door, “I’ll text you when I’m on my way home.”
“Be careful, Prongs.”
James grins and shoots a wink over his shoulder, “Always am, Moony!”
——-
It doesn’t take long for James to reach the dive bar. It’s nearly three thirty am but being a Friday night, he isn’t surprised to see the area in front of the entrance full of students loitering around sharing fags and laughs. He quickly enters the pub, a cloud of smoke following him and stops for a moment to shoot Y/N a text, letting her know that he’s just arrived and making his way to towards the restrooms.
Thank you so much for coming! The man I’m trying to avoid is tall and bulky and has gray hair and is plain creepy.The response comes in within seconds and James smiles despite the situation at hand. Even though he’s been doing this since his first year, he still can’t comprehend how some people are incapable of respecting someone else’s decision, making them feel so unsafe that they have to call in some stranger to rescue them. Now more than ever, James is glad that he has his act together and that his reputation as a mischievous yet good person precedes him.
It doesn’t take him long to spot the man Y/N was describing and it takes all his self control to not confront him. Ignoring the other man, James slips into the women’s washroom, making sure to lean against the door with all his weight. He hears shuffling from one of the stalls, and trying to be as reassuring as possible, he calls out for Y/N.
A few seconds later, a face pops out from one of the cubicles and James tries to smile reassuringly. Y/N eyes him wearily, “James?”
James nods, “Pleasure to meet you, Y/N. I’m here to escort you home.” He knows that at the best of times, he’s an oblivious wanker but only a blind mind wouldn’t be able to see the palpable relief on the girl’s face when she notices him there.
“Thank you so much for doing this,” Y/N says as she tries to find her footing again, having spent the last twenty-three minutes squatting while in heels makes her unsteady. James offers his hand, letting her grip it tightly as she rises to her full height. “When that girl said that there was a group of guys that always come when you call, I thought she was setting me up.”
James raises his eyebrows, eyes glancing down at their conjoined hands. Girls in these situations tend to stand a few feet away from him, at least in the beginning, still afraid that he was going to hand them over to whomever was harassing them. “Then why’d you call?”
Y/N looks in to his eyes, and James finds himself a bit breathless for some reason. “Because not all men are bad and I need to have a bit of faith in the world.”
James grins, squeezing her hand before letting go. “I’m glad you called. I promise I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Y/N tilts her head to the side, studying him for a moment before smiling back. “I believe you.”
James’ grin grows brighter. He pushes himself off the door, “I don’t know if he’s still out there but my plan is to play the part of your boyfriend so that, even if he is still here, he’s less likely to try anything.” Y/N makes a face, one that James has seen many times before. He shrugs, grimacing. “I know. It’s bloody ridiculous that men only back off when a girl is taken. However, tonight we are going to use this to our advantage.”
Y/N nods, wringing her hands nervously in front of her, “How?”
“If you’re comfortable with it, I’m going to wrap my arm around your waist until we’re a few blocks away.”
Once again, the girl nods. She wobbles a bit as she moves towards him, and James gently grips her forearms to prevent her from falling. She gives him a sheepish smile, “I’m normally really good on heels, but between the drinks, the squatting and the adrenaline finally wearing off, these things are death traps.”
James shakes his head, smiling softly at her. “I get it, really. I’ve been so drunk I could barely stand, and I was just wearing flats.”
Y/N laughs, letting James wrap his arm around her waist and tucking her into his side. He lets her lean heavily against his body as they start walking and he gives her hip a gentle squeeze. A reminder that he’s there for her and will keep her safe. With a sigh, she reaches one hand out to open the door and wraps the other one around his waist.
The creep is still there, leaning against the wall across from the door as the two exit and Y/N feels a cold sweat break across her skin. James holds grows tighter as he drops his head so that he can whisper in her ear. “It’s going to be fine. I’ve got you.” She can feel his lips graze her ear even through her hair and the shiver that now runs down her spine is for an entirely different reason.
The man pushes himself from the wall, taking a menacing step forward but James doesn’t let it phase him. He knows what he looks like and he knows how to make himself look menacing. He stares the man down, arm still securely around Y/N but he knows that if he has to, it will take less than a second to push Y/N behind him.
“Can we help you?” James keeps his tone cheery, a fake smile on his lips but his posture and eyes let the whole room know that he is not to be messed with.
“No” is the reply and Y/N finds herself holding on tighter to James.
James’ fake smile only gets bigger, “Grand. Then if you don’t mind, my girl and I would love to be on our way.”
Without waiting for a reply, he quickly escorts the girl out of the hallway, “Keep looking ahead.” He instructs as they push through the crowded pub to get to the exit.
Y/N does as he says and when the cool night air hits her warm skin, she sighs in relief. She’s quick to steer them in the direction of the flat she shares with her friends and James, true to his words, drops the arm from her waist when they make it three blocks from the pub and there is no sign that they are being followed.
They walk in silence, each lost in their own thoughts and it feels as if only a few seconds have passed when they stop before the door of her building.
“Thank you, James,” she turns to look at him, hands wrapping around her stomach as the feelings of the evening start hitting her full force, “I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t shown up.”
He grins at her, ruffling his hair before shoving his hands into the back pockets of his jeans. It makes his chest appear larger and he doesn’t miss the way Y/N’s eyes rank his form. He feels blood rushing to his cheeks, “All in a night’s work. Save the number, although I really hope you never need it again.”
A part of him hopes that she does need, if just to see her again.
Y/N nods, placing a hand on his shoulder as she swiftly lets her lips graze his cheek. “Thank you. Have a good night, James.”
“You too, Y/N.”
James watches her enter the building before he turns around and starts the trek back towards his own flat.
——
Y/N really thought that she would never need to use James’ number again, even though she really wanted an excuse to see him again. There’s something about his reassuring presence and his smile that ties her stomach into knots. She’d love to see him again and get to know him.
Y/N tries not to dwell on the fact that it’s been well over a month and James has most likely forgotten all about her, him being a knight in shining armour and whatnot but a girl can dream. And she does. A lot. Every day. And night.
Y/N really does think she’ll never see him again when, at the end of a closing shift at the small coffee shop on campus, through the glass windows, she can see the same man from the pub hanging around. She almost regrets telling Gideon he could leave early but she knows how much studying he still needs to get done and as freaked as she is, her heart misses a beat at the thought of seeing James again.
Turning off the backroom lights and working on getting the last of the machines cleaned, she ignores the creep as best she can but when she realizes that he doesn’t seem to have any intention of leaving without confronting her, she pulls her phone from her apron and quickly dials James’ number. It only rings a few times before his voice reaches her ears, “‘Lo?”
“James? It’s Y/N.” She sighs in relief at the sound of his voice.
“Oh! Hi!” Y/N fools herself into thinking he’s equally excited to hear from her as she is to call him. “You ok?”
She hesitates only a second but he picks up on it, “Where are you?”
Her shoulders loosen and she feels tears fill her eyes, “I work at the small cafe on campus, right next to the library.”
“Lucky for you, I just got kicked out of the library because it’s closing time.” James chuckles at himself, hitching his bag higher on his shoulder as he quickens his pace. “Are there any customers or coworkers with you?”
Y/N shakes her head, “No, we closed about thirty minutes ago and I let Gid go home early.”
James speeds up, willing his legs to carry him faster, “It’s okay. I can stay on the phone with you.”
Y/N finally lets the tears fall along her cheeks, “It’s the same man as last time.”
James’ steps falter at her admission, the revelation only making him want to get there quicker, “Do you know him?”
“I’ve seen him around a few times.” She admits, moving behind the counter so she has a better view of the door. “He came to the cafe before and flirted with me and other girls but I don’t even know his name. I don’t understand why -”
“There’s nothing to understand.” James cuts her off, having to stop at a red light. He taps his foot impatiently and checks both sides before dashing across the street. “You did nothing wrong and he’s just a creep. I’m only a block or so away. Are you ready to leave?”
Y/N puts the phone on speaker and rests it on the clean surface. “Basically, yeah. I cleaned everything and I’m grabbing my stuff as we speak. All I need to do is turn off the lights and lock up.”
James smiles when he sees the coffee shop, “Grand! I can see the sign so you can go ahead and start turning everything off. I’ll be at the door when you reach it.”
“Do you mind staying on the line until I’m actually with you?” James hates how afraid she sounds. He doesn’t know her and has helped so many students throughout the years, yet something about Y/N makes him feel more protective than ever before.
“Of course not.” He’s quick to reassure her, “I’m here and I see the wanker. Come out whenever you’re ready, love.”
Y/N feels her face heat up at the pet name, and enjoys it much more than she should. Turning off the lights, she rushes towards the door, unlocking it before closing it behind her. She smiles in relief when James comes to stand right next to her, eyes narrowed at the retreating form of the man. Her hands shake as she tries to get the key into the lock and she jumps when a pair of warm hands cover hers. “Let me,” James whispers, taking the keys from her hand. He doesn’t move away from her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as he locks the door. Y/N’s shaking and she lets herself be comforted by his warmth. James turns slightly, bringing her in for a hug and Y/N grabs a fistful of his jacket as she starts crying.
“I’m sorry,” she says between sobs, “I’m not usually like this.”
James smiles sadly, rubbing her back and squeezing her tightly, “You have nothing to apologize for.”
They stand like that for a good amount of time: James with his arms around her and soothing words, Y/N with her face crushed against his shoulder as she tries to stop crying. With an arm still keeping her close to his chest, James pulls out his phone and makes a call.
Y/N can feel his chest vibrate with the words he’s speaking but she isn’t really aware of what’s being said. She trusts James. He will make sure she makes it home safely. Both his arms are around her again and she’s finally starting to relax when a car’s horn makes her jump and cling to James even harder.
James doesn’t laugh as she expects him to. He just holds on to her. “It’s just my mate Remus. He’s going to give us a lift. He’s actually the one you spoke to on the phone last time.”
Y/N keeps her face hidden against his shoulder as she mumbles “He is?”
James nods, trying to get her to walk towards the car, “Yeah. Gentle giant really.”
Y/N finally looks up and James smiles sadly at her tear-stained cheeks and puffy eyes, “Don’t let him know that I’m finally admitting this, but he’s taller than I am.”
James is rewarded with her laughter. She takes a step back, wiping her cheeks to rid any evidence of tears, “You keep saving me, I think I can keep this secret for you.”
James grins, gently taking her hand in his as he leads her towards the car idling by the curb. He opens the door for her, letting her settle before sitting beside her. He nods towards his friends in the front seats.
Remus turns around to give her a gentle smile, and if he sees the signs of her breakdown, he doesn’t acknowledge it. “Where to?”
Y/N rattles off her address, relaxing against the seat as the boys introduce themselves. None of them comment on what happened, doing their best to make her laugh and in no time at all, they’re pulling up in front of her building. Just like the previous time, James follows her to the door, patiently waiting as her shaky hands look for her keys in her bag. As she unlocks the door, James places a hand on her arm, making her turn to face him. He just smiles, reaching for his own bag.
Fuck it, he thinks as he reaches for a notepad and pen. Scribbling something on the bottom corner of the first page he opens it to, he rips it and passes it to her. She gives him a questioning look and James blushes. “It’s my personal phone number.” He explains, rubbing the back of his head, “The number you call is an old one and me and the lads take turns with it.”
Y/N smiles, pocketing his number, secretly thrilled. “And why are you giving me your personal number?”
James’ blush seems to intensify but he keeps looking her in the eyes, a lopsided smile tugging his lips upwards, “You seem to have a knack for getting yourself in trouble and well, I figured you felt comfortable enough 'round me.”
Just like last time, Y/N kisses his cheek gently, “Thank you, James.”
He nods, smiling and starts backing away, eyes still on her as she goes to enter her building. She stops when he calls out her name. She turns and sees him grinning at her, hands deep in his back pockets, “If you wanted to text or call even when you’re not in need of saving, I’d be more than happy to hear from you.”
Y/N laughs, returning his grin, “I’ll keep that in mind!”
——-
As much as they’ve been texting and speaking on the phone, Y/N and James have yet to have time for an actual date though both know that’s what they want. Even if they don’t hang out alone one-on-one, James and his friends had started coming to the cafe regularly. They’re friends now, hanging out together, studying as a group. She just wishes she could get some alone time with the guy she’s pining after. They had even taken to walking her home, as well as having her over for dinner and drinks. Y/N had never had a group of friends, always preferring to hang out with one or two friends max, but James and the lads made being around them so easy and natural.
The coffee shop is scheduled to close in an hour and most of the patrons are taking their leave as Gideon starts closing off the machinery, cleaning them in the process and Y/N starts wiping down the empty tables and taking the garbage out.
There are only four tables occupied at the moment: one with James and his friends, one with Gideon’s brother and their friends, and the other two had students finishing up a study group. As Y/N makes her rounds, warning everyone present that they’d be closing shortly, James couldn’t help but stare at her.
“Isn’t she just gorgeous?” He asks dreamily, ignoring his friends’ eye rolls.
“Just ask her out. Put us out of our misery.” Begs Sirius.
This had been the only topic of conversation for the past month and all the boys are fed up with his pining.
“It’s complicated.”
“It’s really not. You like her, she likes you. Go snog her so we can end this endless pining. ” Remus shrugs, earning himself a glare.
“You think I don’t want to?” James runs a hand through his hair, finally glancing away from Y/N. “What if you’re wrong?”
The boys burst out laughing and when James yells that it’s not that funny, tears spring from their eyes as they hunch over the table. Y/N glances their way, a confused expression on her face and James wishes that the ground would swallow him whole. He slides lower in his seat, arms crossed over his chest and cheeks in flames. He was going to get back at them.
Y/N comes by, hugging him from behind and letting her chin rest on top of his messy hair, “What’s so funny?”
James glares at his friends, kicking Sirius in the shin when he saw him open his mouth, “Nothing, love. We were just taking the piss out of James.”
Y/N’s eyes light up, “Can I join?”
James huffs, shaking his head so she’s forced to let go to not get hit, “Fuck all of you.” When he notices the look on Remus’ face, he points one finger menacingly at him, “Not a fucking word, Lupin.”
Y/N giggles, shaking her head, “As amusing as this could be, you lads have to leave. It’s closing time.”
They gather their things between laughter and shoves and as they exit the shop, Y/N hot on their heels to lock up, James turns around to kiss her cheek, “Meet you out front in thirty?”
She blushes, nodding her head, “Yeah, thanks.”
He winks at her, “My pleasure.”
——-
Y/N hates parties. She almost hates them as much as she hates her best friend that had dragged her to said party. That same friend who had promised to stick by her side yet disappeared about thirty minutes after they arrived to get dicked down.
Not that Y/N’s jealous. She isn’t. She just hates parties and she hates standing alone in a corner, sipping her non-alcoholic beverage because she promised to be designated driver. She’s almost tempted to text James, but things have been a bit weird ever since the boys had mocked him at the café the other day.
With a sigh, Y/N looks for a spot where she can sit and scroll mindlessly through her phone until her friend decides she’s ready to leave. I need new friends.She locates an empty spot on the couch when someone throws an arm around her shoulder.
A familiar voice reaches her ears and she turns to stare at James, wide-eyed and confused, “What?”
James smiles at her, though his eyes look a bit panicked, “Just pretend to be my date.”
Y/N laughs but shuffles closer to him, sliding an arm around his waist, “Can I ask why?”
James chuckles, smiling softly at her. “Because my friends are wankers and some bird won’t leave me the fuck alone.” He kisses her temple and relishes in the fact that he can act as he always wants too around her.
Y/N melts into his side, squeezing his side. “Guess it’s finally time to return the favor huh?”
James grins down at her, and he finds himself thanking his younger self for this brilliantly stupid idea of walking drunk students home. He’s about to say as much, ready to shoot his shot when the same girl he was trying to get away from suddenly appears in his line of sight.
Y/N laughs at his pout, making him glare at her, “It isn’t funny!”
Y/N kisses his cheek, enjoying the feeling of it heating up beneath her lips, “You’ve got to admit, it kind of is.”
“All of my friends are assholes.” He mutters and the girl stands in front of them, glaring at Y/N. On her part, Y/N just smiles, snuggling closer to James.
“Can we help you?” It reminds him of the first time they met: James speaking those words to the man that caused their meeting.
The girl smiles fakely, “Am I to believe that you two are together?”
Y/N makes a face, “Am I to care about what you believe?”
The girl says nothing, just eyes them both and glares at Y/N. With a roll of her eyes, she turns under James’ arm and gently places a hand on the side of his neck. James gives her a confused look but before he can ask anything, she’s raising on the tips of her toes and pressing her lips gently against his.
The moment seems to last for an eternity and when she pulls back, James feels his mouth fall open as his cheeks feel as if they’re on fire. “D-did you just k-kiss me?”
Y/N’s cheeks are not fairing much better and she bites her bottom lip, hand still on the side of his neck where she can feel his pulse racing. She nods shyly, looking into his eyes as she smiles gently, “I’ve wanted to for a long time.”
James finally snaps out of his stupor, grinning as he wraps both arms around her and spinning her around, sending her drink flying. They both laugh, and when he finally sets her down, he gently cups her face and kisses her again. And again. And again.
“I’m so glad you did,” he says a bit breathlessly.
Y/N grins, arms wrapping around his shoulders as she starts playing with hair at the nape of his neck, “Are we finally going to have our date now?”
“Name a time and place, love.” James grins and kisses her again.
James is sure that nothing will ever feel top this moment. Well, maybe their wedding day might, but that’s still awhile away.
