June 7: Welcome @jegulus-microfic Word Count: 414

June 7: welcome – @jegulus-microfic – word count: 414

It all starts with one small question.

“Reg? Do you think you would want to stay at my house for the Easter break?”

It’s mumbled into Regulus’ bare shoulder one night while he and James are in the come-and-go room together, arms wrapped around each other, and legs tangled in thin sheets. When James asked the question, though, Regulus pulls back to look him in the eye.

Regulus shouldn’t. He really, really should not. His mother would not allow it. But, he could just not go home. Regulus rids himself of that idea immediately. He can’t. His mother would hunt him down. The last heir to the Noble And Most Ancient House of Black? Regulus is mad if he thinks she wouldn’t leave him be for a single second.

“James…” Regulus murmurs back. There would be no way he would be able to go.

“No, I know. Just think about it, yeah?” James rushes out. “Besides, we have plenty of space, and Mum and Dad wouldn’t mind at all. You are always welcome back home. Sirius would be ecstatic. So would I.”

“Mother wouldn’t allow it, James,” Regulus says, but, Merlin, does he want to say yes.

“What if you just, like, don’t? Like how Sirius did?” James sounds hopeful. Can this man read Regulus’ mind?

“Run away, you mean?” James nods. “James, I’m their final heir. Mother would hunt me down. Maybe bring Sirius with me, while she’s at it. She would hurt us.” James presses his lips fiercely against Regulus’ cheek. “I don’t want that for Sirius. He got out, and now I have to stay. So that he can be safe.”

“I will keep you safe. Both of you,” James declares, and he appears to be confident that he, a seventeen year old, who is still in school, could fend off Walburga Black, a fully-trained, fully-grown dark witch. “Mum and Dad will help. They can fight, I’ve seen them dueling once. And they’ll set up wards, and they will contact the ministry and the school and we can talk to Sirius and we’ll–”

“Okay, James,” Regulus interrupts. Regulus wants to get out, and he has full trust in Euphemia and Fleamont Potter. They are brilliantly talented wizards. If they all work together – all five of them – Regulus trusts they can defeat Walburga and Orion.

“Okay? You’ll leave?” James eyes glitter with how thrilled he is. He swoops in and kisses Regulus on the forehead before swaying away again.

“Okay, James.”

My single thought of the day:

When the Marauders become Animagi, surely they wouldn’t have been able to walk immediately, right? So, just imagine a a full grown stag with huge antlers tripping over itself, wandering around the castle, followed closely by a large, black dog doing the same, and finally a rat, that, under close observation, walks particularly human-like. And then there’s just Remus.

In my French class, two girls were talking about ATYD, so, naturally, I had to notify them I also know the gay men. I couldn’t work out a way to do it, and panicked when they started walked out of the class. As a normal, functioning piece of society, I coughed excessively, blurted ‘CRIMSON RIVERS’, then threw myself at a table in embarrassment.

Give me Peter who sculpts beautiful sculptures, but destroys them because he thinks he will never be as talented as his friends.

Give me Peter who bakes cakes, cookies, and any sweet treats for Remus (who doesn't eat nearly enough), but never bakes for anyone else because it's 'just a hobby'.

Give me Peter who barely scrapes by in his classes, but tells James and Sirius little fun facts while they're waiting for Remus to get better after full moons.

Give me Peter who (at one point) would get revenge on anyone that insulted of his friends. Someone made fun of Remus' scars? Their partner found out they were cheating the next day. Someone says something about Sirius' family? Ended up in the hospital wing with food poisoning. Someone was racist to James (Hispanic /Arab James not the whitewashed jkr vers.)? Their entire bloodline finds out their deepest darkest secret.

Give me Peter who makes people feel safe. Give me Peter who loves his friends like they're his family. Give me Peter who was a good kid.

Give me Peter. Stop giving me talentless, no personality, forgotten Peter. He was a person too, one who had talent too. I love Remus, Sirius, and James as much as any other marauders fan. But we can't forget Peter, yall. (This is coming from someone who's literally young Peter irl.)

June 1 Pride — @jegulus-microfic — word count: 553

“Sorry, what was that, love?” James taunts, tilting his head to the side and leaning closer. A delicious spill of red covers Regulus’ cheeks, which he tries to hide by turing his head away. Now, James will not be having that.

James moves one of his hands, both of which were planted firmly next Regulus’ head on either side, and drifts it over to Reg’s cheek, using that hand to urge him to look back at James. Regulus does, because he’s so good.

Regulus wants so badly to kiss James, James can see it in his eyes, in the way he turns even redder, in Regulus sticking his tongue out to coat his dry lips. But James won’t kiss him, won’t let Regulus lean in to do it himself. If Regulus wants to kiss him, he’ll have to set aside his pride and ask.

They got into another row because Regulus said James doesn’t actually like him, and he just wants someone to fuck, so, here James is, abstaining himself from this beautiful boy, to prove a point. It’s fine, because he really does love Regulus for more than what he can do, he really, really does.

“Reg, I do not like you for your body. I don’t. I like your body and I like you. Simultaneously. We could never have sex again and I would still stay with you. I would never have sex with you again, or kiss you again, or touch you again if you didn’t want me to. I would still come to this room, and talk to you, and come to your games, and spend time with you, and just be near you, so long as you want me to be,” James says. At some point in the rant, James has stepped away. It’s all spilling out, word-vomit style, and he means every word of it. Merlin, help him, he means it. “Regulus Black, you are my number one. I love you more than I love the planet we live on. You deserve the world and I would happily provide that for you. I would collect the earth, with the moon, and the sun, and all the planets and stars, if you asked me to. And I’d do it all just to see that beautiful smile of yours. Don’t ever doubt that, and, if you do, come back to me. I’ll remind you.”

Regulus looks awe-struck. His mouth has fallen open and his eyes are welling up with tears. What? James’ brain is in uproar. What’s wrong, love? is all James can think. His head is a loop of sirens and ‘Reg? Reg, why are you sad, Regulus?’ and James thinks there may be someone screaming in the background.

Regulus swallowing thickly is what snaps him out of his daze. James steps back and replaces his hand on Regulus’ cheek. “Baby, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?” James asks gently.

“James. Kiss me. Right now,” Regulus demands, but he fists a hand in James’ hair and pulls him in before James can react. Plus, hey, Regulus did as James wanted, so he doesn’t fight it.

It’s not until much later that James realizes why Regulus was so adamant to be kissed so urgently. Apparently, James managed to let slip the three-words-eight-letters he’d been feeling for so long now.

The stress I feel when the end of the last chapter is coming closer and that one ship still hasn’t sorted their shit out 😥