𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 // 𝐉𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐮𝐬

Chapter Twenty-Two

"Reg, it's okay," James sits up now too. "He doesn't care, honestly."

This does nothing to ease the tension out of Regulus's expression. He doesn't respond, just keeps looking at James like he can't believe he could be so stupid.

"You're angry at me?" James asks eventually, feeling himself deflate. He really doesn't want to fight about this.

The tense silence continues, but James can see Regulus chewing on the inside of his cheek, fighting with himself.

"I'm not thrilled," Regulus manages eventually, which honestly, is a tamer response than James was expecting.

"Really Reg," he goes on as earnestly as he can manage. "I didn't give him any details, I just—I needed to tell him something if I was going to keep sneaking off."

"And it couldn't have been something a little further from the truth?"

"Not if he was going to believe it."

Regulus shakes his head, letting out a heavy sigh. "You're rubbish at keeping secrets James Potter." But there's the hint of fondness there that gives James hope.

"I swear he has no idea it's you."

"I know he doesn't, you wouldn't be here if he did."

James scrunches up his face. "Sirius doesn't decide who I can and can't see."

Regulus looks at him skeptically but before James can push the matter any further he goes on; "He was okay with it?" there's a sudden nervousness in his voice that takes James by surprise.

"Okay with it?" James repeats, his brain needing a minute to catch up. "Oh—with me seeing a bloke you mean?"

Regulus nods, and James wonders how much of his life Regulus has spent worrying about Sirius's reaction to this part of him. It makes his chest ache.

"Very okay with it, yeah, actually he was—" James laughs a little, rubbing at the back of his neck. "He was asking me about you the other day."

"He was asking about me?" James can't figure out if Regulus sounds surprised or terrified.

"Well, he didn't know it was you specifically, but, he was asking about the boy I'm seeing, yeah."

Regulus sits with that, mind turning behind his eyes. His expression is more serious than James would like it—almost sad. "What did he ask?"

James feels his face heating up. "Er—I don't know, just...like...stuff."

"Stuff?" there's a beat of silence before Regulus's eyes go wide. "Oh my God, you were talking to my brother about sex." And then; "Sex with ME. Oh my God." Regulus's hands go to his face, shielding it from view. It's honestly so adorable that for a moment James isn't sure it's actually happening.

"Have a little faith in me Reg," he says, biting back a smile. "I didn't tell him anything."

"I don't believe you," Regulus says, words muffled.

James can't help but laugh. "I swear, I didn't," he puts his hands up even though Regulus can't see him. "I just told him that we haven't, you know, gone all the way. But that I like what we've been doin—"

James does not get to finish that sentence because at that moment he has a pillow thrown in his face.

"I hate this," Regulus says, but he says it while tackling James onto the bed, so it takes some of the sting out of it.

James laughs again, breathless as Regulus hovers above him, pinning his shoulders down.

"No talking to my brother about sex," Regulus says sternly.