(A/N): Originally requested on Tumblr. First time writing for a Masc!Reader so I hope y'all like it!
Pairing: Regulus Black x Masc!Reader
Summary: (Y/N) has a crush on longtime friend Regulus but he doesn't believe Sirius when he tells him that his brother likes him back. In order to confirm this, James comes up with a devious plan to make Regulus jealous...
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"You're doing it again."
The familiar voice brings you back to reality and out of your trance, and you blink a few times to clear your vision. Sirius quirks an eyebrow at you with a knowing look, chewing on his food slowly. "Doing what?" You ask, genuinely confused.
He lazily waves the fork in his hand to point it at the Slytherin table. "You're staring."
An instant blush reaches your cheeks; there's no use in denying what your friend already knows. "Sorry."
Right after you say that, your eyes automatically find the same dark haired boy that sits next to his classmates, for what seems to be the hundredth time today. You hear Sirius groan but you do not bother looking back at him this time. You've already been caught, might as well make the best of it. "Are you seeing this?" Sirius taps Remus' shoulder but Peter is the one to look up with alert eyes. "He doesn't even care anymore!"
Remus resumes eating while shrugging carelessly, only looking up for a second to shake his head at you as if to tell you not to mind Sirius. "Leave him alone, Sirius. Some people just love admiring other people's beauty," James says next to you. His elbow is pressed against the table, propping up his chin but he is not looking at any of you. "That's why I stare at Lily Evans aaallll the time."
Lily, who heard what the boy had said -clearly, he meant for her to do so- is sitting three chairs away from all of you. She rolls her eyes at him and continues the conversation with her friends.
"I don't know, I just find it hard to believe that you're into boys," Sirius ponders while staring intensely at you. "If you were into boys then you would've been drooling all over me, not my brother."
You chuckle. "Is that what this is all about? You're jealous of Regulus?"
"Oh, please," Sirius snorts then points to himself. "Have you seen this face? Nothing to be jealous about if you have this face, let me tell you."
You roll your eyes unimpressed by his cockiness. It's probably one of the reasons why you fell for Regulus and not him but you don't say that out loud. Instead, you avert your gaze to find the younger lad for the third time in a row. Much to your horror, Regulus happens to look at you at the same time.
You could just play it cool and smile casually at him but, instead, you freak out and look away as quickly as possible. Serves you right for not being discreet.
"He was looking, wasn't he?" Sirius smirks knowingly. Slowly, you nod, and he goes for another bite of his pork chop. "It's because he likes you, too."
You huff. "He does not."
"You don't believe me?"
"Sirius, last year you tried to convince me that Snape was part of an emo band. And I almost fell for it," You point out in an annoyed tone. James and Sirius look at each other and snigger shamelessly. "Why should I believe you now?"
After their laughter dies down, Sirius wipes a tear away as he turns back to you. "Okay, here's the deal... Slughorn's little party is tomorrow, right? Why don't you ask him to go with you and find out?"
You violently shake your head. "Absolutely not."
"Why not? I mean, he's going anyways, might as well go together." Sirius says matter-of-factly.
"How are you so sure? Regulus rarely goes to these things." You eye him curiously.
"Well, I know because you're going." Sirius sends you a toothy grin and you glare at him.
Usually, you don't get invited to these Slug Club events but you know about them because Lily is one of Slughorn's favorite students, so she is a regular and she tells you all about it. It's nothing that you envy or anything, but you do get curious every now and then. Apparently, you've been impressing Slughorn so much lately with the potions you brew in class that today you earned your first invitation after finishing up your Veritaserum. You suppose that It's an honor.
Suddenly, James' face lights up and he raises a hand in urgency. "I have an idea!"
"That's never a good thing," Remus mutters to himself.
"It's good, I promise," James assures all of us. His smirk, however, does not bring you any assurance. "Okay, so how about (Y/N) goes to the party and-" he points to Sirius excitedly. "-He takes Sirius with him?"
You raise a brow at him. "Why?"
"To make Regulus jealous," James says in an obvious tone. "What better way to find out if he has a crush on you than to go on a date with his older brother?"
"We are not going on a date."
"It'd be amusing to see Regulus' reaction, though," Sirius considers it. After a brief moment, he sighs, pretending that he has no other choice. "Okay, I accept."
"But I didn't ask you-"
"You pick me up at six. Don't be late"
***
You tap your quill against the table, having to continue with your Astronomy essay but not being able to concentrate well enough to do so. Instead of thinking about the constellations, you keep thinking about the fact that later tonight you're going to the Slug Club party... with none other than Sirius. You know that It's all pretend -and you're certain that he finds joy in the idea of making his brother upset more than anything- but it still takes a bit of a toll on you. You have mixed feelings about this whole thing but the thing that eats at you the most is the possibility of Regulus liking you back. You try not to give it too much thought because, to you, It's just another one of Sirius' dumb pranks. But you cannot help but wonder if there is a chance that maybe he's telling the truth-
"What are you working on?"
You jump at the sound of the oh so familiar voice. The voice coming from the person that you're literally just thinking about. The person who makes your heart flutter with only one stolen glance. "My Astronomy essay," you try to act natural as Regulus looks down at you, his hands clasped together behind his back. "Have you finished yours?"
"Last night, actually" he replies. "You should've told me, though, we could've done it together. Much easier that way."
"Oh," You look back at your paper, looking through the words but not really taking them in. "It's quite alright, I'm almost finished."
Regulus nods. "May I sit with you?"
"Of course!" You think that you reply a bit too quickly but Regulus does not seem to notice as he takes a seat on the chair across from you. "So, you're already done with all of your homework, I suppose?"
"Yes," Regulus answered, swinging on his chair, looking effortlessly cool. It honestly makes you swoon and you feel pathetic. "I noticed you were here as well and I just came to check up on you."
You're swooning again. It almost makes you hate him for making you feel this way so easily. "How sweet of you." You tease him, acting like his words did not affect you in the slightest.
He chuckles, much to your delight. "So," he begins to trace circling patterns with his index finger on the wooden table. "Are you going to Slughorn's party tonight?"
"Yeah," You say casually. James' 'plan' pops into your head yet again. "Are you?"
"I'm not sure, yet, It's not really my thing" Regulus answers with a sigh. "You going with anyone special?"
The question makes you nervous, especially with the intense gaze he's throwing in your direction. It puts you on the spot and you suddenly feel like you need to think your answer through before telling him. "Well, not really, I guess," you shrug and avoid his gaze. "I, um... I'm going with your brother."
Something shifts in his expression right when you look back up at him, but It's so quick that you believe you imagined it, so you simply ignore it. His face goes back to his usual relaxed look. "I see..."
"Yeah," you say, suddenly feeling more awkward than before.
He looks down at his lap and you study him. It is clearer now that the atmosphere around you both has definitely changed but you try not to pay too much attention to it. Maybe you're overreacting, maybe you're just making things up because, deep down, you want him to feel jealous. You wish you weren't so immature. "Well, I'm sure you'll have a lot of fun with him." Regulus says.
You nod because you don't know what else to do. "If you change your mind, you can still go and hang out with us. Or with anyone else, really. I'm sure It'll be a nice experience."
"I suppose," he answers. He begins to stand up from his chair, quicker than you would've wanted. You wish he would stay for just a bit longer. "Anyway, I think I better go now and leave you be. I'll see you around."
"Okay." you say before he walks away from your table. You suddenly feel weird, like you might've said something bad to him, and you don't like it at all.
***
Slughorn's office looks completely different once you and Sirius walk inside. The spacious room is decorated with beautiful golden hangings all around it, with half of the space being filled with people sitting on newly placed tables and the other is where the rest are happily dancing to the music coming from the record player in a far corner. You also spot a handful of house-elves walking past the crowd while carrying around silver platters full of food and drinks. It's all bright and lively, and you're actually glad that you decided to come. Your 'date', on the other hand, seems to think otherwise. "I hate this." he mutters next you, looking around in disgust.
You laugh. "Come on, It's not that bad."
Sirius scoffs. "That's because you like these kinds of things but, really, the real reason Slughorn does this is just to get some some benefit out of it."
You gasp dramatically. "Look at you, talking like an intellectual. Who would've thought?"
"I'm smarter than you think, you just have really low expectations of me." Sirius sighs as if he's disappointed.
"Yeah, that's true." you confirm. Sirius nudges you with his shoulder and you laugh a bit louder.
As the both of you walk to find an empty table, you scan the room for a bit to see if you can find the person that you're hoping to see. When you don't see him at first, you think that maybe he decided not to come after all. It doesn't surprise you, since the probabilities of him showing up seemed to be very low. Part of you still had a bit of hope, though.
You try not to look upset, however, as both of you finally it down. "I don't think he's here." you lean in and tell Sirius.
He looks around for a bit before he stops and smirks back at you. "Are you sure?"
He motions towards a small group of students standing at the other side of the room. All of them have drinks in their hands except for one, who just so happens to be staring back at you. Your breath hitches. Regulus looks so handsome in his simple grey suit, matched with a white dress shirt and a black bowtie. His hair is left almost intact with his curls sleeked to the side.
You try to smile at him but you suddenly get so nervous that you can barely breathe once you remember that you're supposed to be here with someone else. Sirius reminds you as well when he purposely places an arm around you, knowing well that Regulus is still watching. Once the younger boy looks away, Sirius laughs. "Oh, I bet you that he is so irritated right now."
"I guess." you say.
Sirius does not remove his arm when he looks at you. "When are you asking him to dance?"
You let out a sound that sounds like you're choking right after he asks you. "Never."
"Really? After all I've done for you?!"
You ignore his dramatic act and sigh. "It's easy for you to say. You can ask a girl out and no one would bat an eye."
Sirius gives you a blank stare. "I know that. I don't see why that matters, though."
"Well... when people see a guy asking a girl out, It's normal," you try to explain. "When people see a guy asking another guy out, however... well, It's a different story."
Sirius finally understands where you're going with this and his playfulness dies down. "Okay, but why should you care about what other people think?"
You smile sadly at him. "It's hard not to when almost everyone looks at you like you're a freak."
He removes his arm and grabs you by the shoulders. "Listen, I know it sucks having so many people talk shit about you, but to hell with them. They love to feed off of others' misery because they're unhappy with their own lives, but you're not responsible for that. Do whatever makes you happy. Be with whoever makes you happy. Never feel like you deserve less because you don't."
His words catch you by surprise but your heart is full. Tears begin to well up in your eyes and you're smiling like an idiot from ear to ear. "Sirius... thank you, for everything."
"You're very welcome," he smiles back as he pats your shoulder comfortingly. "Now, you better wipe those tears away because Regulus is walking this way."
Your smile drops in shock. "What?"
"(Y/N)"
You and Sirius both turn to look at the person now standing in front of you. Regulus does not acknowledge his brother, he only focuses on your face. "Would you like to dance?"
He extends a hand out to you, and you stare at it like it grew three additional fingers. You then look up at him to see if he's serious, and his soft smile is enough to give you the validation you need. "Y-yes, of course."
When you take his hand and stand up you can feel numerous pairs of eyes suddenly watching. You swallow hard but you try not to avert your eyes from the boy in front of you, who seems to sense your nervousness as he rubs your hand with his thumb in a comforting way. The only time you turn away from him is when you turn to look back at Sirius. He looks proud, giving you two thumbs up with a huge smile plastered on his face. You smile back excitedly.
Once you're both on the floor, alongside other couples dancing along to the next song, Regulus snakes an arm around your waist while still holding your hand. Your eyes go wide in panic, many thoughts suddenly running through your head regarding what the other people will say behind your back. You can already hear the hushed whispers of disapproval. "Relax," Regulus says quietly. "Do not pay any attention to them. Just focus on me, okay?"
You nod without saying anything, and you try to do exactly what he told you. It's much easier than you think; Regulus' eyes are so beautiful that you get lost in them immediately and all thoughts suddenly vanish. All you can think about is him now, how you feel so safe around him, like nothing can hurt you. "So," he talks again. You notice that there is a faint hint of humor in his voice. "You and my brother, huh?"
You shake your head with a chuckle. "It's nothing like that, trust me."
"Yeah, I figured," Regulus says. "Next time you guys try to mess with me, you should make it more believable. Just saying."
Your little smile drops. "Wait... you knew?"
He rolls his eyes sarcastically. "At first I didn't, but then when I saw you guys tonight I kind of just pulled the pieces together. I know Sirius and his friends' shenanigans too well, unfortunately."
"Right," You have never felt more stupider in your entire life. "Um... did it work, though?"
"Well," Regulus slowly pulls you closer. Your cheeks feels too hot at this point, It's almost unbearable. "I do admit that the thought of you and my brother together does bother me. But I guess it doesn't matter anymore because I'm the one who's here with you now, aren't I?"
You nod in agreement, not really processing what he just said. And then it suddenly hits you that he's basically confirming what Sirius told you yesterday. Right in front of your presence. "What does that mean, exactly?" You need to hear the exact words before believing him.
The thing is, Regulus is a man of few words but meaningful actions. That's why, instead of answering you verbally, he leans in and connects his lips to yours.
The music fades away and all you can hear is the sound of your heartbeat pulsing in your ears. It feel like your legs will give out at any moment so you're gripping onto him for dear life, but you also trust that his hold on you will not let you fall. You feel his lips moving against yours and, after you recover from the shock, you kiss him back. You have to; you have been waiting for this moment for so long and now that It's finally happening you cannot waste a second of it.
You feel Regulus smiling under the kiss as soon as he gets a respond, and his hand goes up to tangle itself in your hair, tugging slightly on it but being careful not to hurt you. It makes you more alert of the fact that what is happening right now is not a dream. It's real.
When you both pull away, you do not look at anyone else. You're certain that Sirius is watching and he will never let you live it down, but you make a mental note to thank him and James later. After all, their dumb plan really did work out to your advantage, even more than you had thought.
You're beaming at the way that he's looking at you. You've never seen him look so... happy before. It's a beautiful sight that you never want to forget.
You don't know how you do it, but you gain the courage to kiss him again, and this time It's you who takes him by surprise, but he doesn't take as long to react as you, and it drives you crazy. In this one moment, you realize that you can do this for the rest of your life and you would not get tired. You love the feeling of being like this with him and not caring about what anyone else says.
For once, you feel comfortable with yourself, and you feel happy. Regulus makes you happy.