While James and Sirius desperately wish to meet their soulmates, Regulus and Remus are the complete opposite. See how these two unlikely pairs find each other through a chance encounter. AU: Muggle.
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In a world where searching for your soulmate was the norm, Remus Lupin was adamant that he didn't want to meet his soulmate at all. Every time someone asked the reason for his negative attitude, he always said the same thing, "The concept of soulmates is impractical. Why does some higher being get to decide who I must end up with? I believe that soulmates are made—not found. The more you believe you have to work, learn and grow with your partner opposed to simply meeting someone who you perfectly click with, the longer and more successful your relationship will be... And besides, I'm sure whoever my soulmate is, they're probably out there pushing a pull door. I just know it."
He didn't know just how right he was.
"Keep pushing, Sirius," Regulus Black called out, hiding his smirk behind the tower of books in his arms. He grinned when his older brother grunted and continued to shove against the door of the bookshop. "It's bound to open soon."
"Damn it! I'm supposed to pull on this," Sirius whined, scowling at the door as he finally yanked it open. He stepped to the side and motioned for Regulus to enter the shop, the black marks on his fingertips in perfect contrast to his pale skin. "Anyway, I need to get to that tattoo shop I told you about. I'll pick you up in two hours. Be here, or I'll leave without you."
"Mother will kill you if you do that," Regulus said with a roll of his eyes as he walked into the store. "But fine—and don't get caught up with anything else!"
He watched Sirius run off towards his motorcycle and shook his head slowly. Regulus loved his brother, but sometimes, Sirius could be a complete idiot. Once, Sirius had forgotten to remove his keys from his motorcycle and had rushed—barefoot—to report it to the police in the middle of a snowstorm, his love for his 'precious baby' surpassing his common sense, or lack thereof. It hadn't been the first time the older Black had done something incredibly moronic; he couldn't even count the number of Sirius-related incidents.
Turning around, he tried to walk towards the counter, but the books in his arms swayed with every step he took and he grunted when one of them fell to the floor with a loud thud.
"Would you like some help with those?" A young man with brown hair stepped over to Regulus, who immediately nodded. The black soul mark on the side of his face was clearly visible to Regulus, and it reminded him of the mark on his own bottom. How he despised its significance!
"Yes, please," he blurted out in relief, allowing the man to help him.
The man chuckled as he plucked half of the books from Regulus' arms and began to walk towards the wooden tables.
The bookshelves towered over the chairs and were decorated with little fairy lights. The shop had welcoming corners for people to sit in comfortable armchairs and immerse themselves in fictional worlds full of romance, comedy, and drama. The large windows faced the busy street, allowing the warm sunlight to brighten the shop; Regulus knew that they were also the perfect spot to sit and watch the beautiful oranges, reds and yellows of the sunset.
"How did you manage to get the books here in the first place?" he asked conversationally, glancing at Regulus over his shoulder.
"My brother drove us here but left without actually helping me. He's an idiot." Regulus blew a strand off his eye and huffed. "I really appreciate your help. Thank you..."
"Remus," the man said, extending his large hand towards Regulus after he had placed the books in the middle. "I own this bookshop—well, run this bookshop. It belongs to my Aunt Minerva."
"I'm Regulus... How come I've never seen you here before? I've been a regular for the past couple of years," he said, cocking his head to the right.
"My best friend and I just moved back to the neighbourhood after finishing our education," Remus explained with a smile. "Are you a student?"
"Yes, I'm studying psychology, but right now, I need to research soulmate marks and their history." Remus scoffed under his breath, and Regulus furrowed his brow when he heard the sound. "Is anything wrong?"
"Oh, no, it's nothing," Remus said quickly, but his thin lips were pursed in irritation.
"Tell me. I'm curious as to why you made that sound." A small grin was visible on Regulus' angular face.
"It's just that... I don't... like the concept of soulmates. No offence, but I believe it takes away our choice to choose our life partner." Remus' shoulders were tense, ready to begin defending his opinion, but Regulus surprised him.
He gasped and covered his mouth with his hand. "You believe that, too? I've never met anyone who believes the same thing I do! You're right, Remus. Life is about making mistakes and learning from them, and if you find your soulmate—with only a mark that shows you where they'll touch you—how will you learn from your bad experiences?"
Remus' eyes widened as he leaned closer and said, "Oh, God! I can't believe you think the same! If I didn't know any better, I'd say we're soulmates."
Regulus burst into hearty guffaws and Remus soon joined in. Regulus wiped the tears from his eyes. "I'd agree if I believed in that nonsense. Say, would you like to grab a cup of coffee after I'm done here? I'd love to hear about your ideas."
"Sure, I'd love that. James—that's my best friend—is obsessed with finding his soulmate. We always get into heated debates and end up mad at each other, so this will be incredibly refreshing," Remus said with a smile so wide that it stretched from ear to ear.
"My brother, Sirius, is the same," Regulus admitted, shaking his head. "Sometimes, I wonder how I'm related to him. He's such a hopeless romantic! Just this morning, he said that the reason soulmates existed was to show us that the world wasn't full of crap."
"James has said the exact same thing! Weird..." Remus murmured, walking over to the towering shelves and looking for the books Regulus required. "Is your brother... into men?"
"Yeah... You reckon they're soulmates?"
Remus grinned and shrugged. "Only one way to find out."
"We should set them up."
"Let's make our plans over coffee." Their grins were equally mischievous as they shook hands.
The bell chimed as the door opened, and James Potter turned away from his table, where he sat sketching, to look at the man who had just entered. "How may I help you, sir?"
The black-haired man glanced at the framed tattoo designs on the wall, the large swivelling chairs and the clean marble floors. His shoulders relaxed when he saw James' warm and inviting smile. He said, "Yeah, I've got an appointment with James Potter today. It's under the name of Sirius Black."
James nodded and extended his hand towards him, and Sirius' heart leapt in hope when he saw James' black palm.
James noticed it too, and the two men not-so-subtly tried to touch the other's mark, wondering if they would change colour, but the marks remained black.
Hiding his disappointment, James cleared his throat. "I'm James. Why don't you have a seat and I'll be right with you?" Now that he was sure the man wasn't his soulmate, he quickly gathered his dip pens and sketch pad and asked, "Is this your first time getting a tattoo?"
"Yeah, it is. I'm not nervous, though. I've got a high threshold for pain, and—"
"I said the same thing the first time I was about to get a tattoo, but then, I got the tattoo," James said lightly, flipping through the pad to find a blank page. He smirked when he saw the fear in Sirius' eyes. "Naw, I'm just messing with you, mate."
"You sure?" Sirius sounded dubious, and James grinned.
"Yeah... Besides, everyone feels differently when they get tattoos. Some only feel a tingle, some scream like they're getting murdered, and some don't even feel a thing," James reassured him.
"Which one were you?"
James wanted to say that he had only felt a tingle, but the memory of wailing and sobbing pitifully as he clung to his best friend's neck crossed his mind. "Let's not talk about that," he hedged, and it was Sirius' turn to smirk, understanding passing over his face. James cleared his throat and asked, "Do you have an idea of what you'd like to get?"
Sirius nodded and pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket. Smoothing it out, he placed it on the table and said, "Here. Could you tattoo this on the side of my hand?"
James looked at the design and admired the beautiful pink flowers. "Nice! Yeah, I can do this. Do you want me to add some twists of my own?"
"As long as the oleanders are the main design, I'm down for anything," Sirius said, smiling.
James nodded and began to discuss the cost, style, colours and placement of the design, and Sirius added in his own comments and questions now and then. While they were talking, James began to use his dip pens and tracing paper to create a design for Sirius. He asked, "Is there any reason you're choosing these particular flowers? You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but I'm curious."
Sirius' curls fell into his eyes as he shook his head. "I'm a florist, you see... I love flowers, and I like finding out what each flower signifies... It's not very manly, I know, but it's my passion, and I'm proud of it."
James thought about the flowers he used to send to himself during Year 11 when he had been trying to impress his schoolmates by pretending he had an admirer. "Mate, I'm not judging you. Really. So... what do these flowers mean?"
Sirius tensed for a moment, readying himself for something that James didn't understand. "Oleander symbolizes desire, destiny, romance, charm and... everlasting love."
"How romantic!" James blurted out, sighing contentedly. Despite the tattoos adorning his arms and shoulders, he had always been a romantic at heart. People were often surprised by how much of a teddy bear he was. "That's brilliant, mate!"
"It is?"
"Of course! Tell me how you feel about your soulmate mark. Maybe I could incorporate some of your thoughts into the design."
Sirius immediately perked up and said, "I haven't met my soulmate yet, but I really want to. I love that we're all destined to be with someone, and one day—no matter how long it takes—we will meet them. They're the other half of our soul, the one who'll complete us, make us feel whole... They'll bring out the best in you and make you want to be a better person. And it's just perfect."
"You're so right!" James' eyes widened in excitement. "I love that our soulmate will be our perfect complement, and they'll understand our quirks and weird habits and won't judge us."
"At least not directly," Sirius teased. "My brother thinks soulmates are stupid."
"What? Mine, too! Well, he's not my brother—he's my best friend—but he's still family," said James, shaking his head. "Anyway, he thinks the concept of soulmates is impractical."
"My brother thinks that, too! Weird..."
"Definitely weird. My views are the exact opposite, though. I can't wait to meet my soulmate." Sirius grinned at that, his heart swelling with excitement at the other man's agreement.
James picked up the stencil he had created, nodding to himself as he turned towards Sirius. "So, what do you think?"
A bright smile appeared on Sirius' face as he inspected the pink flowers with perfectly tangled stems and bright green leaves under which the words 'Everlasting love finds a way' were inscribed; he knew it was perfect. "I love it! It's just what I wanted! When can I get that done?"
James puffed his chest out at Sirius' compliment. "I'm glad you like it. I'm not sure about my timings, though... Evans—that's my receptionist—is on holiday, and I have no idea where she keeps the appointment diary. The bloke I work with is currently sick with the flu, so I told him to take the day off. Could you book an appointment over the phone?"
Sirius chuckled softly and nodded. "Yeah, that's fine... See you soon, James."
As time passed, Remus and Regulus got to know each other better. Their taste in genres differed, but they loved to debate the pros and cons of their favourite authors over coffee. They usually spent their time at the bookshop, where Remus nibbled on the treats he had made for the customers, unable to control himself from eating three or four delicious cookies every day. Meanwhile, Regulus indulged himself in the delicate chocolate-like coffee from the nearby coffeehouse, claiming he wasn't addicted to it but simply liked the taste.
On the other hand, James had finally given Sirius his first tattoo; it had caused the latter immense pain which he hadn't dealt with bravely, but James hadn't judged him at all, having seen all sorts of people come into his shop. After bonding over their mutual desire to meet their soulmates, Sirius had taken James to the farmer's market where they had tried all the free samples. Despite their plans of not buying anything, they'd fallen under the charms of the olive bread and cranberry jam, which they ate as they made their way to the art museum.
Their friendship strengthened very quickly, and then, the day came that the group came together as one.
Regulus sighed as he leaned over the coffeehouse's counter, peering at the menu across from him. He squinted as the letters started to swim in front of his eyes and groaned under his breath. "Could I get a cup of caramel macchiato and a hazelnut mocha?" he called out, fidgeting with the black leather jacket he had 'borrowed' from Sirius' cupboard.
"Sure thing, Black," the man behind the counter said, already working on the drinks.
As he waited, he looked around the shop. It wasn't as big as the other coffeehouses he'd been in before, but it wasn't tiny either. It had a few round tables and a long bar counter, which allowed easy access to the drinks. The glass showcases were filled with delicious and mouth-watering treats: cookies, brownies, muffins, sandwiches, pastries, and even slices of pies.
Regulus turned back to lean over the counter, poring over the menu and wondering which pastry he could buy for Remus. A few moments later, someone walked up behind him, and then...
A stinging pain on his left buttock—right where his soul mark was—caused him to pale in horror and his eyes to widen as the realization hit him like a heavy brick. No... no, no, no... This can't be... No... He whirled around and found a messy black-haired man, whose face turned beet-red when he saw Regulus' wide eyes and pale face.
"Shit! I'm so sorry! I thought you were my friend! I didn't mean to do that," the man stammered, not noticing the swirling pattern of colours forming on his palm, but Regulus' eyes were trained on his hand, his heart thumping wildly in recognition of the fact.
The gentle tingle on his bottom still poked and prodded at Regulus, and it left him speechless. Why was the universe messing with him? This was his soulmate? A man who smacked his friends on their arse as a greeting? How uncouth. His heart began thundering against his ribcage, sweat beaded on Regulus' brow, and he stumbled away from the man.
"I'm really sorry," the man said, his rectangular glasses slipping down his nose as he stepped closer. "I really am! I swear it was just an accident! I'm not a pervert."
"I have to go," Regulus choked out as he turned tail and ran straight for the door. He bumped into Sirius and almost fell over, but he ignored his brother's loud cry of 'Hey, watch where you're going, jackass!' and disappeared down the street, his mind and heart warring with each other over his conflicting emotions.
"What happened?" Sirius asked, walking over to James' side. "You okay, mate?"
James grimaced and admitted, "I just smacked a stranger's arse and he ran out of here."
Sirius burst into peals of laughter, his shoulders shaking as he grabbed onto James' arm to steady himself. "Wait, wait, hold on! Why would you smack a stranger? Weren't you afraid he'd punch you?"
"I thought he was you! He was wearing a jacket that looked exactly like yours! And he had black hair—like yours!" James cried, wringing his hands anxiously. "Shit, he probably thinks I'm a creep."
"Woah... Wait, you mean..." Sirius gaped at James before pointing at the door, remembering seeing his brother wearing his jacket. "Was it the bloke who just ran out of here and bumped into me?"
"Yeah, that was him. God, for a moment, when he turned around, I thought I was looking at you, but he was more attractive," James muttered, clenching his eyes shut in embarrassment.
Sirius opened his mouth to retort but stopped just in time. James reached up to cover his face as he continued to complain about how stupid he'd been with a total stranger, and Sirius caught sight of James' left palm. He gasped audibly and blurted out, "Oh, my God! James! Look!"
James looked up at Sirius with a furrowed brow. "What are you—"
"Look at your hand!"
James looked at his palms and made a loud sound of disbelief. "Oh, shit! That was—that was my..."
"Your soulmate!" Sirius exclaimed, a huge grin forming on his lips as excitement coursed through his body. His friend and his brother were soulmates; it couldn't be a coincidence. "That was your soulmate, James! You found your soulmate!"
"Sirius, this is even worse! I was panicking over what I had done to a stranger—now I know he was my soulmate! That's—that's even worse!" James cried, horror evident on his face. "And he ran away, too! My soulmate ran from me, and now I might not even see him again!"
Sirius laughed heartily and shook his head. "Don't bet on that, mate. Tell you what... I'll ask Reggie to come to my shop, and you can meet him there. Officially. This time, you better not slap his arse."
"Reggie? Your brother? Why would you invite your—" James suddenly trailed off as a lightbulb went off in his head. "That... was your... brother?"
"Yeah! Isn't it great? Your soulmate is my brother! This cannot be a coincidence!"
"I slapped your brother's arse! Sirius! He probably thinks I'm the creepiest man on the planet! He's going to hate me!" James' breath began to come out in loud pants, and he clutched onto Sirius' elbow as he doubled over and tried to calm himself down.
"Okay, okay, just relax, mate. He already hates the concept of soulmates, so he's not going to—"
"My life is over. I'm going to become an old cat lady—man. Whatever." James shook his head furiously as he started rambling, "Yeah, that's what I'll do. I'll adopt at least twenty or thirty cats, and I'll commission someone to paint a portrait of me with my lovers. I'll be the weirdo with the cats, and I'll—"
"Please, stop talking. And for the record, I can't imagine you with twenty cats. Owls, perhaps. Rats, yes. But not cats," Sirius said lightly, patting James' back.
James glared up at him as he attempted to take deep breaths in. "Arse."
"Don't you think you've had enough interaction with that for the day?" Sirius teased, smirking deviously.
James groaned and stood upright. He was about to cover his face with his hands but stopped when he saw the colours gently shifting from one end of the spectrum to the other. "Oh... Have you ever seen anything more beautiful?" he whispered, his eyes soft and unfocused as he gazed at the colours.
"Stop taunting me with that," Sirius grumbled, but he smiled and gave James a congratulatory thump on his shoulder. "Now, let's think of a way for you to impress my brother. Ooh! I've got it! You could come over to my shop tomorrow and buy some flowers for him, and when he arrives, you could profess your undying love for him and—"
"And get slapped in return? Yeah, if your brother is anything like Remus, that is what will happen to me if I start talking about love and soulmates."
"Oof. Okay, we'll think of some other way for you to ask him out, but you have to come to my shop at noon sharp. Got it?"
Despite the pounding of his heart, the sweat already dripping down his back, and his clammy hands, James said yes.
Sirius was busy concentrating on angling the daisies when all of a sudden, a high-pitched and ear-shattering scream made him drop the vase onto the ground, where it shattered into smithereens. He whirled around to see what was wrong.
An old woman was perched on one of the round tables, clutching her large purse to her chest and pointing a trembling finger towards a brown-haired man, who stood near the bouquets of chrysanthemums.
"A bee! A bee!" the woman shrieked, and Sirius caught sight of a plump little honey bee buzzing near the man's cheek. The man was as still as a statue, terror evident on his face.
"Hold still!" Sirius yelled as he vaulted over the counter. He extended his hand to bat the bee away, but his foot slipped on the recently mopped linoleum floor. And his hand smacked the man's right cheek—right over his mark.
"Shit! I'm so sorry! My foot slipped!" Sirius gasped audibly as the colours began to bloom across the man's cheek.
The man reached up to touch his cheek slowly, his eyes trained on Sirius' fingertips, which were now a kaleidoscope of colour. Dumbstruck, he tried to think of something witty to say, but nothing came to mind. His tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth, and his hands trembled by his side.
Sirius gawked at the man with wide eyes. "You're my—"
"Don't say it!" the man said, his tone full of horror. He took a step back, almost stumbling in his attempt to make some sense of the situation.
"What? But you're—"
Just then, Regulus walked through the doors and called out, "Hey, Sirius! What do you—wait, Remus? What are you doing here?"
Sirius was confused as to how his brother knew his soulmate, but he didn't care. Remus. He smiled goofily as he mouthed the name to himself. Remus Black. Sounds perfect! Or maybe I could change mine after marrying him. Sirius whatever-his-last-name-was.
Remus slowly turned towards Regulus, his eyes almost popping out of his head. "Regulus," he whispered helplessly, trying to get his help.
Regulus saw the colourful soul mark on Remus' cheek and immediately glanced at Sirius' fingers. "You... and him? Oh, God..."
"Help me," Remus whispered, unable to move from his spot. Just last night, he had been teasing Regulus for meeting his soulmate in such an unusual manner, but now Remus couldn't even speak or move.
Regulus smirked at him and turned towards Sirius. "Sorry, Sirius, but I'll have to take a rain check on helping you with your deliveries. We'll see you later." He placed his hand on Remus' shoulder and began to push him towards the door.
But the moment they reached the door, James entered and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Remus and Regulus together. "Remus? What are you doing with—"
"You! What are you doing here?" Regulus croaked out, and Remus shot a quick glance at James, who had immediately started smoothing his hair down.
"Oh, my God," Remus whispered as the realization hit him. As his panic increased, laughter bubbled out of his mouth. Tears welled up in his eyes as he doubled over, trying to stop laughing but failing. "James, you bloody idiot! You're the one who slapped Regulus' arse?"
"It was an accident! How many times do I have to say it?" James cried helplessly, and Sirius quickly stepped up to defend him.
"Yeah, James thought Reggie was me. He didn't mean to scare him off." Sirius nodded emphatically.
Hearing James' name, Remus' shoulders tensed and he stared up at his best friend. "James, you know this... man?"
"He's my friend. We met at my tattoo parlour a few months ago. Remember I told you I'd met this awesome bloke who thinks exactly like me?"
Exactly like me... That can only mean one thing. Remus nodded slowly, his panic increasing even more, and Regulus looked at the brunet, understanding what he was going through. "Want to run?" he whispered.
"Yes, please," Remus replied as he grabbed Regulus' hand and darted out the door, leaving Sirius and James to stare at their backs and wonder what had just happened.
"Dude, I slapped my soulmate," Sirius said bluntly, and James patted his arm lightly.
"Welcome to the club."
Epilogue
Sirius cleared his throat and tapped his fingers on the counter as he waited for Remus to turn around. "Hey, uh, Remus? Do you have books about... the meaning of flowers?"
Suspiciously, Remus looked at him over his shoulder and said, "Yes... Why do you ask?"
"I'd like to buy one of those, please," Sirius said, not telling him that he already knew the meaning of every flower in the world. He didn't want to let his soulmate know how much of a geek he was—not so early in their budding relationship, at least. Well, he couldn't even call it a relationship now, could he?
Remus walked off towards the shelves to find him a book, and when he returned, he gave Sirius a thick tome with intricate flowers carved on the cover. "Here. That will be twenty pounds."
"Twenty! Can't you give me a discount? I mean... I am your so—"
"Aunt Minerva always says that when it comes to anything related to money, you shouldn't even trust your own kin. So, no. I'm not giving you a discount," Remus stated, reaching out to take the book back from Sirius, who held onto it for dear life.
"Fine, how about I take you out instead?" Sirius leaned closer, his eyes wide with hope.
"As in... kill me? Regulus did tell me you're stingy, but are you really going to kill me over twenty pounds?"
"What? No! I meant I'll take you out on a date! And pray tell, why did Reggie tell you I was stingy? I'll show you just how miserly I am when I take you on the most brilliant date ever!" Sirius glowered at Remus, who smirked and cocked his head to the left.
"Really? Hmm... Well, I'm free on Sunday," Remus said lightly, trying not to let Sirius' close proximity affect his senses.
"You mean it? You'll go out with me?" Sirius exclaimed, excitement coursing through his veins at finally taking the first step towards his endgame: marriage. Oh, he could already imagine the little puppies they could adopt together and name Moony and Padfoot. He could clearly see himself coming home, finding Remus asleep on the couch with the puppies on top of him, and bending down to press his lips to the man's to wake him up from his peaceful slumber. His heart swelled with delight at the thought of Remus smiling against his lips and whispering his name lovingly.
"Yes, fine. I'll go out with me if you stop pestering me for more dates." Remus may not have liked the idea of finding his soulmate through a simple mark, but Sirius—bless his heart—was adamant on getting to know him. The black-haired man had been coming to his shop every day for the past two weeks and attempting to get Remus to talk to him, and even though the latter pretended it bothered him, it was a clear lie. Remus had tried to enlist Regulus' help in keeping Sirius away from him, but James had been hounding the younger Black for a date, too.
"But if you genuinely enjoy our date, you promise you won't lie to me about it, right?" Sirius asked hopefully, and Remus nodded with an exasperated sigh. "Perfect! James said you two live together. I'll pick you up from your flat, then. Be ready at eight in the morning."
And then, unthinkingly, Sirius leaned over the counter and pressed his lips against Remus'. They both stiffened at the contact, and Sirius began to panic, thinking Remus would surely refuse to go out with him now that he'd kissed him. But then, a miracle happened.
Remus raised his hands to cup Sirius' face and began to kiss him, and Sirius—the man who'd always been confident in his romantic endeavours—blushed deep red as Remus' tongue gently traced over his lower lip. A few moments later, they parted, and Remus dropped his hands to his sides, his chest heaving with every breath he took.
"Wow..." Sirius was unable to clear his jumbled thoughts and get a word out.
This time, Remus smirked and said, "I'll see you at eight, Sirius Black. Don't be late."
Regulus yawned as he stumbled over to the door in his pyjamas. Just before he opened it, he glanced at the clock that hung on the wall. 7:43. What kind of idiot comes over so early in the morning?
When he looked through the peephole, he groaned and muttered, "Of course. This idiot."
He unlocked the door and let it swing open. James stood on his doorstep; in his hands was the biggest bouquet of flowers Regulus had ever seen. It was filled with roses, asters, camelias, white clovers, daisies, and heliotropes. The assortment was so different than what Regulus had seen at Sirius' shop, but for some reason, the flowers still looked beautiful together.
"What do you want, Potter?"
"Are you a star? Because I can't stop orbiting around you," James said with a goofy smile plastered on his face. Regulus wanted to both knock it off his face with a punch and a kiss. Decisions, decisions.
"Are you a white dwarf star? Because you're extremely hot but not very bright," Regulus drawled, leaning against his doorway calmly.
"Did you just call me hot? Oh, my God! You called me hot!" James hopped in his excitement, his eyes glinting with delight.
"I also called you dumb."
"Doesn't matter. I only look at the positives."
"Well, I'm positive you're an idiot."
"You called me hot! So, please, go out with me," James begged, pushing the bouquet into Regulus' arms, who almost stumbled under the sheer weight of the flowers.
"No, I'm not going out with you, Potter. I told you I'm not interested in soulmates." He tried to hand the bouquet back to James, but the taller man shook his head and crossed his arms petulantly.
"Fine. Don't think of me as your soulmate. Think of me as someone who wishes to get to know you better. Someone who's interested in you."
Regulus sighed and asked, "You're not going to let this go, are you?"
"Nope," James said, popping the 'p'. "I'll do everything I can to show you that I'm serious about wooing you."
"You're such a dork!" Regulus couldn't help but laugh heartily. "Who still says 'woo'?"
"I do. Now, please give me a chance to show you that we could be good together—with or without the mark... Or do you want me to sing you the song I wrote for you last week?"
"Please, don't. I still have nightmares about your ridiculous rhymes," Regulus teased. It was the biggest lie he'd ever told anyone; he'd loved James' song about how the man had felt when he had seen the brilliant colours on his palm, and Regulus often hummed it under his breath while doing his chores or homework.
"Aww, and here I was thinking of writing you another," James grumbled, pouting at him.
Regulus chuckled and said, "I won't comment on your singing skills—or lack thereof—but I think I can squeeze you in for a date soon."
"Really? You'll go out with me?" James whispered hopefully, and Regulus' heart melted at the complete vulnerability in his eyes.
"I can't say that you haven't made an impression on me," Regulus said, allowing a small smile to form on his lips. "As long as you keep your hands away from my arse, we're good."
"I won't touch your arse—unless you give me explicit permission," James said, crossing his heart with his forefinger.
So innocent. So sweet. Regulus took a step back into his flat to make sure he didn't do anything stupid—like drop the bouquet and climb James like a baby koala. "You've already stolen my number from Sirius' phone, so text me what your plan is."
James nodded immediately and beamed, his smile so radiant that it almost blinded Regulus. "Okay, that—that's great! I promise you won't regret it!"
Impulsively, James leaned over the large bouquet and gave Regulus a sweet kiss on the forehead, letting his lips rest for a moment longer than necessary. "Love the pyjamas, by the way. Very cute," he said before he grinned, turned around and walked away, leaving Regulus gaping at his back.
Meeting each other hadn't been a coincidence; they were meant to cross each other's path for a reason. None of them knew what Fate had in store for them, but they all secretly looked forward to it.
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By AshJulliet on A03