CANNONBALL ⇒ jegulus

THIRTEEN

James wakes up with a start, at first; he thinks he's awoken by his overwhelming ambition for the day to begin, today marks The Marauders first meeting with their new manager and James is already unsure of if he should be scared of her or not. 

James soon realizes what has woken him, though. Regulus is groaning quietly, a mere lump underneath his duvet across the room.

“Regulus, Reg, what’s wrong? Are you okay? Is it the-” James stares at the younger man with wide eyes. He unravels himself from his duvets and approaches Regulus' bed, peeling the duvets away from the younger of the two.

Regulus pokes his head up to stare at him and moans in misery, curling in on himself. “I’m dying,” He manages eventually, and something about it calms James down a little bit.

James racks his brain for a moment before he asks, “What hurts?”

Regulus doesn’t answer but James examines the way Regulus is clutching his belly in the dim early morning light of their hotel room. “Lower abdomen?” He guesses, and Regulus manages to shoot him a pained glare. “Okay, okay,” James says, holding up his hands in supplication. He nods to himself, realizing before, “It’s just growing pains.”

“‘Just’?” Regulus practically grits.

“Yes, just," Jamss confirms softly with a roll of his hazel eyes. "Remember Veronica told us this could happen? You'd get aches and pains and then you'd pop out?” James recalls. “It’s perfectly normal.”

Regulus groans, seemingly taken off guard by another stretching pain in his abdominal area. James shakes his head at the sight and finds himself clambering into the sea od soft hotel blankets and maneuvering himself behind Regulus, and without waiting for a whisper of protest from Regulus, spoons him.

"Shuhs, s'alright, it's the baby starting to stretch your poor little tummy out, eh?" James shuffles a little closer to Regulus. "Here," He slowly let's his hand drift towards Regulus' clothed belly. "Erm, do you....do you mind if I just try something?" James asks softly.

Regulus nods urgently. "If it makes....whatever.....this crampy feeling is.....stop, be my bloody guest," He huffs with a shrug.

James nods in reply and slowly places a gentle hand over the beginnings of a baby bump and hums. “It’s perfectly normal.” He repeats. He slowly rubs small circles into Regulus' flat belly in what he can only hope is a soothing manner.

“Nothing about this situation is normal, James.” Regulus mutters back but he doesn’t tell James how comforted he is by the way the older man molds to his back, the heat of James' lean body.

James whistles softly. "I know, mate, but we've got to try, eh?" He gently strokes his thumb over Regulus' pajamas clothed belly. "This doesn't have to be so weird, y'know, at least not as weird as my baby actually being in there," He nods to Regulus' belly.

Regulus sighs, rubbing a hand down his tired face. He cracks open an eye to glance at James. "A few months ago I would've never let anyone touch me, especially not rub my belly," He reminds.

James nods. "I know. That Regulus was closed off and this Regulus is still a bit closed off, but he's workin' on that, and I can respect that," He says gently. "You're working on yourself, Regulus. Therapy's helping, so let me help too," He urges. "S'my baby in there too,"

Regulus rolls over to face James fully. "It is your baby too," He squints. "James....I'm fine. I'm okay with physical touch now, I'm a lot better with it then I was," He grins softly. "You...you can touch my belly, whenever you want to feel close to the baby, you can do that. I won't stop you from doing it," He says.