KNOWING ME KNOWING YOU ⇒ jegulus one shots

THERE IT IS AGAIN, THAT FUNNY FEELING

His fingers drifting slowly, tenderly, over the swell of Regulus' skin leaves James humming softly. Regulus is sleeping, something he does often and frequently as of late; always tired, always lethargic, always aching. This Regulus is nothing like James' Regulus.

They'd had an argument. James suspects that is why Regulus has chosen to slumber now; perhaps to forget the arrogance of them both, or maybe just James. James isn't quite sure yet.

James sighs gently as he recalls the disagreement. Regulus had been chatting (it looked like more than chatting to James but he supposes he may have to let it slide now that he is eye to eye with Regulus' bump) with a Hufflepuff in the year below James; Regulus' year.

The Hufflepuff is broad and grinning and charming. James knows it must be Regulus' type; after all, James himself is all of those things, if not even more, right?

Regulus, naturally, had berated James for his insecurity regarding their relationship and with a swift "I'm carrying your fucking child, idiot, what more could you possibly yearn for?!" response, Regulus had merely and simply rebuffed James' attempts at an apology.

Ergo, James found himself laying beside a sleeping Regulus, marveling at his rounded belly while Regulus snoozed. James sighs once more. "Hey in there," He offers bleakly towards Regulus' bump.

James strokes the pale skin of his boyfriend's belly with care, caressing him softly. "Uh, Reg and I had an argument earlier, y'know," He informs dully. He knows he should be referring to Regulus with some nurturing, motherly, nickname, something their child will dub him, but he simply can not do it.

"We....well, I am not so good at this, as it should turn out," James whispers. "We used to be able to fix these sort of things, I think. But since....since you came around, we've both been a lot more guarded," He says. "We're not ready for this, Regulus hates this, I fucking hate this. We're too young to have to pretend to be so old,"

James pauses. His fingers dance gently over Regulus' belly sullenly. "We never planned for this, for you, I mean. It just happened to us. You just happened to us,"

James feels his jaw twitch slightly. "We used to have fun. We used to be able to talk, to laugh, to have sex without a bump between us. Do you even realize how little sex I've been having because you've made Reg feel fat?" James inquires, it is rhetorical. He will be receiving no answer and he knows as much. "As if he could ever be fat, he's underweight as it is,"

He slowly feels that horrible, weightful, heavy claustrophobic sensation wash over him. James usually feels it whenever he thinks of the child inside of Regulus. He feels heavy hearted and startled by it ever time it occurs, which it does so daily, almost hourly. That funny feeling. It always lingers. It festers until James can't breath.

James is quiet for a few seconds before, "You're going to be here in less than four months and you've managed to turn Regulus and I into mortal enemies in less than five months,"

James feels a faint pang of guilt for this particular comment. He recalls how he had once stated, "The baby didn't ask for this, Reg!" to which Regulus had retorted in a sulk, "We didn't ask for this either, J,"

James had never felt so agonizingly pitiful for the pair of them. Whoever glamorized teenage pregnancy enough to ever faintly convince them that they could ever manage to prevail and do this, well, James would just like to have a few words with them.