Falling for a mistake | Jeverus

Part 12

It was nearly 11 when they finished and they said goodbye to all the nice staff working there. Severus' entire arm was covered in a wrap so James threw his jacket over his shoulders so he doesn't get cold.

The ride home was quiet, Severus staring down at the fresh ink and occasionally letting his impulses win by poking it.

" Stop touching!" James scolded and lightly tapped his arm already inching for another poke.

" I can't help it."

" It'll get irritated."

" From a poke?"

" Well you're the one with a medical license here, use your medical common sense." James scolds but he has a smile growing.

" You're bossy." Severus comments and turns to the window to pout like a child.

" I'm sorry, i should just let you poke and prod at an open wound." James turns to him for a brief moment then back at the road.

They argue about minuscule things that don't actually matter the whole way home, up until their bedroom door when James is still defending DC comics with his life.

" How did we go from tattoos to superheroes?" Severus flails his arm and slightly winces about the area where his shoulder blades connect, a few of the marbled lines that bleed over to his back being there.

" Well you mentioned how Stan Lee creates the best superheroes and i said DC has some pretty good ones too."

" You're ridiculous."

" You said the Flash was overrated, you're being ridiculous." James gestures dramatically and Severus finds it ridiculously humorous.

He falls onto their bed with a laugh and closes his eyes, almost succumbing to sleep.

" You gotta change first come on." James tugs at his shirt and Severus groans.

He only sits up and lifts his arms, James taking the cue and easily pulling the comfortable scrubs on. His scrubs should be clean so he assumes wearing them to sleep once would be ok but nooooo.

James wouldn't have that. He was nagging the whole time until his shirt came off and Severus finally fell back onto the bed when he shut up.

" James?"

" Tattoos look good on you." James said under his breath but Severus heard it as clear as day.

He lifted himself onto his elbows and again, winced. He saw James crouched down, helping him take off his shoes but his eyes were trained on his torso.

His eyes seemed to scan over every mark, ink and not ink alike. The hickeys he left behind, the hickeys he knew would be mirrored on him all across his shoulder and neck.

James liked to stare, and the more permission he got the easier it was to do so so openly.

" You're staring."

" I know." James replies lightening fast and Severus tilts his head with a smirk.

" You like what you see?"

" You know i do." James finishes off his laces and Severus kicks off his trainers, letting James climb onto the bed and onto his lap.

There's a pause in movements, James still hesitant to touch Severus as if he'd break in his hands. But then they gently snake around his shoulders and his fingers thread through Severus' long hair.

Severus hums and leans into the touch as blunt fingernails scratch where there had been a ponytail for most of the day. And James admires his adam's apple bob up and down, his pale throat and the lines that define every feature. Down to his collarbones and the indent between them.

And even further where his torso stretches into sinewy muscle, lightly toned but not nearly as much as his own.

James admires every piece of him, drinking in the sight when Severus brings him back to reality. He's being pushed back so they're sitting up straight and closer together when Severus hugs him.

Simply just....hugs him.

" Severus?" James asks confused but hugs back, letting his husband dig his face into the crook of his neck.

He cradles the back of Severus' head and he hears a low hum of appreciation.

" Let's go to bed." Severus mumbles and James smiles.

" Ok."

James was practically picked up while Severus brought the duvet over them and moved to slide underneath with James still on him. The long arms that snaked around his waist to keep him in place, the way Severus took his usual position and slid down to lay on James' chest.

It felt so domestic James was on the verge of bursting with joy.

But he just played with Severus' hair as the other drifted to sleep, using the beat of his heart to soothe.

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" Hey I haven't seen you in a while."

James sighs and runs a hand down his face. He's in the office dealing with a mountain of paperwork when Regulus called.

" Yeah i'm sorry, i was busy." He gives a lame excuse and Regulus hums.

" I understand. Since I haven't seen you in a while I was thinking...."

" About?" James asked and swiveled on his chair to look out the window.

" What if we go away for the weekend? My family owns a bed and breakfast a few hours away, we can stay there for a few days."

" oh." James blinks and looks at his calendar.

He's completely free.

" This weekend?"

" Yeah. Thought it'd be nice to spend a few days together."

Regulus' voice has always soothed James, he doesn't know why. Once it passed the awkward shrill phase of puberty it was nice to listen to.

" I'd have to check with Severus first."

" Oh. Right." Regulus' voice fell but picked up just as fast.

" No problem if you can't go. Just let me know ok?"

" Ok."

" Alright. Bye James."

" Bye Reggie."

As he puts down the phone he closes his eyes and blows a raspberry. He stares up at his ceiling and ponders what to do.

God he's gonna do something stupid isn't he?