The Sun & The Stars - Jegulus Oneshots

The Berlin Affair [Angst] (part2/3)

Regulus wakes Monday morning when James' alarm goes off. There is only a one-hour time difference between West Europe and the British Isles, but in the morning an hour feels like three.

James wraps his arms tighter around Regulus and presses his lips against his nape. "Good morning."

Regulus just hums lowly. "Let me sleep."

"This is my favourite way of waking up."

Regulus smiles and leans into James. "Mine, too... if it wasn't so bloody early."

James chuckles and kisses his neck again. The alarm goes off again ten minutes later and James peels himself away from his boyfriend. Regulus moves into the space he leaves empty, chasing his warmth.

"Jamie..." he mumbles, „Can you get me the second blanket?"

James laughs quietly and takes the fluffy blanket he always gets from the top of the wardrobe when Regulus visits in the winter months. He spreads it on top of the regular blanket and kisses Regulus' cheek.

"It's April, how are you still cold?"

"Vitamin deficiency."

James kisses his cheek again and then quietly slips out of the room to get ready for the day. He steals five whole kisses before finally leaving the flat to go to work.

Regulus forces himself out of the warm sheets two hours later and eventually meets his brother around ten in the morning, pretending to have landed today and gone to his hotel to leave his things there.

Sirius jump-hugs him when Regulus comes to his building.

"Reggie! Finally! I missed you, it's so good to have you back!"

"Are you trying to kill me?"

Sirius hugs him tighter and presses a wet kiss to his cheek. Regulus pushes him off.

"Ugh, you're disgusting, stop it."

Sirius simply laughs and puts his arm around Regulus' shoulder. "I know you missed me, too. Oh, I have so much to tell you! We should sit down somewhere, grab a coffee and talk – but, oh, wait you have to meet Padfoot first! Our dog, I've told you Moons and I adopted a puppy."

"Yes you told me. You also sent me 138 pictures of him."

"But you need to see him in person! He is so cute! And he got so big!"

Before Regulus can protest, Sirius is pulling him into the house and up to his flat where he has to meet the "puppy" – the black dog is rather big for a puppy. Regulus is a cat person. He has a cat at home, and his best friend Pandora is watching her whenever Regulus goes to visit James. After getting introduced to the dog – he is as playful and energetic as Sirius – they take him on a walk to a park where Sirius tells him for hours and hours about how life is going right now.

Regulus listens patiently. Sirius is one of those people who on paper are unbearably annoying but whose annoyance Regulus craves.

They used to be as close as twins when they were children. In a way, Sirius was the only parental figure Regulus has ever known – well, he and their elderly butler Mr Kreacher. Sirius always stood up for Regulus, took the blame for him when he made mistakes and fought back against them. It earned him many punishments and pain that should have been Regulus's to bear. They were sent to a prestigious boarding school when they were eleven respectively. Sirius met his friends then, and at home became more vocal about how what their parents are doing was wrong. He fought them. He screamed back. He provoked them and broke every rule he could. He took the punishments with something akin to pride – at least he said something, and at least they know his opinion. Seeing his parents' behaviour towards Sirius get worse and worse horrified Regulus. He didn't understand why Sirius couldn't just shut up. They weren't home often – why did he have to goad his parents into hurting him again and again? Regulus was terrified of being treated the same, so he took his behaviour in the opposite direction: He did everything his parents asked of him. He became the perfect pupil, the perfect son, the perfect little trophy. It drove Sirius and Regulus apart until they weren't even speaking at school anymore and one day Sirius said "You are just like them! I hate you just as much as them!" in a crying fit and turned away before being able to see the naked pain the words left on Regulus' face. Sirius never went home again after that. Instead, he went home with James and got disinherited.