"I miss Fabian," James murmurs as he tugs on the collar of his suit, his shoulder brushing Dorcas' as she walks between him and Regulus, escorting them to Sirius and Pandora.
Regulus is quiet and has been ever since he stepped out with Dorcas in the suit she chose for him. James had been left with two people to get him ready that didn't speak to him, very Hallow-esque in the worst way, in the way Fabian and Gideon never were and Dorcas still isn't.
"I know. Me too," Dorcas replies, and when he looks over at her, the gaze she pins on him is piercing. "Get into the habit of keeping that to yourself, James."
"You know what happened," James says, and he flicks his gaze to Regulus, who is frowning. "You saw our conversation in the arena. When we talked about it, I mean."
Dorcas visibly hesitates, then shakes her head. "They didn't air it, but I...worked it out."
"They—"
"Don't. Don't give me the details."
"Are you in danger?" Regulus asks carefully.
"Oh, don't fret about me, my loves," Dorcas tells them with a gentle smile, something shifting in her eyes that James thinks is solemnity. "I can take care of myself. All you two need to worry about is getting through the interview, yeah?"
"Will you be in the crowd?" James mutters hopefully, because he would give anything for a familiar face to cling to.
"No, not this time," Dorcas says softly.
They don't speak again, even when they reach the door. For a moment, they all linger there, and then Dorcas nods to James' hand and slightly reaches for it, asking for permission to touch him. He meets her halfway, expecting her to squeeze his hand in a gesture of support, but she lifts it to her mouth and presses a kiss to the back of his fingers.
"Oh," James says. "Um."
"Ask Sirius what it means," Dorcas muses as she lowers his hand, lips curling up. She does squeeze his hand, then turns to Regulus, reaching out as well. "May I?"
Regulus visibly hesitates, then shakes his head. Dorcas doesn't seem insulted, just accepts the refusal with a silent nod, offering him a small, warm smile. Regulus doesn't smile back, but his face is just a bit softer, and something passes between them that James doesn't quite understand. It's fragile and sturdy at the same time, somehow, something only they can figure out that seems to have existed between them ever since Dorcas helped him get ready.
James is ridiculously jealous of it. He wants, rather fiercely, to sever whatever it is and steal it for himself. It's an ugly feeling, possessive and envious, so he shoves it down with some sort of internal disgust. This is becoming more frequent; these small changes that are so loud, the worst parts of himself rearing within him more blatantly since getting out of the arena.
When Dorcas pulls away, she leans over and opens the door, letting them inside the room before shutting it behind them and presumably leaving. Pandora and Sirius are already in the room, and they both stop whispering the moment that James and Regulus walk inside.
"Lovely," Pandora says with a fixed smile. "You both look marvelous. Come, James, sit. You have a bit of time."
"Feels better to stand," James mumbles, clicking his cane to the floor to explain. It's a strange pain to navigate, because sometimes his leg aches if he sits too long, and sometimes it aches if he stands too long. It's getting better, little-by-little, or maybe he's just getting better at handling it.
"Alright?" Sirius checks as he comes over, darting his gaze between Regulus and James with equal concern.
"Yeah, fine," James says, if only to reassure him, and Regulus doesn't respond at all.
