ROCKSTAR ⇒ jegulus

TWENTY SEVEN

The worst decision that James could have ever made had been going out for an evening walk, and he hadn't even realised it.

Dressed in a faded blue hoodie and grey sweatpants; his headphones shoved in his ears, the soft sounds of Abba ringing through them, he had walked leisurely, simply clearing his head; thoughts of his daughter on his mind, how someday he'll be taking her on walks down the windy lane next to a nearby canal in the local park.

And then he arrives home and not even half an hour later, numerous photos of him strolling, leisurely, through London are all over Twitter with varying captions; with varying degrees of conversation surrounding him.

The photographs are almost half blurred, most of them having caught him completely off guard. His clothes are disheveled and clearly not the sort of attire that the media is familiar with seeing him dressed in. His small bump is a very visible beneath his faded Hollister hoodie; the shape of his belly distinct and distended against his hips. 

The photographs are awful and they cause a growing pit of embarrassment to burn in James' belly. His face is pale and ashen, he looks as tired as pregnancy has made him feel. At least via Instagram, or Twitter, he can post images where he is not so obviously pregnant; not so obviously changed by his pregnancy.

The thing is, James has put a lot of thought into what pregnancy would mean for him, what having this baby would mean for him, his Stella. He knew that his body would change, that he may look, and even feel, different; he knew that other people would notice this difference; however, he didn't really think about as many people as he should have.

He knew he wouldn't be the lean James that his best friends had always known, he knew that he would no longer identify with the athletic photos of himself that his mother had hung around the hallway. He knew that he wouldn't be the messy, toned drunk that Regulus had initially slept with that night.

James knew that none of those people would look at him as anything other than pregnant, as a person growing a little baby inside of his body; his body changing to accommodate his daughter's growth and health.

But he did not know that so many Twitter users would fail to understand that, fail to remember that his body would change.

James skims frantically through the messages, feeling his heart sink.

A BABY BUMP!!!

Just me or is James lowkey getting a little pudgy???

THE BUMP!!!?? HELLO THERE

Seeing James with a little bit of weight on is actually adorable, I love him so much. He's glowing.

HELLO LITTLE BUMP!!!!

How has it taken us this long to see James with his bump?!

Baby James and baby Regulus Black is going to be my roman empire. Pregnant James IS my roman empire.

I can't believe we're finally getting a tiny peek of James with a baby bump!

James feels his chest begin to rise up and down quickly. Finally getting a peek of James with a baby bump. He hadn't wanted that; not in the slightest. How is it taking us this long to see James with his bump?

James hadn't wanted people to anticipate seeing his body, changing as he carries his baby. He hadn't wanted anybody to be able to notice it; those slight, soft changes, where his abs would slowly disappear, fading away, where his cheeks might get a little puffier when he had gained that bit more weight.