Only the Brave

Chapter 22: The Come & Go Room

The kitchens are the last place James expected to find Regulus, but alas. He's here and he looks surprisingly at home. James kind of bursts in then freezes, watching Regulus sip a steaming drink from a mug watching the flames in the fireplace in silence.

The house elves go into uproar when James arrives, so Regulus is alerted to his presence almost immediately. He turns on his chair and goes completely white when he sees James. Not the reaction one wants to evoke in the person they're seeing, but alright.

The house elves surround James, jumping up and down in excitement and talking all at once. It's loud, and James loves it. They're chaotic in their eagerness to help, and James finds it adorable. He loves house elves. They're his kind of people. Obnoxious, loud, full of joy.

"Mister Potter!"

"Are you hungry?"

"We has some nice buns! The sticky ones you likes!"

James smiles, crouches so he's face to face with them. He has to wait for a moment for them to calm down enough that he can speak. "Thank you, everyone. Very kind. But I just had to bring Black an important message, then I'll be on my way. I'll come visit soon."

"Bring Mister Lupin! We have some Welsh pastry! We makes sweet bread rolls for him, too."

James chuckles, but he's nodding enthusiastically and the elves are smiling at him. "We'll all come down, alright? All four of us. Soon, I promise."

There's a chorus of cheers that makes James beam at the elves with warmth. They're so nice to them. Honestly. James and his friends would have gone hungry on more than one detention if not for their generosity.

Regulus is rising from his chair, the mug with his hot drink abandoned. A house elf James doesn't know the name of tugs at his robes, and Regulus bends forward to talk to him. James can't hear them, but it's clear from their interaction that they know each other. James barely catches the words they're exchanging. They sound like instructions.

After a few moments, Regulus stands and nods towards the exit. "I know a place we can talk."

As soon as they're out of the kitchens, Regulus whirls on his feet and points an accusing finger at James. "How the fuck do you always find me?"

He should have anticipated this. He really should have. Regulus is smart, and James is not subtle. It's just not in his personality. But he cannot tell him about the map, can he? It's not just his secret. It's everyone's.

"I have my ways," James says, trying his best to sound mysterious and sexy. It only works partially, because Regulus' eyes are still narrowed but he's now blushing a little. "You said you knew where we could go? Or do we go back to the mirror?"

Regulus scoffs dramatically, then looks James straight in the eye. "I will not ruin my trousers by kneeling on the dirt."

Reasonable, James thinks. Regulus has a fantastic sense of fashion. His clothes are all very expensive, too. James is nodding absent-mindedly, considering options. "Well, where do you think we—"

Wait. Kneeling?

James proceeds to catch on fire. Literally. He's sweating. Everywhere. Did Regulus just say that? With the meaning... no. It can't be. James needs to get his mind out of the gutter, because there's no way... Why is Regulus looking at him that way?

Godric Gryffindor's sword at the bottom of the lake.

Regulus meant what he meant.

James is unwell.

The smirk on Regulus' mouth is making it all worse. Or better. As in, James can't compute. His brain has evacuated the premises for the foreseeable future. But his body? Oh Merlin's beard, he's a fraction of a second away from abandoning all caution and climbing Regulus like a tree right here.