Only the Brave

Chapter 62: Here's to us

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"Prongs!" a disembodied voice floats through the room, breaking past the fog of sleep still clinging to James. "PRONGS! WAKE UP!"

"I'm going to kill my brother," Regulus mumbles into his pillow, rolling over to cover his head with it. "Slowly. Painfully."

"PRONGS!"

Groaning, James stumbles from the bed and fishes the mirror out of the pocket of his jeans. Blinking to clear his head a bit, James stares at the reflection—grey eyes instead of his hazel ones—and mumbles, "What?"

"You need to come here immediately," Sirius says excitedly. "I have to show you something."

"It's... uhm... what time is it?" James asks, yawning.

"Torture," Regulus is mumbling. "I'll draw it out for ages."

"Time is inconsequential!" Sirius is saying through the mirror. "A social construct. I refuse to be shackled—"

"It's seven am," Remus grunts from somewhere behind Sirius. "And he's been up since six. Please, come deal with him before I kill him."

"Just go ahead and kill him," Regulus says from the bed.

"What's going on?" James asks, staring at Sirius a bit more carefully now. "You never get up before Moony."

"This is important!" Sirius insists. "Please, come to our flat at once."

Sighing, James runs a hand through his hair which is messier than usual. "I need to stop by the Manor first. I'll be over after."

"Don't take too long," Sirius whines. "This is the most important news of your life."

Regulus snorts, and James knows what he's thinking. But he's not going to tell Sirius about the baby on the mirror, so James supposes this is a happy coincidence. He did need to see Sirius today anyway.

"I'll be there as soon as I can, Pads," James tells him. "Now, go make it up to Moony for bothering the shit out of him so early."

"I love it when you talk dirty to me," Sirius says cheerfully before disappearing from the mirror.

Chuckling, James puts it away and crumbles back onto the bed, yawning. Regulus turns around again, sleep making his features soft. He runs a feather light hand over James' chest, barely touching him with the tips of his fingers. It's enough to make James shiver deliciously.

"I'm busy today," Regulus informs him. "There are a few things I need to sort out and I have a meeting at the Ministry."

"I'm going to check on Lily. I'm pretty sure Pandora was great, but just in case she was not," James tells him. "Then, I'll go see what Sirius wants."

Regulus opens his mouth like he's going to say something, then thinks better of it and simply nods. James turns on his side to face him and they stay like that, on the bed, with the early morning light pouring in through the window. It's the small moments like this one that James missed the most when they were apart. The feeling of just being with Regulus. Unhurriedly, quietly, gently.

"Is it too soon to ask you to come to the Manor for dinner?" James murmurs, watching Regulus closely for a reaction.

"Your parents watched me stab action-man with a quill," Regulus says, fidgeting a bit.

"Don't tell anyone, but my dad thought it was funny," James confesses, biting back a chortle.

Regulus' eyebrows shoot to his hairline, then a wicked smile curls hips lips to the side in a half-smile so sexy James groans.

"I think I'm going to like your dad, then," Regulus says, amused. Scooting a bit closer to James, he presses a tender kiss to his mouth and whispers, "I'll come for dinner."