unspeakable | jegulus

talk don't bother me

chapter title: sticks and stones by the zombies

"Look who finally decided to grace us with his presence." Barty bent into a mock bow, and Regulus curled his hand into a fist. His entire body was tense. James smiled awkwardly, hoping he'd be able to dissipate the tension before they came to whatever the Slytherin equivalent of a scrap was. "Did you realize how ridiculous you're being, Regulus?" Evan winced.

Regulus looked at James and asked in a small, dangerous voice, "Are you sure you don't want me to hex him?"

"Barty, try not to antagonize him. I had to bargain with him to keep him from sneaking a snake into your bed." James sat across from Pandora, who smiled at him with the same dreaminess as always.

"Just a snake?" Barty didn't sit down, and neither did Regulus. They were on opposite sides of the table, glowering at each other. "My, my, my, you've gotten soft, Regulus. Is your soft, delicate boyfriend rubbing off on you?"

"I told you we shouldn't have sat with them." Regulus grabbed his hand, and pulled. "Kindly go fuck yourself, Barty. I'll see you after Yule—"

"Woah, hey, Reg." James blocked his path of escape. His silver eyes burned into his with an intensity that almost made him back down. But no, James could handle him. Maybe he was the only person who could. "Regulus, love, don't you remember what we talked about? What we agreed-"

"What you shoved down my throat, you mean? Merlin, you're like a missionary spreading the holy word-"

"Isn't one of the major tenets of most religions forgiveness?"

"Then I guess I must be pretty godless. Let go of my wrist."

"No." James felt his face twist. Righteous indignation flooded through him. "I'm the one he insulted, if it was even an insult, and you're throwing a temper tantrum about it like a child. You want to be taken seriously, like an adult, right? Yet you can't even have a mature conversation with your best friend?" His voice was low, barely audible even to him, but he knew Regulus could hear him. "You're very ambitious. But unfounded, undeserved ambition is stupid. Damning. If you can't even handle this tiny conflict like a man, what makes you think anything else you're planning will come to fruition?" Regulus' face went white.

"What did you just say to me?" He was staring at James with an unreadable look on his face. James pressed onward, despite the anxiety he always felt when he provoked him like this.

"I know you heard me. We came to an agreement about this-"

"This was not part of it," Regulus whispered back, fiercely. "Forgiveness, moving on, I never said I would do that-"

"What did he do that was so unforgivable?" James demanded, too loudly. Regulus wrenched his wrist out of his grip, and jabbed a finger into his chest.

"Are you stupid? I told you exactly why it's unforgivable, why I don't want to talk to him—"

"I'm not the person you should have told." It was very hard to keep his voice low. He wanted to shake him. Fighting with Regulus was almost as intoxicating as kissing him. "Tell Barty. Talk to him. Tell him he hurt your feelings."

"I'd rather pick up a knife and gut myself in front of him," Regulus said, venomously. "This is so stupid, I don't know why I let you convince me this was a good idea."

"Just try, Regulus. That's all I want, and if you hate it, I won't ask again." James took his hand, and ran his fingertips over his knuckles. Some of the tension in his expression faded, the colour came back to his cheeks. James leaned closer, and looked right into his eyes, then whispered, "For me?"