summer rain || jegulus + jily ✔️

4 ~ betrayal rewound

Chapter 4

James wrapped his arms around Regulus. They stayed like that for a while, with Regulus absorbing James' warmth. Anyone else touching him (besides Pandora) and he's already got a knife to your throat, but not James. Regulus had rules for things like this, but he forgot all of them when he stared at James' face. It was unfair. 

There were myriad reasons why the summer tryst shouldn't work. They fell back into the pile of other meaningless shit crowding his mind. No, there's no other way to put it. What did I say about swear words being important? In the back of his mind bloomed the question of what will happen once we go to back Hogwarts? He ignored it.

Regulus stared at James as if trying to memorize him, sensually touching his hands, his arms, his neck. James leaned in, and Regulus' heartbeat intensified, suddenly ten times faster. It should've killed him, but it didn't. Perhaps that's the way it was with James: in a perpetual state between love and defying reality. He couldn't take the crooked, uncharacteristically shy smile plastered on James' face and his dimples. Who had the right to be that fucking irresistible?

Regulus tilted his head up to kiss James, James' arms around his waist. He felt the press of his lips as their mouths met. He was vaguely aware of Midnight groping for affection, but he ignored his cat (gasp). They didn't stop kissing even after they ran out of oxygen and had to pull back to catch their breath, or when their lips turned red and swollen. Kissing was Regulus' oxygen. He kissed until he could forget.

──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──── 

"Hey, Lilyflower Jade Evans!" James crowed, entwining his fingers with the redhead and beaming at her. Regulus witnessed this exchange. His heartstrings didn't like it. Now James swung his arms around her neck and peppered her with kisses all over her face. No platonic excuse remained. 

Auburn hair in lovely twists and large gold hoops in her pierced ears, as well as a smattering of freckles not only across her face but additionally coating her arms and legs (she hated those). Regulus knew this since they'd struck up a friendship—or at the very least camaraderie—ever since they discovered their shared love for academia. Anyone would love her, but she wasn't looking for cheap love. She played her own game the way she wanted. If other people happened to join, she wove them in.

All the teenagers had trudged back to Hogwarts after the summer, reluctant to return to the notorious N.E.W.Ts and strict head teachers. The Slytherin head captain had been out sick with a stomach bug for a while. The staff hadn't bothered to replace her, so Regulus was left dormant. The last time he'd played a proper Quidditch game was months ago. He missed the exhilaration.

He felt as if he'd never been exhilarated before. The steady flowing wind in him, the candle keeping him alive, had burnt out and been blown out. Of course James would go and do something like this, right when he was starting to open up.

"How do you know my middle name? I bet one of the girls let it slip—was it Marls? I know you're close, especially with your strange red sneaker bond and all that."

"No, actually, it was Dorcas." Of course, James dared to bring up Dorcas, one of Regulus' best friends.

"James..." Regulus said slowly. "What are you doing?"

"Greeting my lovely Lily here!" replied James as if it was obvious.

Lily seemed confused. "Hey, Reg. What's going on?" 

Something unpleasant had begun to stir around in his chest like poison. He would go out like a martyr if he had to, though. How long did he have until it hit his system?