Chapter Text
Regulus didn't know James has been taught some French by Sirius.
((("Mate, you speak French?"
"Uh, yees"
"Since when do you speak bloody French?"
"Since ever, duh. My parents made me learn it, guess it just ind of stuck with me"
"Can you teach me some?"
"Sure, what'd you wanna know?"
"How do I ask a girl out in French? Any pickup lines? Any romantic stuff? Just in case I'll ever be in France and see a pretty chick"
Sirius had laughed, fullfilling his friends desire and teaching him some romance French - that kind you hear in movies that everybody seems to like. Not that angry kind of French when your mum is yelling at you through your phone.)))
And that was a problem, because he had been speaking to Jamesin French for the past weeks when they were on cleaning duty together. A prank had gone wrong. Regulus didn't even know anymore how he got involved in the prank, but now he was definitely not complaining with the outcome.
Right now he was listening to James rambeling - one of his favourite activities besides reading and studying.
"And then I told her I,in fact, had done my homework, but then a magic spell had gone wrong and it destroyed my homework and I had no time to do it again! But I swear to you I did it, kay, Reggie, I really did it this time!"
"certainement ma chérie (Definitely darling)"
"Huh?"
"Nothing. Did she believe you?"
"No", he pouted.
James rambled on, not noticing how Regulus turned to his own thoughts.
"si je pouvais juste être avec toi mon amour (if i could just be with you my love)", he whispered.
"What was that?"
"Huh, oh nothing, just thinking"
"Well what is my pretty boy thinking about?"
Regulus looked away, not able to look into James eyes or he would loose his shit.
"Oh just school stuff, been worried about an essay I needed to write. It should've been finished yesterday and I'm worried I might get a T"
"Oh who would dare to give you a T, Reggie"
"You would never guess", Regulus laughed bitterly, making James errupt into real giggles and laughter. That made Regulus smile. He liked making James smile.
Regulus loved his smile. It was pretty.
"Mon beau garçon (My pretty boy)"
Regulus was really in love.
_____
It had been going on for a while - Regulus whispering things in French, letting his thoughts out to clear his head, without realizing his partner might know French.
It had been going on for a while - the being-in-love-thing.
Regulus could not pitpoint the exact moment he fell for James Potter. But he could tell when he realized.
It was a rainy afternoon and he was studying in the library with Remus and Lily, when James stormed in.
He was drenched from Quidditch practice - that wouldn't stop just because of some rain - and was looking incredibly hot. It was then when he first actively noticed the thoughts he had been having.
Loving... romantic thoughts even.
Nothing Regulus knew how to deal with.
So he made it a habit to just say them out loud - to forget them, to clear his head and to have a reason not to tell James. Because he already "Said it out loud once, that had to be it".
And he stuck to that habit.
---
Another day, another library study session with Remus and Lily.
Regulus was sitting facing the window, his back to the door. Lily was sitting half-half on the side and Remus was sitting opposite Regulus, exactly his mirror image- facing the door, back to the windows.
They recognized the long and short steps before they even saw how they came from. Long for James, short and fast for Sirius.
Panting, they both ran around a bookshelf, earning a "SHHhhh be quiet", from the librarian.
"Moony, tell James I'm faster than him"
"Noooouuuu, I'm faster than youuu"
"You wish"
James stuck Sirius his tongue out. A guesture his best friend just copied.
Literal 3-year-olds oh my lord.
"I'm sure you are both very fast", Remus almost sounding annoyed.
"Nawww, what's the pouty face for?", Sirius asked, pacing around Lily and his brother - who didn't dare to look up and accidentaly into James' eyes - to get to his boyfriend.
"I'm absolutely not getting this stupid French grammar I'm supposed to be learning from Muggle school"
Since Remus is a halfblood, his parents made him learn some of the elements you would learn in normal muggel school for him to not be completely lost in the muggle world, especially if he decided he would want a non magical job.
One of these things was learning french.
What Remus honestly just hated.
He loved older languages - he had been learning Latin for fun but he did not quite get modern languages, although he knew latin, what really helped him.
Sirius was sitting down on Remus lap as he worked him through the grammar.
"James!", he suddenly called out, the boy wincing, lost in his thoughts as he looked at the younger black brother, not expecting to be doing anything otehr than that at all.
"Yes, huh? here!"
Sirius smiled at him. "Remember, that's exactly what I taught you last lesson"
James walked over, taking a look at the paper laying in front of Remus. "Oh yeah, I remember!"
"You're learning french?", Lily asked.
James nodded "Trying to at least. I'm not very good right now, but I just started so it's okay."
"Wow, It's really great that you are training your brain and learning a new language."
"Thanks!"
"Well at least you know how to order food, how to flirt in French and how to ask for locations"
"How to flirt in French?", Lily raised her eyebrows. That sentence also made Regulus look up, a million thoughts in his head.
DId he know? SHIT did he know? He said he just started so maybe he didn't? But he started with flirting! And he was being thought by Sirius, he definitely knew.. ShiT FUCK FUCK FUCK
James blushed. "Well you gotta be prepared... Just in case a cute French girl... or guy is asking me out. IT would be a shame to never know!"
Lily smiled but rolled her eyes.
THis guy really would be her death.
When James said "... or guy", he was directly looking into the eyes of the younger black.
'SHIT FUCKING HELL HE DEFINITELY KNOWS BLOODY DRESS I DON'T FUCKKING KNWO WHAT TO D I'M GONAN SCREAM; AND DIE AND RUN AWAY HOLY COW OH MY LORD I'M DEAD'
James licked his bottom lip. "Wouldn't want to miss out to date a pretty boy, just because all his rambles are in French and you would have never known otherwise"
Remus, Sirius and Lily very confused, but Regulus was blushing really hard now.
"Uh.. I'm gonna go I need to- --.. I need to prepare my broom . yes, quidditch- you know just doing stuff-- i'll see you tommoror Rem, Lils, same place, same time.. I'mm err just- bye!"
Regulus hurried out of the room, not even picking up the quill that fell onto the floor from his hands because he was trying to hold so many things.
"Huh, strange"
"Anyway.."
But James did not do anyway. He knew and he was going to do something about it.
He would not miss his chance to date Regulus Black, the boy he had a crush on ever since he first saw him.
He could not do that.
Not to himself and not to Regulus