Chapter Text
When Regulus first met James, the latter was in love with someone else.
It was a warm August evening, and Regulus had just returned from a trip to a cottage with his boarding school friends. They had parted ways earlier in the day when they arrived in London. Regulus was busy unpacking his duffle bag when Marlene, a friend of his, texted him. Marlene was a friend of his brother's, Sirius, and also played in a band with him. Effortlessly cool, Marlene was easily one of Sirius’ most interesting friends, and Regulus enjoyed her company. They had shared a Comparative Literature class the previous year and had grown close over time.
The text from her was about an outing to the pub that night. Normally, Regulus wasn’t much for partying, but after two weeks in a remote cabin, the thought of a beer and some dancing was tempting. As he finished unpacking, he placed his dirty clothes in the laundry hamper and grabbed his phone. He quickly typed a reply, agreeing to join her, but only if he could bring his best friend, Pandora.
Pandora and Regulus had met in their first year at boarding school. They were in the same dorm and had all their classes together. Their constant proximity led them to become friendly with each other. One day, after Regulus had a fight with Sirius, Pandora found him crying by the school’s lake. She comforted him until he calmed down, and then they went to the school kitchen to eat some leftover pie from yesterday's dinner. They had been inseparable ever since.
They were an unlikely pair—Pandora was sweet and soft, while Regulus was bitter and rough—but their differences made them even closer.
Regulus plopped down on his bed and sighed. He picked up a book that had been on his side table since July, re-reading the back cover. The story of Malakai Constant’s journey through space seemed like a fitting companion for the end of summer. He started reading the first few chapters when his phone rang—a reply from Marlene. Sure thing. Well, that was something to look forward to. Regulus informed Pandora of the plans for the night and returned to Sirens of Titan.
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The pub was only a few minutes away, but Regulus felt nervous. He wasn’t one to go out of his way to socialize—he had enough friends already. As he walked with Pandora, he started to regret agreeing to meet up with Marlene. He didn’t even know who else would be there, and he definitely didn’t want to run into certain people, like James Potter.
James was Sirius’ best friend, and a royal pain in the ass. Regulus hadn’t met him yet, but from everything he’d heard, James was loud, energetic, and embarrassingly in love with Lily Evans. After years of pining for her, they’d gotten together the previous fall, only to break up over the summer. Sirius had told him just a few days ago that they were destined to get back together after James crashed his car because of a text from Lily. Regulus had gathered that James was the kind of guy he could fall for—and that would probably break his heart. So, Regulus decided to hate him before they even met. It was easier than falling for his looks (he was guilty of stalking him on social media a few times), or the idea he’d created of him over the years—especially when James was clearly unavailable in a taken, straight sort of way.
Regulus and Pandora rounded the corner and were faced with Tarney’s, a local pub with a rugged, American dive-bar vibe. Large windows offered a glimpse of the scene inside: groups of older men hitting on the young bartender at the counter, while younger people laughed around tables in the back. Pandora gave him a reassuring look, knowing he got nervous at social events. She walked in first, with Regulus in tow. They spotted Marlene’s group, and she greeted them with a loud, drunken cheer, announcing their arrival to the rest of the group.
“Reg?” Sirius’ voice echoed in Regulus’ mind like a pounding drum. The last time they’d seen each other, right before he left for the cottage, they’d had a stupid argument. Regulus had been reluctant to make up with his brother due to his own stubbornness, but now seemed like a good time to put things to rest.
“Hey, Sirius,” he smiled shyly, silently apologizing for their earlier fallout. Sirius grinned back in understanding, and that was that—they’d made up. After all they went through in their childhood, they had agreed never to let petty arguments end their relationship. In the storm of life, he knew he could count on Sirius.
Regulus glanced around the table to see who else had shown up. So far, it was just Marlene, Sirius, Remus (another of Sirius’ friends whom Regulus liked), Peter, Pandora, and himself. Okay, not a bad group, Regulus thought as he sat down and ordered a drink. The atmosphere was lively, and he started to relax.
“So, Reg, Pandora, how was the trip?” Marlene asked. All eyes turned to the pair, and Regulus felt the familiar pang of nervousness creep back in. Pandora, ever the goddess, jumped in before he could make a fool of himself.
“It was so beautiful. The mountains, the lake, and the people were so nice. The hikes were amazing. It’s easy to forget how incredible it is to be surrounded by nature when you live in the city, but when you come back, it’s hard not to miss the simple life at the cabin,” Pandora said with a wide smile. The group smiled back at her, clearly impressed by the picture she painted.
“Oh, I wish I had done something like that instead of wasting my summer on an internship at an agency I didn’t even like,” Peter said with a sigh.
“Hey, come on, it wasn’t that bad. You were with me,” Sirius said with a smirk. Peter rolled his eyes, unimpressed by the idea of being stuck with Sirius for the summer. Regulus smiled at that—it was nice to know that despite his endless charm, Sirius still annoyed some of his friends.
The bartender brought Regulus his drink, a rum and coke, and as he sipped it, Regulus noticed the most gorgeous man he’d ever seen walk into the pub. He was kind of tall, with deep brown curly hair and gold-framed glasses. He had this warm, sun-kissed aura about him. As he walked toward the group, Regulus’ stomach dropped in realization. No. No, no, no. It was James Potter. The one person he’d hoped never to meet.
As James approached, Sirius jumped up to hug him like he hadn’t seen him in years. Regulus started to sink in his seat, wishing he could disappear. This was bad. Really bad.
James turned to the table, smiling at everyone, until his eyes landed on Regulus and Pandora. For a split second, his expression changed to something unreadable, but it was gone in an instant. Regulus almost wondered if he’d imagined it.
“Hi, guys. I believe we haven’t met. I’m James,” he said, his smile impossibly charming.
“Pandora,” his friend responded sweetly. James nodded at her before turning to Regulus. Their eyes locked, and Regulus felt a jolt in his chest. He had never been looked at this way before—it was destabilizing, like a storm had swept through his thoughts.
“Regulus,” he replied, grimacing slightly. He couldn’t seem to react properly. James’ smile widened.
“Oh my God, it’s Reggie!” James exclaimed. Regulus’ face went pale. He cringed at the nickname and sank further into his chair.
“Don’t call me that,” Regulus muttered, his voice flat. James’ smile faltered, and he turned to the others to catch up with them.
The rest of the night passed in a blur, filled with James’ musings on Lily and their recent breakup, while the group hyped him up. Pandora kept her hand in Regulus’ under the table, aware of how draining this all was for him.
By the time one in the morning rolled around, the group was ready to leave. As they split up, James called out to Regulus.
“Hey, sorry for calling you Reggie earlier,” James said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I hope we’re cool?”
“Yeah, sure, whatever,” Regulus replied dryly, turning away and walking off, leaving James behind, looking dumbfounded by his rudeness.
Pandora didn’t pry, but Regulus could tell she had something to say.
Regulus was so fucked.