Work Text:
They’ve been officially dating for all of a few hours when James sneaks down to the Quidditch pitch. He would lie and say he didn’t know Regulus would be there but he doesn’t think it’s smart to start a relationship like that. Regulus is circling the pitch lazily, looping up and swerving gently around the edges. He looks gorgeous but that’s nothing interesting. Regulus is always gorgeous. James is in love with him. He thinks he might manage to sneak past the other boy and grab his broom but Regulus spots him almost instantly.
“Potter!” yells Regulus before he swoops down. “What are you doing out here?”
“Can’t sleep?” he replies uncertainly. It’s partially true. James simply also wants to see him.
Regulus scoffs, clearly seeing right through him. James watches him hover a few feet above the ground in a sort of trance. He can’t believe they had their first date earlier this afternoon. The day was unseasonably warm and James had delighted in holding Regulus’ hand without a pair of mittens. He was extra delighted that Regulus’ fingers were slightly cold and he had a reason to pull them down an alley under the guise of warming him up. It was magical. It reminds James of the stories his parents tell about their years at Hogwarts.
“Well?” Regulus prompts. James startles and looks up at him. “Aren’t you going to get your broom?” James jumps into action. He practically sprints to the shed and grabs his Nimbus 1000. Kicking off into the air, Regulus shoots him a funny look. He produces a golden snitch in the palm of his hand. James stares at him wide-eyed and open-mouthed. “Best two out of three?” requests Regulus innocently.
He smirks. “You’re going down, Black.”
Regulus grins. “We’ll see.”
⚉⚉⚉⚉
In the end, Regulus catches the snitch twice without much competition. James complains and blames it on the other boy’s spot on Slytherin’s team as a Seeker. “It wasn’t fair!” he insists again with a whine. Regulus glares at him but James doesn’t know the glare means he’s in trouble yet. Give him a couple months and James will know everything about Regulus. “You’re a Seeker! You have the unfair advantage of this being your thing. Now, get a Quaffle out and—FUCK!” James flinches away from Regulus’ frozen fingers against his side. He doesn’t know when the other boy found the time to sneak a hand under his jumper but by Merlin does it hurt. “What’s wrong with you?” he asks and pouts.
Regulus scowls. “It’s not my fault you can’t catch,” he replies before crossing his arms.
“What’s wrong with your hands?” James grabs them and squashes them between his own. “You’re so frigid.”
Regulus makes a token noise of protest and struggles just enough to maintain appearances. “It’s not my fault you’re unreasonably warm,” he gripes.
James smiles and brings Regulus’ hands up to his lips. He blows on them with warm breath and watches in glee the way Regulus’ cheeks flush. James wants so badly to kiss him. They didn’t earlier. Sirius found them on their way back and was so over the top in his Protective Big Brother act that James didn’t bother. It feels like it could be a good time now. Has Regulus ever been kissed? James isn’t sure. He knows Regulus has never been on a date before, but that doesn’t really mean much. Sirius was kissing everybody before he and Remus got together. Not that James thinks Regulus is like his brother! He isn’t. James knows he isn’t.
“James?” whispers Regulus and James realises he’s let the silence stretch for too long.
“Can I kiss you?” he asks before he can stop himself.
Regulus’ eyes widen and his cheeks flush again. He’s unreal tonight. The wind swept his curls into a bit of a mess, his robes are disheveled, his nose is red from the cold, his lips are dry from flying. He’s unreal.
Regulus’ eyelashes flutter and he purses his lips slightly, almost like it is unintentional. (Later, James will learn that it is unintentional and that Regulus does it any time James mentions kissing.) “I…” he trails off and glances away. In a whisper, Regulus agrees, “Yes.”
James lets out a sigh of relief and draws them together. He cups the back of Regulus’ head and leans down while angling their mouths together. Regulus tilts his face up to meet James’ lips with a soft sound. Soft is a good word to describe the entire thing, actually. Regulus’ hands come up to clutch at James’ loose jumper, his body so soft and familiar under James’ hold. He shuffles a little, tilting his chin up more to make the angle right. His eyelashes are soft as a feather against James’ cheeks. They’re so close and Regulus’ lashes are so long that James can feel them on his cheeks, for Merlin’s sake. It tickles.
When they part, Regulus’ chest rises and falls rapidly like he’s out of breath. James doesn’t feel much better. He knows he’s panting, winded by love and disbelief. Regulus blinks at him in a daze, the corners of his mouth quirked up in a smile. James feels like he could float away, like he's still on his broom, chasing Regulus around the pitch, night air biting into his fingers and nose.
"James?" Regulus asks quietly, hesitantly, like he worries the kiss might have scared James away. It did quite the opposite actually.
"I'm going to kiss you again tomorrow," declares James. "And the day after that and the day after that and however much longer you'll let me."
Regulus' cheeks are pink and his tongue, also pink, darts out to wet his lips. "Okay," he breathes.
"Okay," James breathes back.