Work Text:
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Why is everybody so fucking disgusting? Regulus thinks while he watches the man standing before him holding onto the railing above him. The bus isn’t even that full and there’s plenty of space left to hold on to. For example, the railing right next to the offending man. But no, of course he has to grip the railing on the ceiling and revealing his sweaty armpit to every single person in this bus, which to make everything worse, drives at a snail’s pace since afternoon traffic is in fact, that bad.
The woman next to him eyes the sweaty man with the same look as Regulus himself does; pure disgust, just as another waft of sweat fills his nose. And the man in question has the audacity to notice Regulus and after looking him up and down, fucking winks at him. The scowl on Reg’s face deepens, he just wants to get home so he doesn’t have to see anyone. His day was already stressful enough; bad sleep since his neighbours couldn’t keep their voice down when fucking like rabbits in heat, having to wake up early for his morning lecture, his bus not coming and having to walk to another stop to catch the other line, a group of girls not shutting the fuck up when trying to study for an upcoming exam in the library, getting coffee spilled on his white new shirt by some incompetent twat of a classmate and finding out his bus line is, in fact not active for two weeks because of some construction just down his road, which at least explains his fiasco this morning.
He looks away after giving the creep a death stare combined with the pure unfiltered disgust that mirrors Regulus’ current emotions when looking at him. The streets and people outside went by slower as the bus comes to a slow stop, opening the doors and letting the small crowd of passengers that formed in front of the door, step outside and all the while making it feel less cramped.
Regulus tries to let his thoughts wander away from his awful day while he focuses on the notes coming from his headset. Lana Del Rey’s voice accompanied by the slow beats fitting his mood and the gloomy London weather outside, his arm straining a bit when taking a sharper turn in favour of not falling onto the revolting man, who still throws interested glances at him once in a while. Probably thinking he’s slick with it, that gross pervert. He notices the coffee shop just down the block on the other side of the road where he goes sometimes to study, indicating that he has to step off at the next stop.
He stretches his arm a little to press the stop button to the left of him, thrilled to finally be able to leave this hellhole of a bus. Don’t get him wrong, he actually loves riding with public transport, sitting in a mostly empty bus or compartment while just listening to music or letting his thoughts wander is one of the best feeling in his opinion. Especially on a rainy day, which are fortunately relatively frequently when living in London.
The current song starts its outro when the bus crosses the final traffic light before his stop, halting abruptly. He clutches the strap of his backpack with his right hand after rebalancing his feet, slipping through the affronting people standing so close to the door he swears they gonna fall out, and finally steps outside. He hears the doors closing behind him and the screeching of wheels, indicating the bus continued its way to the next destination.
The smell of rain greets Regulus when taking a deep breath, before starting to walk the short distance to his flat. The streets are as busy as one would expect them to be on a Friday evening, everyone wanting to get home after a straining week to relax or get ready to get drunk at some pub. Taking a turn to the left, he’s finally on his street, already seeing his apartment building. He walks up the few stairs leading to the entrance, already getting his keys out of his pockets.
The star keychain gifted to him by his overbearing older brother clinking when opening the door. Stepping inside and letting the door fall shut behind him, he quickly ascends the stairs to his floor, skipping a few stairs. His black loafers leaving a wet imprint on the fitted carpet from the rain outside. He passes his neighbours door, almost stopping to knock and disappear inside his flat just to mess with them after last night, but ultimately deciding against it, not having the energy to do anything other than finally decompress at home.
He follows the dimly lit hallway, coming to a sudden stop before his own door, opening it. He is greeted by the dark entrance of his flat and after stepping inside and closing the door behind him, he could hear quiet tippy taps coming towards him followed by an offended meow. When turning he was greeted only by green, almost glowing eyes. Leo’s midnight fur was pretty much invisible in the dark, still the sounds coming out of his small mouth and the glare he could make out was enough to show him that his cat was clearly not amused by his late return.
He turns to the right, making out the light switch in the corner of his eyes and flipping it on. The lamps in his hallway coming to life, filling the space with a slightly yellow glow. Drying the soles of his shoes on the mat he turns to the opposite wall, letting his black jacket fall over his shoulders to hang it up on the hooks attached to it. While kneeling he responds to the continuous insults Leo throws at him. “I know, I know, I’m sorry okay. They decided now is a good time to start construction down the road and I had to take the other bus line, which has a later schedule. You will have to get used to me coming home a little later than usual.”
When placing his shoes carefully next to each other on the shoe rack he notices Leo stopping his complains but still flicking his tail from side to side insistingly. The black cat sits down and just stares at him, as if glaring and showing his distaste. If it’s because of his late arrival or because of the distaste of water which is fuelled by the remaining rain drops falling from his hair to the wooden floor, he doesn’t know
Regulus stands up, gets a hold of the backpack he threw carelessly to the floor when entering and follows the hall to his living room and kitchen space. He had luck and got an open space flat a year ago when moving in, the layout making it feel cozier and not as crammed as his childhood home. A shiver ran down his back at the memories of the small and seemingly endless halls of the mansion he had to call home.
After flickering on the standing light next to his couch and the lamp in his kitchen he took the backpack to his bedroom and next to his desk, hating when the damn thing lays around and he almost trips over it. Or worse, searching hours for Leo and almost having a heart attack, only to find him all cozy and smug at the bottom of it when forgetting to close the zipper. Ever since that day, he strictly keeps it next to his desk to avoid tripping and searching for the backpack itself or his sneaky cat.
Small paws followed him all the way to the bedroom, slowly coming up to him and nudging his shins while walking eight figures around his legs, tail flicking happily. “So now you want cuddles, huh? Are you done throwing a fit?” He smirks at his cat, who just continues to fiddle from leg to leg. Regulus wonders how Leo doesn’t get dizzy, he bends down to pet along the slim back, purring erupting instantly. Filling the otherwise silent space of his bedroom, not a thing out of place and bed perfectly made.
When standing up, Regulus remembers how truly filthy he feels. The coffee stain still smelling of the brown beans used to brew the beverage, clinging slightly to his skin with the rest of his damp shirt from the rain. The cuffs of his dress pants wet from stepping into puddles, which are almost unavoidable with the crowds constantly surrounding one and being pushed around by Londoners wanting to get home fast.
Walking out of his bedroom he continues to the bathroom opposite of it, he strips of his clothes and throws them into the hamper standing in the corner. He turns to the mirror on the wall, taking in his slightly dishevelled and damp appearance. He washes his hands, finally being able to get rid of all the public transport stickiness, before opening his cupboard to grab his makeup remover. Carefully removing his black eyeliner, which is a little smudged after the long day, since he always get sensitive eyes when rubbing too hard. He remembers Sirius always rubbing his whole face off after a long day, looking like a wet puppy and a slightly red face from the rough handling.
Regulus steps into the shower, turning the warm water on and just letting it flow all the way down with closed eyes, from the crown of his head to his pale feet. The cubicle slowly fills with steam and therefore spreads the calming scent of eucalyptus coming from the dried bunch hanging behind his showerhead. He takes a deep breath and starts to evenly get his locks wet. Grabbing the shampoo bottle, he messages it in, careful of not getting it in his eyes.
After the second wash his hand reaches for the conditioner, perfect for hydrating his curls. When carefully working it though his ends and untangling the strands with his hands he watches the bubbles flow down the drain. Taking all the stress with it, finally being able to relax after this hell of a day. He makes quick work with his sponge to clean his whole body while letting the conditioner set for the time and steps back into the warm stream. Successfully removing any remaining dirt, letting the water warm him a little while longer before his grumbling stomach reminds him of his lack of dinner yet.
Turning the water off, he slowly steps out of the cubicle and onto the bathmat, using his favourite fluffy towel to dry himself before tying the equally fluffy bathrobe around his waist. Regulus steps up to his sink and grabs his styling products before scrunching out any excess water, not having the energy he makes quick work of his usual long curl routine. Working in the curl cream and gel with practiced hands, scrunching his raven strands and letting his natural curl pattern do all the work for him.
His feet calmly pads to his bedroom, where he finds Leo already laying outstretched on the end of his bed. Sleeping like he’s paying rent, forming a long ball of fluff and sleek black fur. Oh, to live like a cat and being able to sleep all day, Regulus thinks. Stepping up to his wardrobe, he gets a hold of some new black lace panties and an old, worn nirvana band shirt. After putting it on he stretches, his joints popping a bit from all the sitting he has done today, before lowering his arms again, letting the hem of the oversized shirt fall to his mid thighs.
He hears little paws trailing after him before he even reached the kitchen, Leo following him shortly like a shadow. The floor creaking slightly when passing his grey sofa before reaching the scented candles on the coffee table, grabbing his lighter. He bought them when going shopping with Remus, with a ridiculous name called “stormy night”. He remembers the upfront but kind lady, who held the candles under his nose immediately after stepping inside, and turned out to be the owner. Scoffing when reading the label but catching Remus slight smirk when he caught them being scanned and put away in Regulus’ bag.
After putting on some music to fill the silence in his flat, he steps into the kitchen. Opening the cabinet, he is greeted by his stock of canned cat food. Leo of course, is not far behind, already waiting for his dinner after being left empty pawed by his owner being late. But after all, he still sits patiently waiting, carefully tracing Regulus’ movements while said owner fills his bowl and puts the now empty can into the bin. After checking the water bowl, Regulus nods and gestures to the food, letting the cat know he can finally feast.
Turning to his sink he washes his hands, glancing at the sleek black cat while drying his hands, who gracefully eats his tuna as if it is a gourmet dinner. Maybe pets really do copy the behaviour of their owners, huh? The thought making Regulus huff an almost silent laugh, while watching the particular and unusual way the cat eats. “So do you have an idea what I could make for dinner, Leo?” Regulus asks with a tilt of his head, his question is of course being left unanswered and he only gets a bored and brief glance from the green glowing eyes over the edge of the feeding bowl. Regulus voice drips with sarcasm, “Oh yeah, why didn’t I think of that? Thank you so much, really.”
After rummaging through his fridge and drawer Regulus settles for a poke bowl, since he needs to make use of his mango and avocado before they are overripe. Getting out the sushi rice and washing it before letting it simmer on the stove, he gets out his wooden cutting board to prepare all the different toppings. Peeling the avocado and cutting it into thinner strips before peeling the mango as well as cutting it into small cubes, setting them aside for later. He turns to his freezer, getting the frozen edamame from the second compartment before closing it before also grabbing the already open tofu from his fridge.
He turns around to face his kitchen island, setting the ingredients on the cutting board before glancing up. Leo, apparently finished with his dinner, perched himself on top the couch headrest, to be able to watch everything with a judgmental face but Regulus knows he will doze off after a few minutes. The calming scent of the candles finally reaching the kitchen space and the slow notes of music coming from the speaker in the living room making his flat feel like home. Relaxing him and continuing to let the calm feeling of this slow evening wander through his body again, just like under the warm stream of water in his shower.
The bubbling of the rice brings him back to reality, stirring it before it overflows while lowering the heat a bit. He gets another small pot from the drawer underneath his stove, filling it too, with a little bit of water to unfreeze his edamame faster. While letting the stove do the cooking for him, he cuts up the tofu in smaller cubes while humming to the music, setting it next to the rest of the already prepared ingredients. His hips slowly start to swing with the rhythm, letting himself be immersed by the music. He feels the hem of his shirt slide along his thighs while cool air breezes past his legs with the movement, contentment making itself known with a small, relaxed smile on Regulus’ face.
Pouring himself a glass of water, he decides to make a peanut sauce to top the dish off, getting his soy sauce, rice vinegar and peanut butter out of the pantry. Mixing it all with a little bit of water, waiting for the stubborn peanut butter to combine itself with the liquid ingredients. Having prepared everything, he drains the edamame and sets it aside next to all the other stuff wating on the kitchen counter. After checking the rice, noticing it still need a few minutes, he hushes into the bedroom getting some fluffy socks since the cold kitchen tiles are not helping his feet, which are always cold no matter what he does.
Getting back to the kitchen with warmer feet, he turns off the stove and starts to plate up his rice. Filling the bottom of his big bowl, following with all the toppings, some extra peanuts and the sauce, trying to make it aesthetically pleasing for the eye. Noting his left-over mango, he stores it in the fridge to eat it tomorrow, maybe combining it with some cinnamon porridge for breakfast. Setting the bowl on the counter, he cleans up the pots and bowls from storing the ingredients in as well as the cutting board and knife so he doesn’t have to clean after eating. Knowing himself to have a tendency to not having the motivation to move for a bit after eating and forgetting about the chaos in the kitchen, which has yet to be cleaned, only to see the state of the kitchen before wanting to go to bed after almost falling asleep on the couch.
When everything is put away and the counter and stove is wiped clean, he grabs his favourite pair of chopsticks before settling himself on the couch, waking Leo in the process. Who looks up grumpily before realising Regulus is the cause of this rude disruption and promptly hopping down to set himself next to Regulus’ thighs, rolling himself up like a donut. Regulus throws a grey blanket over his folded legs, grabbing his remote and putting on his current favourite show. Rewatching Heated Rivalry for what feels like thousand time, and if he’s thirsting over Connor Storrie every time he fills the big TV, so what? Let a man be gay in peace.
The last remnants of stress and abbreviation of the week falls off after the first bite of his poke bowl, the realisation of the coming weekend washing over him. Leo is purring up a storm since Regulus finally sits next to him, both in their safe bubble of being home alone without anyone to disrupt their peace.
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His socked feet slide over the hard wood floor on the way to the bathroom, Leo too tired to follow this time and instead cuddling with the blanket, which is left forgotten with Regulus’ short absence. The delicious food feels warm in his stomach and his hunger left with it, cleaning up the bowl and chopsticks was easy but while loading the dishwasher the urge for his favourite ice cream overcame Regulus. Prompting him to grab it from the freezer, prying open the lid before even reaching the couch, a spoonful of ice cream already hanging from his mouth when sitting down.
After he finished the first episode, watching Shane and Ilya interact as if he hasn’t already watched those scenes at least fifteen times already, when eating his dinner. The second episode got enjoyed with the delicious flavour of cookie dough ice cream, half of the pint gone when the credits rolled and the familiar next episode button plopped up on the right corner of the screen. Not having it pressed yet, he stood up to get the ice cream back into the freezer.
Sliding open the bathroom door, the familiar click of the lighting switch filled the silence before stepping up to the sink. While going through his nighttime routine, muscle memory kicks in, brushing his teeth after scraping his tongue, double cleansing and moisturizing his pale face. Squeezing the tube of the cream to get the last of the products out, before tossing it, making a mental note to buy some new to not losing his backup storage. Not having at least one of every product makes him anxious, probably still some residue trauma he does not have the energy to unpack right now.
He reaches up towards his cupboard, getting a light pink sheet mask out of its rightful container with all the other face masks. Ripping open the top before carefully and putting it on his face, the headband he put on before doing his skincare routine already holding back the black strands of hair, which usually fall onto his face.
When stepping into the low-lit living room again, Leo doesn’t budge one bit. The couch letting out a small creak when Regulus lets himself fall onto it again, which earns him a small grumble from the ball of black fluff to his right. He remembers the first time the cat saw him with a face mask on, jumping out of his skin and hissing out of pure, unfiltered fright. Probably thinking a ghost stands stood in front of him, his poor baby. Fortunately he got used to it pretty quickly since it’s not a rare occurrence for Regulus to treat himself with such, his glowing skin does not come from nothing.
He grabs the remote to his left, finally pressing the button that allows the third episode to start. Readjusting the blanket and with it Leo, who promptly crawls into his owner’s lap, letting himself be scratched behind his ears and under his chin. While Scott’s and Kip’s first meeting plays on the big screen before them, his phone dings. Grabbing it with his left hand to be able to continue the scratches with his right, he checks his notifications knowing it can only be the group chat, because everyone else is on mute anyway.
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Whores (+ Pandora, Dorcas and Evan)
Panda; 08:02 pm
Does tmrw still stand?
Slut jr.; 08:02 pm
Whati s tmrq???
Dorkass; 08:03 pm
*What is tmrw???
Slut jr.; 08:03 pm
Do you genuienly have nothing else to do?
Dorkass; 08:03pm
*genuinely
Eggulus; 08:04pm
Who changed the group name again?
Also, yes we’re still on for tmrw
Dorkass; 08:04pm
It was Barty
Slut jr.; 08:05pm
Tf?! It was prolyl you cas
Sry, I meant *ass, @Dorkass
Evie; 08:05pm
Barty ofc
Dorkass; 08:05pm
???
Fuck you
Slut jr.; 08:05pm
I’m gay?
Thought you knew that…
Also, I have a bf
Speaking of which, wtf Ev?! I didn’t do shit
Evie; 08:06pm
What did I do now?
Slut jr.; 08:06pm
Oh, fuck you, you know what you did?!
You just falsely accused me of changing the group name
Evie; 08:06pm
I already did?
Like not even 40 minutes ago, you were pretty loud if you don’t recall…
Dorkass; 08:06pm
Ewwww, stop being gay
I don’t wanna know what you guys are up to, that’s nasty
Panda; 08:07pm
Children, please calm down
The weekend JUST started…
Also, it was Evan
Evie; 08:07pm
Omg??
And I thought we had something special as siblings
Backstabbing evil twin…
Slut jr.; 08:07pm
Serves you right
But I like the name, can we keep it?
Eggulus; 08:07pm
Ofc you do…
Also, please stfu, I want to have a relaxing night
I don’t have the patience for your whining @Slut jr.
Dorkass; 08:08pm
Yeah B, keep quiet for once @Slut jr.
Evie; 08:09pm
I agree with them @Slut jr.
Slut jr.; 08:09pm
Get frinds they said…they’ll support yuo and make you happy they said…
Dorkass; 08:09pm
And the whining just continues…
Also: *friends and *you
Slut jr.; 08:10pm
*raises middle finger*
Eggulus; 08:10pm
Did you just spell out a gesture??
Panda; 08:10pm
Sooo, 2pm at St. James Park?
I’ll bring the picnic blankets and cucumber sandwiches
Dorkass; 08:11pm
Fine with me, I’ll bring fruit and peanuts for Bee
Slut jr.; 08:11pm
…I’m allergic to peanuts?
First my sexuality, now my allergies…are we even friends?
Dorkass; 08:12pm
Exactly
Also, St. JAMES Park @Eggulus
Eggulus; 08:12pm
…haha
Evie; 08:12pm
Bee and I will be there, I’ll make the hummus with veggie sticks
Panda; 08:12pm
Perfect, Reg you’ll do your brownies?
I’ve been craving them so bad this week
Eggulus; 08:13pm
Ofc, I’ll bring them fresh out of the oven
Slut jr.; 08:13pm
Again, just getting ignored…
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He closes the group chat even though his phone keeps vibrating for a few more minutes, Barty and Dorcas not settling their teasing. Leo rubs his head into his right hand, pushing hard while turning to lay on his back to show off his black belly , demanding even more cuddles. “You’re so clingy when you want to be…” Regulus says fondly, the cold face mask crinkling a bit with the small smile forming on his face.
After finishing the third episode, Regulus feels the tiredness in his bones and the exhaustion of the week finally catching up to him. He turns off the TV, the sudden silence in the flat a bit startling but welcomed. Standing up after pushing Leo softly off his lap before folding the blanket to lay it neatly on the armrest as well as putting out the scented candles, he softly pads towards the hall, small paws following. Turning off all the lights in the living room before stepping into the bathroom to get rid of the now clear face mask. When entering his bedroom he turns on the night lamp in his bedroom, not wanting to fall over Leo, since he has a habit to hovering around his ankles and additionally the audacity to be offended when accidently stepping on him because of it.
He lifts the cover to slip under the blanket, engulfed by all of his pillows and fluffy blanket. Reaching to his left to get the charging cable for his phone before grabbing his bonnet and sleeping mask. Leo hops up the bed and crawls up the beneath the blanket to settle next to Regulus’ pillow, side eyeing his owner while he puts his bonnet on before turning off the night lamp, engulfing them both into darkness.
Only making out the glowing green eyes of his cat staring at him, before letting himself fall on the pillow and filtering the last beams of light coming from the London streets out with his sleeping mask. “Good night Lee,” Regulus whispers into the night, only followed by a small meow and quiet rumbling coming from the cat’s chest, finally being able to rest
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