Disclaimer: I'm just a poor muggle. I own nothing. All credit goes to our beautiful JK Rowling.
There was a rule against dating your best friend's sister; James knew that much. It was an important part of the 'Bro Code' that he had seen so many people forget, thus tripping over themselves and falling. They had it coming to them, really, at least in his opinion. Yet, here he was in a very similar predicament, only with less of a guideline. It was a bad thing to date your best friend's sister. But what about their brother?
It had started out pretty simply. There was a Quidditch match against Slytherin, and, obviously, James had made sure that Gryffindor triumphed. Again. There was gloating, jeering, cheering- the music of victory. Back in the locker rooms, though, he ran into someone familiar. Of course, he had to walk over, if only to rub the victory in his face.
Regulus Black. Younger brother of Sirius Black, his own best mate. While they were siblings by blood, James like to think that they had adopted the elder into their own family, which left poor Reg stranded with the extremist lunatics. Now, while he was as prideful as they came (especially about his house), the older boy would have had no problem welcoming the younger Black into their little cult, but he was never given the chance. Unfortunately, while Sirius had picked up on the unjust ways of his upbringers, Regulus embraced them. It was a shame, really, for there were times in which James almost…wanted the other boy closer.
"Hey, Reg!" he exclaimed once the rest of the team had left, leaving the two of them completely alone in the room. The younger was still in the process of changing his robes, and it took all he had not to snatch his casual ware and run. But that was immature; childish. And those two words only made it seem more appealing, so he wasn't quite sure why he used them to drive himself off. "I saw that nosedive you took. That took some pretty serious skill to fall that hard. Where'd the bludger hit? Hopefully not your head. You don't have the brain cells to spare."
The paler teen looked up when his name was called an immediately regretted doing so. There was James Potter, standing before him in all his glory, beating him down as always. It was really no surprise as to why he was friends with his brother, though he hated the obligatory connection. As well as the handsome contours of his face. Regulus often wondered if he would grow up to become attractive like that, or if it was just the luck of the gene pool. If that was the case, he would never accomplish the status that his brother and his friends all held.
Shrugging off his robe angrily, he let it hit the floor with a quiet thump. It seemed that he wouldn't be getting a shower until later on after all. Glancing down, he noticed that a large, deep bruise was swelling up right under the left side of his ribcage where he had been hit during the game. He looked away quickly, instead returning his attention to the older boy before him. "It sounds like you speak from experience, Potter. It definitely explains why you spend so much time in detention with Professor McGonagall. Or do you just like shagging her in hopes that she'll give you a passing grade for once."
For a moment, James's gaze had been captured by the nasty welt that stood out against the other's otherwise porcelain skin. Having been hit by a fair number of bludgers himself, he knew that the results could be nasty, but they had never looked quite as bad on himself. Wincing slightly, he was about to offer assistance (like the gentleman he was) when Regulus lashed back with an equally crude comment. Scoffing lightly, he shook his head. "Nah. I prefer to have a little color in the hair," he mused with a nonchalant wave of his hand. Of course, Regulus would immediately think of Lily, thus letting his forbidden flirting go under the radar once again.
Lily Evans was the object of James Potter's affections; something everyone in the castle was painfully aware of, including Regulus. He was reminded of it with every passing hour and had to let it absorb into his skin, no matter how much it stung. Despite his fantasies and dreams, reality would never change. The pure Gryffindor boy and the pure Gryffindor girl. Nothing else would be expected. Still, why couldn't he have a little fun with it?
"Oh, is that the case?" he mused, bending over slowly to pick up his shirt, inhaling sharply as his wound was irritated. Straightening back up and slipping the fabric over his head and torso, he fixed his hair as it was done. "Just what kind of color are you looking for, then? I mean, grey is a color."
At this, James tensed. He hadn't been prepared or that type of response, and it caught him off guard. Blinking a little behind his glasses, he pushed them further up his nose- a nervous habit he had gotten himself tangled with. Honesty or fable? That was the only remaining question. With a little shrug, he succumbed to instinct. "Ah, you know. I've always been one for the darker colors; red,black, etc." he wasn't sure if he wanted Regulus to take the hint or not.
The young Black's eyes widened slightly, and he shrugged on his school robe. "Black? I'd never taken you for one who liked to dabble on the dark side," he teased with only slight malice. What else was there in him? Hope, perhaps?
"You know me," he prompted, heart fluttering slightly as the issue was pressed on. Whether it was from nerves or excitement, he would never know, nor did he care. The only thing that mattered was not messing up. The others had all left earlier, right? Nobody else was here. "I like to take a little risk."
"Does this risk have a name?" Regulus inquired, tilting his head curiously. If this was going the way he thought it was…
"Yeah," James replied with slight hesitance. "Meet me at the next Hogsmeade trip and I'll tell you exactly what this risk is." His heart picked up speed and he flashed a charming smile. So far, he hadn't said anything to incriminate himself if there was anyone listening, but had been clear enough to leave his intentions open.
With an almost shy smile of his own, the Black feigned consideration for a moment before nodding. "Yeah..I'll see you then, hotshot," he confirmed before slinging his towel over his shoulder and turning on his heel to hide the slight pinkening of his cheeks. Looking back over his shoulder, he gave a slight wink before heading off to the infirmary, discontent with the idea of living much longer with such a horrible bruise.
So, maybe it was just as bad of a sin to date your best friend's brother as it would be their sister, but at this moment, James was proud to be a rulebreaker.
So, how did you like it? This is my first time exploring this ship and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. Reviews are love!