Warning for swearing (one word).
Regulus gave him a cordial nod as he passed James in the hallway. James returned the nod, but inwardly he sighed despondently. Regulus behaved as though they were merely colleagues — they were most definitely not colleagues if the last two months had proved anything.
"Tough luck." Sirius had joined him, nudging him sympathetically. "He's been going through a rough time though, with our parents pressuring him to date someone..."
"But he is dating someone," said James, gazing longingly as Regulus rounded the corner and disappeared from view. "I don't understand why he wants to be so secretive about it."
"Well," Sirius said, raising an eyebrow, "it could be that my parents are extremely homophobic and wouldn't approve of him dating another man. That was the whole reason they disowned me, they didn't like Remus and I dating."
"Oh." James pursed his lips. "That must explain why he's so quiet. I wish there was some way I could cheer him up."
Sirius smirked. "A little bird told me that his birthday is next week," he said casually, meeting James's eyes. "He doesn't like to tell people about it, but suppose if something were to happen that day…"
James's mind whirled. "I can arrange something."
Regulus woke up on his birthday with James's arms around him and his naked back pressed into James's chest. The man himself was nuzzling his neck, murmuring something indistinguishable. Regulus felt a pang in his chest — nothing to do with James's breath tickling his skin.
He shifted a little and James immediately paused. "Good morning," he breathed. Feeling antsy, Regulus wriggled around until he was facing James and he could kiss him.
James's kiss was gentle and lulled him into peace. Not a bad way to spend his birthday.
His birthday fell on a weekend, so they could stay in bed as long as they liked, and despite the texts from his students lighting up his phone, he felt calm. At ease. He hadn't felt this way in a while. Just yesterday, he had had a heated exchange with his mother which had ended in heightened tension. He didn't think he'd be calling her again anytime soon.
All in all, he was looking forward to spending his birthday with the man he loved.
...Okay, he hadn't signed up for this.
James's touch was light as he guided Regulus towards some unknown destination, his hands pushing into Regulus's shoulders insistently whenever he stopped to ask a question. "You'll find out soon," was his enigmatic reply. "Just trust me."
Regulus trusted him. As much he hated not knowing where he was going, he trusted James, but his trust was faltering with every collison.
"Sorry!" James yelped as he accidentally pushed Regulus into a wall. "Look, we're here. Here's the door knob."
He pressed Regulus's hand into something cold and metallic, andd instinctively Regulus twisted the handle.
The door opened, and then there was absolute silence. Regulus felt James's fingers fumbling with the knot on his blindfold and then —
"Surprise!"
"Who spiked the punch?" demanded James as he pushed through the throng with a tipsy Regulus stumbling behind him, looking like a lost puppy. "This is a birthday party, not a bachelor —"
Sirius raised his hand. "Guilty. What's a birthday party without a little booze? Lighten up, James, the poor man's been under a lot of stress. Let him loosen up."
James sighed. "I suppose, as long as you replace the spiked punch with regular punch in the next fifteen minutes before the children find it. Blimey, there are children here. Their parents are going to flood the office with emails and calls."
Sirius smirked, sipping from his wine glass. "Have fun."
"Best. Birthday. Ever," murmured a drunken Regulus as James force-fed him a sandwich. He needed something in his stomach to absorb the alcohol.
Despite his irritation, James smiled. "No problem, love," he said, kissing Regulus's cheek before resuming his efforts.
"...Who the fuck punched a hole through my wall?"
665 words
The party took place at Sirius's flat.
