Disclaimer: I don't own a single recognisable thing.

From his position leaning against the balcony, James could see everything. The Hogwarts Grounds were blanketed in a thick layer of jet black, darkness stretching beyond the horizon and into the unknown. Stars twinkled and shone from their place in the night sky, the full moon beaming down onto the Earth as he settled against the railing.

It was mysterious and beautiful, the perfect location for a first date, and yet he was racked with guilt.

He couldn't help but let his gaze wander towards the Shrieking Shack off in the distance, knowing that he should be there with his best friends, helping Remus through his transition and maintaining control. They had been adamant that he not change his plans. It had been a hard task to get Regulus to agree to a date in the first place; changing it up on him would only work against James in the long run, and he desperately hoped for this to work out.

It had to work, because James saw nobody else in his future.

Footsteps echoed through the night air as Regulus approached him, having made his way up to the Astronomy Tower from the depths of Hogwarts. The Slytherin common room lurked deep in the dungeons. It baffled James that no one had complained about the vast distance between their common room and the rest of the school. He couldn't imagine having to trek halfway across a castle every single day just to get to lessons, let alone having to make the trip up to the Astronomy Tower for class every Wednesday evening. He supposed that choosing that very location may not have been smart for their first date, but he had taken Sirius' advice into consideration and tried to cater to Regulus' interests.

"So, an evening under the stars sounds rather romantic," Regulus drawled. "Shame about the weather though."

Somehow, that familiar tone managed to reach his ears over the howling wind. Turning to face him, James couldn't help but to grin at the sight of Regulus. His curls were blowing in the wind, whipping around his face as he huddled against the stone wall. James could tell that he hadn't been prepared for such weather; nor had James, but that didn't stop him from shrugging off the leather jacket he had chosen to wear that evening, mainly for the fashion aspect. Draping it over Regulus' shoulders, he nudged him further out onto the balcony and towards the romantic scene he had set up.

"Yeah, I didn't really think about the weather when planning. I'm sorry."

There was a sheepish grin on his lips as he herded Reggie (a cute nickname that James dared not to voice out loud) over to the pair of chairs and small table he had set up. After pushing Regulus into the closest chair, he took the other, gesturing to the bottles of butterbeer, bowls of sweets and chocolate cupcakes he had convinced the House Elves to give him.

James leaned forward, resting his elbows upon the table as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "So, what do you think? Does it meet your standards, Mr Black?"

~oOo~

"You really have gone all out with this, haven't you?" Regulus mused, his eyes taking in the cupcakes and butterbeer, along with the scattered rose petals struggling to remain grounded and out of the wind's grasp. He had never expected such an effort from James Potter of all people, notorious joker and prima donna of Hogwarts.

"I wanted to make this the best date you've ever been on," James said. "That way, if you decide to reject me later at least I'll always be a lingering memory you can't get rid of."

Regulus paused, his hand hovering above the plate of artfully decorated cupcakes, before snatching one up.

"I mean, you've got butterbeer, an evening under the stars and… " He paused to take a bite of the rich and chocolatey treat in his hand, smearing icing on his nose as he struggled to contain the moan of ecstasy. "The most scrumptious cupcakes I've honestly ever tasted! I'm definitely going to be expecting more of these, by the way."

"So you're not going to fob me off for someone else then?" James mused, reaching across the table to swipe a dollop of buttercream from the cupcake, just as Regulus lifted it to his lips. "I'll buy you all of the sweet treats you could possibly want, sweetheart."

His hazel eyes twinkled as brightly as the stars that scattered the night skies above them, and in that moment, Regulus Black was unequivocally enamoured with James Potter.

"Well, how could I ever refuse such a generous offer?"

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