carpe diem
James watched Regulus's eyes as he followed the female students around the Great Hall. Anyone else who didn't know him would think that Regulus was attracted to them, like all the other boys who were present at the winter party. Unlike every other male human in the Great Hall, Regulus wasn't ogling their bodies, or their faces, or their hair, or anything else that made them so appealing.
Narcissa Black sauntered past, heading towards the middle of the hall to dance with her boyfriend, Lucius Malfoy, who was a Slytherin in James's year. She was wearing an icy blue dress made from layers of chiffon, and everytime she moved her skirts glittered under the candlelight. Regulus sighed wistfully, his face painted with heartache.
"Are you bored of the party yet?" James whispered. "Because I have a surprise for you."
Regulus looked up at James, searching his face with his doleful grey eyes. "A surprise?"
James nodded. "Come on, let's go." He looped his arm through Regulus's and started to lead him out of the Great Hall, ignoring the pointed look that Sirius shot him. Luckily, Remus had Sirius tightly enveloped in his arms while they swayed to the music, or Sirius might have come over to demand to know where James was sneaking off with his brother.
James took Regulus up several flights of stairs until they reached the fifth floor. They walked across the corridor until they arrived in front of a door that was guarded by a skinny statue with a long moustache and a bewildered expression. "Citric acid," James barked at the statue, and the door swung open.
"What is this place?" Regulus asked as he followed James inside. James raised his eyebrows at Regulus.
"You've been a prefect all year," he said. "Why haven't you used the Prefect's Bathroom yet?"
"Oh, is this the Prefect's Bathroom?" Regulus said, hurrying into the room and looking down at the enormous bath. "I've not had the chance to visit."
"This is the first place I came to when I got the letter to say I'd been made Head Boy," James replied, shaking his head. "I can't believe it."
"I don't know, I've had...other things on my mind. I forgot about it. There's a perfectly good bathroom in the Slytherin dormitory, so why would I want to travel halfway up the castle just to use a different one?" Regulus paused. "Though I admit, it is a lot more luxurious than the Slytherin boys' bathroom.
"Well, unfortunately we're not here for a bath," James replied. "Though, that can be rearranged."
"What's my surprise?" said Regulus, grinning. "I'm waiting."
"Patience, patience." James crossed the bathroom to the far wall, where a few wardrobes resided. He tapped his wand on the middle one to unlock it, then started rummaging through. "I had to stash it...here we go."
"You had to stash it?" repeated Regulus, raising his eyebrows. "What kind of surprise is this?"
James returned to Regulus, holding a small cardboard box. He smiled knowingly at Regulus. "Open the box."
Regulus eyed James warily. "What's in it?"
"Just open it."
Regulus peeled back the cardboard flaps and glanced inside, then looked back up at James's face. His jaw hardened, and he suddenly looked slightly angry. "Are you making fun of me?" He stepped back, pursing his lips. "I thought you liked me."
"What?" James blinked at Regulus, confused. "No! Of course I'm not."
"Then what is this about?"
"I just…" James held the box out to Regulus, trying to urge him to take it. "Regulus, I...I've noticed, okay? I've noticed you looking at the girls. I know why. I know you better than you know yourself."
"Noticed…" Regulus murmured, his face beginning to redden. "James, I don't know what you think you've noticed, but—"
"Just take the box, Reg. Try them on."
"You're being horrible. You're taking the mickey. Did Sirius put you up to this?"
"I'm not," James insisted, and he forced the box into Regulus's arms. "Just take it."
"I can't. It's not right. It's forbidden. It's—"
"Carpe Diem, my friend," James replied. "What's the worst that could happen?"
Regulus looked down into the box again, and sighed deeply, apparently deflated. "Fine."
James grinned, and pointed over to an ornate screen on the other side of the bathtub. "Go behind there. I won't look until you tell me to."
Regulus grumbled something incoherent at James, and marched off to the back of the screen.
…
"I look stupid."
It was about fifteen minutes before Regulus spoke from behind the screen. James had been almost close to walking behind it to check that Regulus hadn't fainted.
"I'm sure you don't. Just come out."
"No," Regulus mumbled. "This is embarrassing, James. Are you sure this isn't some kind of prank at my expense?"
"Just come out," James ordered. The authoritative tone he tried to inject into his voice must have worked, because Regulus groaned in response, but obediently stepped out from behind the screen, glaring at James.
James's mouth fell open as he drank Regulus in, eyeing him up from bottom to top. He looked even better than James had imagined he would.
The midnight blue satin contrasted beautifully with his pallid skin. The dress had a long slit up the thigh, but Regulus was standing awkwardly so his bare leg wasn't fully exposed. The neckline was tight and accentuated with thin ribbons for straps. James had been careful to select something that didn't need the wearer to have much of a chest to pull off. He had a silver chain around his wrist, a simple bracelet that James had given Regulus some time ago. It slid up his arm as he reached up to push his dark fringe out of his face.
"Now, that's an entrance," James whispered. "Come here." He sat back down on a seat by the bath, suddenly worried that he might topple into the empty tub. Regulus walked towards him slowly, and James's breath hitched when he saw Regulus's long, pale thigh peek through the slit in the dress.
Regulus stood in front of him, and James reached up to smooth his hands across the sleek blue fabric that was tight around Regulus's waist. He moved his hands higher, sliding his fingers under the straps, then lower, across the glossy material at his hips. He stilled his hand at the slit in the thigh, looking up at Regulus.
"You are so fucking sexy right now," he murmured, and Regulus bit his bottom lip.
"Really?" he finally said, and James dipped his hand into the gap of the dress, wrapping his fingers around the back of Regulus's slim thigh. He tugged Regulus forward until he took the hint and climbed into James's lap. It was a bittersweet moment—James could see the excitement that had suddenly flared, red-hot in his usually cold eyes—but there was something deeper behind his guarded smile, as though he was afraid.
"You're comfortable like this, aren't you?" James murmured, dipping his head forward so that he could run his lips chastely across Regulus's collarbone, which was so beautifully accentuated by the neckline of the dress. "Wearing this."
Regulus relaxed against James, sighing softly. "It's nice," he hummed. "But James," he added, pulling James's head away from his neck so that he could look into James's eyes. "I don't want to be a girl," he confirmed. "I don't want you to stop liking me...because I know you like…well, guys."
James grinned and pecked Regulus lightly on the lips. "You could wear a bin bag and I'd only have eyes for you, Regulus Black." He pushed his hand further up the slit in Regulus's dress, until his thumbs grazed across his underwear. "Lace," he murmured, deepening their kiss. "I see you found the lingerie."
Regulus's face split into a smirk, and James tapped him on the thigh. It really was beautiful, but it was high time the dress came off.
Written For:
- Assignment #10/Beauty Therapy Task #1: Write about someone in their comfort zone.
- Writing Club/Gotta Catch Them All: 6. (word) Stash
- Writing Club/Written in the Stars: 18. (dialogue) "Carpe Diem, my friend"
- Writing Club/Showtime: 1. (emotion) heartache
- Writing Club/Film Festival: 10. (dialogue) "I know you better than you know yourself."
- Writing Club/Angel's Archive: 11. (word) Forbidden
- Writing Club/Artist Appreciation: 1. (word) bittersweet
- Writing Club/Buttons: Objects 1. Bracelet
- Writing Club/TV Spree: 5. (word) Horrible
- Writing Club/Sophie's Smut Bucket: 8. (object) Lingerie
- Autumn Seasonal/Jewellery Month: 37. (object) Ribbon
- Autumn Seasonal/National Author Month: 8. (object) Wardrobe
- Autumn Seasonal/Colours: 1. Midnight Blue
- Autumn Seasonal/Locations: 9. Prefect's Bathroom
- Moony's Neon Cafe/Genres: 17. Fluff
- Sandwich Time/Fillings: 19. (character) Narcissa Malfoy
- November Monthly Insert Title: 12. (object) bracelet
- Celebrating Women: 30. (dialogue) "Now that's an entrance."
Word Count: 1,323