A/N: A short story written for the enjoyment of all my fellow True Colors Shippers. Yay!

Disclaimer: I don't own James, Regulus, Sirius, or anyone else who is lucky enough to get mentioned.

Authoress: Reggie

Title: A Stolen Kiss

Hogsmeade looked disgustingly similar to a scene on a Muggle Christmas card. The houses and shops were all frosted with a layer of snow in all the right picturesque places and the yellow light danced out of the windows into the quickly darkening and nearly deserted street.

Regulus scowled, shoving his hands deep into the pockets of his cloak. He hadn't intended to be out so long when he'd left Hogwarts earlier that day. He had just needed to get away from the Slytherin Common room and spend some time thinking- an impossibility down in the room under the lake.

The pressure to take the Dark Mark was swiftly becoming unbearable. He was the last of the true Blacks to take it- Bellatrix kept reminding him through letters that not taking it would swiftly invalidate his claim to be true- and those Slytherins his own age could talk of nothing else. As he would come of age soonest in just a few short weeks, he knew they were looking to him for an example.

He shivered as a gust of wind blew the fine powder into his exposed face. He realized now that it would have been wise to bring his snow gear, but he hadn't thought before that making this decision would be so difficult! He thought briefly of retuning to the castle, but wasn't sure he wanted to risk it. He'd barely managed to get through the witch's hump, a passage way he had learned from following Sirius his first year, before the caretaker had come down the hall.

The thought of Sirius made Regulus scowl again. He wished he could talk to his brother about this. Though passionate, Sirius usually was very clear sighted when it came to important decisions. He had never understood, however, and probably never would understand the importance of being a true Black.

The sixteen-year-old Slytherin was jerked from his thoughts quite suddenly by a kind of commotion in the Three Broomsticks. Pausing in his progress through Hogsmeade, Regulus turned his blue eyes to the door.

"I believe you've had enough!" He could hear Madame Rosmerta yelling to someone who was teetering on the doorway.

"I'll tell you when I've had enough," a rather slurred voice responded. Regulus continued to stare. He felt, somehow, that he ought to know that voice…

Someone on the inside of the Three Broomsticks gave the figure a shove, and James Potter landed hard on his back in the snow. Regulus watched as James sat up with a groan, rubbing his head. Madame Rosmerta's curvaceous form could be made out from the light of the bar behind her.

"And don't let me ever catch you sneaking Firewhisky again, James Potter!" She yelled, throwing what looked like James's school cloak at his feet.

"I believe I had a hat," James said stupidly. Madame Rosmerta simply slammed the door.

Regulus watched silently as James stumbled to his feet, picking up his cloak and wrapping it over his shoulders. He turned and saw Regulus standing half in shadows. His hazel eyes blinked blurrily.

"Hullo! Who's there?"

Seeing no other way out of the situation, Regulus took a step toward the Gryffindor. "Out a little late, aren't you, Potter?"

James blinked again, a stupid grin crossing his face. "Reggie? Little Reggie? What are you doing out here all alone so late at night?" The smile on James's face had somehow changed, and Regulus was now nervous. He took an unconscious step away from the other boy.

"I could ask you the same thing," Regulus said, his left hand drifting toward his wand. He didn't trust James, and hadn't for a long time. When they were younger, before Hogwarts, James sometimes came over. The Potters were a respected family, even if they didn't hold to pure blood supremacy. They were still pure, and therefore James had been good social company for the young Black brothers.

Back then; Regulus had idolized James almost more than Sirius. He'd thought him quite handsome, and didn't mind a bit when James would steal his brother's attention. James had been the only one of Sirius's friends that had included him. Regulus had thought he'd loved him before he learned that you simply couldn't love another boy.

James stepped closer now, that same unnerving smile on his face. "You're gorgeous when you're nervous. Did you know that?"

Regulus could feel his eyes widening in spite of himself. Surely he hadn't just said that. Everyone knew that Potter was chasing after Lily Evans and had been for years.

James stepped foreword again so his face was just inches from Regulus's. The Slytherin could smell the alcohol on James's breath. "Of course, you're always sexy. You're bloody gorgeous and don't even realize it. That's what I love about you."

Regulus froze. What the hell was that supposed to mean? Schooling his face into an indifferent expression, he said simply, "you're drunk, Potter."

"'M not," James responded, slinging an arm around the slightly shorter boy's neck. "I'm in love with you. Have been for years, but knew you never would look at me that way. Chased Evans for that reason."

"And I'm supposed to believe you're telling me this now," Regulus sneered. He expected Sirius to come out of the shadows to laugh at him and call him names. This didn't happen, however. Instead, James let go of Regulus's neck and began throwing up in the snow.

The Slytherin rolled his eyes. Really, he should just leave the obviously drunk Gryffindor out there to freeze to death, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. The kindness James had once shown him and the childhood crush weren't quite forgotten. Instead of walking away as he should have, Regulus knelt in the snow beside the other boy.

"Feel better?"

"Not really."

Reaching into his pocket, Regulus withdrew a peppermint humbug. "Suck on that. It should help. Get the taste out of your mouth at least."

James did as he was told, even allowing Regulus to stick the sweet in his mouth. He closed his eyes, his throat moving as he slowly sucked, and after a moment he opened his eyes again. His hazel eyes looked abnormally bright when contrasted against his pale face.

"Can you stand?" Regulus asked after a moment. James tried to push himself to his feet, but no sooner was he up then he groaned and had to lean against the nearest building. With a resigned sigh, Regulus walked over and slid his arm around James's waist while maneuvering James's arm to wrap around his neck. "I'll take that as a no. You really got wasted, didn't you?"

"Jus' a bit." James said wearily, closing his eyes and leaning into Regulus more.

"Can I ask why?"

"You just did."

"Glad to see alcohol doesn't affect you're sharp wit."

James sighed again, and he suddenly seemed slightly less drunk. He simply sounded tired as he spoke. "I kissed Lily Evans today."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"I thought it would be."

Regulus said nothing for a bit. He couldn't help but wonder why James was talking to him at all. He and Sirius spent a good deal of time at school pretending they didn't know him. He decided to blame the alcohol. He could not, however, think of a reason why he was helping James as he half-helped half-dragged him toward Honeydukes.

"Thanks." James said suddenly, leaning his face close to Regulus. Regulus pulled away on instinct.

"For what?"

"Most Slytherins would have left me there to freeze."

"Well, that just shows how much you Gryffindors stereotype us, doesn't it?" Regulus shifted James's weight slightly, suddenly uncomfortable.

James said nothing to that for a moment- he seemed to be concentrating on moving his feet. He didn't say anything at all until Regulus snuck him into the secret passage. Only then did he stop and look at Regulus. "You should have been in Gryffindor, you know. You don't belong down there."

"Of course I do. I'm a Black."

"So's Sirius."

"Not anymore."

Another awkward silence in which they shuffled down the passage, and Regulus thought that was the end of the conversation.

"You're not Sirius, you know. You don't have to make up for his mistakes."

Regulus froze, turning his head to look at James. He could see the sincerity in James's somewhat unfocused eyes and he scowled. "You don't know me, Potter, so don't even try to tell me about myself."

"I would know you if you'd give me a chance. I've loved you as long as I can remember, and I want to know you. I did once."

Regulus said nothing, instead opting to look away from the Gryffindor. How was he supposed to react to that? James didn't know what he was saying. He wouldn't remember it tomorrow, and it wouldn't matter. It certainly didn't matter to him. James seemed to take this as some form of answer, and said nothing until the stood at the bottom of the steps up into the castle again.

"You're going to have to climb them alone," Regulus said, looking at his feet. He couldn't be seen helping a Gryffindor once they were inside. There was too much at stake in his life for that.

"Regulus?"

It was the first time James had said his name, and it startled Regulus into looking up. He found James's mouth suddenly over his own, and gasped slightly. Was he kissing him?

It was as if someone else was controlling his body, and he found himself starting to kiss the older boy back. His eyes slid closed as one hand reached up and tangled itself in James's hair. James tasted like peppermint and butter beer.

They stood like that for several seconds before James pulled away. They could only stare awkwardly at each other before James offered a lopsided smile. "I love you. Know that much." Without another word, he climbed unsteadily up the ladder and vanished out of sight.

It was another half hour before Regulus managed to regain enough composure to climb the ladder. None of his problems had been solved that night. If anything, they had become more complicated.

He didn't know how he felt about James. He didn't know, he realized as he wandered the nearly deserted halls, what James really thought about him. Probably James would be completely unable to remember the incident when he got up the next morning. In fact, Regulus was willing to bet that even if he did figure out what he felt about James and what he was going to do about it that it wouldn't matter. James was with Evans. James was a Gryffindor. James was everything he was supposed to hate.

Everything he had hated up until then, and one of those he would have to kill should he decide to take the mark.

Still, he thought as gave the password to get into the Slytherin common room, James was not a bad kisser. In fact, he very much wanted to kiss him again.