…
Regulus wrapped his arms around himself as he tried to walk against the heavily falling snow. Thick flakes were wrapped up in the powerful wind that was battling against Regulus, almost knocking him back.
He wasn't too far away from Sirius and Remus's house, where he spent most of the year. He'd been back at his parents house for the last few weeks in the run up to Christmas, but on Christmas Eve, he was heading back to spend the day with his brother.
The snowstorm had been anticipated, so Walburga had tried to convince Regulus to stay at Grimmauld Place, but Regulus had no interest in remaining with his parents for their stuffy Yule traditions.
Unfortunately, Walburga tried to prevent Regulus from leaving, and he knew it had very little to do with the snowstorm and more to do with the fact that she just didn't want him to go back to Sirius. When he tried to use the Floo Network, the powder that he threw down on the fireplace did nothing, and Walburga only looked across the room at him with a false smile. "Oh dear," she said. "Looks like you'll have to stay after all."
Regulus had never been good with a Portkey charm, and he wasn't about to risk Apparating across Britain in the midst of a snowstorm, so he gathered his luggage up and opted to use Muggle transport to make his way to Wales.
His mother wasn't happy, but she didn't argue. "You'll come crawling back one of these days," she'd slurred as she stood at the door of Grimmauld Place to watch him go, cradling her wine glass.
Now that the snow was really coming in thick and fast, Regulus really was starting to think about crawling back. The train had stopped in a little village about an hour before, and he still had another one to catch, but due to the storm the service had stopped. As it started to get later, Regulus started to worry more and more that he wouldn't make it to Sirius's house in time. He couldn't stay in a Muggle hotel because he didn't carry any Muggle money, and even if he did, he wouldn't have the first clue what to do with it.
So he did the only thing that seemed logical at the time and started walking in the direction of the next village, where he could hopefully get another train if the snow wasn't too bad there.
It was a terrible idea. Somehow, Regulus had taken a wrong turn through a farmer's field—everything looked the bloody same in Wales, and even more so in the snow. It only came down heavier the further Regulus walked, until he could barely see a metre in front of his face.
The snow had soaked through his coat, freezing him almost through to his blood, and he was soaking wet. His limbs were stiff and frigid, his joints barely moving, and before long Regulus sank down onto his knees in the snow, shivering.
He wished the snow would cease just for a couple of minutes. Just enough so that he could see a little bit in front of him, so he knew where on earth he was. He wrapped his arms tightly around himself, trying pointlessly to warm his aching limbs. Maybe if he just lay down for a moment, to get his energy back…
He slumped to his side in the drift, and as his vision started to darken around the edges, he thought about how annoyed Sirius would be with him when he didn't make it home for Christmas.
…
When Regulus cracked open his eyes again, he was pleasantly warm. He could hear the crackling of a fire, and the smell of smoke from the charcoal filled his nostrils. He had something soft and furry halfway over his face, and when Regulus ran his fingers over it he realised it was a fleecy blanket.
"Reg?"
The voice was familiar, and Regulus realised he must be dreaming. He closed his eyes again, wanting to remain in the dream, and not wake up in the cold.
"Reg, are you awake?"
"Hnnn," Regulus murmured, trying to burrow his face into the blanket. It was pulled away from him gently, and Regulus opened his eyes, looking up into the bespectacled face he knew so well. "James."
Regulus hadn't seen James for months, but he still looked lovely. There was an orange light from the fire dancing over his olive skin tone, and his features were lined with worry. "How do you feel?" James asked urgently. "Are you warm enough?"
Regulus tried to sit up, but James pushed him back down. "Am I dreaming?" he asked stupidly.
James pulled a mug from a nearby table and held it to Regulus's lips. "Drink," he ordered, and Regulus sipped from the mug obediently. It was tea—slightly sweeter than Regulus normally had it. "I know you don't normally have sugar," James muttered, apparently noticing the look on Regulus's face, "but your blood sugar is low. When did you last eat?"
Regulus sat up again, and James allowed him to this time. He rubbed his face with his hands before answering James. "I don't know," he said. "I had breakfast before I left Grimmauld Place, but…" he looked around the room that he was in, and his thoughts tailed off. "Where am I?"
He was in a large living room that he didn't recognise, laid out on a comfortable sofa with about three blankets thrown over him. There was an enormous brick fireplace in front of him, and another few armchairs scattered around. Regulus realised pretty quickly that this was no magical house—the decor was too mundane. The portraits and paintings on the wall didn't move, and the flames burning in the fireplace had been set with wood and coal. The shelves around the room were littered with dusty trophy cups and various other ornaments.
"Well," James started. "That's…"
"Whose house is this?" Regulus asked suddenly. "Are you sure we're allowed to be in here?"
James sat back on the rug on the floor and scratched the back of his head. "I don't know," he confessed. "But the Muggles who live here are away. I had to…I had to borrow the house to get out of the snow…"
"You broke in, you mean?"
"I'll put everything back the way it was when we leave," James said, exasperated. "I haven't used any magic, except to unlock it. They won't notice anything is amiss."
The warmth had spread back through Regulus's body properly now, and as he was waking up properly, his brain was beginning to work again. "What are you doing down here, anyway?"
"Well, what do you think?" James replied. "I'm on my way to Sirius and Remus's for Christmas, like you."
"Sirius didn't say you were going," Regulus said.
James smiled wryly. "That's because Sirius doesn't know I'm coming. Remus invited me."
Regulus furrowed his brow as he tried to work out what was going on. "Is Remus…trying…"
"Trying to get us back together, yeah." James clapped his hands together. "No point trying to keep the secret from you now, I guess?"
Regulus was silent for a moment, and he looked down at his hands, which were balled up in the fleecy material. James and Regulus had been in a whirlwind romance, not all that long ago, that was over as quickly as it had started. They had been too much for each other, as far as Regulus was concerned. It scared him, how deeply he'd felt for James, so quickly.
That was why Regulus broke it off. He didn't know what he could give to James. He didn't know if he could be good enough for him. He was scared of what his parents would do or say, and he was scared their relationship could ruin James's future. He'd watched James fawn over Lily Evans throughout school, and all his friends had gushed about the possibility of them getting together as a couple, so when James lost interest in chasing Lily and turned his attention on Regulus, a lot of people were surprised.
Regulus knew he shouldn't care so much about what other people thought. Remus and Sirius certainly didn't. But he couldn't help it. His feelings were so strong for James that he didn't want to spoil things for him.
They had argued passionately for hours when Regulus had sat James down to break up with him. James didn't want to—he screamed at Regulus for being selfish, for not taking his own feelings into consideration, for only caring about what people would say and think about them when it didn't matter because they had each other. He'd cried and sobbed and begged Regulus to reconsider, but Regulus was firm.
He didn't want to ruin James's future.
Regulus had promised they could be friends, but he realised how hard it was to continue a relationship with James without it being romantic. When they met up for friendly gatherings with Sirius, Remus and Peter, Regulus couldn't help but feel terrible when he made eye contact with James, or think about them being together, and he knew from James's sad eyes that he felt the same.
So Regulus stopped going, to make it easier for James, as well as himself.
"Why is he trying to get us back together?" Regulus asked quietly. "What does it matter to him?"
James shrugged. "He's sick of seeing me moping about, I guess." He stood up from the floor before Regulus could say anything else, and wandered over to the window. "It looks like bloody Narnia out there," he chuckled. "I don't know how likely it is that we'll make it to their house. I don't think there's much luck in us actually getting out of the house for the next couple of days. The snow is still coming in thick and fast."
Regulus felt his heart sink. "Do you mean…we're snowed in?"
James nodded.
"Oh no…Sirius will be so upset…" Regulus struggled off the couch, and as the blankets fell away from him, he realised he was in different clothes—some of the pyjamas from his suitcase. He glanced down at himself and then at James, feeling a blush creeping onto his face.
James bit his bottom lip and looked away. "Sorry. I couldn't leave you in those wet clothes."
"Uh…yeah, it's okay. Nothing you haven't seen before, right?" Regulus laughed weakly, trying to make the situation less awkward. A silence hung in the air for a few moments, before Regulus moved over to the window beside James. "Can't we…can't we…" he looked over at the fireplace, but James shook his head.
"No Floo Powder," he said. "Muggle house, remember? I could apparate us, but I don't fancy risking it in this weather. Also, you probably shouldn't be travelling in your state."
Regulus folded his arms across his chest and raised an eyebrow. "What state? I'm fine."
James pinched the bridge of his nose. "Regulus, I found you almost buried in snow in the middle of a field," he said. "It was hours before your lips went back to a normal colour. You've probably got hypothermia."
"Do you even know how to spell hypothermia?"
"We're not going until the snow stops," James insisted. "I can send a message to Sirius and Remus with a patronus to let them know. Sirius will probably think this is some kind of set up or excuse for us to shack up together…but it doesn't matter. It's not worth the risk."
Regulus didn't argue back. He glanced through the window again at the snowstorm, and couldn't help but smile slightly. It was strange, how they'd fallen straight back into this old routine, as though they'd never been apart.
…
A little while later, James ushered Regulus up the stairs of the creaky old house and into the large bedroom on the upper floor. Other than the bedroom and a small bathroom, there were no other rooms.
"Looks like there's only one bed," James said. "Whatever will we do now?"
Regulus didn't miss the suggestive tone to James's voice, and he rolled his eyes. "I was pretty comfortable on the sofa. I can stay down there." He made to go back down the stairs, but James's hand caught his wrist, and he shook his head.
"No," he said softly. "We can share the bed." His hazel eyes bored into Regulus, and Regulus pressed his lips together.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?"
James shrugged. "Probably not," he replied. "But it's for the best."
"How so?"
"Well, you've got hypothermia, remember," James continued. "You probably need to share body heat with another human. For your health," he added.
Regulus nodded. "Right. I'm sure you read that in a book somewhere and didn't just make it up on the spot?"
"Absolutely."
Again, Regulus didn't argue. He didn't really want to. Despite his brain telling him that he shouldn't be climbing into bed with James when they weren't together anymore, it was bad, he would send James the wrong signals—his heart led the way, and he found himself climbing under the quilt with James. He didn't have the energy to be as stubborn as he normally would be.
He pretended not to watch as James faced the opposite direction and removed his t-shirt and jeans, until he was only in his boxers. He slipped under the duvet alongside Regulus and scooted up near him. Regulus stared at his face through the dim light for a few moments.
"You're welcome to move closer. You know, if you want," James suggested with a grin.
Regulus shifted a few inches closer to James, telling himself it was so they could keep warm. "Why were you out in the snow, anyway?" he asked suddenly.
"Huh?" James asked. He had been staring back at Regulus idly.
"When you found me."
"Oh," James said. "Well, I was in the village waiting for the snow to stop," he explained. "I was in a little coffee shop when I saw you coming out of the train station."
"Why didn't you call me over?" Regulus muttered. "We could have waited out the storm in the village together."
"By the time I paid up my bill and came out you were already halfway through the bloody village," James replied. "But the storm was so bad. I was shouting for you and trying to chase after you for ages, and by the time you got to the farms I couldn't even see you. But I knew you must have fallen in the field somewhere, so I looked for you. When I finally found you, I brought us here."
"You looked for me?" murmured Regulus.
"Of course I did, you idiot," James lifted a hand and pushed his fingers through Regulus's curly hair softly, "do you really think I wouldn't?"
Regulus suddenly felt overwhelmed with emotion. Even after everything, James would still drag himself through a snowstorm to help Regulus. He would break into someone's house just to look after him. "I'm sorry, James," he said thickly, feeling tears begin to spill down his face.
"Hey." James wrapped his arms around Regulus's shoulders and pulled them together, and Regulus buried his face into James's neck, allowing himself to cry. "What's all this? Why are you crying?"
"You're so sweet to me," Regulus sobbed. "You always were so sweet to me, and I couldn't be good enough for you."
James rubbed Regulus's back soothingly. "I didn't need you to be anything for me, Reg," he said softly. "I just needed you to love me."
"I did," Regulus whispered. "I do."
James pulled back slightly and lifted Regulus's chin to look at him. "Really?" he said. "Because…Regulus…don't say it if you don't mean it," it was James's turn to suddenly look awash with emotion, as though he might cry at any moment, "I don't think I can take it if you don't mean it."
"I never stopped," Regulus confessed. "I just didn't want to ruin your life."
"Idiot," James muttered, and he slid his hand into the back of Regulus's hair to pull him in for a kiss. "You're such an idiot."
Regulus kissed him back desperately, sliding his arms around James's neck. Once he started kissing James, he didn't want to stop. His blood was suddenly burning in his veins, which was such a pleasant feeling after being so cold. James was like an aphrodisiac.
"I missed you," groaned James, and Regulus tasted their tears mixing into the kiss, "I missed you so fucking much."
"I missed you," Regulus repeated. "I love you, James."
"I love you," James whispered. "Always."
Written For:
- Assignment #11/Muggle Music Task #4: Write about someone trying to get home in time for an event.
- Winter Funfair/Naughty Elf on the Shelf: 2. (dialogue) "There's only one bed. Whatever will we do now?"
- Winter Funfair/Naughty or Nice: Naughty 18. (trope) Sharing a bed
- Winter Funfair/Guess the Name: Teddy 5. (trope) Huddled For Warmth
- Winter Funfair/Decorate the Christmas Tree: House Decorations 19. (dialogue) "You're welcome to move closer. You know, if you want."
- Winter Funfair/Snowman Dressing: Nose 6. (scent) Smoke
- Winter Funfair/Postal Panic: Character 8. Regulus Black / Wish 29. Write about unexpectedly running into someone from your past
- Winter Funfair/Hot Chocolate Station: Section 5 - 2. (trope) Snowed In
- Winter Funfair/Advent Calendar: 20. (dialogue) "I don't need you to be anything for me. I just need you to love me."
- Winter Funfair/Magical Mistletoe: 16. (trait) stubborn
- Winter Funfair/Winter Bingo: 29. (scenario) You get lost in a snowstorm but stumble upon a pleasant place to hide from the weather.
- Winter Funfair/Christmas Karaoke: 15. (dialogue) "It looks like bloody Narnia out there."
- Writing Club/Gotta Catch Them All: 7. (appearance) curly hair
- Writing Club/Written in the Stars: 7. (word) upset
- Writing Club/Lizzy's Loft: 8. Well, I guess we can never be friends
- Writing Club/Elizabeth's Empire: 16. (song) Baby, It's Cold Outside
- Writing Club/Sophie's Smut Bucket: 1. (word) Aphrodisiac
- Writing Club/Lyric Alley: 9. It may be winter outside
- Writing Club/Throwback: 13. (feeling) soft
- Writing Club/Artist Appreciation: 21. Write about someone feeling taken care of.
- Writing Club/Buttons: Words 4. Selfish
- Autumn Seasonal/Jewellery Month: 44. (object) Trophy Cup
- Autumn Seasonal/Colours: 13. Olive
- Christmas Fight Club/Wind Down: 5. (trope) Snowed in
- Moony's Neon Cafe/Table Prompts: 20. (dialogue) "Are you sure we're allowed to be here?"
Word Count: 2,781