The Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition Season 10 Round 7: Fluffin' It Up!
A/N: Muggle AU
CW: Drinking/being drunk
WORD COUNT: 1931
CHASER 3: A Holiday Party/Event
OPTIONAL PROMPTS:
[action] dancing
[genre] humour
[dialogue] "This is going to be a night you'll never forget."
Maybe One Day (luckiest man alive)
Even after months of being together, Reg had never once agreed to go to one of James' parties. This was usually because they occurred in the Gryffindor common room at their secondary school, Hogwarts, when Regulus was in the Slytherin house. Not just that, but Reg was someone who would rather stay inside reading a book than doing vodka shots in a crowded room. In his opinion, a normal person. Because of this, it meant that Reg wasn't well acquainted with most of James' friends.
James, however, was the exact opposite of Regulus. He loved – no, adored – parties. James was always planning some kind of party, or he was at one. He couldn't understand Regulus' love of staying in on Friday evening instead of getting plastered at the local bar (once they were of age, of course).
Keep this in mind when James asked Reg to his parent's annual New Year's Eve party.
"Reg…" James stretched his boyfriend's name out.
Regulus sighed. Clearly, James wanted something. "Yes?"
"I know you don't like parties, but–"
"No. I am not going to any of your stupid parties." He turned the page of the book he was reading angrily. If one could ever manage to turn something so mundane such as turning a page aggressive, Regulus Black could manage it.
James' bottom lip wobbled. "Please? It's my parents' New Year's Eve party, and you know how much they want to see you."
Oh, Reg knew how much James' parents wanted to talk to him. He knew all too well. He was constantly being called by them, and usually at very inappropriate times. Once he had to take a really 'important' call in the bath, which turned into a three hour chat about Effie's garden. Effie hadn't been bothered when Regulus had told her that he needed to get out of the bath and get dressed. In fact, she had stayed on the line and commented on what birds she had seen earlier that day.
Regulus pinched the bridge of his nose. "If I say yes, will you stop bothering me?"
James nodded.
Reg rolled his eyes. "… Fine."
"Yay!" James shouted, kissing Regulus' cheek. "You won't regret it."
But Reg already did.
"Happy New Year's Eve!" James yelled into Regulus' ear.
Reg jumped out of his bed and screamed.
James said sheepishly, "Sorry. I forgot you're not a morning person."
"Oh my God, James. Never do that to me again." There was a murderous look in Reg's eyes.
James apologised profusely, trying to make up for it with kisses. Even a couple of hours later, he still felt guilty for waking Reg up.
"Love, I'm so sorry. I just thought it would be fun."
"James, we've been over this. I don't care." Reg sighed and threw a packet of balloons at James. "But you could make up for it by helping me out here."
"Uh… Reg?" James tried blowing pathetically into the balloon. "It isn't working."
Reg laughed. "No way. The James Potter can't blow up a balloon?"
James rolled his eyes. "I'm not perfect, you know?"
"I'll show you how." Reg took the dark red balloon from James' hands and blew into it. "Blow hard at first, then it gets easier."
James held back his giggles rather badly.
"What are you laughing at?" Regulus frowned.
"You said…" He stopped to let out a ripple of laughter. "Blow hard."
Regulus hit James with the inflated balloon he was holding. "You are an actual child."
James continued to snicker. "Blow hard."
"Get back to work," Reg said sharply.
James nodded, but spent the next twenty minutes suppressing giggles.
Regulus had just finished setting up the buffet table when James walked about with vodka shots and tequila.
"Woohoo! Tequila!" he cried as he downed one of the shot glasses.
Reg grimaced at the number of empty glasses in James' hands.
"C'mon, Reggie," he slurred. "Let's get drunk!"
"The party isn't for an hour, James. I'll get drunk then."
James pouted. "Boo! You're no fun."
Reg sighed and handed James a bottle of water. "Drink."
"But I want vodka!"
This was going to be a long night.
It had passed eight p.m., yet more guests filled the dining room, which had been modified to suit the party. Reg was sure that there wouldn't be anywhere near enough room for all of them to fit into.
James, who had finally returned to a near-sober state, put his arm around Reg and kissed his cheek. "This is going to be a night you'll never forget."
"What if I get drunk and pass out?" Reg asked teasingly.
James' smile didn't waver. "Never. Forget."
Regulus eyed the room nervously and bit his lip.
"Don't worry," James tried to whisper, "they love it."
"I…" He fiddled with the buttons on his blazer.
James interrupted his boyfriend by shouting across the room. "Oi, Marlene!"
A blonde girl turned to face him with the most annoyed look on her face that Reg had ever seen. "What is it?" she asked through gritted teeth as she walked briskly towards them.
"Are you enjoying the party?" James chose to ignore Marlene's muttered swears.
"Yeah.." she answered sceptically. "Yeah, I was until you screamed at me when I was chatting up a girl."
James grinned sheepishly. "Whoops."
Marlene scowled. "I'm going back over to Dorcas, and don't you dare ruin my chances again, Potter."
"Bye!" James waved cheerfully.
Reg wondered if this was just their dynamic or if James was still under the influence of alcohol.
Marlene stared daggers at James before going back to where she had left another girl wearing a silk, light pink dress, who Regulus assumed to be Dorcas, with a sweet smile on her face.
"I don't think that this is my kind of thing," Regulus whispered to James.
James waved his hand dismissively. "Nonsense!"
...
An hour had passed and all of the guests had slowly begun to get more and more drunk. It was utter chaos.
People were running around the entire mansion-like house of James' trying to find where their friends were and others were adding songs to the playlist, which had very quickly changed from Symphony No. 9 to Tequila by The Champs.
If Reg thought that the song choice was bad, then the dancing was even worse.
Mary Macdonald, a girl who Reg had met earlier, had the bright idea of holding a dance competition.
"Listen up, everyone!" she cried as she climbed onto the nearest table. The drink in her hand sloshed around in the cup. "We're showing off our best moves."
Remus Lupin, who James had told Regulus to be a very sensible boy, wolf whistled. "Hell, yeah!"
Sirius, Regulus' brother, rushed to the table that Mary was standing on. "C'mon, baby." He clambered onto it and attempted to pull Remus up with him.
"First song is… Sweet Caroline!" Mary declared as she jumped off the table. "Get to it boys."
Remus screamed and leapt off after Mary. He shouted the lyrics until his voice went hoarse and danced until his body ached.
After witnessing the event, Reg wandered over to the drinks table and poured himself several glasses of alcohol.
James hadn't seen Reg since he had gone to see what the dance competition was about. When James had returned to where Reg had been ten minutes prior, he wasn't there. After running around for a few minutes, James found Reg sitting under the table with a half-empty glass in his hand.
"It's so good!" he giggled. "What's in it?"
Now that James had actually returned to sobriety, he could tell that perhaps parties weren't Regulus' thing. "Reg?"
Regulus crawled towards James. "Yes?"
"We're, uhh, going to my room." James took Reg's hand gently and pulled him out from under the table.
The room was still crowded and deafening with the ongoing dance competition, in which Remus, Marlene, and Peter (yet another friend of James') were still in.
Regulus nodded and sighed dreamily. "Now this is why I want to marry you."
James gasped. "What?" He was so taken aback at that comment that he momentarily forgot to breathe.
He pulled in closer to James, his breath tickling James' neck. "Don't tell James, but I love him."
"I– I won't. Don't worry." James' eyes flicked around the room. He scooped Regulus into his arms. "Let's go upstairs now, yeah?"
...
James lay Regulus down on his bed once they had made their way upstairs.
He handed Reg a glass of water. "Drink this and try to get some sleep."
"Okay!" Regulus grinned and held the glass in his hand.
"Drink," James reminded him, nodding at the cup.
Regulus frowned. "I am drinking. Don't you believe me?"
"O– Of course I believe you." James' mind was scrambled from Regulus' drunken comments.
"You believe me when I say that I want to have two children with James Potter, right?" Reg took a sip of the water and nearly spat it out. "That's not vodka!" he exclaimed.
"It's better than vodka," James told him. "It's a new type of whiskey." He chose to ignore the comments about children.
"You're cute when you're lying through your teeth." Regulus slapped himself with the hand he was holding the cup with. "I can't say that! I have a husband who is pregnant with our third child!"
James laughed nervously. "I'm never letting you drink again."
It was ten a.m. when Regulus woke up. James had closed the curtains so as to not worsen Regulus' evident headache and had prepared a light breakfast for them both.
"Morning," James whispered tentatively as he set the tray down on the bedside table. "I brought you some breakfast in bed."
Regulus groaned. "I'm dead inside and out."
"No! Don't say that! You have a pregnant husband to live for," James wanted to say. Instead, he kissed Regulus' cheek. "You slept past the new year."
"I'm sorry. I know how much you were looking forward to kissing me at midnight."
James smiled. What had happened instead was much better. "Oh, it's okay really."
"You know, I tend to say really weird things when drunk." Reg hesitantly bit off the corner of some buttered toast before deeming it acceptable and chomping it down.
"Oh, really?" James tried to keep his tone even.
Reg laughed. "All the time. I didn't do that last night, did I?"
James blushed. "Uh– No?"
Regulus buried his face in his hands. "Oh, God. What did I say?"
"Nothing!" James answered too quickly. He sprung off the end of his bed where he had been sitting. "The washing machine's going off, I have to go."
"Yeah, yeah…" Regulus furrowed his brows.
"Enjoy the breakfast, and I'll be back in a little bit." James put a foot over the threshold. "Oh, and I love you too."
"Yo– Too?" Regulus questioned in complete shock.
James laughed. "You said it last night and I forgot to say it back," and with that, he closed the door and listened for the exact moment that it dawned on Regulus what he was implying.
"I– James Potter, you are the worst." Regulus pushed himself out of bed and stormed towards the door, his hand pausing when he reached out to turn the door handle. "Yet," he said in a soft tone full of his adoration for this beautiful, beautiful man that was on the other side of the wall. "Yet, I love you more than I can comprehend."
James beamed from the other side of the door.
He really was the luckiest person alive.
James couldn't help thinking to himself that he was so honoured to have met the kindest, happiest, funniest, best person that ever existed.
James patted his jean pocket, where an exquisite ring sat.
Maybe one day.
Maybe one day.