Submitted for The Houses Competition Forum - Round 7
House: Ravenclaw
Subject: Prefect
Category: Drabble
Prompt: [First line] Never leave a friend behind.
Word count: 622
Warnings: Muggle AU
snowy kisses
Never leave a friend behind. That was the code of honour all the Marauders followed: never leave a friend behind. And James wasn't going to go back on their word now.
"Don't worry, Sirius, I'm coming for you!" James yelled, knowing his friend could hear him.
"I would be more confident in your word if you didn't tell the enemy where you are!" Sirius yelled back and James snickered. "I can't believe I fell for that cheap trick."
James laughed loudly at that. They were playing in the snow next to James' and Sirius' houses and Sirius had been stupid enough to let himself get captured by the enemy: his girlfriend.
Peter, Remus and Lily were one team (which was unfair when Peter was small and fast and Remus and Lily were brainiacs), while James and Sirius were the other team, alongside…
"I love my brother, but sometimes, he can get distracted by pretty things," a voice from his side said, and James bit his lip.
'I can relate to that, though,' James thought, looking at Regulus, Sirius' baby brother and his heart's desire.
The Marauders' moral code wouldn't allow James to follow through with going after his heart's desire or even flirt with Regulus a bit just to see how he would react to him.
James was a lost cause when it came to Regulus Arcturus Black.
James bit his lip to stop himself from saying anything he would regret later and turned around to assess the war. He and Regulus were hiding behind the fort he and Sirius had built, but that didn't mean anything: look how Sirius had been easily captured.
"Sirius got distracted by Lily's smile, that's why they captured him," Regulus said, watching from behind their hideout. "I know you aren't going to fall for something like that."
James snorted; he couldn't help himself. If Regulus wasn't playing on their team, James would probably be the hostage instead of Sirius.
"What? You don't believe in your own strength?" Regulus was looking at James, making him wonder if he could see right through him. "I thought you were at least a little brave."
Deciding to throw caution to the wind, James decided to show Regulus how brave he was.
James threw caution to the wind. At that moment, he didn't care what could go wrong. He simply grabbed Regulus' jacket and slanted his mouth over his.
It was like everything around them stopped. Regulus' lips were soft and pliable, and tasted like the hot chocolate they were drinking earlier that day. The scent of cinnamon was still left over on Regulus' breath, and James lost his mind .
It was everything James dreamed of that kiss and even more—because in reality, Regulus was reciprocating his kiss and James felt in heaven.
Until they stopped kissing.
"What was that?" Regulus asked, his cheeks flushed red and breathing hard. James had never been more in love with him than at that moment.
"That, my dear Reggie, is called a kiss. Something we do when we like someone, you know?" James jested, trying to hide his embarrassment.
"I know what a kiss is," Regulus retorted, still blushing. "I was asking why you kissed me."
"Because I've been dying to do it for a long time and thought it seemed like as good a time as any." James held his breath, waiting for Regulus' reaction.
A smile appeared on Regulus' face. "I thought you were never going to do anything." And before James could say anything else, Regulus was kissing him again.
In the background, they could still hear Sirius' outraged (mostly horrified and disgusted) cries, but right now, they were more focused on each other.
And that's all that mattered to James.