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Regulus had to admit. The queer speed-dating event Pandora had dragged him to had been a good idea.

Not because he'd met anyone of worth, of course. But because he was enjoying watching people flounder.

After about the second 'date,' he found the perfect way to do it. When the man, inevitably, asked him what he was looking for, he always replied with the same phrase, spoken in a flat, uninterested voice and given with full eye contact.

"I want someone who will read poetry with me but also slam me into the mattress for hours."

And it never failed. Men froze, eyes widening, mouths moving wordlessly. Or else they tried and failed to explain how amazing they were at sex while being the opposite of convincing. One man even tried to give an excuse about why he couldn't read poetry (it was because he couldn't read).

So yes, it was all very entertaining.

Date number 23 was cute. Very handsome, actually. Dark, messy hair and tan skin. Obvious muscles under his t-shirt and hazel eyes under slightly-nerdy glasses. But he looked too...nice. So Regulus was immediately looking forward to making him squirm.

"James Potter, nice to meet you," the man said, offering his hand and shaking Regulus's warmly.

"Likewise," Regulus said flatly, eyes trailing over his body.

"So why're you at this very thrilling and romantic event, Regulus?" James asked, humor in his tone.

And wow. Maybe he had potential. Lips threatening to quirk up at the corner, Regulus gave his reply. "I want someone who will read poetry with me but also slam me into the mattress for hours," he said with a straight face, staring at James and waiting for his response.

The other man gazed at him appraisingly for only a moment, before he leaned in and looked into his eyes, like he was telling him a secret. "Well. I feel like that depends," he murmured, eyes flickering with something like amusement.

"On?" Regulus asked, raising his eyebrow curiously, but he felt heat bubble in his stomach.

"Would you deserve it?"

Regulus had never given out his number faster.

-

He never outright said anything when it happened. At least, not at first. Bringing it up brought stomach aches and chest pains, goosebumps and anxiety. He tried, of course, to pretend it didn’t happen. But avoiding reality didn’t make it change.

James was sweet about not talking about it. He never pushed. He only asked about anything close to the topic when he needed to know something, or when Regulus brought it up. But he was also smart, and noticed patterns. So by the fourth-or-so month of them dating, Regulus knew he knew, without having to say anything.

And then…he started just doing things. Leaving things. Carrying things with him.

“Can I take that for you, love?” he’d always offer, grabbing Regulus’s heavy books when he saw the younger boy wincing with cramps.

“Do you need some pain potion? Chocolate? A granola bar?” he’d say with a concerned voice when he saw Regulus, paler than usual, between classes.

“Did you get the note I left for you?” he’d ask so kindly, tracing Regulus’s jawline lovingly with his thumb and reminding him of the letter he’d found sitting on his pillow that morning after he’d changed.

“D’you need a massage or anything?” he’d offer so casually when Regulus nearly-collapsed in a chair in the library, aches threatening to consume him.

But it was not all of these things that made the whole experience better, somehow.

It was the first time he actually had to admit to James what was happening.

“I need to go back to my room,” he mumbled to his boyfriend one day as they sat in a quiet alcove of the castle. Regulus had been reading while James was happily playing with his hair.

“What?” James asked, looking put out. “I mean, of course, whatever you need, but why?”

Regulus bit at his lip, worryingly. He didn’t want to offend James and he knew he needed to acknowledge it at some point but it was so difficult..

“I have my period,” he mumbled, looking down as his entire stomach sank to the floor. “I need to go grab…y’know…period stuff.”

“Oh!” James said, nodding completely unabashedly. “No need, love! I have some. Do you need tampons or pads?”

Regulus blanched at the words, unable to form any response. “Do-what?”

“Oh,” James responded, looking nervous. “Do you…do you use something else? I asked Pandora a while back and she said to carry these, but if it’s changed, I can-”

Regulus cut him off, completely taken aback. “You asked Pandora what I use for my period?”

“Yeah,” James shrugged, like it was normal. “I wanted to be prepared. You know… in case you ever needed anything.”

His brain was empty. “Boys don’t carry those things,” Regulus said numbly, still shocked.

But James tilted his head to the side. “You do, baby. You’re a boy. And I’m dating you. Why shouldn’t I carry them, just in case?”

Regulus blinked, a soft ‘oh!’ falling from his lips. “I…thank you,” he murmured softly, reaching to grab one of the objects James offered him.

Not even paying attention to the time, James knocked on the door of the tiny, unassuming apartment, excited to finally be done with work. It had been a long day, and he was even more eager than usual to finally be at his boyfriend’s doorstep.

However, his joy was dampened slightly when, only moments after knocking, a loud crash! sounded from inside.

“Reg?” he called nervously, frowning. “Are you alright?”

“One minute!” Regulus’s shaky voice replied from through the wood.

If James had been a less secure man, he might have thought Regulus was cheating. But after dating the other man for over a year, he knew Regulus’s deep, dark secret: Regulus was just as crazy about James as James was about him. So instead, he started to worry that somehow he’d injured himself.

“I’m coming in!” James called, grabbing his keyring and searching for the key he’d promised to only use for emergencies.

“No, I-” Regulus began to protest, but it was too late. James burst through the threshold and into the small sitting room, scanning around for signs of danger.

There was no danger.

Instead, there was Regulus. Regulus, frozen, clearly hiding the evidence of what he had been doing.

“Are you…doing a face mask? While wearing my clothes?” James asked, gaping openly.

He was. His face was still half-covered in green goop, the remnants of ingredients spread out on the small table, a broken bowl that had obviously caused the crash shattered on the floor. And Regulus was standing there in a pair of James’s old joggers and one of his old ratty t-shirts, looking more beautiful than James had ever seen him.

“You…you’re early!” Regulus stuttered accusingly, turning red with embarrassment, as if that was all the explanation he needed.

James just chuckled. “I am. Don’t suppose you have any more of that stuff left, do you? It’s been a shit day.”

If you asked any of his school friends if he was clingy they'd laugh in your face but ask anyone who knew him before he was 10 and they'd go YES

His brother and cousins were obviously the main victims of this clinginess

He was a huge hugger and would refuse to let go so you'd end up walking around the house with a Reggie clinging to you

By the time andromeda reaches adulthood her back muscles are so strong from all the 'piggyback?' She's heard and caved in to by regulus

When he gets older he 'grows out of it' but secretly when he's upset or feeling lost he just wants a hug so he can bury his face away and breathe