riri ⏾

He can't cook, he can't clean, he can't drive, he can't do a job interview.

Wolfstar very hesitantly leaves him alone for a weekend to finally go on a honeymoon, but they send James over to make sure Regulus doesn't burn the house down.

regulus whines when they both fall on their backs—breathing heavily, trying to grasp for air after making love—and james suddenly gets up to get clean clothes, a damp towel, and a new sheet.

after a few more relentless nagging from james, regulus finally gives in and just lays in bed , sprawled naked. james finds regulus especially adorable when he’s in his relaxed state—he half closes his eyes when james wipes his face—it reminds him dearly of a cat.

jegulus | 640 words

“What do you mean,” James said patiently, though he sounded anything but, “he can’t have his wand back?”

Regulus lifted his chin as the clerk’s gaze flicked towards him and away just as quickly. He’d grown quite used to such looks. Fleeting, judgemental things. The sort that made his stomach tight. The sort that made him wonder if surviving the cave was worth it, when his second chance at life might be this bleak.

“Mr. Potter,” said the clerk, matching James’s faux-patience, “as an officer of the DMLE, you should know better than most that those who served You-Know-Who remain subject to wand restriction. Indefinitely.”

“He’s not one of them,” James said, and Regulus thought he might be sick right then and there. He stood straighter. His shoulders ached.

Though he knew it was coming, he still had to keep from cringing when she asked, “Mr. Black, would you roll up your left sleeve?”

“Don’t,” James snapped, then softened. “Sorry. I just—You don’t have to do that.”

Regulus was quite proud his voice didn’t shake when he spoke. “Of course,” he said. “We all know what’s there, don’t we?”

Beside him, James went very still. It was worse than the stares, worse than standing there in some impersonal government room asking permission to hold what had been his since he was eleven. Regulus knew very well what shame was, but now he’d shown it.

“We should go,” he said quietly.

James shook his head. “No. No, I’m not having it. He’s a wizard. He has a right to his own wand.”

It didn’t surprise him. James and all his righteousness never backed down. But the Ministry was a beast that did not baulk at James Potter’s bravado and broad shoulders.

“No,” replied the clerk. “He doesn’t.”

Death Eaters don’t have rights, she didn’t say. She wanted to. It was there in the curl of her lip. A little snarl, all for him.

“Says who?”

“The law.”

“Sod the law. Have you any idea what he did—”

“Potter.” Regulus caught his elbow, fingers tightening once. Hard. “Leave it.”

Still, James drew a sharp breath, primed to argue.

Before he could, Regulus said, “Jamie, please,” and James turned like gravity had taken hold of him. He searched Regulus’s face a few moments longer than he needed to and nodded in defeat when he found what he was looking for.

“All right,” he sighed, though they both knew it wasn’t. “All right, Reg.” He took Regulus’s hand firmly in his and turned back to the clerk, who merely watched. “We’ll be back. I promise you that,” he said, and didn’t wait for an answer before leading Regulus out of the office.

They didn’t speak again, not once, until James stepped out of the floo after Regulus. In the safety of their home, away from bureaucracy and the stares and the cold marble of the Ministry, James hauled Regulus into a hug and said, his voice resolute, “I love you.”

Regulus wound tight arms around him and cradled the back of his head. “I know,” he said, trying to lighten his tone. “Did you think I couldn’t tell, with the way you defended my honor so viciously?”

James didn’t laugh. “I’m not letting this go.” His words came muffled from between them. “I’ll write a thousand fucking letters if I have to. I’ll play politics. I will.”

He drew back to look up at Regulus, eyes bright and furious.

“I’ll become head of the fucking DMLE if that’s what it takes. I’m clearing your name.”

Regulus swallowed. “What an ambitious promise.”

“Well, it’s one I mean to keep,” James said, and leaned up to kiss him soundly.

The kitchen at Grimmauld Place was unusually quiet, bathed in the warm, golden glow of the hearth. Remus was at the stove, quietly brewing tea, his presence a comforting weight in the room.

Harry looked up from his schoolwork as Sirius slid into the chair across from him, staring intently into the fire.

"You have a look of him sometimes, you know," Sirius said softly.

"Dad?" Harry asked.

"No. Regulus," Sirius replied, a rare, gentle smile replacing his usual melancholic brooding. "Your other dad."

Harry sat up straighter. Sirius rarely spoke about his brother without a heavy layer of grief, but tonight, the memory seemed to bring him warmth.

"I didn't know they actually had a wedding," Harry admitted. "With the war going on..."

"Oh, it wasn't a traditional Ministry affair," Sirius chuckled, leaning back. Remus walked over, placing a warm mug of tea in front of Harry and another in front of Sirius, brushing his fingers lightly against Sirius’s shoulder as he passed. Sirius caught Remus’s hand for a brief, grounding second before continuing.

"Regulus had a tough road, Harry. Growing up in the Black house was a nightmare, even more so for him. When he realized who he truly was, he was their son, not the daughter they expected—our parents tried to break him. But Reg had a spine of steel. He walked right out and showed up at the Potters' doorstep where I was staying."

Sirius’s eyes sparkled with old mischief. "James fell first, and he fell hard. He spent months trying to court Regulus with these ridiculous, over-the-top pureblood traditions he’d looked up in the library, completely butchering them. Regulus would just roll his eyes, but he was entirely smitten. James was so fiercely proud of him. Once Regulus fully transitioned, James would have gladly fought the entire Wizengamot if anyone dared use the wrong name."

"So, how did they get married?" Harry asked, completely captivated.

"In a greenhouse, of all places," Sirius laughed. "Lily actually helped arrange it right after we left Hogwarts. Regulus wanted something quiet, away from the world, and James just wanted to marry him. It was just me, Remus, Lily, and James’s parents. Regulus wore deep emerald robes; he refused to completely abandon his Slytherin roots and James looked like he’d been dragged through a bush backwards because he’d been pacing for hours."

Sirius’s voice softened, full of fond nostalgia. "When they exchanged vows, James didn't use any fancy magic. He just looked at Regulus and promised he’d spend the rest of his life making sure Regulus never had to hide who he was again. And Reg... I’d never seen my brother smile like that. Not once in our entire childhood."

Harry smiled, a profound sense of warmth blooming in his chest. "I wish I could have seen it."