ribbon - trans!regulus black - @jeggyverses-jegulus-microfic - word count: 318
"Wow," James murmured, looking at the photo Regulus held in his hand, an unreadable expression on his face.
Regulus felt his heart hammer and his stomach flip uncomfortably, "Yeah," he muttered, because what else could he say?
Hazel eyes flicked upward, landing on Regulus. "That's really you?"
It was, to be exact, Regulus at age ten. He was in the most obnoxious dress he'd ever had the misfortune to be forced to wear, laden with ribbons and lace, his young face pinched with distaste as he stared reluctantly at the camera.
And again, James's expression did something strange.
Regulus waited for the fallout. For the Gryffindor to say something well-meaning but excruciatingly painful. Something like, 'well, it didn't look so bad on you' or 'well, you were only a kid, so you can get past it...'
But instead, James looked to him and frowned deeply. "And this was after you started telling your parents how much you hated all this? How you didn't feel like...?"
He chuckled lowly, stomach sinking at the memories. "Yes. I think that just made them want to dress me like that more."
"Yeah. Like, extremely. I mean, not only did they not let you be who you are, but they put you in that atrocious thing? Merlin, I would have thrown a right fit," James said, lips curling upward at the corners.
He felt himself smiling as well. "Yes. It was...bad."
"Why d'you keep the photo, then?" It wasn't a judgemental question, just one of curiosity.
He'd never really thought about it. "To show to potential boyfriends," he murmured lightly, avoiding James's gaze. "To test to see if they're pieces of shit or not."
James let out a snort of laughter. "Alright. And how did I do? Did I pass the test?"
He smirked, looking up at him. "I guess."
James's answering smile was radiant.
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