#substantial

@jegulus-microfic February 18, Word count 443

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James instantly loved the house. It was basically a small stone manor house. Slightly smaller than his parents’ place, but still of substantial size and the view, wow. He couldn’t stop staring out over the deserted moorland. He eagerly followed Regulus inside. 

It was not what he’d expected. He’d seen the inside of Grimmauld Place, the Black family’s ancestral home. It was stuffy and cluttered with so many heirlooms and antiques that you didn’t know where to look, and dust, an abundance of dust. This house had none of that, not even the dust. It was far from cosy, but James could see the potential. 

“I like this one,” he told Regulus as he gave them the tour. “Like a lot. Like, I don’t think we need to look at any more.” He waited for Regulus’s reaction, thinking perhaps he’d be put out by James choosing the very first house they saw, but a smug grin curled Regulus’s lips up, and he continued with the tour.  

“This is the master,” Regulus told him as he swung the heavy oak door open to reveal an enormous bedroom. It must have taken over a third of the upstairs space. “There are four other bedrooms on this level and two below, with a library and two studies,” Regulus continued as James went to inspect the balcony. 

“How much land does it come with?” James asked as the warm breeze tugged his hair as he stepped out onto the balcony. 

“As far as you can see and more,” Regulus shrugged, joining him outside. 

“So, I could totally put in a practice pitch?” Regulus rolled his eyes at him. 

“If you must,” he sighed, “so long as it doesn’t spoil my view,” he looked around for a moment for a suitable plot. “There,” he pointed to the right of the house. "You can build one there.” James swooped him up into his arms before Regulus could even drop his finger. 

“And where can we get married?” He felt Regulus stiffen against his chest for the briefest moment before he relaxed his body again. “We’ve got plenty of time, love. No rush,” James told him, worried that Regulus was having second thoughts about marrying him. 

“I always saw us getting married at your parents’ house.” James lifted Regulus off the ground and spun him around.

“Yes! Yes, love! Mum will be so happy. Can we go tell her, now?” He was jumping up and down with Regulus crushed against him. 

“James, calm down!” Regulus chastised, wriggling in his arms, trying to free himself until he gave up and transformed into Midnight, leapt from James’s grasp and ran back inside. 

but ive seen people talk about how, for them, most ships can’t hold a candle to the juggernaut that was hilson. which is strange cos hilson is just 2 dudes who for 8 slowly burning seasons pine deep under the surface and beat around the bush and participate forever in what i can only call foreplay.

but can you really say all of it didn’t go anywhere when the show culminated in such an overt gesture of love?

it's like. listen. i can recognise queerbait when i see it. but i can also recognise when two dudes are so deeply repressed it makes sense that that’s all we’re getting. and somehow what we got feels so much more emotionally weighty than a show that, say, establishes what to expect in the first season