Kas

my last color was neon pink, so I won’t be doing pink again, sorry 😞

(Click here to get to my normal pinned post)

So I've hinted at this a little bit but there has been a HUGE change in my life. My wife and I have found ourselves caring for two children- ages 10 and 15. I can't give a TON of details online, because I want to protect them, but I'm hoping maybe you guys can understand that the reason we're currently caring for them is a direct result of the political climate of the United States. Because of all of this, we are working to become the guardians of these children for the foreseeable future, possibly adopting them if that's something they want (they have expressed they want this, but things change and this will all take time).

I'm hoping you all can understand that even though my wife and I are so happy to have children in our lives, this is NOT the way we wanted it to happen, because it involves a lot of sadness. These kids are going through a lot of trauma, and things are changing almost daily. I waited for things to be confirmed by a lawyer before posting this, but it still could change, and I want to be transparent about that. However, I'm posting this for two reasons:

First, as you might have noticed, I'll be writing fics and answering asks a lot less. While I adore writing and it makes me so incredibly happy, I also adore these kids, and they need me right now. I'm working on finding time for myself, but that's something I'm trying to find a balance with and these kids need adults to rely on in their lives. I'm not leaving fandom or even stopping writing forever, but I definitely will be around a lot less, at least for now.

Second, the legal battle we will need to fight, as well as making sure the kids are comfortable in our home, will be expensive. I created a GoFundMe to try to raise money for this, and I am posting the link below. Again, to be transparent, I didn't put a lot of information there, because I need to protect my identity, as well as the identities of the children. The location on the GoFundMe is inaccurate, and I didn't put my full name, because I knew I would be posting it here. However, I am hoping you all will consider helping anyway. (Also if you notice anything that identifies me on the page that I missed, please lmk....)

If for some unlikely reason things change, and the kids are able to be with their biological mother, please rest assured that any donations will still go toward making sure they are well cared for.

Please, if you would consider sharing the link or (if you are an adult) donating, I would appreciate it. You are more than welcome to dm me or inbox me with any questions, and I will do my best to answer them as long as I can still protect everyone involved.

Thanks guys! I hope you have a good day!

but instead

It was past curfew, but the party in the Slytherin common room was not showing any signs of stopping. The air was thick with smoke, sweat, and somehow even the taste of firewhiskey was present in every breath Regulus took even though he hadn’t had a drop.

Yes, Slytherin had won the Quidditch cup. And yes - it was his spectacular catch a mere 15 minutes into the game that had won it. But he wasn’t one for parties, never had been, and a party where he would be the centre of attention? Absolutely not, no thanks.

So he was tucked away in a corner - not hiding in his room because Barty and Evan had barricaded the door and told him to “have some fun for a change, looking at you is making us depressed” and then promptly fucked off to who-knows-where. Wherever they were, they were almost definitely attached at the mouth and probably other parts, Regulus had no wish to stumble on that. Again.

What was baffling about this whole party though was that it wasn’t just Slytherins in attendance. Apparently, winning the Quidditch cup after a 2 decade long dry spell was enough for them to willingly open the doors to the whole school - fifth year and above, of course. For the first time in probably centuries, non-Slytherins were in their domain, and Regulus wasn’t sure he liked it.

He especially disliked it because opening the doors to the school meant opening the doors to his brother - who had recently decided to pull his overly-coiffed head out of his arse and offered an olive branch to Regulus, who’d grabbed onto it. Outwardly reluctantly, he could never be seen to be enthusiastic, but inwardly he was genuinely pleased about it. He had missed his brother these past few years, he’d been his first and for a long time only friend, and it was admittedly rather nice to have him back.

But it was past curfew, and Sirius and his bumbling band of sidekicks had yet to show their faces, and Regulus was trying very hard not to be hurt by that. It had been Sirius who’d approached him after all, but he couldn’t spare an evening to congratulate him? It wasn’t even Gryffindor that they’d beaten, it was Ravenclaw, so he couldn’t be feeling too bitter about it, could he?

He was ready to call it a night, already cycling through a list of hexes he could use on Barty and Evan if he did walk in on them shagging, when the door to the common room burst open and in walked Sirius Black. Of course he’d make a spectacle of it. Anything to draw attention to himself, as always. Trailing behind him were the usual suspects - Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew and-

Damn.

Regulus’ mouth dried up and his collar began to feel a little too tight because there at the back of the group, looking like he’d walked straight out of a muggle fashion magazine, was James Potter.

The same James Potter who he’d only ever seen in school uniform (atrocious, his tie was always askew and his shirt never tucked in) or Quidditch leathers (sinful, but always accompanied by the distraction of the game).

He was pretty sure James knew that Regulus appreciated his arse in those skintight trousers, he didn’t think he was imagining it when he’d look directly at him then subtly bend a little further than he needed to, showing off.

He’d never seen him like this before - in denims that must have been spelled onto him, they were stretched so tightly across his arse and thighs, and a button down that was cuffed up to the elbow and unbuttoned to the middle of his chest.

Sirius hadn’t seen him yet, and thank Merlin he hadn’t because he was pretty sure his brain had stopped working. All higher logic and reasoning were on pause, his thoughts reduced to fuckshitthatsaMANahotMANholyshit - this was probably what Barty was talking about when he’d tried to explain the gay panic that seeing Evan stepping out of the shower had caused him. Regulus hadn’t appreciated it at the time, but now? Yeah, he got it.

Perhaps if his head wasn’t so fuzzy, he’d have registered it a little sooner that although Sirius hadn’t seen him - James had. And if the smirk playing across his lips was anything to go by, he’d recognised Regulus’s reaction for what it was.

He noticed James dip down to speak into Sirius’s ear, further panic immediately setting in as he imagined what he was saying. The jokes he must be making at his expense. Mentally preparing to have to attempt to defend himself, he was confused when Sirius set off in the opposite direction, Remus and Peter in tow.

James, however, was making a beeline for him. Stalking his way across the room, effortlessly picking his way between the rowdy groups, eyes focussed and intent on his goal. Regulus’s brain still hadn’t fully caught up with him by the time James arrived, dropping carelessly onto the sofa next to him and draping his arm across his shoulder, leaning down to whisper against his ear.

“That was a phenomenal catch today, Regulus.” 

Regulus gulped, turning his head to the side only to realise this put their lips only inches away from each other.

“I- thanks, Potter.” Phew. Those were words. Excellent.

“Think you’re a better one, though. A catch, that is.” Regulus could feel James’s breath ghosting over his face. Hot, damp, slight scent of cinnamon that he vaguely recognised from his amortentia.

Without warning, James sprang away.

“There you are, Reggie! Hiding away at your own party, for shame. Thanks for finding him, Prongs.” Sirius’s voice carried across the few feet of separation.