james is usually titled as the clingest boyfriend in the relationship, trapping reg in his arms at every opportunity he gets - which never fails to turn reg’s grumpy look into a playful eye roll paired with the tiniest shy smile. but, when regulus is sleepy, that’s a whole other story. his favorite activity is laying on the couch with james, his whole body on top of him in a mess of limbs. he’ll curl up like a kitten, simply existing while james watches some muggle comedy movie - occasionally letting out what regulus calls “obnoxiously loud” giggles. reg’s nose is buried in his boyfriends neck, which he takes advantage of when he feels extra cheeky by nibbling on it to get james’ attention when he’s too locked in on his movie and not paying attention to his gorgeous sweet baby. he will absolutely whine like a toddler if the other moves too much or tries to get up to get snack, his fingers gripping james’ sweater with a dead grip. all this just to turn bright red when prongs mumbles sweet things about him reminding him of a clingy kitten, followed by a sloppy kiss to reg’s forehead as to reassure him that he really loves his snuggly version.

as i’ve mentioned before, regulus likes to react to james’ random urges of affection with a very fake annoyed eye roll, but the way his lips twitch struggling to smile never goes unnoticed by prongs. it’s almost as if reg is expecting it, he will be sitting at the table for breakfast reading a book and acting unbothered, when in fact he’s just waiting for james to bother his peace by wrapping him in a tight hug and pepper his neck with kisses in a way only he can do, telling him all about how he missed him all night with a voice rough from sleep. he barely responds to it, only reaching to put a hand atop of jame’s ones resting on his belly but that’s enough for the other to know he’s content with the affection. you can be sure he’ll be pouting the whole day if he doesn’t get his morning dose of kisses and coddles. he also particularly loves when james decides to give him gifts with no apparent meaning behind. james doesn’t even make a big scene out of it, just leaving a pack of reg’s favorite sweets on top of his bed for him to see when he comes back after his tiring classes. it’s simple but he really can’t help but feel seen, known. he loves the fact that someone loves him so much they will catch up on the tiniest details just because they want to. and mostly when that’s james.

now don’t get me wrong, from the moment he actually started talking to reg he was the usual flirty minx everyone knew him has. but when they actually start to go out and he realizes regulus reciprocates those feelings of his, he starts feeling nervous and hot whenever he’s around him. he will be standing there to pick up reg for their date that he planned carefully, the flowers that he knows he will like in one hand while the other fixes the colar of his shirt for the 100th time that night. he smiles brightly when reg finally opens the door, shyly stuttering out compliments about how handsome he looks. if they go on a cinema date, james will most definitely take the opportunity to hold regulus’ hands and will also blush furiously when the other leans his head on his shoulder and squeezes his hand. he will sneak glances in a not very discreet way - mostly because he ends up staring at regulus for a whole minute because he’s just so pretty. he insists on dropping reg back after the date and obviously regulus, like the cheeky one he can be, presses a soft peck on the corner of james’ lips. all to watch him pull out that amazing smile and see the blush spread from his neck to his incredibly soft looking cheeks.

he had pretty much been saying it to reg for a while and didn’t mind that he wasn’t ready to say it back just yet, boy he’d wait a whole lifetime if needed. but there was always that little voice at the back of his mind that told him he wasn’t doing enough to make regulus love him - he’s a real people pleaser after all. so it does catch him off guard when regulus, in a hazy sleepy moment while they’re snuggling up under a blanket, lets out an almost inaudible whisper that sounds too much like “love you, jamie”. his eyes clog up with tears almost immediately, all too happy. he can’t help but laugh at his own silliness, wiping regulus’ concerned frown off his face by pressing big fat kisses to his cheeks.