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Laughs echoed around him as James sipped on his whiskey and watched Lily from across the room she was dancing carefree. Her infectious smile made him smile too, how could he not? Fuck she meant so much to him, always did, always would his Lily.
He lost count of the many dances they attended, she was still yet to dance with him, but he could wait, he was patient. He was standing at the corner of the room with possibly the best dress on out of anyone. Of course it was, Lily made it after all. He caught her eye and held up his glass and she signalled that she was going to the bar he nodded. He wandered over to her just as she was getting handed her glass of prosecco.
“Still no dance?” he teased and finished his whiskey politely requesting another, Lily cocked her head and sipped her prosecco. “Come on, I wore this dress for you after all,” he waggled his eyebrows and she suppressed a laugh.
“And you look very handsome,” Lily smiled as she walked over to the dance floor as the bodies seemed to part and stood in the middle holding her hand out, James left his full glass of whiskey and walked over to grab her free hand which dropped as he got there. “I don’t think this is my dance,” she admitted,
“Huh?”
“It’s who you really been waiting for,” she was glowing as pointed to the door. James was met with black curls, thick eyelashes and a raised eyebrow. Something within him sang
Regulus,
Regulus,
Regulus
He gulped as he drank the man in, black sequin suit shirtless, he was beautiful, he was ethereal. Amongst the happy glow of those around him, he was the brightest star. The words ‘As beautiful as the day I lost him’ span around James’ mind. Flashes of thrusting to ‘I love you darling’ swimming around in his vision.
“So, I know you can dance, you just don’t?” James teased,
“Tonight I do, I suppose,” Regulus smiled.
Home,
Home,
Home,
Godric's Hollow is home again.
Regulus walked straight for Lily and hugged her and kissed her on the cheek, she took his hand in her face and all the years seemed to melt away for her. She patted him and then nodded her head towards James. Regulus smiled as he tore his eyes from Lily and moved his gaze to James, it burned. Lily always meant so much to Regulus, and he to her. James once jealous of how the two got on felt nothing but euphoria at seeing them together. Regulus darted forward and the two men embraced and everyone in the room clapped.
“Oh, baby, oh darling, I’ve missed you. Where have you been? Didn’t you remember I need you like the air I breathe,” James felt hot tears as he pressed kisses onto Regulus’ wrist. Regulus watched carefully, careful with sunlight licking him, wanting to be engulfed by it. He took James’ hand and kissed each knuckle, James watched hungrily. The song changed, “Do you want to lead or should I?” he asked softly in awe of the man before him, it was always different with Regulus, no one stirred this up in him quite the way Regulus did.
“You're a strong leader,” Regulus gulped. He immediately pulled Regulus close, this is it, this was always it, it was like no time had passed and they moved around the floor. “Got to tell you there isn’t a statue anywhere that can compare to you,” Regulus whispered in his ear. James’ felt a jolt within. “I know first hand now after all,”
“I’m going to go from India to America. I’m going to do a tour around Italy, travel the canals of Venice and see priceless art in Tuscany, The Birth of Venus, Michelangelo’s David,”
“That’s the naked guy right,”
“You seen him then, the naked guy,”
“Hmm,” Regulus hummed
“I missed you,”
“I missed you too, the sun kept rising for some reason I thought it wouldn’t” Regulus admitted and James looked puzzled. “I love you, James,” Regulus said at the swell of the song,
“I love you too,” James darted forward to capture Regulus’ lips, he always awakened something animalistic in him he thought as he let out a growl as soon as Regulus returned the kiss both men clinging at each other they smiled through the kiss and returned both men pouring equal enthusiasm into the kiss. A million I love yous flooded his mind, don’t say it he used to be met with.
“Please James, I know what you want to say and I need to stop. I know you think you know what you're feeling but I promise you. You’re not,”
Oh but I did baby, oh but I do darling. How he let the memory of them in the pouring rain take over him he smiled, Regulus didn’t know how to let himself be loved then. That wasn’t his fault, but James said he got to say it whether Regulus liked it or not.
“No, Regulus, we're going to talk about this now. I love you. I love every part of you. I love the way you talk about the things you love, I love that you don’t suffer fools, I love that you are so unafraid to just be yourself. I loved you when you wore a fucking sequined suit, I love you when you’re wearing nothing at all,”
He smirked at the sequin suit but thought also removing it about Regulus in nothing at all about all the nights they’d spend tangled in each other. He thought of when Regulus finally said the words back. How he’d probably stirred something up in him with the ‘Thanks for the drink, mate,’ if he did then he was glad because the words he’d been longing to hear for so many years.
“Please James, I love you, I love you and I’ll tell you every day, every hour, every minute, please don’t doubt me.” he kept repeating those three words as he placed kisses all over James’ face. James hoped it wasn’t a lie and Regulus assured him it wasn’t that he’d never lie to him.
“Baby, let’s get out of here,” James croaked, Regulus joined their hands and they headed out the door, both men casting a last glance and waving goodbye to Lily, who happily waved as she waited at the bar. James pulled Regulus and they were running, a drop of rain, a few drops, the pour of it beating down on them, “The field?” James called hopefully,
“I’d go anywhere with you,” Regulus smiled, they laughed and looked up at the rain.
“C’mon we better run,” James echoed his memory. He saw flashing photographs from that day they took them together, for some reason he felt Regulus was seeing them too “Faster,” he shouted in echo.
“I’m coming,” Regulus shouted through the loud crashes of thunder, his curls sticking to his face but he still looked like the perfect slice of heaven to James. So they did, they ran together and through rainy days or sunny skies they’d have each other, all was well.