Chapter Text
Regulus woke with a start, his breath coming out in short pants, long since had he learned to silence his screams from his nightmares.
He looked around in the dark disoriented to find himself on his couch and James next to him with his arm now slumped behind Regulus where it fell off his shoulders when he sat up. His head was thrown back to rest on the couch, his mouth open from the angle and soft even pants coming out, his glasses slightly crooked on his nose.
Regulus couldn’t stop staring as the events of yesterday came back to him and he slumped further into himself rubbing his face. He didn’t know what to do now. He was too jittery from the dream, that he can’t even remember, to ease back into James’s arms and try for sleep. The tv would be too loud if he turned it on now where it had turned itself off with disuse.
He decided to get up to brush his teeth and use the bathroom. He checked his phone, the time reading 1:09 AM. Barty would probably be still up… he thought.
He made his way back into his bedroom, turning on his side lamp that casted a warm soft glow over the corner of the room, and rested against the headboard sending him a short “Are you awake” text.
The incoming call came only a few moments later. Regulus softly smiled to himself, despite his anxieties, at his friend’s quick response and answered.
“Are you alright?” Barty said before Regulus could even get out a ‘hello’. Regulus usually only texted him that when he needed someone to talk to. Sometimes when Barty’s call came, he was already sobbing and screaming and Barty had to talk him down while he woke Evan and they drove over. Sometimes he was silent on the other end and let Barty ramble to him. Sometimes Regulus wondered if he kept such late hours so he didn’t miss Regulus’s text if he needed him, but it’d been a while since his last one and it warmed his heart that he’d still called instantly, even if it wasn’t the reason he stayed awake so late.
“Hi Barty” Regulus mumbled back. He could hear the sounds of a video game lobby in the background.
“Hi Reg, is everything ok?” Barty replied.
Regulus swallowed the sudden lump in his throat and forced out an answer as his throat felt like it was restricting. “Yeah I just… had a bad day I guess, wanted to talk to you.”
“What happened?” Barty sounded concerned now. “Are you ok? Do I need to come over?” he could hear him set something down, his controller he guessed.
“No, no I’m fine” Regulus swallowed again, his eyes pricking and took a slow breath in “some lady yelled at me in the store and called me some names, made a self harm jab, I had a panic attack and James found me” silent tears started streaming down his face as he chewed the inside corner of his bottom lip. Residual embarrassment from being found like that, his own screams echoing in his ears now, even though he knew his actions were uncontrollable and an unconscious reaction to his trauma, he couldn’t help feeling the shame well up in him for not being able to control it.
“Yelled at you?” Barty said, a slight defensive tone taking into effect now but Regulus could tell he was trying to hide it, mumbling some not so nice things about if he ever found her and then saying “you know none of what she said matters right? What happened after that? Did James help?”
“He had to call my brother I was so out of it” he sucked in a wet rattling breath. Regulus recounted all of the afternoons events to him ending with “and now he’s asleep on my couch and I don’t know what to do.” The tears still dripping off his chin, making almost silent plats on his shirt. He scrubbed harshly at his chin where they were gathered, frustrated again at not being able to make them stop.
“What do you mean?” Barty asked.
Regulus scoffed “I mean I don’t know what to do Barty. Do I leave him sleeping on my couch? Do I wake him up and drive him home? Do I wake him up and let him sleep in bed with me? Do I go back to sleep on the couch with him? I don’t. Know. What. To do!” The tears had finally stopped falling, his face now itchy, the sudden frustration and agitation drying them up.
“Well,” Barty started “it sounds like James has been doing all the right things today and unfortunately for me I have nothing bad to say about him or his actions.” Regulus rolled his eyes at this “what do YOU want to do Reg? What would be your immediate preference? James’s opinions aside, what would you like to do?” Regulus didn’t answer him “Once you decide, wake him up and tell him, and James is a big boy he can decide if it’s what he wants to do too.”
Regulus was silent for a moment longer, thinking over his options in his head, twirling his shirt.
He heard a shuffle of feet in the hallway and a moment later James was standing in his doorway with sleepy eyes squinting at the light, his glasses were righted on his nose, reflecting the yellow light from his lamp and his shirt was a bit rumpled.
Regulus was quite a moment too long now “Reg?” Barty said.
“I gotta go Barty.” He replied still staring at James and the way he shuffled his socked feet.
“Why?” Barty said confused and then in an excited tone “is he there? Did he wake up?”
“Yes, goodbye.”
Regulus heard a “Follow your heart and be safe!” As he moved the phone to hang up and rolled his eyes as he clicked the end call button, looking back at James.
James looked awkward with his hair slightly sticking up in the back and shuffling around, fingers on his left hand fiddling with the door frame.
“Hi” Regulus said quietly.
“Hi” James parroted. “I uh, woke up and you were gone, and then I heard you talking. Sorry if I interrupted your call, I didn’t mean to make you hang up”
Regulus shook his head “It’s fine James.” Regulus folded his legs and motioned to James that he could sit on the bed with him, cringing that he still had his day clothes on and didn’t offer him a pair of pajamas earlier, but the covers were still set so it is fine, he convinced himself.
James moved to sit in front of Regulus and sat facing him with one knee folded in front of him and the other foot touching the ground “Have you been up long?” He asked.
Regulus shook his head and drawing a deep breath in said “I get these… nightmares” Regulus started, now looking at his fingers fumbling with a throw pillow tag. “I woke up maybe fifteen minutes ago from one and was feeling anxious but didn’t want to wake you up, so I was talking to Barty. My friend I told you about” he added as an after thought.
James gave a small smile at that “Yeah, no I remember. I’m sorry you had a bad dream.” James moved a hand towards Regulus’s face and he looked up at him. When Regulus made no move to stop him James continued, wiping the drying tears from his face. “In the future feel free to wake me ok?” He said softly.
All Regulus could do was nod as his other cheek was wiped with his thumb and then James ran the back of his index finger over his cheek once and pulled back. Regulus missed the touch instantly, goosebumps erupting from James warm fingers on his flushed face.
“Do you want me to stay with you?” Asked James softly. No expectations in his voice, just a simple question.
Regulus, worried that he’d overheard his rant to Barty, opened his mouth, then closed it, and opened it again though still, no sound came out, he hadn’t decided yet.
James watched this and said “I won’t be mad or anything Reg. You can send me back to the couch or send me home and I’ll call an Uber right now.”
The thought made him upset and so he said quickly as he grabbed his wrist of the hand sitting on his knee, without much thought of what he was going to say next said “No, I want you to stay.”
James gave him a small smile and nodded. “Ok, I’ll stay then.”
Regulus nodded and looked around “Um we can sleep in here but you’ll have to change your clothes, and if you don’t want to take a full shower then you’ll have to wash your feet.” He added in.
James let out a sharp loud laugh “You trying to tell me my feet stink?”
Regulus realized the implication of his words and huffed a laugh “No, sorry just that I don’t like dirty clothes or anything to be in my bed, and feet usually get pretty dirty throughout the day.”
James nodded still smiling “I get it. Do you have pajamas I can borrow?”
Regulus nodded and stood to retrieve the largest shirt, sweatpants, and boxers he owned and handed the folded stack to James “You can use this bathroom if you want. There’s towels in the closet.” And motioned to his en suite.
James stood taking the pile of clothes from him, their hands brushing, and thanked him. He stepped into the bathroom and same as Regulus had done earlier closed the door until it was barely cracked.
Regulus closed his drawers and straightened some things on his desk that were already straight trying to find things to do, suddenly a little nervous.
When he turned, he glimpsed James facing away from the door taking his shirt off, tan ripped muscles on display. Tattoos strung about, getting glimpses of new ones. Until Regulus realized what he was doing and spun 180 degrees as his face set aflame. Panicked he half turned in multiple directions before finally stepping back to his side of the bed to sit down.
Why had he done that? He berated himself. If James had turned and seen him peeping on him he would have been mortified. Flustered and blushing, Regulus pulled the covers back and climbed into bed.
He heard James turn the shower water on, and assumed he was going to take a full shower since the water wasn’t coming out of the bath.
He sent a quick text to Barty to distract himself from the thought that if he had turned a few moments later he would have accidentally seen a completely nude James and his cheeks heated at the thought.
‘I asked him to stay the night, in the bed. Thank you for talking with me.’
A reply came a few seconds later.
‘Proud of you Reg.’
‘I told him he had to wash his feet idk how proud of that you should be.’
‘Proper hygiene. I’d give it 5 stars’
He rolled his eyes and smiled softly before locking his phone and plugging it in on his nightstand.
He turned on his side facing away from the bathroom door and waited for James to finish, drawing patterns in the bed sheets.
A few minutes later he heard a soft “Reg” James said from the doorway “I don’t think these pants are gonna work.”
Regulus half rolled over to see his sweatpants stretched as far as the seams would allow, slightly riding up over his ankles, skin tight over James’s hips and thighs, leaving a faint outline of his dick. Regulus’s eyes jumped to James’s face when he realized he was staring right at his crotch, and his face warmed. The shirt he’d given him, which usually was quite loose on Regulus, was stretched not quite as much as the pants, but James’s broad shoulders definitely filled it out more but at least still looked comfortable to wear.
“It’s kind of cutting into me” James added adjusting the waist band with a finger and Regulus’s eyes followed the movement, distracted by a line of tan skin where is shirt rode up “Do you have a different pair?”
“No that’s my biggest pair of pants, just, sleep in the boxers” Regulus replied trying not to let his face warm anymore than it already was.
“Are you sure?” James asked, eyebrows drawn.
“Yes it’s fine.” Because James and his apparent juicy ass, have no other options.
James nodded and turned to go back into the bathroom to take the pants off and when he turned Regulus’s eyes immediately went to his ass which, in fact, was stretched tight in the sweats and had a perfect outline of his pert bottom.
Regulus silently groaned and turned back over to bury his face in his pillow.
James stepped back out a moment later and Regulus righted his head to be laying back on his side as James rounded the bed, Regulus subtly glancing at his bare tattooed thighs and the navy and white plaid boxer shorts he loaned him as he gently pulled the covers back and got in laying on his side to face Regulus.
“Hi” James said quietly once he settled with the covers pulled up to his neck, his face half illuminated by the lamp on Regulus’s side of the room, and his glasses slightly crooked from where his hand rested under his head. He looked so cozy and cute that Regulus couldn’t help the small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
“Hi” he said back.
“Still feeling bad?” James asked quietly a small frown between his brows.
“No, not so much anymore” and he found he was taking the truth. His heart rate had slowed, his breathing came easy, and Regulus didn’t feel like he was stuck between screaming and crying anymore.
“Good.” James nodded and after a beat asked “do you want to cuddle?”
Regulus huffed a laugh and just nodded, turning to turn the bedside lamp off and scooting closer to James who met him in the middle after putting his glasses on his own side table, wrapping his arms around him and pulling him close. Regulus tucked his head under James’s chin and their legs became tangled as he felt the last sliver of stress ease from his body.
James kissed him on the head and said “Wake me up if you need to okay?”
Regulus nodded his head and closed his eyes, warm and content and fell asleep within a few breaths.