Chapter Text
Regulus Black is really starting to regret throwing that glass of champagne in Potter’s face. In the moment, it was so worth it— to see that look in his stupid eyes. But now, sitting in the production office of Phoenix Studios a week later, the publicity team scolding them for the past fifteen minutes, he’s thinking that he would have saved himself a lot of grief by having his little outburst somewhere more private.
The only thing making this whole situation better is that Potter looks incredibly stupid right now. In that ridiculous costume, orange bandana just barely taming his wild hair, a turtle shell on his back, and holding a pair of prop nunchucks— all topped off with the intense scowl on his face as he decidedly does not look at Regulus. It’s almost enough to make Regulus laugh, but he knows now is definitely not the time.
“Have you seen what people are saying about you two?” Rita Skeeter, the head publicist for Phoenix Studios, is staring both of them down, pinched expression on her overly made-up face as she turns her laptop around, page open on a Pop Base post.
Pop Base @PopBase - 15h
Co-stars James Potter and Regulus Black caught on camera in a catfight at the wrap party for their upcoming film, “Give Me a Minute”. Video shows a screaming match between Black and Potter, before the former throws a glass of champagne in the latter’s face and storms away. The video was leaked by someone on the production team who stated:
“Those two have always hated each other. Surprised it took this long to come to a head.”
Under the post is the video, grainy and shaky and obviously from someone’s phone camera. When Regulus finds the little rat who spread that lovely clip to the media, he’s going to have a field day. However, it is gratifying to watch himself douse Potter from an outside eye.
“Go ahead, look at the comments!” Rita waves a hand towards them, giving each matching glares. Her assistant watches this all from the corner of the room, taking notes but staying silent. Seen, not heard.
Rita Skeeter is a very powerful and important woman. She’s also— frankly— incredibly intimidating. Reminds Regulus a bit of his mother actually, with their matching tight updos and shrill voices. Rita is like Walburga Black with colour saturation turned up. Where his mother is greys and blacks and beiges, every inch of Rita is covered in colour. Her emerald green pantsuit, red glasses frames with vibrant lipstick to match, even the yellow-blonde of her hair.
Her office though, that’s much more Walburga’s style. Bland, greige walls, next to no decoration— very corporate minimalist chic. Regulus hates it.
He prepares himself to read the post’s comments, something he rarely does when things on social media are about him. He strives to protect his peace, and Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter do the opposite of that. Reading nasty comments about James though? That might make his whole week. Regulus leans forward, scrolling down to do just that and trying to keep his face neutral, even though his lips want to tip up into a smirk more than anything.
mrs. james potter @anafuturepotter - 6h
regulus black count your days. nobody fcks w my man like that.
Regulus isn’t quick enough to stop the eye roll that comment warrants.
DeathlyHallow @deathlyhallow3 - 9h
They couldn’t be civil at their own wrap party? Kids these days, so selfish.
ris @lizstan65_23 - 4h
Okay but hear me out right,,, why is Regulus kinda hot in this 😍
SparrowFeather @amycurses- 7h
but the tension you guys!! enemies to lovers realness i’m swooning
He feels Potter lean into his space to read over his shoulder, skin crawling in disgust over his proximity and his breath on the back of Regulus’ neck. Potter has a nasty habit of getting too close, and it irritates Regulus to no end. Add it to the list of things in Regulus’ mind to dislike about the man. He wants to snap, wants to shove him back into his seat when his eyes catch on more comments.
sev @hbp1996 - 2h
theres no way this movie isnt gonna be complete shit! not an ounce of chemistry ffs 🙄
DD Aber @maninthemirror - 13h
They’ve lost my view after this, I was so excited about this movie
The last time Regulus found himself this much of a talking point on social media, he broke it off with his long-time boyfriend and took a break from the internet for a couple of weeks. Barty convinced him to book himself into an outpatient program before his problem got any worse, and the guilt of introducing him to coke in the first place made Barty call off their relationship. They’re still close, best friends really, but with both of their crazy schedules they don’t get to meet up in person much anymore. But it’s inevitable that when they do, fans come out of the woodworks speculating that they’re getting back together, that they eloped in Ibiza, that they’ve been secretly married with an adopted daughter this whole time and have been hiding it from the public.
So Regulus doesn’t really participate in social media anymore. It’s exhausting to constantly be bombarded with random people who have an opinion about everything you do. Regulus just tries to protect his peace where he can. There’s only so much speculation about his love life he can take.
Regulus thinks that, in his darkest months, he would have married Barty. There was a time when he would have done anything Barty told him to, to keep him in his life. Even if it was only to get the interviewers and fans off his back, always hounding him about settling down and who he fancied. But he and Barty, it wasn’t healthy, they were never meant to be in a relationship, all they did was make each other worse. Barty had jealousy issues, Regulus was codependent and clingy, and not to mention all the drugs.
Mr. Incredible @ihysb22 - 8h
Are we surprised? Regulus acting just like his brother, big shocker!!
Regulus feels himself freeze up, hand going still and giving Potter plenty of time to read. Regulus knows when he’s seen the comment because he throws himself back into his chair with a huff. “As if,” James grumbles, “Like Regulus throwing a fit is comparable to what Sirius went through.”
Sharp, imaginary fingers plunge into Regulus’ chest, stealing his breath for a moment before he’s flooded with anger and annoyance, something unpleasant curdling in his stomach. James really should learn not to speak on things he knows nothing about. He schools his face into a sneer, turning to meet Potter’s gaze with as much ice in his eyes as he can muster.
“You think I want to be compared to him ? Trust me, I’d rather the world forget we’re related entirely.”
Sirius left Regulus all alone with their mother, leaving the industry after a very public breakdown involving a smashed camera and a brief stint in rehab. He followed the usual path for a child actor gone wild, assaulting paparazzi and being plastered all over the tabloids in bender after bender. He fell completely out of the public eye for a few years, before reemerging with a best-selling debut album all about their childhood and his struggles with addiction. As well as a new best friend in the form of one James Potter.
His brother is exactly the reason he decided to deal with his problem quietly, hide himself away until the worst of the withdrawals were gone. For one, so that no one other than himself, Barty, and his mother would have to know. And two, because he hated being anything like Sirius. Knowing that they had this in common, Regulus made it his mission to make sure Sirius never found out. It’s one of the main reasons Regulus has stayed clean this long, out of spite.
“I’m not scared of you, Regulus. Don’t think you’ll just give me that face and I’ll fall at your feet like everyone else seems to,” James shoots back, arms folded and looking entirely unphased. But there’s something in his eyes, a hint of emotion Regulus can’t place. He narrows in on it, ready to use it to his advantage.
“Oh,” Regulus laughs, sharp and biting. “You should be afraid of me, Potter. Just wait until we’re free from this project, I have so ma—”
James, talking right over him, throws his hands up in exasperation. “Right, because it’s all about you, Regulus! Such a fucking narcissist, I swear to—”
“—ny different ways that I— narcissi— A narcissist? Oh, that’s rich coming from the King of—”
They’re yelling over each other now, Regulus’ blood pounding in his ears.
“—god I don’t even understand why you hate me so much? You’re just so —”
“—I hate you because you’re bloody infuriat—”
“Boys, that is enough!” Rita interrupts, voice cutting through the tension building between them that is always seconds away from blowing up in their faces.
She starts to speak, to scold them for acting like children, but Potter’s eyes are still locked on his own, fury roiling in the space between their chairs.
There’s a harsh snap of fingers that seems to jolt Potter awake, making him break eye contact to look back at Rita. James: 0. Regulus: 1. Or really, 2 at this point if you count the champagne— which Regulus absolutely does. He relaxes back into his chair, leisurely turning to face Rita again who is looking down her nose at him with disdain.
“This feud the two of you seem to have only gives me more assurance that strategic moves must be made. We’re losing approval each time one of you makes a backhanded comment in an interview or likes a negative post about the other on social media.” Rita adjusts her cat-eye glasses, pushing them back up her nose with one sharp cherry red nail. “Your actions affect the public opinion of not just yourselves, but the entire production company.
“The internet has dubbed your little fiasco #ChampagneGate, which is currently trending on Twitter and Instagram. There is also a viral TikTok by a lipreader that translated what you were both yelling about before the champagne part of the incident, so that ended up at my desk as well.” Rita levels them both with a withering stare. “I suspect we’ll see even more press about it once media outlets get a hold of that tidbit of information. Mr. Potter, is it true that you called Mr. Black a ‘spineless know-it-all with a god complex to rival Jesus Christ himself’?”
Potter looks a little abashed at this, unfolding his arms and sinking down a little in his chair, but Regulus holds his chin up— his face a perfect mask of indifference.
“I’m afraid you boys leave me no choice, we have to find some way to improve public relations.”
Regulus has had enough of this, he can swallow his pride if it means he can leave this office as quickly as possible. Rita is intimidating, but he knows what she wants, knows that he’s the ‘one in the wrong’ here. “I’ll make an apology, post a stupid screenshot of my Notes app or something,” Regulus says, already pulling out his phone to start drafting it. Rita will definitely want complete control over the messaging.
“Sadly, that won’t help the situation, Mr. Black. The real issue here is the animosity between the two of you, it doesn’t tend to give audiences the warm and fuzzies,” Rita says, and Regulus scoffs. “This movie is a coming-of-age story, but it’s also a love story, the public wants to see actors who can at least stand to be in the same room as each other play romantic leads. If everyone believes you two hate each other, they will assume you have no chemistry in the film— as some commenters are already pointing out, you’ve seen.”
Regulus honestly isn’t sure why this is such a big deal. Any press is good press, right? He’s seen the raw footage, he knows that he and Potter don’t have any chemistry problems. It seems like all that hatred and tension translated extremely well through the camera, they make a very convincing couple. So what if fans think they hate each other, if anything that should make them want to see the film more out of sheer curiosity. He’s about to say just that when Rita speaks up again.
“That’s why we're going to need to do something drastic.”
Regulus’ stomach sinks. That absolutely cannot be something good for him.
“You want us to what?!” Regulus shoots out of his chair, hands curled into fists, fingers going white.
His voice rings through the small office, and James cringes at the pitch as he feels dread seep into his bones. She didn't… she didn’t just say—
“You two will need to enter into a PR relationship. They’re not unheard of, and it will only have to last a little longer than the length of the press tour. In the meantime, you will stop antagonizing each other on social media immediately, and you will start to speak positively about each other in interviews. Am I clear?”
Regulus scoffs, running an exasperated hand through his hair. “No, you’re not clear! You want me to pretend to be in a relationship with him just so the company is saved a little bit of bad press?” He looks between James and Rita, eyes wide in disbelief.
“Mr. Black, sit down. I won’t have any more screaming in my office today; I’m starting to get a headache.” Rita removes her glasses with one hand to rub her other fingers between her brows with a huff. “Any more sweet little outbursts and I’ll have to pass on my disapproval to your mother.”
James watches Regulus blink violently, face dropping into that eerie placidity he always sports. Regulus is such a phenomenal actor, so open and honest, all his emotions spilling out of his eyes and the set of his mouth. It’s captivating to watch, and even more captivating to work with in a scene. But as soon as the camera stops rolling, it’s like he hides himself behind a brick wall. Has to store up all his emotional vulnerability to be able to use while rolling, and doesn’t have any left when he’s a normal person. James is sure it’s a defense mechanism, he’s seen it enough times in Sirius to recognize what it means.
James shoots a glare at Rita for bringing up Walburga, but Regulus has already deflated, sitting back down in his chair and assuming his regular posture, back straight and chin tilted up ever so slightly. James clears his throat, the full weight of Rita’s statement sinking in. “Rita, you can’t be serious. That can’t possibly be the only solution to this whole mess.”
Rita throws up her hands with an overdramatic scoff. “Well, I’m not sure what else you’d like me to do, Mr. Potter! At this point, my hands are tied.”
The room settles into an uneasy silence, James looking down at his fidgeting hands while Rita rubs between her brows again and Regulus remains stock still, tension radiating off of him like an icy aura. James knows he should apologize for the narcissist comment, that was a little uncalled for, but there’s something about Regulus Black that makes his brain run a mile a minute, every single thought he has comes running out of his mouth before he can make sure they’re not hurtful.
Regulus breaks the silence first, his voice calm and clear, no trace of the earlier burst of disbelief to be heard. “This is absurd. You can’t expect us to—”
“But I can, Mr. Black. And I do.” Rita clicks her tongue disapprovingly, looking down her nose at the both of them. With a wave of her hand, she plasters on a patronizing smile. “This is quite a lot of dramatics for just a painless little publicity stunt. You have both been in this industry for long enough to understand how this goes, especially you, Mr. Black.”
James’ brain feels like it’s about to explode out of his head, this being sprung on him so suddenly with no warning is jumbling him up inside, turning his thoughts to mush. When he decided to turn down his sure seat as a shareholder in his father’s company to pursue his dream of being an actor, he never thought it would involve being stuck in a low-level scandal with his best friend’s younger brother. And he certainly didn’t foresee being sucked into a pretend relationship with said best friend’s brother all because he hates James so much that they can’t get through one measly little afterparty without wanting to rip each other's heads off.
James doesn’t think Rita fully understands the history here, or she would never suggest something like this. Or maybe, she simply doesn't care.
“Painless? Who exactly is this going to be painless for?” James asks, looking over to find Regulus staring daggers at Rita, clearly trying to keep himself in check.
Rita sighs big and dramatic, taking off her glasses and letting them hang on their chain around her neck. “I am well aware that the two of you have your differences, but really. Don’t you think this is all getting a little old?”
James has enough common sense and control left to know that getting angry about this, kicking and fighting tooth and nail with Rita Skeeter of all people, isn’t going to get them anywhere. No, they have to play this right, poke holes in her plan, and get her to slowly realize it is a horrible idea herself, or she’ll never give in. James just hopes Regulus catches on to what he’s trying to do.
“What do you need us to do?” James asks, and immediately feels Regulus’ glare shift over to him, burning holes in the side of his head with intensity. James resists looking back, resists flipping him the finger under the desk where Rita can’t see. But… just barely. It’s really tempting.
Rita smiles truly for the first time in this whole meeting. She has a very intense smile, like a predator. James doesn’t love the implication that he and Regulus are the prey. “Oh, it’ll barely affect your day-to-day lives,” She says, waving her hand through the air in nonchalance. “ Just some hand-holding during interviews, a fabricated story about secret feelings and the overcompensation you both showed to hide them. Photos of the two of you together outside of the press tour, a kiss or two.”
Regulus definitely isn’t getting the ‘calm and collected memo’. “You expect me to—” He starts, voice rising in volume as he throws his arms toward James in astonishment.
Rita holds up one manicured hand, silencing him before continuing, “You two are fantastic actors, we’ve seen that throughout this filming process. We cast you both in this project because of your chemistry read together, and I sat through enough promotional material to know you have what it takes to make it look convincing. I have the utmost faith in you both.”
“I was cast for my talent,” Regulus scoffs, “He is best friends with the director.”
You little shit, I’m trying to get us out of this. Not helping.
James knows he’s not strong enough to resist the bait, although he’s mentally kicking himself for it. But all the members of the Black Family he knows have a habit of hitting where it hurts.
James rolls his eyes, exasperated. “Oh, please. Just because Peter likes working with me and happened to become my friend off-set too doesn’t mean I’m not talented, Regulus. Now you’re just being an asshole for no reason.”
Regulus turns to him, gray eyes piercing and cold, a sharp smirk on his lips. “I always have a reason when it comes to you, pretty boy.” He draws out the last words, making heat run down James’ spine. So fucking irritating.
They play another round of eye contact chicken, James raising one eyebrow and mouthing ‘Pretty?’ before Regulus scoffs and rolls his eyes, looking back to Rita with annoyance painting his features.
“See? No one’s going to believe this. It will only make me look stupid,” Regulus says, matter of fact. James thinks he sees a light pink dusting his cheeks, it must be hot in here or something. “I won’t. There’s no point to any of this, I refuse.” Regulus lifts his chin even more, looking every bit the snobbish aristocrat he is, crossing his arms primly as if the conversation is over.
“Your contract won’t let you do that, Mr. Black.”
Regulus startles, face dropping in surprise. His voice comes out less sure than usual, a wobble to his words. “My— my contract? What does my contract have to do with this?”
Rita rifles through a folder on her desk, pulling out a sheet of paper that looks like a page of a contract, photocopied, with a section highlighted. She extends her arm and passes it to Regulus, who takes it immediately, eyes scanning the page with vigor.
“Your manager, Walburga Black, has signing power on all of your contracts with the production company,” Rita explains while Regulus reads, “For all of the films you’ve worked with us on, there has been a clause stating your express permission to waive over any public relational rights to the publicity team here at Phoenix. Meaning, you are contractually bound to not be able to refuse, Mr. Black.”
There are a few seconds of silence before Regulus’ face drops ever so slightly, his skin going a little grey as he swallows intensely.
“That can’t be true, my mother would never sign something so restrictive,” Regulus’ voice leaves his throat strange and tight, every word heavy, measured.
Something glints in Rita’s eyes, that small predatory smile showing itself again. “Wouldn’t she? After the press scandal Sirius Black brought down on your family, she came in the very next morning to amend your contracts going forward. It’s only in your best interest, this clause— I assure you.”
Regulus goes deathly still, gripping the page in his hand so tight that the paper starts to crumple and crease. James watches his chest stutter in breaths, feeling strangely… bad for him. Sure, he’s an egotistical asshole, but he’s still Sirius’ brother. And James knows what kind of childhood he had, and how much Sirius protected him from before he left.
“I agree with Regulus, there’s no way our fans will believe this.” James clears his throat, trying to dispel some of the tension in the room. “They’ve seen us be less than friendly with each other for years, don’t you think they’ll be more suspicious if we’re suddenly a couple right before our movie where we’re romantic leads premieres? It’s the oldest trick in the book.”
“Sometimes old tricks work the best. They’ve stood the test of time,” Rita responds confidently. She grabs the paper back from Regulus, smoothing it out before returning it to its folder. “Are you a publicist, Mr. Potter?” She asks, putting her glasses back onto her nose so she can stare down them at James, making his blood heat a little more than is probably healthy.
“No, ma’am,” James replies through gritted teeth, trying his best to smile but not really knowing if he’s managing it.
“Hm. I thought not.” She folds her hands primly on her desk, looking over at her assistant who nods and clears her throat.
The assistant tucks a long strand of vibrant red hair behind her ear. “You have no such clause in your contract, Mr. Potter, which means we can’t make you participate if you don’t want to,” She says, giving James a warm smile.
“Correct, Miss Evans. In that case, we’d have to come up with some other measures.” Rita’s gaze lands back on Regulus, tilting her head at him in a mockery of sweetness. “Maybe an explanation for your behavior, Mr. Black? You do have a… family history, after all.”
Oh, James is going to launch over this desk and strangle Rita Skeeter, if not for Regulus, then for Sirius. Regulus hasn’t moved since he was handed the portion of his contract, white as a ghost and looking a little shellshocked. Sitting and staring at the wall behind Rita’s head like a machine. All the fight has gone out of him, and James can see that he’s picking at the nailbed of his thumb over and over again like he’s on autopilot. James’ mom always told him he had a big heart and a lot of love to give. And he feels his heart ache for Regulus, just for a second. Enough to paint a smile on his face and direct all of his attention to Rita.
“No, no,” James soothes, turning on his charm. “That won’t be necessary, Rita.” He claps a hand on Regulus’ shoulder, feeling him jump at the contact. “You said it yourself, right? We’re wonderful actors, we should be able to make this work.” James makes his smile extra dazzling, the one he uses on carpets and in front of the paparazzi, watching Rita’s eyes soften ever so slightly. He squeezes Regulus’ shoulder.
“Right,” Regulus responds, almost robotic, without any feeling behind it.
That seems to be enough, because Rita claps her hands together, leaning back in her chair in triumph. “Lovely! I’m glad we could all come to this agreement.”
Fucking snake.
“We can always count on you to protect our image, Rita. We’re so grateful,” James says, watching Rita preen at the compliment.
Regulus remains silent.
“Miss Evans here will be accompanying you on the press tour, making sure you always have someone to go to if you need pointers on staying on good terms with the public eye. She will be keeping your schedules for the tour, she is your point person going forward. She will also be in direct contact with me the whole time, so I can help guide you both through your… relationship,” Rita explains, wrinkling her nose a bit on the word relationship , as if she isn’t the one making them do this in the first place.
“Hi, you can both call me Lily,” The assistant introduces herself, giving James and Regulus a little smile and wave. “I’m super excited to be working with you guys.”
Regulus doesn’t respond, only makes a little grunt noise and nods his head at her. James watches Lily’s face fall a fraction, and James resists the urge to smack Regulus awake. He knows that he’s out of it right now, that he doesn’t understand he’s being rude, but Lily seems kind and is at least more agreeable than Rita, so. You take what you can get.
James smiles at her, “It’s nice to meet you, Lily, call me James.”
“You’re both dismissed, I’ll be in contact once the press tour gets closer with the right way to bring this to the public. In the meantime, remember what I said. Play nice with each other, huh boys?” Rita waggles a finger between the two of them, clucking her tongue a couple of times. When she seems satisfied, she smiles big. “That’s my superstars.”
Regulus rises from his chair all at once, grabbing his bag from the back of it and slinging it over his shoulder. “I have to start planning my funeral, so if you’ll excuse me? I have work to do.” And with that he turns on his heels and makes for the door, swiftly ducking out of the little office.
James shoots an apologetic smile in Rita’s direction and one toward her Lily before scrambling after him, pulling on his sweatshirt (it fits a little strangely today because of the turtle shell on his back) and making a beeline for the door.
He catches up to Regulus when he’s already halfway down the hall. He whizzes past posters of past Phoenix Studios blockbuster success stories, no doubt Rita was head publicist for most of them in recent years.
“Wait, Regulus—” James falls into step beside him, grabbing his arm to get him to look in James’ direction.
“What?” Regulus snaps, jerking his arm away and picking up his pace. Damn, for a guy with short legs, he moves incredibly fast.
James runs a sheepish hand over his neck, really wanting to be anywhere other than here having this conversation right now. “I— I don’t want this any more than you do.”
Regulus stops in his tracks, leveling James with a glare so sharp James winces ever so slightly.
“Don’t worry Potter, that’s abundantly clear,” Regulus bites out the words, enunciating every one of them perfectly.
James sighs, exasperated. He really doesn't want to do this. “But, if we’re going to be forced into this anyway, we should probably try to get to know each other.”
Regulus blinks a few times, disgust and disbelief on his face before his lips curl halfway between a sneer and a smirk.
“I know everything I need to know about you already. Obnoxious, arrogant, questionable relationship with my dear older brother.” Regulus counts off on his fingers, wrinkling his nose at his last point.
“I am a person outside of him, you know?” James shoots back, crossing his arms indignantly.
Regulus rolls his eyes. “Not that I’ve ever seen.”
People really have to stop pushing James into wanting to strangle them. He really didn’t think he was such a violent person, but his buttons are being pushed today.
He runs a frustrated hand through his hair, displacing his headband for his Michelangelo costume. “Will you just— fuck, just put your number in my phone,” James digs his phone out of his back pocket, holding it out to Regulus, “so we can keep in contact before the press tour? I’m a shitty liar, so it’s going to take a lot of prep for me to pull this off.”
Regulus raises a sharp eyebrow at him, looking down at his phone like it might bite him or give him some kind of deadly disease.“Pity you’re not a better actor,” Regulus quips, grabbing James’ phone and putting in his contact information. James feels rage bubble up inside him for the fiftieth time today. “There. Don’t let me keep you, you obviously have plans.” Regulus shoves the phone back into James’ hands, taking off walking again in a flurry.
“It’s Halloween. Me and the guys are going to a costume party.”
Every year James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter do a group costume, this year obviously being Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It’s surprisingly easy, and they all fit the personalities of each of the turtles to a tee. It’s a shock they never thought of this costume before.
“You look utterly ridiculous,” Regulus throws over his shoulder, pushing open the loading door, light spilling into the hallway as they both leave Phoenix Studios.
“Yeah, well at least I have friends to dress up with. What’s the matter, Reggie? No one likes you enough to include you in a group costume?” James taunts, wanting to get one more rise out of the man before he can forget about him for the rest of the night.
Regulus stops and turns to face him, rolling his eyes and leveling James with a blank stare. “My friends know that I’d rather be dead than caught in public in some shitty costume from a kid’s show.” Then, like a mutant himself, Regulus closes the distance between them lightning-fast. He jabs a finger in James’ chest, voice low and deadly as he continues, “And if you ever call me that again, I’ll make good on my threats from earlier and give you ample reason to be afraid of me, Potter.”
James Potter can probably bench close to double Regulus’ body weight, could crush him like a bug if he wanted to, but something about the wicked gleam in Regulus’ eyes tells him that if James did enough to get on his bad side, maybe there would be cause to be afraid of him. But for now, like a bug.
James slowly removes Regulus’ finger from his chest, holding it firmly as he leans close to whisper. “You’re the most miserable man alive, you know that?”
Regulus smiles, saccharine and taunting, leaning so close their noses are almost touching.
“A title I’m happy to hold, surely.” And then he pulls his finger free and takes off across the lot, leaving James fuming in the dust.
This is going to be impossible.